Downtown Art Work in Australia

Graffiti in Gold Coast downtown area are artistic and elaborately painted.
It's too good to just pass through those sidewalks.

The wood statue was placed on the sidewalk in front of a private gallery facing tram rails.

Wild Lizard, Wild Wallaby and Alpacas in an Australian Farm

This lizard lives in a forest of Tamborine Mountain national park.

Wild wallabies can be seen here and there on driving off city areas. I took pictures of them on our way from Gold Coast to Tamborine Mountain.

Those alpacas in the farm are bred for their fiber and also for tourist attraction.

Alpaca fiber is said to be used for making knitted and woven items, similar to wool.

The shop near the farm sells knitted blankets, sweaters, hats, gloves and scarves.

The shop also sells food for alpacas.

Top Season of the Schoolies Week in Australia

Australian have a tradition of high-school graduates having week-long holidays following the end of their final exams in late November and early December.

They call it Schoolies Week.  It is said that the Gold Coast is home to the nation's largest schoolies celebration destinations.

We went to Australia just in the season of Schoolies Week.

So, there were a lot of young boys and girls in the Gold Coast.

I don't know why but the number of girls in the town was far bigger than that of boys.

I Go Back to My Home Town Matsue

I went back to my home town Matsue city in the end of last year alone; I stayed only three nights and four days there.

My mother, brother and sister in law live in the suburb of Matsue city which is famous for having  many historical shrines and temples.
The city also has beautiful lakes and rivers.

When I was walking along the Ohashi river, a couple of swans were swimming gracefully.

I took some pictures just an hour before sunset time.

Fruit and Vegetable in Australia

When I go abroad, I usually visit local supermarkets to see and buy foods that are eaten by local people.

That's surely great fun as exciting as visiting famous historical sites.

We bought a lot of fruit and vegee at Coles or Woolworths, both are famous Australian supermarket.

Every agricultural product is far cheaper than those selling in Japan.

Unfamiliar Vehicles run in Gold Coast, Australia

 Yummy food pictures wrap the tram cars, even on the surface of the windows in Gold Coast main streets.

 Luggage are put in the car behind the bus which runs between hotels and airports.

This sightseeing bus can run both on the road and on the water.

Tamborine Mountain National Park

Awesome, mysteriously beautiful forest, what's the name of the place in Australia?

The answer is Tamborine Mountain National Park.

No words are needed to explain the place, just visit there spending a day on a fine day.

You can understand what I meant.

Wild Birds in Australia

One of our unexpected surprises in Australia was that we encountered a variety of birds living there.

Some of them live in the mountains, some live near a beach, others live even in a downtown area.

I only know seagulls which also live in Japan. But, never have I seen the others, even have slightest idea of their names.

A Happy New Year, 2015.

I wish all visitors to my blog enjoy new year holidays and have a wonderful happy new year.

We Go Up SkyPoint Observation Deck

The second day of our stay in Australia, we went up to SkyPoint observation deck.

The deck towers 230 meters above the Surfers Paradise beach.

We were able to command a stunning 360 degree panoramic view of Gold Coast on a perfect clear blue sky day.

The hotel which we stayed was less than 100 meters away from the SkyPoint building.

Gold Coast Surfers Paradise

We stayed at a hotel located in the north end of Surfers Paradise beach. I was able to walk to the beach side in a couple minutes walking.

Beautiful Pacific Ocean was always there without our expectations during our one week stay.

Safe area for swimming was shown using flags and indication board by life guards run by Gold Coast City Council.

The followings are the guideline of the beach.

• Always swim between the red and yellow flags. If the flags aren't up, it may not safe to swim, so always ask a lifeguard if it's safe to swim if you cannot see the flags
• Check for additional beach signage, as this may change every day
• Read the safety warnings
• Check with a lifeguard about beach and water conditions if you're not sure it's safe
• Put your hand up and stay calm if you get in trouble in the water

I Go to Gold Coast in Australia

My wife and I had gone to Australia and come back Japan yesterday.

It took eight hours from Narita International Airport in Japan to Gold Coast by Jetstar Airways.

Seeing several movies and having light meals in the plane, the plane brought us from early winter season to top summer season.