Category Nature
New Year’s Eve 2018
The big night was finally here! We knew we couldn’t be in Sydney for New Year’s Eve without witnessing the legendary fireworks over Sydney Harbour. Fortunately the Royal Botanic Garden offered its lawns for those of us who didn’t want to spend a fortune at one of the local restaurants. For the price of a […]
North Head
New Year’s Eve Day was a bit of an odd one. It felt like a holiday but all the fun wouldn’t start until night-time. It was also our last full day in Sydney, and Amanda and I wanted to use it to do the last odds-and-ends that had caught our curiosity but not been done […]
Southern Highlands
On Sunday we rented a car for a day trip outside of Sydney. We considered going to the Blue Mountains (famed for their natural beauty) but ultimately settled on the Southern Highlands, since they offered both natural beauty (a waterfall!) and cute villages (shops!). All of the in-town car rental agencies were sold out, so […]
A day at Manly Beach
Beach day today! Because let’s be honest, that’s the whole point of being here: sun, surf, and hot lifeguards reminding you of all the ways you might die. We skipped beachy scene at Bondi and instead headed out to Manly Beach (so named because the British colonisers were so impressed by the manliness of the […]
And then the giant bats came out…
After visiting the zoo on Christmas Day we walked up through the neighbourhood known as The Rocks (the site of Sydney’s oldest settlement) and discovered a beautiful scenic lookout with an observatory on top. With the hilltop bathed in the golden light, we settled down with tourists and locals alike to watch the setting sun. […]
Christmas at the zoo!
Christmas morning dawned warm and sunny. Amanda arrived from the States mid-morning and, after a quick settle-in at the Airbnb flat and a call to Justin (for whom it was still Christmas Eve), we decided we’d spend the afternoon at the zoo! Because anything that involves koalas is always the right answer. And also the […]
Christmas Eve down under
Have I ever enjoyed the weather on Christmas Eve so much? I doubt it. Sunny and clear, in the high 70s and with a light breeze — it could not have been more perfect. I started the day with a visit to the Royal Botanic Garden. The lush expanse of green lawns and colourful flower […]
Road trip!
Following my grandfather’s advice never to travel the same road twice, we took the long way back from Stanley to Boise. First stop: Some lake that I’ve forgotten the name of. It was gorgeous and clear and we wanted to stay there all day. If we’d had lawn chairs, we probably would have done . […]
Mark and Sarah get married
The happy reason for this trek out West was my little brother’s wedding. After his first marriage ended a few years ago, he had returned to bachelorhood and I didn’t quite know what to expect next. But then he met Sarah and her two kids and, well, after a couple of years of dating, they […]
Three Peaks Challenge: Mount Snowdon
We drove through the night from the Lake District in northwestern England to Snowdownia in northern Wales. We were sweaty and sore from the two previous hikes, and I dearly wished to sleep. Alas, it was at best a night of fitful dozing. At 4am we arrived at the base of Mount Snowdon, the last […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 