Royal National Park Coastal Hike

I just got back from a great two day hike with Bruce and Jimmy. The coastal scenery was great with lots of majestic cliffs and sandy beaches. The weather was overcast most of the time and a bit rainy, but that was perfect for walking. The hike was 25 km's in total and my legs are feeling very stiff tonight. I took my small Canon Camera (a lot lighter than the SLR) and the weather was not condusive for great photos, but I include the ones below as a good memory of the hike. We also saw some interesting wildlife like a snake, water lizard (beautiful) and a cute little echidna that was very shy. Not to mention the flies, oh my god there were so many (see below)...

Canooing trip through Kangaroo Valley

We have just returned from a fantastic weekend canooing through the Kangaroo Valley. The scenery was gorgeous and we were with a great crowd (Kerri, Katrin, Charles, Ellen and Greg) and all was fun. Except the first day's paddling! We had the strongest head wind imaginable and even the most frantic paddling didn't seem to help us make headway. 13 km's we rowed, against the wind, and by the time we hit camp, we were beyond exhausted and feeling very sore indeed. After a delicious meal (Ally excelled herself with a chicken and chorizo salad), we hit bed just after dark (after watching a stunning sunset.)

Then at first light, we discovered that (of all the places we could have settled), we had set up camp on a 4wd track and we woke to the thunderous roar of 4 wheel drives coming down to the river to launch their boats. But it was the most beautiful still morning without a hint of even a breath - so we were delighted and relieved.

Rowing along the crystal clear water with forests and granite rocks on each side was a wonderfully relaxed experience (without the wind) and by the time we arrived at the end of the stint, we were all ready to come back again (having forgotten the agony of the previous day.) Enjoy the photos below - they were taken with my small camera as I wasn't brave enough to bring my Cannon SLR. In retrospect, it would have been fine - there was no capsizing by anyone.

All in all, a great weekend...

Sculptures by the sea (Bondi)

Charles and I made an early start (7:15 am) to go to Bondi to see the sculptures. This is an annual events that always attracts multitidues of crowds. There were a lot of sculptures on display and we had a good morning out.