Met up with a wonderful woman who has fundraised to have a labyrinth put into Centennial Park, Sydney. It is one of the most beautiful labyrinths we have walked. A lovely way to bring into the conscious mind all that we have experienced on our journey thus far.
Good to see and hear cockatoos again and to encounter huge ginger fruit bats in the stand of Paper Bark trees close by the labyrinth.
We spent the afternoon walking from bay to bay along the coast. Impressive surf at Bondi beach.
Flew west across South Island and the Tasman Sea and landed in Sydney early this morning.
Took a boat trip round the harbour and wandered along Circula Quay to get close up to two iconic structures, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
Recognising the strangeness of finding oneself in a different country after a relatively quick flight to Australia from New Zealand.
There is a sense of waiting for our souls to catch up.
In the centre of the ACT hospice labyrinth some words of Dag Hammarskjold came to mind, “For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, ‘Yes’!”
We are full of gratitude for the warm and generous hospitality we have received in Australia, and ready now to move into the journeying ahead of us with open hearts.
Loved the strongly contrasting colours of the earth and flowers in the Red Centre of the Botanical gardens on the lower slopes of Black Mountain.
Had our first sighting of a wallaby and got very close to a lazy dragon lizard.
Late afternoon and this Koala was dozing nicely. Cuddly as he looks you would not want to get in the middle of two males fighting. Check out those claws.
Seeing this fella and two more koalas capped the end of a great day in the nature reserve. Thank you Shona for sharing your deep wisdom and passion for this place.
Another amazing day.
Boro had beaten Man U in the League Cup before we’d even had breakfast!
Then at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve this afternoon we saw the elusive duck-billed platypus about 5 yards away from us.
Awesome!!
The flag of the Aboriginal people of Australia. It was created as a symbol of unity and national identity for Aboriginal people during the land rights movement of the early 1970s.
Yellow represents the sun the giver of life. Red represents the red earth (the relationship to the land) and the red ochre used in ceremonies. Black represents the Aboriginal people.
In the sculpture park of the National Gallery of Australia we came across a fascinating concrete and basalt stupa, set in water, earth and landscaping. It lent itself to reflection and stillness.
Artist: James Turrell, 2010
A tranquil boat trip down the river in the late afternoon with friends allowed us close encounters with lizards, fish and later a beautiful kingfisher.
Sally Paskins’ Store in Gundaroo, a small rural village about 25 miles north of Canberra, was built in 1886 and is a well preserved example of a slab hut, a dwelling made from slabs of split or sawn timber with a brick chimney.
Sally (Sarah) Paskins, the original owner, seems to have been a real character who kept a cockatoo on the counter of the shop.
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