This is Australia

BlueSapphire yes the NT has its own distinct character - it’s awesome though - my favourite Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge - just gorgeous.
Aren’t the Whitsundays divine - that water!
We’d love to have you back anytime - there’s enough room for everyone over here!

Aveline Offspring-yes that’s a great show - Nina’s little quirks are so amusing - do you have any other shows that you like?

AGAA4 happy to oblige - anything you’d like to know ask away.

SueDonim the Twelve Apostles are stunning aren’t they - I think a few have been lost to the sea over the last few years - maybe a Victorian can confirm this - Sydney on a sunny day - that harbour is divine - yes we’re blessed with very very nice food. I agree.

denbylover hello friend from across the ditch - I used to catch a ferry to work for a few years - such a stunning way to get to work. In bad weather when they got cancelled it was such a drag to jump on the crowded steamy bus! I love those laneways in Melbourne, they remind me of few in London but with such good coffee. You know I’m hoping that great Aussie spirit will get us through these outbreaks and see us smiling on the other side.
Is Jacinda as amazing as she appears? Is she going a good job?

BlueSky whereabouts are your sons families located? So you’ve done that killer flight a few times? Do you break it up or go straight through?

Jillyjosie Silver Brumby books wow I’ve never heard of them I’ll have to look them up. I have seen real brumbies up in the High Country of the Australian Alps - they’re divine beasts with a cheeky twinkle in their eye. Visiting in 2019 - did you miss our bushfires? Yes we have a great sense of humour - we like to not take ourselves too seriously - why would we - look where we live - wink wink. Nightlife and Life Matters podcasts-what are they about? Yes come visit again - everyone’s welcome.

Callistemon shall look up Patricia Shaw’s work - sounds fascinating - most of us arrived by boat so should be a good read.

Jaxjacky ohhh what were you working as over here? Temping? Port Douglas is divine-but deadly hehehe

Juliet27 ahhh fellow New South Welsh persons - wow you’ve also done that killer flight a fair few times - well worth it when you get to the end though when families there. That trip across the Nullarbor is red but such a landscape. I’ve seen the Australia in Colour series-we’re very lucky to live in a country so full of varied scenery and rich history-all the old footage is glorious in colour.

ixion glad you liked it - we’re a funny little big country.

Hi there Platypus, lovely to read yr reply, thank you, In a dammed trying situation I think Jacinda’s done a really good job. Sending you all the luck in the world getting on top of this outbreak. Can’t wait for our next trip to yr fabulous country for …a skinny cappa, A nip into Haighs, an ooh and aah in David Jones, oh heck the lists endless? not forgetting another glorious trip in one of those gracious old ladies plying the harbour. Aren’t they fabulous! All the best, truly x

Thanks for your lovely comment Fanny, my friend. We have just been put into another 3 weeks hard lockdown and this time there is a curfew, too. No night time trips! We should be up in the Kimberleys now but it was cancelled. I can cope with all this but what I can’t cope with is the utter selfishness of those bozos who have caused it with their stupid marches and parties. The timing fits exactly with the thick idiots who attended the freedom marches and I am so,so mad with them.
We are staying in Australia now for all our trips which will be lovely when we can actually go. As you all know, it is a very big country and lots of diversity in climate etc. Whilst we are down here freezing our mammalian glands off they are basking in hot sunshine up north, lucky things.

Hi Platypus! My sons live in Perth, beautiful city that I miss so much. Yes it is a killer flight but when your family is waiting at the other end you would walk there! I go straight through as I want to get there as soon as, and I could think of worse ways to spend 24 hrs. Unfortunately we don’t know when we’ll be able to do it again. Look forward to your posts.

Hello Australians. What a fabulous country. I was lucky enough to visit in 2008. - Perth and Sydney. And I am in regular touch with lovely friends in Perth.

Just heard that Bert Newton has died but can’t confirm. Hope this is wrong, he is a Melbourne icon.

Omg noooo ol’ moonface - poor Pattie! He was such a character - onwards and upwards Bert!

