Australia

                                Sydney

We arrived in Sydney a day late but still had a great time exploring the city.

View from our hotel room. 

People walking over the top of the harbor bridge... there's a tour for that.

There is much more to Sydney proper than just the high rise downtown.

                

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Wildlife Safari

We took a guided day drive and a night drive to see the native wildlife.

We traveled to private farm land and logging areas with our guide.

Jaw bone of a large red kangaroo.

We sat along the banks of a small river where a Duck-Billed Platypus had been seen the day before but no luck, just a mama duck and new hatchlings; and a very noisy flock of Cockatoo's flying over head.

Large Wombat holes where everwhere we looked.

Large termite mound.

We traveled into a Eucalyptus Forest with the hopes of seeing Koalas.After hiking for several hours, it seemed our only chance of seeing Koalas was in a refuge several miles from here.

Success

Cockatoo

Ring tailed Kangaroo

Rock Climbing Kangaroo

After having dinner at an old farm house on a private farm we headed out for a night drive.

A mob of kangaroo could be seen in the distance as the sun set.

                                                         
                                                               

Brushtail Possum

Wombats are nocturnal; rarely seen during the day.

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Blue Mountains

The blue haze for which the mountains are named is from the oils of the Eucalyptus  tree leaves, but today it is smoke from nearby brush fires. This sping has been a very bad year for fires.

Cockatoos can been seen all over this area.

 

Three Sisters Rock Formations

By the end of the day the smoke from the bush fires had gotten very obvious by smell and sight.