Category Archives: NSW – Australia

Easter Long weekend trip

Posted on April 5, 2013 | 8 comments

This Easter we decided to go on a trip to the South coast of NSW. We had beautiful days with nice blue sky and warm sun.

We went there with my brother’s family and one of my friend’s families. Altogether, it was 6 adults and 2 kids.

Ulladulla

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We started our trip in Sydney and our first stop was Ulladulla. Ulladulla is around 180 km south of Sydney. The trip started smoothly as we were on the road before 9am. The morning was overcast but it cleared up for a pleasant day. It took us over 3 hours to reach Ulladulla boat harbour as we stopped on the way at McDonalds and also there was big traffic jam for over 2 km when we were near Ulladulla city centre.

Ulladulla boat harbour

As we parked the car and saw the view at Ulladulla boat harbour, I was really happy as the drive was worth the view I was in front of.

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There were not many people there but the view was just amazing with blue water, green trees and lots of boats and the sun shining down. It was just a blessing to enjoy such an incredible view in the perfect weather.

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We had our home cooked lunch there and relaxed there for a while. The food tasted better as all of us were hungry. The kids were having great time; one of them was running around chasing birds and the other one super happy to be out and about.

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We walked around the beach area, took photos and simply relaxed and enjoyed the day. From there we went to our next stop, Warden Head Lighthouse

Warden Head Lighthouse

Warden Head Lighthouse was built in Ulladulla in 1873 and re-erected at the present site in 1889. Made of iron and designed by a contemporary colonial architect the original optical apparatus is intact and still in operation. Fishing off the nearby rocks is excellent and there are good views of the harbour and surrounds. light house (7)

As I have seen lots of bigger light houses, I found it a bit small but the view from there was great as well. We just sat down and listen to the waves hitting the rocks. There were a few other cars but not that many people so it was a peaceful place to enjoy the nature.

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It is also the best lookout for Whale spotting but unfortunately we didn’t see any that day. There are many tracks in the area, some with proper lookouts but it was a bit scary as there were no railings, just the cliff edge. There are also a lot of birdlife in this area. light house (6) light house (1)

From there we decided to go to our hotel. The hotel was in front of Batesman bay and from our room we could see the bridge, water and boats. All of us rested for a while and went for an evening drive to Batesman Bay.

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Batesman bay

We drove past the Clyde River Bridge which is a 55-year-old lifting span bridge. As it was a public holiday, parking was free. Then we walked down the road to the town by the river. We sat on one of the benches and enjoyed the sunset. It was a beautiful evening.

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As it was getting dark and everyone was hungry we went to domino for some pizzas and dessert. It was very unhealthy but amazingly tasty 🙂

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The next morning we work up early and watch the sunrise by the pool.

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The resort has a lovely pool area and me and AS were just watching the sun and taking a few pics. Then we went to have some breakfast. It was a bit chilly morning but AS decided to go for a swim.

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I didn’t join him but just went to dip my feet. The water was warm but not warm enough for me to jump in. I just relaxed by the pool while AS was doing his laps.

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By that time everyone else was ready and they went for breakfast. We took our little nephew and went to the entertainment room in the resort. It was really nice to see the little one enjoying so much on the pool table as well in the rides they had.

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Then we decided to walk around the area. There is a great Lookout from where we could see mountain ranges and thickly timbered slopes. Looking to the east and we saw the river pass under the bridge into the town of Batemans Bay, and then continue until it meets the Pacific Ocean.

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NSW South has always fascinated me and every time I visit it, I fall more in love with the area. May be when we retire, that is one place we can go and live 🙂

Mogo Village

Just ten minutes up the road from Batemans Bay is the little village of Mogo. That is where we decided to go on the last day in Batesman Bay.

Originally a booming 1850s gold rush settlement, Mogo’s heyday didn’t last too long, and it became a quiet little hamlet. In the 1980s a number of artists and craftspeople arrived, and it has since evolved into a hub of galleries, shops and cafes, largely catering to tourists. Some of the original cottages have survived, and other shops and houses have been built in sympathetic designs.

