WOW! Can you believe it is the second of February today! The first month of the new decade has flown by so fast and I still haven't managed to post these pictures!!! SORRY!!!
So, please excuse the "OLD" text... with good intentions.... because otherwise it may be another few months before you get to see these pictures!!
Here we go...
Happy New Year everybody!!!! I hope that 2010 is a wonderful, successful and exciting year!
My start to 2010 has definitely been exciting!!! The lead up to the new decade was UNBELIEVABLE....more about that later...
We celebrated into the new year with an incredible new years party at our house... seeing friends who I hadn't seen in ages, BBQing in torrential rain, feasting, drinking and later watching the fireworks over Melbourne from our balcony. What more could you ask for!!!
As I said 2010 has gotten off to an exciting start, uncertainty over my future in Australia dominates my preoccupation. Unfortunately the company I am working for still has not had a break through in finding a source of capital. As a result they cannot afford to sponsor my VISA which is obviously a requirement for me to stay in the country. As a result I have started applying for positions with other companies, but am afraid that time is not on my side for this process!
So, possibly after 2 amazing years down under I may be packing my bags again in search of new adventures....
WHAT WILL PETER DO???? Watch this space, he doesn't know himself yet :)
2010 is also the year that I have decided to get back into shape...well actually it started last year already. On Valentines Day I will be competing in my first triathlon...OH BOY! Crazy as it seems I am really looking forward to the event. YES, I have been training; NO I am not trying to break any records! Wish me luck :)
As mentioned earlier, the festive season this year was incredibly special!!
It started on 6 December when my mom and Andrea (my oldest sister) arrived in Melbourne. It's been almost 2 years since I last saw them and naturally this was a massive, happy, joyful reunion! We spent the following days seeing the sights of Melbourne...as well as waiting for my mom's baggage to arrive which got lost in transit...and then spent a day on the Great Ocean Road.
Departure Melbourne --> Sydney for a few days to visit family as well as some short day trips to Cronulla, the city and Manly by ferry (and a delicious lunch overlooking the water) and also to the Royal National Park where we did some bush walking.
.... and then.....
NEW ZEALAND!!!!
For anybody who has not been to this part of our beautiful planet....BOOK YOUR FLIGHTS NOW!!!!
We were incredibly spoiled by Frauke (driver and organiser) and her partner Peter (car lender and great guy) on our trip around the south island. I could not stop gaping at the spectacular beauty and diversity of the countryside we passed along our way. Not only the sheer beauty but also the rapid transitions between highland "desert" to glaciers surrounded by tropical rain forests. A volcano at Akaroa, enormous crystal clear lakes, rugged coastline with "Pancake Rocks", wine farms, gold mining towns, waterfalls, glow worms, fields and fields of Lupins and the ever present sheep!
Arriving at Te Anau Downs Station, Frauke's new home, we were welcomed in as though we belonged there already! Peter and his son Matt proudly showed us around their beautiful farm... WOW! I am sure they don't have it easy on such a massive farm, but having views like that on a daily basis must be good for the spirit :)
And then we got spoiled:
1) SURPRISE helicopter flight over Lake Te Anau and into the mountains. Having seen the snow from far below it was surreal to suddenly be standing amongst snow and ice! The perspective change over such a short time was incredible, and looking over the vastness of the southern alps and down onto Lake Te Anau... humbling!
2) Milford Sound as the starting point to a deep sea fishing trip! A spot that has to be considered one of the most spectacular places on earth was just the start to a fantastic day! First checking crayfish pods, then rods over the sides so that everybody could catch their dinner....naturally I caught the biggest fish on the day.... a grouper!!
As always the time went by far to quickly.I hope the fotos give you a small impression of how we experienced New Zealand and do the country justice.
A DREAM COME TRUE!!!
I hope you are all well, I would love to hear from each and every one of you in 2010!!
Pete
18 January 2010
30 November 2009
November 2009_ Great Ocean Road and Grampians
Hello everybody,
Here is a slideshow of the latest trip we did!!! We being Anna, Wilhelm (German friends of mine) and I :)
You have probably all heard of the Great Ocean Road... with its spectacular sandstone cliffs and islands, caves and blowholes. After a few days at the ocean we drove inland to an equally beautiful mountainous area known as the Grampians. Here we spent another few days hiking and enjoying breathtaking views.
