Adventures in Sydney: Thornleigh Bushwalk

Another weekend, another bushwalk.

We ventured to Hornsby region - also known as the Bushland shire - for a relatively short bushwalk. One of the perks of living in Sydney is the close proximity to various bushwalks. However, admittedly, they eventually all look the same.

Adventures in Sydney: Jacaranda Hunting

Every year, I patiently await the bloom of the jacaranda trees. And every year, I am in awe of the beauty of the purple flowers. It brings me so much joy to spot them on my commute to and from work.

Daintree Rainforest ii

After Cape Tribulation, we hopped onto the boat for the river cruise. We managed to see one adult crocodile and a tiny, tiny baby crocodile. I had taken a photo of the baby croc, however even after zooming into the photo, I couldn't find it at all haha.

Daintree Rainforest i

The World Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest is the largest rainforest (1,200 square kilometres) in Australia. It is also the world's oldest rainforest (180 million years) and is believed to be the last remaining example of what Gondwanaland would have been like. Located next to the ocean, it is famously known as 'where the forest meets the sea'. The region is also home to a significant percentage of Australia's plant and animal species; there are species which cannot be found anywhere else.

Yes, Australia does have rainforests and does not simply consist of deserts (or the 'outback') despite common misconceptions.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef and covers approximately 350,000 square kilometres off the coast of Queensland. It was added as a World Heritage Site in 1981. There are countless operators for reef day trips, ranging from absurdly cheap (for Australian standards) to mid-range. We went with Passion of Paradise, one of the few local operators in the market. One of our key considerations was that we didn't want to visit pontoon in the ocean.

Cairns

When I was 16 years old, I travelled to North Queensland with my sisters. This was a significant trip as: it was the first time I travelled*; first time that I stayed at a hostel; and I had paid the entirety of the trip which was a big deal as I was only earning $6/hr at the time.

My recollection of the trip was sparse and that had always bothered me. Imagine visiting one of the most famous places in the world - Great Barrier Reef- and having effectively 0 memories of the entire experience.

Shooting with a Russian Lens

I am the kind of person who will want an item but sit on the decision for months if not years before I am finally ready to commit. However the exception - and my weakness - relates to film SLRs. A month ago I decided to purchase the popular Helios 44-2 58mm lens and also a lens adaptor for my Sony A6000. Legacy lens are considerably cheaper than modern lens and since I could use it on both cameras it must be a more worthwhile purchase. Right, right?

Adventures in Sydney: Hidden 2017

Over the past few years, I have visited a few cemeteries around the world. From Savannah, Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana and even Glasgow, Scotland! I understand that it is quite odd to be interested in visiting cemeteries and people usually throw a few quizzical looks my way.

Adventures in Sydney: Kurnell

Last weekend, my boyfriend and I headed down south to Kurnell. Kurnell is where Captain Cook first landed in 1770 and thus triggered the whole process of European settlement. Despite it being such an important place, I had never visited! The general areas is a bit odd; Botany Bay houses Sydney's (very small) port and Kurnell is also home to Caltex's giant oil refinery.

Another weekend, another picnic.

Made a little friend - as always don't feed the wildlife.

Mongolia Packing List & Advice

A year ago I embarked on a two week trip to Mongolia. This post has been sitting in my drafts for almost 8 months now and I thought it was fitting to post it now.

---

Before my trip to Mongolia, I wrote a packing list of what I was bringing. I thought it was best to write another packing list for those who are going to Mongolia and to prevent you from making the same mistakes that I did. I went in August which was the tail end of summer therefore my list and advice is only relevant to the warmer months in Mongolia. During my two week stay in Mongolia, temperatures ranged from 10 - 25 degrees C.

This is not an extensive packing list as I have not included all basic items such as shirts, shorts, socks, etc.

Clothing

• Underwear - bring underwear for more days than your tour. There is no running water and cleaning your underwear on the trip is unlikely. That is unless you don't mind wearing your underwear for more than one day, to each their own.
• Lightweight rain jacket
• Sports bra/s - I am not large chested, however I was told that they are a life saver for the bumpy off-roading
• Pants / Trousers - especially if going horse riding and also for the cool mornings / evenings
• Hiking boots / joggers - any sturdy shoes really. I don't think hiking boots are a necessity. I brought semi-casual combat boots and they were an okay choice

Warragamba Dam & Knapsack Viaduct

I always find it interesting to return to a place that I have previously visited. To reflect on how I have and my life has changed compared to my previous visit. Although I must admit it is something I am reluctant to do; the whole 'there is so much to do and so little time' mentality does kick in a fair bit.