First stop was old Mogo town. We need to pay $18 for the entry and you can look at the old town with a guided tour, pan for gold and enjoy the train, explore the mine tunnel , check out the digger’s camp , see the antique machinery display,  enjoy a picnic by the lake, watch working craftspeople and much more.

Old Mogo Town is an amazing re-creation of Mogo as it was believed to be in the heady Gold Rush days.

The guided tour was an hour away so we went inside to where you can dress up as people from 1800s and take photos. Look at some of our photos. We had a great time and the lady who took our photo was very nice allowing us to take photos from our own camera as well.

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Then we went back to the meeting point where the guided tour had stared.

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The guide first explained how to pan for gold and then took us to an old shaft of the mines. The tunnel was well lit and he made the history sound very interesting.

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As we walked around Old Mogo Town, we noticed some interesting signs and cottages. At the Inn, there were beds with a sign of what… and what not …..you were allowed to do.

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This was one interesting one will Hair cut Or Teeth Pulled done by the same Surgeon, who just happened to be the Undertaker (I’d never go to him to get my hair done!). Then there was a Toilet, “Dunny”, “Loo”, “Thunderbox” which had only a can inside………imagine carrying a lantern to the backyard where there are plenty of spiders out at night time.

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It was a really nice place and Old Mogo Town had on-site bush retreat style accommodation as well.

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Initially we wanted to go to Mogo zoo as well but as it was past lunchtime and everyone was hungry, we drove back to Batesman bay and had our lunch there. From there we decide to go to Hyams Beach on the way back to Sydney.

Image source Destination NSW

I have been there before and Hyams beach is beautiful with white sand and the water crystal clear and a lovely blue. But unfortunately that day, the road to the beach was closed due to bushfire in the area. So we went back to the main road and headed to Kiama instead to take a break and relax before going home.

Kiama

Kiama is situated 121km South of Sydney and has a population of about 12,000. It was the site of two strong volcanic flows, called the Gerringong Volcanic, which came out of Saddleback Mountain, now a collapsed volcanic vent.

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When we arrived at Kiama it was still daylight so we decided to explore a little further and visit some of the local attractions, one of which was the “Kiama Blowhole” where the ocean pushes with great force through a fault in the rock and is considered one of Australia’s best known natural phenomen.

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Whilst we were there we did see a few impressive blasts but one need lots of patience as a good blast comes only every 5 minutes or so. When it does come, it looks beautiful and everyone watching it will go “Awwww”.kiama (4)

After resting there for a whole we came home and it was after 8pm. We were tired so we just rest for a while and went to bed concluding our Easter break.

Hope all of you had a great Easter break too.

 You may also like :

*Sculpture by the sea *Helensburgh Hindu temple *Snowy Mountains: Australia

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Posted in NSW - Australia, Travel

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From Kathmandu to Sydney

Posted on January 30, 2013 | 6 comments

It is always hard to say goodbye and farewell but that is the reality of life. So with a heavy heart I left Nepal for Sydney.

I had an awesome time in Nepal and it was fun but it was time for me to get back to reality after 6 weeks of holiday.

Before I left I went and said my good byes to my grandparents in law. They were happy that I visited them before I left. As I mentioned in my post before, granddad is 94 and grandmum is 89 but both of them are still very healthy for their age.

grand parents

While having a conversation, granddad asked me why I was wearing Kurta Suruwal , not pants. My MIL explained to him that I normally do wear pants but out of respect for them, I chose to wear a traditional outfit every time I visited them. I was really surprised what I heard next. He said I should wear pants even when I visit them as it is comfortable and acceptable these days. I never expected to hear such a modern thing from him. He even went on saying to my MIL that she should wear pants as well as they are more comfortable than Saris or Kurta suruwal. So hats off to him for changing with time and having an open mind.

His one wish is to see a great grand son from us (he already has 5 great grand daughters) so asked us to come to Nepal with 3 members in our family and not just 2 the next time :).

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I also visited my maternal grandma and it was so sad to see her eyes full of tears while saying goodbye to me. She is 80 now and not as healthy as she would like to be. I really love her and wish she can be happy all the time.