Now leading up to Christmas I am looking forward to my mom and sister's arrival in Melbourne, a few days in Victoria will be followed by a short trip to Sydney and then on to New Zealand (South Island) where Frauke has been living for the last while.
Bearing this in mind and the low probability that I will be posting any fotos before the new year I wish you all a happy festive season and a good start to the new decade.
Keep well and take it easy
Pete
Here is a slideshow of the latest trip we did!!! We being Anna, Wilhelm (German friends of mine) and I :)
You have probably all heard of the Great Ocean Road... with its spectacular sandstone cliffs and islands, caves and blowholes. After a few days at the ocean we drove inland to an equally beautiful mountainous area known as the Grampians. Here we spent another few days hiking and enjoying breathtaking views.
Now leading up to Christmas I am looking forward to my mom and sister's arrival in Melbourne, a few days in Victoria will be followed by a short trip to Sydney and then on to New Zealand (South Island) where Frauke has been living for the last while.
Bearing this in mind and the low probability that I will be posting any fotos before the new year I wish you all a happy festive season and a good start to the new decade.
Keep well and take it easy
Pete
03 May 2009
Where in the world is Peter???
Hi all,
You have probably all given up any hope of hearing from me again.
Well, I have finally gotten my A into G and uploaded some pictures from the last 9 months!!!
I also promise that I will write something to each album in the next few days, I am just glad that I have found a way to do this all a bit quicker!
So here we are, entering the last quarter of 2009, I can tell you all that I am still having a wonderful time in Australia. I have been in Melbourne since February! After travelling the east coast for nearly a year I decided it was time to settle a bit and get to know some locals... who you don't get to meet travelling!
Melbourne is AMAZING (I am not sure if the fotos do it justice). Rather than having a natural beauty it is jammed with culture, atmosphere, restaurants, cafes, live music, pubs and open air events.
Of course you are all envited to come and visit!!! I have moved from very humble beginnings in "Hotel Footscray" to a beautiful house in the northern suburbs....and we have a spare bedroom!
I hope you enjoy the fotos and that you are all doing as well as I am!
I would love to hear from you all again!
Pete :)
PS. I hope it isn't too much at once!!! ENJOY!!
Sydney --> Melbourne (January 2009)
As I said, these foto's are ancient...
After leaving Brisbane I spent a few days travelling down the coast to Sydney in a luxury campervan which I picked up at the exorbitant rate of A$1/day, plus they threw in A$100 for petrol. If you ever need to get from city to city in Australia look at vehicle relocation as a really good mode of travel!!
After a couple of days in Sydney I bussed towards Melbourne stopping at Ulladulla and Merimbula. The south coast of New South Wales isn't nearly as developed as its northern counterpart, but is equally beautiful. I will definitely make a point of exploring this region again...
Ulladulla is a sleepy town with a nice beach and excellent surf, as a result I spent most of my days here in the water. I did manage to take a walk along a coastal track, which I had all to myself.
Almost at the border between NSW and Victoria, Merimbula is a small oasis! Situated on a lagoon (or two) it is idyllic. A beautiful boardwalk takes you along one side of the estuary, but a brilliant alternative to explore is by kayaking past oyster farms. I met some great people in the hostel (Emma, Sophie and Juan) with whom I did some of the exploring!
Then on the bus again... all the way to Melbourne....
Melbourne and surroundings......
I'm not going to say much about Melbourne, except that you should all come and visit!!! You will love it here!!
I have settled into a position as a biochemist in a small start up company called MycroLab Diagnostic (www.mycrolab.com). We are in the process of developing a minaturised analyser and test card for clinical and industrial point-of-care testing. As with the position I had in Germany, I arrived at a very exciting time (viz. no money, little time, lots of pressure). The work is great and the potential enormous.... please keep your fingers crossed that we get out of the starting blocks successfully!
