I bet you've never seen a picture of Sydney's Harbour Bridge from this vantage point! That's my friend and fellow passenger Toya, having her "pre-breakfast" photo taken by a crew officer as we had just passed underneath the bridge. She wanted a photo before the bridge got too far away. Mission accomplished!
I managed to get my own "vantage point" photo.
What's a post about Sydney, or even Australia, for that matter, without a snap of the iconic Opera House.
There's a lot to see and do in Sydney. The last time I was here, in 2018, I visited Tauranga Zoo, which is a fabulous place. Many of my fellow passengers went out of town to see the famous Blue Mountains. This year, I decided it was my time to go. My friend Bonita had planned a small group tour out there so off we went.
Many of the bigger tours always stop for awhile at Featherly Park, an outdoor zoo/sanctuary, near the Blue Mountains. Our small group went, instead, to Calmsley Hill, another sanctuary, but a small one. There was plenty to see.
Since we visited Calmsley early in the morning, the koalas (all 2 of them) were still up and at it. Cute as can be!
Play time!
Snort was very excited to see some of his kindred folk......
Why is it that kids (of all species) like to get up on tables???
Yes, Virginia, there are camels in Australia. In fact, there are more than a million feral camels here. The British settlers brought them over in the 19th century to help with working the land. Now, especially after the horrible wildfires late last year, the camels have become a big problem, and the country has plans in place to cull thousands of them. Looks like this fellow will be spared...
A sulphur-crested cockatoo. They are abundant in this part of the country, and are intelligent, curious and LOUD. Very precocious as well. This one, below, outside the enclosure, is wild and is missing it's buddy, who sits behind the enclosure. I spent at least 10 minutes watching these two - the one outside was screeching and crying up a storm, and finally flew away to a nearby tree. Made me a little sad.
Onward to the Blue Mountains. Our first stop, where big buses cannot go, was Lincoln's Rock. Nice views of the mountains and big rocky ledges!
Bernd (in his famous red jacket) and Mieke. Notice how far back from the ledge they are standing. Bernd is just a TAD uncomfortable with heights......
I'm also not a fan of dizzying heights, but I got as close as I felt comfortable....
Even with incredible fires all over this area of Australia, just a few months after, new growth is popping up everywhere. This is nature, at her best.
Check out these scones!!! They were FABULOUS!!!
This is one of my most favorite photos of the Blue Mountains, below.
This one's not bad either...
These are the "Three Sisters", an unusual rock formation, near the town of Katoomba, overlooking the Jamison Valley. One of the most well-known sites.
Stay tuned for more Pig Tales!!
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