In February I travelled the length of Australia's east coast, going from Cairns to Melbourne and stopping on the way in Brisbane, Surfer's Paradise, Byron Bay, Sydney and Canberra.

You might be disappointed in the pictures below as they are not typical, or even distinctively Australian, photos. It was only after I developed them that I realized that I didn't have any photos of:

For what it's worth, here are my excuses:

Byron Bay

Just down the road from Surfer's Paradise, Byron Bay felt like it was stuck in a sixties counter-culture time-warp. Still, it made for a refreshing change from the blatant hedonism of Surfer's, and, in my opinion, the surfing's better in Byron than in "Surfer's Paradise." For the trivia buff in you, Byron Bay is the eastern-most point on the Australian mainland.

Lighthouse

Surf

Hang gliders

The Beach


Magnificent, isn't it?

An Eternal Cycle

No Surfers Here

Fishermen

These are easily the two most dressed people I saw at Byron Bay.

A Day at the Sydney Zoo

Bird Show

Red Panda


Okay, okay! Just one more shot and I'm done.

Hoss


Cheer up!

Lioness


Can you see the fly?

Elephant


I was very pleased with how this shot turned out. Zooming right in creates an interesting two-dimensional effect.

Giraffes

Interesting fact: One of these giraffes is blind.

Camel

Goats

Seal Show


In case you're wondering, the background's fake.

A round of applause, please!

Parrots

I went overboard photographing these two birds, but I found their colours spectacular and their movements comical.

Canberra

Canberra is Australia's made-to-order capital city and thus, inevitably, very dull. It's essentially a huge park (and hence extremely hostile to the pedestrian) with public buildings and suburbs scattered here and there.
This sequence of shots was taken from a mountain that overlooks the city.


In the foreground is the War Memorial, in the background is Parliament.

The Cap'n Cook Memorial Fountain.

Around Melbourne

Cathedral

Mom's Childhood Home

My mother and her family lived in Melbourne for several years when she was a girl. This is the last house that they lived in.

Philip Island

View from the Top

This series of photos was taken from the top of the highest building in Melbourne.


Still life with buoys and train.

A view of the botanic gardens. The building at the right is the governor general's residence.

Gingerbread Architecture