As I told you before I did heaps of shopping for gifts before we went. I am pleased to let you know now that I was spoiled equally with heaps of gifts from everyone. I got a pendent with Ganesh, a bag, shoes, shawls and scarfs, earring, necklaces, titaura, sunnies, sukunda, and a cute teddy from my cousin. It was really nice to get all of those gifts as I feel loved and cared in return. 🙂 Also my MIL bought a nice sari for me as well as beads and some necklaces .Thank you everyone for making me feel so special.

The day before I was to leave for Sydney, I went to my new home from my parents place. Many people told me it is not necessary to leave for Sydney from there but I wanted to do the right thing by everyone so it was best to leave for Sydney from my new home. My parents were already sad from the previous few days before as I was leaving. I was the last one to leave after my brother’s family with my little nephew, then AS and now me. I told them to make sure and visit us soon so we can all be together again. So the afternoon I went to my new home, my MIL along with my FIL came to pick me up. It was a sad goodbye to my birth home but I knew that was necessary.

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Once we were at my new home, there were heaps of friends and relatives calling to wish me a safe journey. Also my cousin, aunty and few of my friends came over to say their good byes. I was distracted the whole evening and I didn’t feel sad . After everyone left and we had dinner it was 10pm. My MIL came to my room and the two of us chatted about various thing till midnight. It was really nice to have such a great time with her as we didn’t get lots of time with just the two of us. I feel blessed to have her in my life as I know how bad some MILs law can be.

The next morning I woke up early, finalised the packing and had breakfast. There were still some last minutes shopping left to do so my BIL was helping me with that. After a while my MIL gave me sagun and we left for the airport. On the way there, we picked up my parents and all of us headed to the airport.

At the airport, my mum put tika on my forehead and blessed me. I spent 20 minutes outside and it was time for me to go inside the terminal. In Kathmandu airport once you go in, you can’t come out. So after check-in and immigration, I was in the lounge all alone for 2 hours while my parents and in-laws went back home. I am so glad that my mum didn’t cry this time otherwise I would be crying with her as usual.

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From the airport, I called and messaged most of my friends and relatives while AS was constantly on the phone making sure I was ok and not crying. I felt really sad there but I didn’t cry. I really wished AS was with me that time but I knew I was going to see him in 24 hours.

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The plane took off from Kathmandu and I was in Bangkok airport after 4 hours. There I had 14 hours to kill before I would board my flight to Sydney so AS insisted on me getting a dayroom there and I am so glad I did. It was really expensive and they charged for every hour but still the rest was worth the money spent. The room was comfortable and cozy but the bad thing about the room was that I could constantly hear the PA system of the airport announcing various messages. I couldn’t sleep in the beginning so I went and got some cotton to put in my ears and finally I went to sleep.

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After a nice conversation with AS on Skype and a good sleep and breakfast I felt better when I boarded the plane for Sydney.

For the first time in many years I was unable to get a window seat so it was a bit annoying to stand up every time someone had to go to the loo. But I did manage to watch 3 movies before we landed in Sydney. I had an easy run with customs and immigration and finally I was outside in Sydney. It felt really good to be back as AS was waiting for me. It was nice to hug him after more than 2 weeks.

The weather was kind to me that evening as it was raining and cool after being super-hot for over 2 weeks. The temperature had gone up to 46 0 centigrade last weeks.

After a short drive , I was home after so long. AS had some food ready for us for dinner and home was in perfect shape . I was so glad to finally be back home but at the same time was missing family in Nepal. I went to sleep straight after a light dinner.

Today is my first day back at work. There were so many things from Nepal that I want to share with you in the coming days.

Till my next post take care everyone. 

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Posted in Nepal 2012 / 2013, NSW - Australia

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Sculpture by the sea

Posted on November 5, 2012 | 18 comments

Each spring, artists from all over the world converge on Sydney’s Bondi Beach to Tamarama coastal walk to showcase their work at Sculpture by the Sea, the world’s largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition. The scenic walk is transformed into a 2km sculpture park with more than 100 works by artists from Australia and around the world.

Sculpture by the Sea began in 1997 with an exhibition held over one day at Bondi Beach and is now an annual event.