Platypus I used to work for IBM, we were working with Telstra on desktop conferencing. We were allowed to fly business class with Quantas and had an hotel in Sydney with a rooftop pool, very luxurious! PD was a self funded holiday, stayed in a hostel, very different, great fun. I have a nephew in the Brisbane area, my friends son and wife are just outside Melbourne, another friends brothers are Adelaide way.

Vale Ernie Sigley as well - oh dear another lovely Melbournian.

Nanna8 don’t think Bert has died but Ernie Sigley has.

Callistemon shall look up Patricia Shaw’s work - sounds fascinating - most of us arrived by boat so should be a good read.

Yes, do, Platypus - she wrote about 14 books I think.

It's amazing that at one point Australians seemed a bit embarrassed to have had a convict ancestor but now it's a matter of pride. I remember one of DD's neighbours telling me that his ancestor arrived with the First Fleet and was a convict (some minor misdemeanour).
Someone else we met said hers arrived in the Second Fleet.

Ernie was so funny. Hope you are right about Ernie, someone on Facebook said he had died.

Visiting in 2019 - did you miss our bushfires?

No, we didn't miss them, there was one blazing behind the mountain nearby. I had a bag packed ready in case we had to evacuate in the middle of the night. Luckily it was put out thanks to the efforts of local farmers who volunteer as firefighters.

I mean I hope you are right about Bert

G’day all! (Sorry, couldn’t resist) my middle son lives in Sydney, with his partner who is second fleet. We’ve visited a couple of times, once for an Aussie holiday - Blue Mountains, Hunter Valley, Putty Road then the coast, Tauranga. The Australian Reptile Park was fantastic. Second time we were on a New Zealand/East Coast Australia cruise. Loved NZ and hope to go back when we can.

Oh no Callistemon I don’t mean just coming by boat as a convict that only accounts for 20% of our population, although those with convict ancestors are now rightly proud of their heritage - I mean we all came by boat - first fleeters, free settlers, ten pound poms, indentured European immigrants and workers, boat refugees and immigrants from various parts of the world.

This might sum up how Australians feel about boat people - we’re all proud of our shared boat people heritage - unfortunately it’s an ad but you’ll get the just.

Australia’s a big country - there’s room for everybody plus more - you’re all welcome no matter where you come from.

youtu.be/yGdj1TwBU1w

Yes, the local info said some of the Twelve Apostles had been lost, Platypus but I guess as the ocean is a living thing, new ones will be created eventually, even if not in our lifetime.

SueDonim I think there are now 8 of the apostles left and no doubt some of them are quite fragile.

Platypus we moved into a new (to us) house 6 months ago and are updating most of our 50 year old furniture. Between lockdowns, a total knee replacement and severe arthritis in my feet and ankles and a heart operation for DH things are not quite going to plan.

SueDonim ahh thanks yes I thought some had been lost - that sea pounding in there is pretty powerful.

Spice101 I don’t think life ever can really go to plan - well it rarely does for me either - a furniture update - how exciting ! Maybe that’s just what you need to turn your luck and give you a bit of pep in your step.
How’s the move been? Did you move far? Do you know anyone in the area your new place is located? Was it a downsize?

Here’s one of my photos, amid the glorious Aussie sunshine!

Awww they look lovely - good day for it definitely

I have a similar photo of my DH and I with the Apostles in the background - we travelled Australia for a year for our honeymoon-the day we arrived at the Apostles it was grey and howling with bitterly cold wind straight from Antartica.

That looks like the weather we had when we did the Great Ocean Road trip!

It was very atmospheric, I’ll say that! . Truly, though, I was utterly thrilled by that day. I said to my Dh that even if I had to go home the very next day, it would have been worth it. As it was, we had another glorious ten days in Australia. ❤️

SueDonim

Yes, the local info said some of the Twelve Apostles had been lost, Platypus but I guess as the ocean is a living thing, new ones will be created eventually, even if not in our lifetime.

We would have done that trip on our visit last year but alas, events took over.
Shall we get there or will the Apostles still be there if ever we do?

We thought about The Ghan, we'd met someone who had been on it and enjoyed it, but Rufus said it was boring!