09/17/2026
This morning seminar was given by Larry Erhart and was titled “Panoramic photo journey of Australia“. Driving from Uluru Northern Territory to Western Australia is known as the Great Central Road part of the Outback Way, a roughly 1,126 km route—mostly unsealed—from Yulara to Laverton, Western Austrialia. This remote, 4WD-recommended journey crosses the desert, requiring Central Land Council and Ngaanyatjarra Council permits. It takes 2-4 days, passing through Warburton. Approx. 1,100km - 1,200km Yulara to Laverton.
Road Condition: Primarily unsealed (dirt) gravel, suitable for 4WDs, though passing through remote areas.
Permits: Necessary for crossing Indigenous lands Central Land Council and Ngaanyatjarra Council.
Best Time to Visit: March to November (cooler months).
Crucial Planning: Fuel is available in communities like Warburton and Warakurna, but ensure you have a range of 500-600 km minimum.
Highlights: Desert scenery, Aboriginal art, and remote outback
Pub Crawl in the Old Town called 'The Rocks' where the original settlers came from England to colonize Australia. These were convicts, criminals and felons who were expatriated from England, Scotland and Wales when there was no more room in the prisons and sent on a 9 month journey by ship to Sydney Australia in 1788.
Here are some photos of the most popular Pub taverns in 'The Rocks'.
Phillip Island is home to the largest little penguin colony in the world. You can experience the magic of watching these amazing seabirds waddle home from the ocean to their burrows any night of the year from the viewing platforms and boardwalks. Phillip Island Nature Park is a conservation park located on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. Created in 1996, the park is owned by the Victorian State Government; however, it is a self-funding commercial attraction for the purpose of animal conservation and research.
Koala Conservation Centre & PenguinParade
Located 1.5 hours drive south-east of Melbourne, PINP covers several separate areas over 1805 hectares. The parks include Pyramid Rock, Rhyll Inlet, Seal Rocks, and Cape Woolamai, with specific viewing and attraction areas that include the Nobbies Centre, seals, dolphins, and shark viewing, the Penguin Parade, little penguins coming ashore at dusk, Koala Conservation Centre, and the Churchill Island Heritage Farm.
Phillip Island’s Penguin Parade is the only commercial venue in the world where penguins can be seen in their own environment, and attracts tourists from different parts of the world. The Koala Conservation Centre is dedicated to koala research and conservation and allows the opportunity to view koalas in their natural habitat on treetop boardwalks.
Much of the park lies within the Phillip Island Important Bird Area, so identified by Bird Life International because of its importance in supporting significant populations of little penguins, short-tailed shearwaters and Pacific gulls.
The Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Austrailia
The Great Barrier Reef trip was almost cancelled due to15 foot seas. Passage out to the Great Barrier Reef was so rough that about 10% of the passengers used a seasick bag. We arrived at an anchored platform and docked the catamaran. We put on a Stinger wetsuit to protect the skin from jelly fish. Fins, mask and snorkel instructions. Then off to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef by wearing provided wetsuits/lycra suits for protection, using buoyancy vests or noodles for comfort, and keeping fins near the surface to avoid damaging coral. Breathe slowly through the snorkel, keep arms at your side, and never touch marine life. Listen to boat briefings and use the buddy system.
Note that I did not rent an underwater camera so I used the stock underwater photos to show you what I saw.
Included was a Submersible, Glass Bottom boat and a Helicopter ride to view the Great Barrier Reef from aerial perspective.
Bondi Beach is a beach and the surrounding suburb in Sydney, Australia. Bondi Beach is located 4 miles) east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Waverley Council, in the Eastern Suburbs. In the 2021 Australian census it had a population of 11,513 residents. Bondi Beach is one of the most visited tourist sites in Australia
The sweeping white-sand crescent of Bondi is one of Australia’s most iconic beaches. Reliable waves draw surfers while, nearby, hardy locals swim in the Icebergs ocean pool year-round. Trendy, health-conscious Sydneysiders head to laid-back cafes around Hall Street, while hip backpackers frequent the area's casual pubs. Walkers and joggers use the clifftop Bondi to Coogee Coastal Walk, with its dramatic scenery.
On 14 December 2025, a mass shooting occurred at Bondi Beach. The attack was aimed at the Jewish community in Sydney, with an alleged father and son duo targeting a Jewish celebration on the first evening of the Hanukkah festival. The attack commenced at approximately 6:47 pm when the first call to emergency services was made.[27] After six minutes and more than 100 shots were fired, the father was reported to have been disarmed by an unarmed bystander named Ahmed al-Ahmed.[ The attack ended by approximately 6:58 pm; the father was killed, and the son was taken into custody in critical condition. Two "rudimentary" and "fairly basic in terms of their construction" improvised explosive devices, which failed to detonate, were located.
A total of 15 people were killed and 42 people injured by the gunmen. The ages of those who died ranged from ages 10 to 87
Snow Plane landing on Tasmin Glacier New Zealand and Helicopter Aerial Views
The Tasman Glacier (Haupapa) is New Zealand's longest glacier at 23–27 km, located within Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. It is a major, rapidly receding terminal lake glacier in the Southern Alps, offering tourists boat trips, heli-hikes, and scenic flights. The glacier covers an area of 101 square kilometers and starts at a height of 9,800 ft above sea level. Snowfall during the winter and spring seasons may accumulate up to 160 ft.