I have been going to this event for the last few years and it is a really nice thing to do on a day off as it provides great exercise, spectacular views, beautiful arts and many photo opportunities.

Like every year, this year also, I went to this exhibition with my husband and my friend SS. This year the exhibition consisted of a variety of works from 49 New South Wales sculptors, 28 interstate artists, and 36 international artists from China, Denmark, England, Germany, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Spain, and the U.S.

Every year there are some wonderful arts on exhibit along with some weird one.

I really wanted to go this year for the sunrise but these days the sun rises at 5am so to be there at that time, I needed to wake up at 4am. On weekend, that was not a good plan so we decided to go around 8am. Unfortunately, it was a gloomy day but it wasn’t raining yet.

We started from Bondi and were surprised to see so many people already there. I saw busloads of tourist everywhere. There were also lots of family with young children.

We started of walk from the first sculpture and followed the path along the Bondi beach to the top of the hill. There were many amazing arts there and some complicated ones.

On the top of the hill, there was a tent with mini sculptures so we entered and started looking at the amazing creations. In that time, it started raining heavily and we felt lucky to be inside the tent. The rain stopped within 15 minutes.

After the rain, we continued our walk toward Tamara beach. We saw two award winning arts. It was so nice to walk the coast and finally reach the last art. Overall we had a great day and quite good exercise.

Sharing some photos from the day.

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Posted in Australia, NSW - Australia

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Helensburgh Hindu temple

Posted on October 15, 2012 | 11 comments

I am sure you get the vibe from my blog that I am not a very religious person but I do enjoy going to the temple occasionally. My husband always reminds me how religious my mum is and he finds it a bit surprising that I am not like my mum in the religion department. I always tell him, “If I have a clean heart and make sure that I am not hurting anyone in my day to day life, God will consider me as a good citizen and will be happy with me. There is no need to really visit a temple all the time or pray for hours :)”.

There are not that many Hindu temples in Sydney and most of them are not close to where I live so planning is required to visit one.

From time to time I feel like I should go to the temple and pay my respect so I drag my husband along for some prayer. Last weekend we managed to go to a temple in Helensburgh called Sri Venkateswara Temple. It is around 45 minutes’ drive from my apartment or an hour from Sydney city center (55km). The temple is built on top of a hilly area 400 feet above sea level. It has four ‘praharam’ (encircling corridors). Sri Venkateswara Temple was built in 1978 by the Indian people in Australia as a South Indian-style Hindu temple.

So far there is no Nepali temple in Sydney but they are planning to build a version of Nepal’s famous Pashupathi in Sydney.

At the temple devotees are supposed to leave their footwear outside and wash their hands and feet before they enter the temple. The temple area inside has small shrines for each of the Gods. There are priests performing rituals at each of the shrines at a pre-determined time.

There is a temple counter inside which provides visitors with more information about temple rituals and prayers.  They also sell puja for $15 which goes towards maintenance of the temple. You get a plate of puja which has Sindoor, flowers, dhup and fruits. Also, you can buy diyo (oil lamp) if you want to light just the diyo.

The temple has deities like Lord Venkateswara, Goddess Mahalakshmi ,Lord Chandramouleeswarar, Goddess Thripurasundari , Lord Ganesh, Lord Subrahmanya , Lord Navagraha, Goddess Durgambika , Lord Rama , Goddess Andal , Lord Krishna, Lord Brahma , Lord Hanuman, Lord Garuda  , Lord Sudharsana , Lord Viswakshena , Lord Dhakshinamurthy and Lord Chandikesa.

I have seen lots of South Indian weddings being performed inside the temple in my previous visits.

I know it doesn’t sound so right but I love to go to this temple because they serve a great Indian food in their canteen during weekends. I always have Masala Dosa (made by stuffing a lightly cooked filling of potatoes, fried onions and spices in a fermented crepe or pancake made from rice batter and black lentils) and Vada (a donut  shaped dish made from lentils and gram flour or potato) . They are so cheap but so yummy. They do sell other South Indian vegetarian dishes as well but those two are my favourite especially with masala tea (spiced Indian style milk tea).

The temple opens 8am – 7pm, week-ends and public holidays; 8.00am to 12.00pm and 4.00pm to 7.00pm on weekdays.