Earlier last year, I made a visit to Warragamba Dam in the south-west of Sydney. Fast forward to almost 18 months later and I made another visit.






It was a fairly chilly Saturday morning despite the supposed high of 22 degrees. We had arrived close to midday and I was surprised by the lack of families / people at the dam.

Adventures in Sydney: Bradley's Head

I have lived in Sydney for almost my entire life and there are times when I think that I have been everywhere that is even remotely interesting. However I know that is definitely not the case and I like to actively search for things to do. And also because I get restless. I used to joke to an ex* with, 'do you even Sydney?' The context to the joke was that he lived his entire life in Sydney and yet didn't know ... well a whole lot at all. Except for trendy brunch places. I actually find that to be a common occurrence and need to clarify when I ask people for things to do that I don't mean where to eat for brunch. Major digression.

I recently visited Bradley Head to watch the sunset. To save the $8 parking fee, we walked down the road (2km one way) to the water's edge.





On the walk down we passed Bradley's Head Fortification. There is one cannon (there are three pits) and the trenches are still accessible.

Colour Film: Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia and located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The location of the capital city was decided in 1908 as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne, the two largest cities. It is an entirely planned city designed by two American architects, making it one of the few entirely planned cities in the world! Workers in the ACT are among the highest paid (on average) in the entire country. Good ol' public servants.

Colour Film: Manly, Lawson & Misc

I recently developed two rolls of film shot by my brand new Pentax SP1000. I have had issues with Fuji Superia 400 previously and on my last bulk film purchase, I decided to try Fuji Superia 200. Funnily enough, Superia 200 has now been discontinued! I enjoyed the 200 a lot more than the 400. The Pentax SP1000 is my first manual camera and I definitely need to be more aware of the aperture as some of my shots were severely underexposed. Well, at least that is where I think the problem lies. There were some shots that were so dreamy, and then others that were ... not.

This post will feature my first roll and contain shots from the Lawson Waterfall Circuit (blogged here), Manly Beach and random stuff!




Walk to work.


Manly Beach

Uloola Falls & Karloo Pools

Last weekend I went for a bushwalk at the Royal National Park from Waterfall Station to Heathcote Station. It was 11.3km track and the main attractions were the Uloola Falls and Karloo Pools.




Banksia

Weekend Colour Palette: Pink

Lulu from Beside the Danube recently created a photography project where she would create a set of photo each weekened centred around a selected colour. I answered her open call and decided to give it a try.* The colour for last weekend was: PINK.

Surprisingly, I found it quite hard to find pink over the weekend! Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it as it challenged me to look at my surroundings more carefully.

* The last time I've done a challenge of any sort was back during LIMS (last icon maker standing) on Livejournal. Anyone remember those? 

Blue Mountains: Lawson Waterfall Circuit

A few weekends ago, I went to the Blue Mountains for a bushwalk. Although I have been to the Blue Mountains quite a few times now, there are a lot of areas that I haven't explored or even heard of! Whilst I was Googling for easy-ish day walks, I stumbled upon the Lawson Waterfall Circuit which sounded pretty intriguing - 3km walk which passes by 4 waterfalls.

Compared to the bushwalks at Wentworth Falls, Leura and Katoomba, my boyfriend and I were the only ones on the track! It was a very peaceful walk.

Vivid Sydney 2017

Another year, another Vivid Sydney! Admittedly, I only attend the light installations, however I think Vivid has become less exciting as the years go by. Instead of a photo dump, I decided to make a video of Vivid using my Samsung S8. I picked the wrong day for a visit as it started to pour halfway through the night and I decided to just head home.

The best thing I saw from Vivid which wasn't even an installation [it projected onto the Opera House] 

If you are interested, I have blogged about it in previous years - 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. Looking back at those posts has reminded me a) that I have had this blog so many years! and b) I did take some pretty awesome shots with my point and shoot.