Sarah and Beer's Wedding (Fraser Island, March 2009)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Two beautiful people, I couldn't be happier for you!!!
It was great being back in Queensland, and Fraser Island is probably one of the most amazing places EVER!!!
(NOTE: Australian's love stressing points by adding "ever" into a sentence e.g. it was the hottest day in February, after a full moon, before a thunderstorm, at 7 o'clock EVER) :-)
It was great seeing old friends from South Africa again, as well as making some new ones. The wedding was spectacular, the weather prefect and I know I wasn't the only one to shed a tear!
Easter 2009 (Lake Eildon, Little Desert and Grampians National Parks)
Easter's camping holiday with the usual suspects (Paul and Catherine Bajada (Malta) and Denise Desmond (Ireland)). These are good friends who I met in Bundaberg whilst fruit picking. Since Paul and Catherine were leaving shortly after easter we decided to go on one more big trip..... you will have to look up the locations on a map yourselves.
From Melbourne we travelled north east to Lake Eildon which is nestled in the foothills of the Australian Alps. I is amazing to see a water resevoir at only 20% capacity, to be at the waters edge and have a tree line 30 meters above you where the water should normally be. It is spectacular and at the same time makes you aware of just how bad the drought is in Victoria.
After two nights in Eildon we travelled roughly west to the Little Desert National Park. Passing Bendigo on the way we decided to go into the beautiful cathedral, which fitted well since it was Easter Sunday. Little Desert NP gave me my first taste of the Australian flies, which up to this point I had believed were a myth, turns out they are a real pain in the butt!!!
Just a short stay in the desert and then we headed back to Melbourne via the Grampians National Park, almost got bounced on by one of Australia's traffic hazards.... a massive kangaroo! But they views from the top were worth it! You decide....
Winter Holiday 2009 (Cairns --> Airlie Beach)
Met up with Wilhelm Eger (Germany), a friend of mine from Jena, who currently has a post doc position in Brisbane.
We accessed the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas for a day of diving. Brilliant!!! Will definitely be diving again!!! Saw my first shark EVER, a moray eel, a sting ray and a multitude of brilliantly coloured fish in all shapes and sizes. Picked up my first sunburn for the holiday too!!! Some things never change :)
North to Cape Tribulation and then south again into the Atherton Tablelands. This high lying plateau is part of the Great Dividing Range which runs along the east coast of Australia. We spent a night at the Granite Gorge as a result of a spur of the moment decision.... definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. The following day we completed the Millaa-Millaa waterfall circuit, including crater lakes and swamps (highlight: the crater at Mt. Hypipamee National Park). After a very full day we were desperate for campsite....
Paronella Park is where we found a place to pitch our tent, before we knew it we were booked onto the evening tour..... OF WHAT??? Imagine our surprise to be standing in front of a castle!!! YES, Australia has a castle!! A spaniard built the castles in the 1920s and 1930s. Whatever his motivation was, it was quite impressive to see!
We also stumbled across Australia's highest waterfall -268meters- which goes to show that planning a holiday isn't always the best way to go!
WOW, there are so many highlights it is difficult to get them all down! So, I will stop my rambling and let you enjoy the fotos!!
You have probably all given up any hope of hearing from me again.
Well, I have finally gotten my A into G and uploaded some pictures from the last 9 months!!!
I also promise that I will write something to each album in the next few days, I am just glad that I have found a way to do this all a bit quicker!
So here we are, entering the last quarter of 2009, I can tell you all that I am still having a wonderful time in Australia. I have been in Melbourne since February! After travelling the east coast for nearly a year I decided it was time to settle a bit and get to know some locals... who you don't get to meet travelling!
Melbourne is AMAZING (I am not sure if the fotos do it justice). Rather than having a natural beauty it is jammed with culture, atmosphere, restaurants, cafes, live music, pubs and open air events.
Of course you are all envited to come and visit!!! I have moved from very humble beginnings in "Hotel Footscray" to a beautiful house in the northern suburbs....and we have a spare bedroom!
I hope you enjoy the fotos and that you are all doing as well as I am!
I would love to hear from you all again!
Pete :)
PS. I hope it isn't too much at once!!! ENJOY!!
