Australias scary wildlife

Not so magical all the scary wildlife!

I have to say I am terrified of camping in a national park. The number of deathly animals you come across by just walking along without looking out for any is quite mind blowing for a European person.

On the first day we were trying to climb up to the top of a mountain ridge and then to the end of the ridge. Half way along it with not way to escape right or left we came across a friendly Death Adder - Craig almost stepped on it as it was lying in the sun in the middle of the footpath. They are among the most venomous snakes in the world. A bite from a death adder causes paralysis. While this paralysis is very minor at first, it can cause death from a complete respiratory shutdown in as little as six hours. Symptoms peak in 24 – 48 hours. I was just glad I did not know all this when we saw it because I would probably have fainted instead of giggled nervously! At least I was too scared to get the camera out!

The next day we saw this beauty, a Red Bellied Black , a venomous species of elapid snake native to eastern Australia. Though its venom is capable of causing significant morbidity, it is not generally fatal and less venomous than other deadly Australian snakes. Great!



And while Craig was looking for a private place behind a tree he came across this HUGE carpet snake.... apparently they are harmless. They only strangle their prey...



Can you imagine pitching up your tent!!! NO WAY JOSE!

A weekend in paradise

We had a very outdoorsy long weekend in Lamington National Park last weekend. It was a surprise present for Craig's birthday - very unselfish of me I know!
We stayed at O Reilly's - a luxury mountain retreat.
A small number of villas have been built on the side of a hill overlooking the stunning valley of Lamington Park. They are all self contained with fantastic kitchens, outdoor spa and BBQ area, fireplace etc. Perfect hideaway for a romantic weekend in the wilderness.


Our favourite bit was getting back from a long walk and sinking into a hot bubbly spa watching the sunset with cold beer in hand. Fantastic! I wish I could afford to move in...



We did some great walks around the national park and saw lots and lots of beautiful fern trees, big palm trees and general rainforest vegetation in lushest green, lots of waterfalls and birds... just beautiful.



And I am always so amazed by those strangler fig trees. They start their life in the tree tops as a seed getting dropped by a bird and then grow these huge long arms down to the ground when they wrap around existing trees and slowly squeeze them to death. The process takes about 150 years and at the end the original tree decays and disappears. Totally amazing! So cruel. They look quite scary don't you think?



This is the view from our balcony - miles and miles of protected rainforest with the Flinders Range in the background. It really is a magical place.

Weekend break in SYDNEY!

We finally spent a weekend in Sydney - long overdue if you ask me! We flew down Thursday night and stayed with our friends Isla and Mark in Millons Point, right next to the Harbour Bridge. Glorious views! They just moved into a totally decadent minimalist apartment with harbour views. Unfortunately, it rained like crazy most of the weekend!



But we enjoyed ourselves anyway, driving to the Northern beaches in the rain, admiring brave surfers who braced the elements while we were sitting nice and cosy in beachside cafes and bars. On Friday night we saw Craig's niece and her two daughters Hannah and Grace in a modern dance performance which was amazing! The girls are just teens, but they danced beautifully. Very cool. We were impressed!
Nice to finally catch up with this branch of the Millis family, I like them a lot! It is beyond me how you can have 4 kids and still maintain a dignified and relaxed household. A true inspiration!



On Sunday the weather cleared up and I was able to take some nice photos as you can see. It was brilliant to get out of town and have a change of scenery. I really really like Sydney! But.. Brisbane is not so bad either :)



Craig's mate David is staying with us at the moment. He has survived his great Australian adventure and cirumnavigated the continent in his van in 6 months. I cannot wait to see his photos! It is great to have company and especially company that knows how to cook really well! We had a classic British Sunday roast waiting for us on our return from Sydney! How great is that?

River Fire in Brisbane

Last weekend was the famous River Fire Festival in Brisbane and it was really cool! HUGE fireworks all along the river and fighter jets and millions of people about everywhere. We loved it!

Thankfully we did not have to face the enormous crowds along the riverbank as we were allowed to come into the offices. Prime view from the 29th floor!!