The Sydney Fish Market

Balmain Bug... a type of (clawless) slipper lobster, closely related to the rock lobster, is a popular, edible crustacean found in local fish markets.


Mud Crabs... considered to be among the tastiest of crab species, are relatively common in the northern states of Australia and generally prized above other seafood by the general public.


Salmon... heads for bait and soup stock


Giant Crabs... can weigh up to 15 kg. and are one of the largest crabs in the world.

Octopus... of all sizes

Don't look, DeeDee... :-)

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the largest, single-span arch bridge in the world and an enduring international symbol of Sydney... and I'm standing on the very top of it!

500 people (in teams of 14-15) climbed the Harbour Bridge with me on Saturday, July 18th. The weather was picture-perfect, as captured in these snapshots taken by our climb leader, Chris.

It took over 10 years of legal battles and a $20 million dollar investment, before Bridge Climb's owner, Paul Cave realized his dream of offering this unique tour experience to Sydney's residents and visitors.

Bridge Climb has even hosted seven weddings on top of the steel arches and countless marriage proposals!

Darling Harbor via Monorail

Residents, commuters and visitors alike take advantage of Sydney's extensive mass transportation system which includes trains, buses, ferries, light rail and monorail service.

The monorail trains pictured here travel a closed circuit linking a dozen major destinations including: China Town, City Hall, the Harbourside Convention Center, Darling Harbor and the Marine Muesum and Aquarium.

It's a inimitable perspective traveling between the tall office buildings and viewing the hustle and bustle of the city directly below. It feels much like riding the monorail at Disney World.

"Cleared for takeoff..."

My co-pilot, Matt, is smiling for the camera, but his hair tells the true story.

A couple of 'touch and go' landings at Manchester's (NH) Grenier Field with me at the controls of the Boeing 737 Flight Simulator and my instructor's hair was standing on end!

Truthfully, Matt did keep me from stalling the jetliner; and had to remind me to retract the wheels after takeoff; and he did manage to keep the nose lined up to the runway... but otherwise it was all me.

(According to my co-pilot, a 737 can be flown from Sydney to San Francisco, a 14 hour flight, with a little as six minutes of hands-on flying; the balance of the flight is all computer. Such a flight would have four pilots, as regulations limit command time to 4-hour shifts.)

I have officially logged my first 30 minutes at the controls of a 737... and I can cross 'Airline Pilot' off my list of potential careers. :-)

Check out the flight simulator website at: http://www.flightexperience.com.au/

Nerves of Steel...

Did you know... for $200 and nerves of steel, you can climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge? http://www.bridgeclimb.com/

The climb takes about three hours and you climb to the very top of the bridge! (Aussies are serious about offering unique sightseeing tours for the city's visitors. :-) )

No, I haven't climbed it yet... but I'm considering it. Unfortunately, you can't bring any camera equipment with you... or any jewellery... or any loose item that could fall from the bridge!

Check out this stunning panorama from the top:
http://www.bridgeclimb.com/panoramic.htm
(click and move the mouse to view 360 degrees.)


"Click" on the photo above to enlarge...
You can see the row of climbers ascending the right arch of the bridge.

Manly Beach, North Sydney

Seagull enjoying a sip of fresh water at the Corso in Manly, North Sydney


High School students, on winter holiday for two weeks, were taking advantage of the time off from their studies to earn a little pocket money by performing for an appreciative audience of visitors enjoying the day at Manly Beach.

The Three Sisters...

The "Three Sisters", Echo Point, Katoomba, The Blue Mountains, NSW

The Three Sisters - The Legend

The Aboriginal dream-time legend has it that three sisters, 'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. These beautiful young ladies had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet tribal law forbade them to marry. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters causing a major tribal battle. As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe took it upon himself to turn the three sisters into stone to protect them from any harm. While he had intended to reverse the spell when the battle was over, the witchdoctor himself was killed. As only he could reverse the spell to return the ladies to their former beauty, the sisters remain in their magnificent rock formation as a reminder of this battle for generations to come.

Why are the Blue Mountains... blue?

The Blue Mountains is densely populated by oil bearing Eucalyptus trees. The atmosphere is filled with finely dispersed droplets of oil, which, in combination with dust particles and water vapour, scatter short-wave length rays of light which are predominantly blue in colour.