Sydney --> Melbourne (January 2009)
As I said, these foto's are ancient...
After leaving Brisbane I spent a few days travelling down the coast to Sydney in a luxury campervan which I picked up at the exorbitant rate of A$1/day, plus they threw in A$100 for petrol. If you ever need to get from city to city in Australia look at vehicle relocation as a really good mode of travel!!
After a couple of days in Sydney I bussed towards Melbourne stopping at Ulladulla and Merimbula. The south coast of New South Wales isn't nearly as developed as its northern counterpart, but is equally beautiful. I will definitely make a point of exploring this region again...
Ulladulla is a sleepy town with a nice beach and excellent surf, as a result I spent most of my days here in the water. I did manage to take a walk along a coastal track, which I had all to myself.
Almost at the border between NSW and Victoria, Merimbula is a small oasis! Situated on a lagoon (or two) it is idyllic. A beautiful boardwalk takes you along one side of the estuary, but a brilliant alternative to explore is by kayaking past oyster farms. I met some great people in the hostel (Emma, Sophie and Juan) with whom I did some of the exploring!
Then on the bus again... all the way to Melbourne....
Melbourne and surroundings......
I'm not going to say much about Melbourne, except that you should all come and visit!!! You will love it here!!
I have settled into a position as a biochemist in a small start up company called MycroLab Diagnostic (www.mycrolab.com). We are in the process of developing a minaturised analyser and test card for clinical and industrial point-of-care testing. As with the position I had in Germany, I arrived at a very exciting time (viz. no money, little time, lots of pressure). The work is great and the potential enormous.... please keep your fingers crossed that we get out of the starting blocks successfully!
Sarah and Beer's Wedding (Fraser Island, March 2009)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Two beautiful people, I couldn't be happier for you!!!
It was great being back in Queensland, and Fraser Island is probably one of the most amazing places EVER!!!
(NOTE: Australian's love stressing points by adding "ever" into a sentence e.g. it was the hottest day in February, after a full moon, before a thunderstorm, at 7 o'clock EVER) :-)
It was great seeing old friends from South Africa again, as well as making some new ones. The wedding was spectacular, the weather prefect and I know I wasn't the only one to shed a tear!
Easter 2009 (Lake Eildon, Little Desert and Grampians National Parks)
Easter's camping holiday with the usual suspects (Paul and Catherine Bajada (Malta) and Denise Desmond (Ireland)). These are good friends who I met in Bundaberg whilst fruit picking. Since Paul and Catherine were leaving shortly after easter we decided to go on one more big trip..... you will have to look up the locations on a map yourselves.
From Melbourne we travelled north east to Lake Eildon which is nestled in the foothills of the Australian Alps. I is amazing to see a water resevoir at only 20% capacity, to be at the waters edge and have a tree line 30 meters above you where the water should normally be. It is spectacular and at the same time makes you aware of just how bad the drought is in Victoria.
After two nights in Eildon we travelled roughly west to the Little Desert National Park. Passing Bendigo on the way we decided to go into the beautiful cathedral, which fitted well since it was Easter Sunday. Little Desert NP gave me my first taste of the Australian flies, which up to this point I had believed were a myth, turns out they are a real pain in the butt!!!
Just a short stay in the desert and then we headed back to Melbourne via the Grampians National Park, almost got bounced on by one of Australia's traffic hazards.... a massive kangaroo! But they views from the top were worth it! You decide....
Winter Holiday 2009 (Cairns --> Airlie Beach)
Met up with Wilhelm Eger (Germany), a friend of mine from Jena, who currently has a post doc position in Brisbane.
We accessed the Great Barrier Reef from Port Douglas for a day of diving. Brilliant!!! Will definitely be diving again!!! Saw my first shark EVER, a moray eel, a sting ray and a multitude of brilliantly coloured fish in all shapes and sizes. Picked up my first sunburn for the holiday too!!! Some things never change :)
North to Cape Tribulation and then south again into the Atherton Tablelands. This high lying plateau is part of the Great Dividing Range which runs along the east coast of Australia. We spent a night at the Granite Gorge as a result of a spur of the moment decision.... definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. The following day we completed the Millaa-Millaa waterfall circuit, including crater lakes and swamps (highlight: the crater at Mt. Hypipamee National Park). After a very full day we were desperate for campsite....
