Photo 1 and 2 above are of Adelaide; a charming city of over 1 million people and the capital of South Australia. It has beautiful buildings, great restaurants, shopping, art events, and very friendly people. Haigh's chocolate factory is also there. It is a must visit for the chocolate lovers.

The beaches are just about 30 minutes away by tram. Since they are west of town it is a great opportunity to see the sun set on the ocean. (except if you are there on the 4 days of the year that rains. I know, I got all 4 of them.) This year is the first time in 16 years that the water reservoir is at capacity. Thanks to my visit I am sure. I have been bringing rain to every place I go in Australia.

The last photo is a view of the Barossa Valley from a sculpture park on the hills between Adelaide and the Valley. It is a great view that prepares you for the wonderful wine you will have a chance to taste. The wine is deserves all the fame it gets. All I know about wine is that I like what I like. There is plenty to like here. Another thing, keep your wallet in your purses. The tasting is FREE. But also be aware that drinking and driving in Australia has zero tolerance, so do like we did, and plan ahead by having a designated driver. Enjoy the valley and keep it safe for all.

Power House Museum Sydney

The Power House Museum in Sydney is located in Ultimo and is housed in this old beautiful building that was the power plant for Sydney. It has things for adults and kids to enjoy. Well done! This 2 pictures are part of a design show. The cool dress above is just my kind of art. The bead necklace is actually painted on the dress. I want a dress like that. I am sorry I can't remember the artist name. I think she is Kiwi (New Zealender). They have work from designers from all over the world, not just Ausies. The other picture has a white fabric on the center. It is a Japanese designer and the fabric is folded like a shibori fold and permanently pressed to keep the folds. Love it, love it, love it. Husband loved all the engines and big machine stuff they had around the place too. It was enough to spend a whole day there. Some of the other cool areas- photos are not allowed. Fair enough, you have to check it for yourself.

Gold Coast

Gold Coast of Australia is the area south of Brisbane and North of the New South Wales border. It is about 60 miles of beaches. Think Miami/Daytona Beach Florida and you get the idea. A lot of real state development. But still fun. While we were there we could see the whales and their babies playing from the beach. It was the most incredible sight. No need for a boat. I spent hours there. But this is not the norm. Most of the time you need to go out on a boat to see them migrating south. The top picture is of the rescue boat that had just come back from saving a baby whale from the net that is around the beach to protect the swimmers from sharks. This poor young one got caught on the net and needed to be rescued. The most amazing thing is that 2 adult whales stayed with the baby until it was safe and free. It took quite sometime for them to cut the net. 4 boats and 1 helicopter were there; and of course all the TV stations. I can't believe that they go out on those small boats and work. The baby alone was bigger than the boat. Not to mention the 2 adults. The other 2 pictures are of Mermaid Beach were we stayed and saw all these happening and Surfers Paradise where most restaurants, tours and shops are.

The quilt is done!. It will be part of a traveling exhibit by the Quilt Guild of New South Wales for a couple of years. It is one of 31 quilts submitted by members of the guild. Mine is called "My Australian Garden." The fabric is a print of Australian native flowers. I saw some of the other quilts in the lot; and I am glad I didn't see them before I handed mine to them. I would not be so daring. The others are amazing.

Internet ups and most downs

We are living in an apartment in Coogee beach outside Sydney. Internet connection is not one of the positive aspects of this location. We have prepaid wireless internet. That is if we take the computer to the beach. We are on our second internet provider. The first one "3" doesn't work at all in the apartment. The second one "Telstra" drops the connection off when I am sending e-mails or posting blogs. Many blogs were lost this way. But I can do it inside the apartment.

The cell/mobile phone is a prepaid by Optpus. It works; except if we leave the phone in the bedroom. (This is a one bedroom apartment). if we forget and take 7 steps north and get in the bedroom, the caller will be left talking to a dead phone. So don't try to reach for a piece of paper in the bedroom while you are on the phone. The bad part for me in the begining was that I did not have the phone cord to remind me that I could not go that far. Now, I remember. Pavlov would be so proud of me. Did I mentioned that all the above are VERY expensive in Australia?

Sand Storm in Coogee

The 2 photos above came from the local paper "southern courier" web site where people post their photos. This is Coogee during the sand storm on September 23 2009. It seems that the last one like this in the Sydney area was in 1939. It was very strange to see everything orange.

The photo above the sand stormo ones is the same bay on a sunny "normal" day.

I am still finding sand inside after many attempts to clean it all.