5 Places I Want to Visit Overseas

To complement my post about the 5 Places I want to Visit in Australia, I am here with a post about the 5 Places I want to Visit Overseas! This was a tough list to compile as the list is always changing. In reality, the places that I want to visit is insanely long however I have tried to capture the ones at the top of the list.

Unlike my Australia post, I feel that I might not end up visiting most /any of these places. It boils down to two simple reasons: time and money. Assuming that I am departing from Sydney, each destination is so far away and I don't think I can justify spending a whole day on a flight anymore when each day of leave is so precious. But one can dream!

1. India
Minimum flight time: 13 hours
India is such a diverse and large country; it is hard to really pinpoint where I would want to visit! I had originally planned on visiting in the first half of next year, but I am unsure if that will eventuate. The top regions I want to go to for a first visit are: the Golden Triangle and Ladakh!

Hobart

Mount Wellington or Kunanyi is located 20 minutes away from Hobart CBD. After seeing photos by Jane and Leonie and also the film, Lion, I put it at the top of my 'must see' in Hobart.

There are a few bushwalks to the top however I decided to take the easy option and drive up. The drive was a little windy however nothing scary (and this is coming from someone who drives a maximum of 3 times a year!).

May Update

Work

I have been at my new job for a month now. I don't know where time has gone! Work has been alright. Truth be told, I wasn't very excited about the role during the interview (and also didn't believe I would get the role) and those feelings are still present. But overall it hasn't been that bad. I am not unhappy anymore and I now have a permanent role which also pays more! I also have a work phone - Samsung Galaxy S8 - and I am still trying to learn how to use it. I am still in the awkward phase where I can't type properly and have a trillion typos in all my messages.

I no longer work in the CBD (Central Business District) anymore and surprisingly, I am glad of it. There are a lot less people at my new location which also means less smokers on the footpath and my hair is less likely to reek of cigarette smoke. I only wash my hair once a week (every 5th day) which is why the whole smoking-whilst-walking is an issue for me.

It is likely that I will have an interstate work trip in the next month or so. I am excited! There is something about a free trip and free meals that appeals to me. Now, if I could manage to go on an overseas work trip then I truly will be someone at work. The likelihood of this is incredibly slim ..... 

Travel

Starting a new job is synonymous with one fact - no leave. I don't have leave to go away on a substantial holiday and don't foresee myself doing anything exciting over the Christmas office closures. Namely because it is peak season and therefore very expensive to go overseas and also it will be ultra hot in Australia for domestic travel. Well apart from Tasmania and I vow to never return for leisure.

For the long weekend in June, I will be heading to Canberra (Australia's capital) for 3D / 2N. My last visit was a quick day trip for Floriade and the time before that was for a primary school camp. Everyone tells me that there isn't much to do in Canberra, but I am interested in visiting the arboretum and perhaps going to some monuments and museums.

I will also be going up to Cairns, Queensland in October! My first and only visit was back in 2006/2007 (I can't remember when...) and it was my first proper travel experience; I had to pay for everything out of my own pocket. Back then it was a really big deal, especially as I was only earning $8 dollars / hour. Honestly, I don't remember a lot from the trip which is why I have been wanting to revisit.

Other

I have been obsessed with a ginger turmeric "tea". I was first exposed to something similar at a Marrickville market. Being the frugal person that I am, I abstained from purchasing it and decided to make my own! Although frugality and purchasing ginger are almost mutually exclusive (ginger at $25 a kilo?!?!). I like to think that this drink is helping my health and will boost my immune system since I hot desk at work, catch public transport and it is getting into cold / flu season.

I also randomly bought a new film camera! It is the Pentax SP1000 and I am in love with it; the click of the shutter is just so sexy. The massive downside is that the camera is pretty heavy at 850 grams.

For the first time in many years, it is actually cold in Sydney! There are lows of 9 and highs of 17 (although it doesn't feel like 17 with the wind chill) which I am absolutely loving. I am able to wear my long boots and my Marcs winter coat.

Overall life is looking pretty great :)

Tasmania: Freycinet National Park

This was the only sunny day during my visit and I had chop-and-changed my itinerary so that my visit to Freyicinet National Park coincided with the only nice day.

First stop was Sleepy Bay which was a short walk from the car park.