Paronella Park is where we found a place to pitch our tent, before we knew it we were booked onto the evening tour..... OF WHAT??? Imagine our surprise to be standing in front of a castle!!! YES, Australia has a castle!! A spaniard built the castles in the 1920s and 1930s. Whatever his motivation was, it was quite impressive to see!
We also stumbled across Australia's highest waterfall -268meters- which goes to show that planning a holiday isn't always the best way to go!
WOW, there are so many highlights it is difficult to get them all down! So, I will stop my rambling and let you enjoy the fotos!!
04 January 2009
Christmas 2008 - Brisbane
Hello everybody,
Christmas 2008 was a brilliant! Being in the warmth again for christmas, after 7 years of snow and cold, is definitely the way I prefer it!!
Christmas for me this year was in Brisbane with my friends Johan and Sarah. The day itself was filled with a lot of nothing... a swim with Lilly at the beach, some card games, some hacky sack later we started cooking - a classic south african meal - consisting of vetkoek and mince for the main and koeksisters for dessert. YUM-YUM!!!!
What happened to my forehead? Well, that was a result of a lot of Christmas spirits... a good night out from what my friends tell me, until I started argueing with the pavement. I am pretty sure I won!!! :) All is well!!!!
I hope everybody had a wonderful Christmas! I am looking forward to hearing your stories.
All the best
Pete
Sarah loving the Xmas washing!
Xmas tree
Xmas pressie for Lilly
Xmas present for Johan
Xmas pressie for Johan and me :)
Xmas wounds :(
Xmas games... 
...hacky sack.....
....dead duck.....
.........shithead (1).......
..........shithead (2)............
...........shithead (3)!
Xmas cocktails! 
The Chefs...
The Rolling Pin....
The Mess....
The Plaiting... 
Raw Koeksisters
Deep fry
Dunking in syrup
Yum-yum!!! Koeksisters and.......
...........Vetkoek !!! F!X Restaurant -Christmas 2008
Me again,
Just a few pics to show you what my current workplace looks like when decked out for a X-mad function!!! (No spelling error, that's the way it was)
Melbourne - December 2008
Hi guys,
Long time no update.... SORRY!!!
These are some fotos I took in Melbourne in December when I was down there for a job interview. I will be returning to Melbourne in February so expect more pictures of the city then! Melbourne is supposed to be the cultural capital of Australia. I can see why, there are tons of pubs playing live music, street musicians, theaters etc. I am looking forward to exploring the city with all its alleyways and coffee shops more.
I hope you are all well and that 2009 will be a sucessful year for us all!!
Hugs and kisses
Pete
Captain Flinders - who gives a crap? Only seagulls!
Flinder's Street Station
Inside Saint Pauls Cathedral
Melbourne skyline
??
Trams are an important mode of transport around Melbourne
??
Skyline
Chapel Street
Swanston Street
Long time no update.... SORRY!!!
These are some fotos I took in Melbourne in December when I was down there for a job interview. I will be returning to Melbourne in February so expect more pictures of the city then! Melbourne is supposed to be the cultural capital of Australia. I can see why, there are tons of pubs playing live music, street musicians, theaters etc. I am looking forward to exploring the city with all its alleyways and coffee shops more.
I hope you are all well and that 2009 will be a sucessful year for us all!!
Hugs and kisses
Pete
Captain Flinders - who gives a crap? Only seagulls!
Flinder's Street Station
Inside Saint Pauls Cathedral
Melbourne skyline
??
Trams are an important mode of transport around Melbourne
??
Skyline
Chapel Street
Swanston Street 07 October 2008
Girraween and Bald Rock - October 2008
Hello again,
Now that I am back up to speed with my pictures, I have to tell you about an amazing weekend on the New South Wales/Queensland border. Our excursion started with a drive out to Girraween National Park which is located close to the wine growing region of Stanthorpe. This beautiful park has a couple of exposed granite rock features with colourful names like "Castle Rock", "The Sphinx", "The Pyramids" and "Turtle Rock". On arrival we grabbed our climbing gear and walked to Turtle Rock by way of "Butt Rock" - no prizes for guessing which one this is!!!
