Sydney - The Rocks

Last day in Sydney and it is still raining on and off. S-I-L has a throat infection and was told to stay home, so Carol took us to The Rocks for lunch at the Löwenbrau German Restaurant and a walk through the area.

I had a smoked sausage medley

And Dunkelbier

After lunch, we strolled through The Rocks area. It was still drizzling. The atmosphere is very cosmopolitan

 We came across this mural with a set of stairs going up to the road above.

The Blogger and Carol are standing on the steps.

Carol is standing at the First Impression Sculpture at The Rocks

Well, tomorrow, we're flying back to sunny Brisbane. Although it was mainly wet down here, we enjoyed spending time with Carol and David.

A Blast from the Past

Our daughter picked us up at the airport in Sydney and took us down into 'The Shire' for a visit to the Sydney Tramway Museum, something that has been on my Bucket List for many years. Although the forecast was for rain, the weather was very kind to us with the occasional blue sky period. To our great surprise, the daily tram ride from the museum into the Royal National Park today was on the Phoenix 548, an old FM car from Brisbane, manufactured in 1963. I remember the Brisbane trams well, having used them every day to go to work. Stopping the trams in Brisbane in 1969 was the most stupid decision the Brisbane City Council ever made. Clem Jones was the Lord Mayor at the time. He was entirely disliked by the population after that.

Phoenix 548 is getting ready at the Tramway Museum to take us for a ride

The Blogger and Carol enjoy the ride

So are the oldies

A volunteer Driver took us along the tracks

Made in 1963 by the BCC Tramway Workshop

Out of the open Door

A volunteer Train Conductor

The National Highway comes to a stop when the old tram crosses

Carol enjoys the ride

So does the Blogger

Hello there

No. 548 at the Royal National Park station

Close up of the suspension

The sign says Enoggera but that is 1100km away

The electric rod picks up power to run the motor

The Museum Station with signal box on top

The old Liverpool Street signal box

There is also a large tram shed, housing dozens of trams from around the country in the Sydney Tramway Museum,

One of the interesting cars on display, is a prison tram car used to transport prisoners from Long Bay Jail to the court house and back again, all day long.

The prison tram car

"Let Me Out"

Rainbow Bay

After our camera club meeting yesterday, we drove straight down to Rainbow Bay on the Gold Coast for lunch with the Blogger's former colleagues from her school. This is an annual event hosted by Ann and George from the Birthday Bear Group. They had invited us to stay overnight in their penthouse unit, which we gladly accepted. From the top floor of 'Rainbow Place' you have a magnificent view over Snapper Rock, the ocean and Surfers Paradise in the distance. Naturally the camera got into overdrive.

The penthouse unit we stayed in is on the top floor (14th)

 After a few days of heavy rain in the south-east of Queensland, due to a monsoon, the waves were very high, an event, the surfing fraternity could not avoid.

Surf Board Riders getting ready to go into the water

They're waiting for 'The Big One'

The board riders were out there right up to sunset

Sunset from our balcony

Next morning around 6.00 AM, I went out onto the balcony again to capture the early morning scenes.
There were a few board riders out there already.

In the distance, Surfers Paradise in the early mist

Once again, the board riders headed for the beach

After breakfast, we took a stroll down to Snapper Rock to see the action up close.

It was a glorious morning for the fact that we are in the middle of winter here.

George and the Blogger are walking on the sand at Snapper Rock

By now the seas were very heavy breaking over Snapper Rock, a beautiful sight.

Soon, however the clouds were darkening and we headed home before the rain returned.

Tomorrow, we're flying to Sydney to stay with our daughter and S-I-L for a few days, The weather forecast for Sydney is rain. Oh well.....

Alternate Reality Photography

We were doing Alternate Reality at the U3A Camera Club. Now, that's not for everyone. If you like more information about the subject , just google Alternate Reality Photography and you find some wonderfully weird stuff,

It requires some imagination, a weird sense of humour and of course Photoshop knowledge, especially layering. You have all  that and you get something like these....

Backyard (with apologies to Rundle Mall Adelaide)

Alternate Library

hjhjhjhh

Long Drill

Hello Love

Time Warp

Rio de Duckanero

Now nobody can say they are not weird.

The Blogger is travelling (Sans Moi)

The Blogger's sister-in-law Ann is visiting Australia from London to celebrate her 80th Birthday, which was to be in Adelaide. On the day we flew down to Adelaide for the birthday celebrations, poor Ann ended up in Hospital with pneumonia, so we never got to see her and her sons Michael and David and daughter Liz, who also travelled out here for the event. Well, David lives in Woodonga and that's where Ann is now recuperating. So, the Blogger decided to fly down there for a few days to meet Ann and David. So, I took her to the airport on Sunday and followed her trip on the internet.

First she flew to Sydney in a 737-400

The Blogger on QF521

                I followed QFA 521 on Flightradar24

QFA521 is landing at Sydney Airport

The Blogger had to wait in Sydney for a country Link to Albury. The country link from Sydney to Albury is on a De Havilland DHC-8-300 prop jet and takes just over another hour to fly there.

Qantas Link DHC-8-300 Prop Jet

View out of the DHC-8 at Albury

The DHC-8 is coming in to land at Albury

How did I get these shot, I hear you ask? With the wonders of technology.

They've just sent me a photo

David, Ann and the Blogger in Wodonga