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Posted in Australia, NSW - Australia

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Chinese garden of Friendship

Posted on October 8, 2012 | 9 comments

Last weekend, we went to visit a hidden treasure of Sydney, in the middle of the city in Darling Harbour.

Initiated by the local Chinese community to share their rich cultural heritage and celebrate Australia’s 1988 Bicentenary, the Chinese Garden is the result of a close bond of friendship and cooperation between the sister cities of Sydney and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province, China. The Chinese Garden of Friendship was designed by Sydney’s Chinese sister city, Guangzhou.

Even though I have been living in Australia for so long I have never been inside the Chinese garden. I have walked past the garden numerous times but for some reason never thought to go inside. Last weekend the weather was so good that I and my husband decided that we must go out and enjoy the sunny day. So we took a train to the city and walked to Darling Harbour from Town Hall train station.

We were in the garden by 11am and there were only 3 people on the queue to get tickets to go inside. We got the ticket and it cost us just $6.00. We started our tour from the right hand side door of the garden.

The whole garden cannot be seen from any one point within the garden. It has a number of features including the Dragon Wall symbolizing the bond between New South Wales and Guangzhou, the Water Pavilion of Lotus Fragrance, the Twin Pavilion and The Tea House that offers traditional Chinese tea and other refreshments. The garden is a popular venue for weddings, providing many beautiful backgrounds for photographs.

We were there to enjoy the day so we just walked around the garden and enjoyed the sun taking photos from time to time. There was a big pond in the middle of the garden and it had big colourful fishes. I actually forgot that we were in the middle of the city once we were inside. As spring has started here, there were so my beautiful flowers in the garden. I just loved everything in it: the trees, well-trimmed plants, beautiful spring flowers, calm lotus pond and the magnificent temple.

It was peaceful, serene, beautiful and calming. There is a waterfall which gives the feeling that you are in some national park. There are some alcoves to rest and overlook the whole garden to just soak in its natural beauty. We took so many photos as wherever I turned there was a beautiful view. The garden isn’t large but there are plenty of places to sit and take in the views. It took us about an hour to meander through the garden.

We saw a beautiful bridal carriage which is the imperial bridal carriage was used by Chinese Emperors in ancient times with extremely ornamental decorations. The jade carriage is typical of the historical carriages of past dynasties. It is believed 100 skilful artists were engaged in the laborious and intricate carving work. Over 300 tons of raw jade were used, the finished weight approx. 2 tons.

The carriage has a canopy decorated with entwining dragon motif with two lanterns in front. The main body of the carriage is carved into elaborate openwork of dragon, phoenix and fairies which are the symbol of Luck, Prestige and Authority. The two front shafts are cut as two lively charging dragons, guiding the carriage. Behind the carriage are two ornamental fans, which symbolise Royal Dignity.

The age and the cost of the carriage are unknown, however it is believed the carriage came from the Chinese Province of Guangdong and it is said to be the only carriage known to be outside China.

As we were walking around we saw a few people wearing traditional Chinese costumes and taking photos so we decided to find out more about it.

We found a place in one corner of garden where you can hire a costume for $10 and pretend to be a Princess/Queen/Emperor/Empress. They let you roam the garden with the costumes as long as you like and parade around the gardens and take as many photos as you like.

So me and AS decided to dress up as well and become Chinese for a while. I choose a red dress and the lady in the shop helped me to do my hair. AS choose a dark blue one and even got a long white beard to try with his costume. This was one of my favourite photos of the day.

Once we were dressed, the lady from the shop took a few of our photos. From there we walked the whole garden taking photos in different locations. We felt like we were in some movie walking around in the costumes and taking photos. Lots of people stopped to look at us and a few even asked us to pose so they could take a photo of us :). It was a really interesting experience to feel like we were in China.

I saw two girls wearing the costumes so we took photos with them as well. It was so much fun. I really loved it.

If you feel hungry there is a teahouse. You can also hire a 45-minute audio tour in English and Mandarin, if you like.

For the price, we had an amazing day, relaxing and wonderful.

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Posted in Australia, NSW - Australia

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