Being spring there were an amazing array of wild flowers around, lots of them similar to the fynbos found in the Western Cape in South Africa. With the flowers came butterflies and loads of birds that we heard more often than saw!!!
Sunday morning surprised us with a rain shower which heralded the end of safe climbing. Instead we took the long road home via Bald Rock, the southern hemisphere's largest exposed granite batholith...very similar to Paarl Rock (South Africa). This rock stands about 200m above the surrounding forest and offers some lovely and rather strenuous walks.
From Bald Rock we continued along a dirt road past Paddy's Nob to the big tree - a red cedar and finally back to Brisbane.
I hope the pictures give you a sense of how lovely it really is. Otherwise come and see for yourselves!!!
Enjoy
Pete :-)
.jpg)
Butt Rock
.jpg)
Me climbing at Turtle Rock .jpg)
Still life on Turtle Rock.jpg)
Wildlife.jpg)
In Girraween Campsite
Bald Rock from below.jpg)
up, uP, UP!!!!!
.jpg)
View from the top of Bald Rock
.jpg)
Scouting a route down
.jpg)
what down that way???
.jpg)
How accidents happen!!
.jpg)
Or is it a horse or a lion??? You decide.jpg)
Wild flowers.jpg)
Paddy's Nob
.jpg)
BIG RED CEDAR
Now that I am back up to speed with my pictures, I have to tell you about an amazing weekend on the New South Wales/Queensland border. Our excursion started with a drive out to Girraween National Park which is located close to the wine growing region of Stanthorpe. This beautiful park has a couple of exposed granite rock features with colourful names like "Castle Rock", "The Sphinx", "The Pyramids" and "Turtle Rock". On arrival we grabbed our climbing gear and walked to Turtle Rock by way of "Butt Rock" - no prizes for guessing which one this is!!!
Being spring there were an amazing array of wild flowers around, lots of them similar to the fynbos found in the Western Cape in South Africa. With the flowers came butterflies and loads of birds that we heard more often than saw!!!
Sunday morning surprised us with a rain shower which heralded the end of safe climbing. Instead we took the long road home via Bald Rock, the southern hemisphere's largest exposed granite batholith...very similar to Paarl Rock (South Africa). This rock stands about 200m above the surrounding forest and offers some lovely and rather strenuous walks.
From Bald Rock we continued along a dirt road past Paddy's Nob to the big tree - a red cedar and finally back to Brisbane.
I hope the pictures give you a sense of how lovely it really is. Otherwise come and see for yourselves!!!
Enjoy
Pete :-)
.jpg)
Butt Rock.jpg)
The Sphinx
.jpg)
Beer belaying at Turtle Rock
.jpg)
Me climbing at Turtle Rock .jpg)
...up we go....
.jpg)
Dan and Beer on top of Turtle Rock
.jpg)
Karate Kid .... Beer!
.jpg)
Still life on Turtle Rock.jpg)
View to The Sphinx and Castle Rock
.jpg)
Whew, thats narrow!!!.jpg)
Dan bouldering...
.jpg)
Wildlife.jpg)
Beer leading trad at Turtle Rock
.jpg)
Dan on his way up!
.jpg)
Dan with his back against the wall.... Nope thats the tree!!!
.jpg)
In Girraween Campsite
Bald Rock from below.jpg)
up, uP, UP!!!!!.jpg)
View from the top of Bald Rock.jpg)
Scouting a route down.jpg)
what down that way???.jpg)
How accidents happen!!.jpg)
Old lady in the stone??? Pretty cool formation though...
.jpg)
Or is it a horse or a lion??? You decide.jpg)
Dan boldering on Bald Rock
.jpg)
Wild flowers.jpg)
Paddy's Nob.jpg)
This could be in Europe...
.jpg)
BIG RED CEDAR.jpg)
Can you see me?
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