Category: Parks

Museums of the Western Front

December 14, 2018

The Western Front in World War one was actually quite long, stretching from the North Sea on the shores of Belgium down to the Swiss Border. That means that there is a lot of ground to cover, and considering that there was fighting along most of the front, there are lots of things to see if you, unlike me, decide to travel the whole length. From my travels there I have since discovered that while the trenches are now long gone, there are still relics, even a hundred years after the event, hidden in the fields, forests, and farms along that stretch of land. … More Museums of the Western Front

Wave to the Rock

November 28, 2018

I remember a book that my Dad had on the shelf when I was a kid. I’m not entirely sure if it is still there, but if it is it would be on the verge of falling apart. Anyway, the book was about Australia, or more specifically about the natural wonders that you can find scattered across the continent. Anyway, on the cover of this book was a rock that was shaped like a wave, and that rock had been sticking in my mind for quite a while. … More Wave to the Rock

Phi Phi Don – The Island of the Cats

November 11, 2018

This isn’t the first time that I’ve been to Phi Phi Island, though the last time, back in 2015, I only stayed for a short time. Basically I took a day cruise from Phuket, which took us to Pileh Lagoon, Monkey Beach, and then we jumped onto the island for a spot of lunch where some guys were wandering around with monkeys charging us ฿100 to hold them and have a photo taken. … More Phi Phi Don – The Island of the Cats

Rotto

July 27, 2018

So, we started our day really early, namely because there is only one boat out to Rottnest Island a day, at least from Perth (though I believe there may be a couple from Fremantle). The problem was that we walked from our hotel, but we managed to get there just in time, and basically paid through the nose for a ticket. … More Rotto

Trek to the Point

August 10, 2017

I remember as a kid sitting in the car as we were driving to Melbourne and pouring over the Melbourne Street directory. In particular I remember following the Nepean Hwy all the way from the intersection with Punt Road, along the coast, down to the small town of Portsea. I then became really disappointed that the map cut off there so I couldn’t see how the peninsula that it followed came to an end. … More Trek to the Point

A Park of Kings

August 5, 2017

The people of Perth (and in fact Western Australia in general, namely because about 80% of the population happen to live in Perth) are pretty proud of their inner city park. In fact they will regularly remind you that it happens to be the biggest inner city park in the entire world (much bigger than Central Park, which from what I could see is quite bigger than it actually appears). Hyde Park in London is also pretty huge, and bigger if you include St James gardens, however Kings Park, once again, apparently outstrips that. … More A Park of Kings

The Great Garden of Singapore

July 5, 2017

Okay, I have been to the Gardens by the Bay previously, however that last time I was in Singapore I ended up rushing through it because the sun was beginning to set (it does actually set pretty quickly around the equator, even with daylight savings time, which pretty much does absolutely nothing except move sun up and sun down a hour forward) and I did want to get a look at a couple of spots before I headed back to Chinatown to grab a beer at one (or three) of the great beer stalls in the Chinatown Complex. … More The Great Garden of Singapore

Para Wirra – My Childhood Stomping Ground

April 7, 2017

Years ago, back when as they say I was ‘knee high to a grasshopper’ (and I wonder where they actually came up with that saying because grasshoppers are pretty small), I used to be in the Scouts, and before that I was a cub (which is pretty much the same thing but cubs tend to go to primary school while scouts go to high school, or at least they go to junior high). I would suggest that living in Adelaide meant that there was lots of bush where we could go out and wander, but I suspect that that happens to be the case anywhere and everywhere (unless you happen to be in the middle of Los Angeles or some such place, but since I have never been to Los Angeles I can’t really comment). … More Para Wirra – My Childhood Stomping Ground

Egyptians in Australia – The Gosford Glyphs

January 18, 2017

Who would’ve thought that one could actually find some Egyptian hieroglyphics out in the Australian bush. Well as it happens there are, and they are a short drive from Sydney. I’d actually first heard about these glyphs years ago, back in the 90s, and a part of me was fascinated by them, however as time wore on I they passed to the back of my mind, pretty much forgetting all about them – that is until recently. … More Egyptians in Australia – The Gosford Glyphs