First settlers down under
Parramatta. It’s not a place many foreign tourists visit, but if you are in Sydney for a longer time, well worth the visit. In 1788 the first English entered Australia right here in Parramatta. Governor Philip arrived with a small group and built the first farms. It all started small, but now it has grown and became a suburb of Sydney.
Inside prison walls
The door shuts and there we are. We laugh nervous laughs, but then the lights go out. I imagine everyone is still looking around them with a little smile on their face, hoping they will know soon what’s going to happen. But we don’t see anything. The only ray of light comes from a roster in the bottom of the door. I don’t even see the girl sitting next to me. After about 3 minutes we are bored and one of the ladies decides to bang on the door screaming and laughing: “Let me go. Let me out!” The prison guard doesn’t think it funny and orders silence. Then we hear the door unlock.
Photo essay; Melbourne beaches
Photos taken on a walk from St. Kilda to Brighton
Traveling on the Indian Pacific
The Indian Pacific is an overland train between Sydney and Perth. You can travel the whole distance, or choose part of it, like me. I traveled from Sydney to Adelaide by train. I wish I could say it was cheap or fast, but if you do this, you do it for the experience. It takes about as long as a bus trip and is more expensive than a flight. It’s all about the experience of traveling through the outback.
To ski or not to ski
Have you always liked skiing and boarding? Or would you like to give it a try? Here’s good news for you: Australia has snow! Many people don’t know it, but there is a small area called the Snowy Mountains, where they’ve got snow for about three months a year. Don’t imagine mountains like Canada or Austria, or the snow that comes with it, but it is definitely a good way to get into the world of ski bums, have some fun and save some money for your time in Australia.
Kakadu in the wet
Visiting Kakadu is an adventure in itself, but in the wet, things are a bit different. You won’t see the famous Jimjim falls because many roads will be flooded, but there is so much to see in Kakadu National Park. The wet allows you to see a totally different sight…
Shut up, Bob
Casual short-term jobs are a good way to make lots of money quick. Find out which festivals and events are coming up in the area. They might need someone to help out. This is how I ended up working at Sydney’s Royal Easter Show. It was full on for two weeks, but at the end I got rewarded with load of cash in my hands.
Digging into the criminal world
My very first job in Australia was an odd one. When I went to the interview I was told I could start immediately and so I spent the rest of the day in an office. I responded to an ad looking for people who could speak Dutch and English. I…