We flew in a ski plane and a helicopter on the same day for an unforgettable experience of Aoraki/Mount Cook. We enjoy eda scenic adventure that includes a glacier snow landing on the Tasman Glacier.
From takeoff to landing, we enjoyed spectacular views! Flying up the Tasman Valley over the breathtaking blue glacier lake. to see the Hochstetter Icefall and the cloud-piercing Aoraki/Mount Cook before landing on the upper snowfields of the Tasman Glacier. We took time to enjoy this unique alpine environment before swapping aircraft and returning to Mount Cook Airport.
These mountains are covered in snow and ice all year round, and the aircraft fully shuts down on landing so you can enjoy the peace and quiet of nature. We also saw Tasman Terminal Lake, Grand Plateau, Plateau Hut, as well as the full length of the Tasman Glacier
Does it rain all the time in the Rain Forest?
How many things can you find in the Rain Forest?
Sydney, capital of New South Wales and one of Australia's largest cities, is best known for its harbourfront Sydney Opera House, massive Darling Harbour and the smaller Circular Quay port are hubs of waterside life, with the arched Harbour Bridge and esteemed Royal Botanic Garden nearby. Sydney Tower’s outdoor platform rises to 1,000feet , the Skywalk, offers 360-degree views of the city and suburbs.
The Victorian Mall is a 1899 building converted to a shopping mall and eatery.
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings, and a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and completed by an Australian architectural team headed by Peter Hall, the building was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973] 16 years after Utzon's 1957 selection as winner of an international design competition. The Government of New South Wales, led by the premier, Joseph Cahill, authorised work to begin in 1958 with Utzon directing construction.
The facility features a modern expressionist design, with a series of large precast concrete "shells",]each composed of sections of a sphere of 246 ft 8.6 in radius, forming the roofs of the structure, set on a monumental podium.
Concert Hall: With 2,679 seats, the home of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and used by a large number of other concert presenters.
Joan Sutherland Theatre: A proscenium theatre with 1,507 seats, the Sydney home of Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet.
Drama Theatre: A proscenium theatre with 544 seats, used by the Sydney Theatre Company and other dance and theatrical presenters.
Studio: A flexible space with 280 permanent seats (some of which can be folded up) and a maximum capacity of 400, depending on configuration.
Utzon Room: A small multi-purpose venue for parties, corporate functions and small productions (such as chamber music performances).
Outdoor Forecourt: A flexible open-air venue with a wide range of configuration options, including the possibility of utilising the Monumental Steps as audience seating, used for a range of community events and major outdoor.
Australian Animals!
A Farm outside Sydney city limits hosted an assortment of Kangaroos, Wallabies, Wombats, Koalas, Kookaburras, Goats, Camels, Emus, Peacocks, Chickens, Clydesdale and horses.
Jan is feeding a shy Wallaby some ferns to eat.
What is ANZAC Day?
It is Memorial Day for Australians and New Zealanders.
It is the Holiday celebration of Remembrance for Australia and New Xealand veterans, MIA, Wounded and Killed in Action.
ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps.
Anzac Day 2026 was observed on Monday, 27 April 2026 in New Zealand making it a long weekend. It honors the sacrifice of NZ/Australian service personnel, with major dawn services at the Auckland War Memorial Museum and Pukeahu National War Memorial
Aboriginal Spear and Boomerang Throwing, Didgeridoo blowing and War Dance by natives in New South Wales
A 2016 study at the University of Cambridge suggests that it was about 50,000 years ago that Aborigines' reached Sahul (the supercontinent consisting of present-day Australia and its islands and New Guinea). The sea levels rose and isolated Australia about 10,000 years ago, but Aboriginal Australians and Papuans diverged from each other earlier, genetically, about 37,000 years BP, possibly because the remaining land bridge was impassable. This isolation makes the Aboriginal people the world's oldest culture.
Dispersing across the Australian continent over time, the ancient people expanded and differentiated into distinct groups, each with its own language and culture.[80] More than 400 distinct Australian Aboriginal peoples have been identified, distinguished by names designating their ancestral languages, dialects, or distinctive speech patterns
Australian Indigenous people have beliefs unique to each mob (tribe) and have a strong connection to the land. Contemporary Indigenous Australian beliefs are a complex mixture, varying by region and individual across the continent.[ They are shaped by traditional beliefs, the disruption of colonization, religions brought to the continent by Europeans, and contemporary issues.
The outstation movement of the 1970s and 1980s, when Aboriginal people moved to tiny remote settlements on traditional land, brought health benefits,] but funding them proved expensive, training and employment opportunities were not provided in many cases, and support from governments dwindled in the 2000s, particularly in the era of the Howard government.
Indigenous communities in remote Australia are often small, isolated towns with basic facilities, on traditionally owned land. These communities have between 20 and 300 inhabitants and are often closed to outsiders for cultural reasons
The picturesque mountain retreat of Kuranda Village is just 25km northwest of Cairns in Tropical North Queensland, Australia. Surrounded by the world’s oldest living tropical rainforest, the colourful village of Kuranda is well known as the Village in the Rainforest attracting visitors for well over a century.
We boarded an enclosed gondolas riding 7.5 km over rainforest canopy, with walks at 2 stations along the way.
Set on 100 acres of tropical rainforest, Rainforestation Nature Park in Kuranda is where you can immerse yourself in the wonders of Australia's Far North Queensland. Take a journey on our Army Duck Rainforest Tour, traveling on both land and water your driver identifies and introduces fascinating plants and wildlife.
