australia – Page 5 – Travelling Worm

Category: australia

Wine Glass Bay Lookout in Tasmania

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC spent a couple of days in Freycinet Park, Tasmania. We took the half-hour stroll up to Wineglass Bay Lookout.

If you’re fond of birds, take a look at the New Holland Honeyeater the TC filmed at the lookout.

My impressions? The detail is in the trees.

The book I’m in

Catching Fire, part 2 of The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Classy teen science fiction that appeals to adults for its fast pace, clever social commentary and appealing characters.

Travel tip

Take the time to look around as you follow the trail. The walk probably won’t take as long as you think.

Recommended accommodation

Freycinet Lodge in Coles Bay. The cabins are dotted around amongst the trees. Inside is clean and comfortable. Open the doors to step out amidst the trees, birds, wallabies and echidnas.

The photos

Me at Wineglass Bay Lookout:

On the TC’s insistence, here’s a picture with Wineglass Bay in focus rather than this worm. (If I had much of a nose, it would be somewhat out of joint):

A tree on the trail up to the lookout:

Striations in a fallen trunk:

Rocks tower over the path:

That’s all for today, dudes.
Salamanca Market in Hobart

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC, plus her husband whom this worm fondly dubs the “TC-once-removed”, spent a long weekend in Tasmania last week. We visited the Salamanca Market in Hobart on Saturday morning.

My impressions? Colour, talent, scents, laughter.

The book I’m in

Catching Fire, part 2 of The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. Classy teen science fiction that appeals to adults for its fast pace, clever social commentary and appealing characters.

Travel tip

Take a stroll around the streets in the area of the market, to smell the roses and absorb the architectural variety.

Recommended restaurant

This worm was a tad disappointed in the lunch we found near Salamanca Markets. I’d heard Hobart is a gourmet heaven, but the TC’s potato salad was decidedly below par. Enough said on that score.

The photos

Me in Salamanca Place:

Looking up through Salamanca Market towards Gladstone street:

A couple of the colourful market stalls, snapped by the TC-once-removed:

The view from Gladstone street, looking down through the market:

Nearby the market is Battery Point. It’s one of the longest-settled parts of Hobart, dating back to around 1804:

The balcony on this building intrigued the TC-once-removed, because there’s no way of getting onto it:

Wrought iron and roses:

A rose, just because it is:

That’s all for today, dudes.
Cockatoo Island in Sydney

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC spent yesterday afternoon on Cockatoo Island on the Parramatta River, immediately inland of Sydney harbour. It’s a forlorn place, strewn with gravel and history.

My impressions? Sandstone, sheds and seagulls.

The book I’m in

Gidget, by Frederick Kohner. An engaging tale of a teenage surfer, written 1957. Clever use of language and style to carry along a simple story with tons of atmosphere.

Travel tip

When travelling to Cockatoo Island, take sunscreen and something to tie back your hair. (That is, if you have lots of it, as the TC does.)

The photos

Me on a metal lathe in the industrial area of Cockatoo Island:

Cockatoo Island, as seen on Google Maps:

The Aboriginal name for the island is Wareamah. The Aboriginal people of the area used to come to the island to fish. But there was no fresh water, so they didn’t live there permanently. In 1839 a governor of New South Wales decided the island was an ideal place to house prisoners and put them to work quarrying sandstone and building prison and military barracks and official residences.

The entrance to the island from the ferry wharf:

Walking into the industrial area:

An impressive sandstone cliff on the right as you walk in, which has survived the extensive quarrying:

A view of Sydney Harbour Bridge from the island:

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the island became a major ship-building site, playing a large part in ship construction and repair during World War II. Its use as a dockyard and construction facility for ships and submarines continued until 1992.

Inside a huge ship-building shed on the island:

The magnificent machinery made this worm feel small and insignificant:

More machinery:

A giant crane stands guard over the Parramatta River:

These imposing beam benders are the remains of a hydraulically-powered plate-bending machine from the 1920s, used to bend metal plates up to 9 metres long and one inch thick for ship building:

Below is one of the slipways used to launch ships after construction. Film buffs note: The ark at the top of the slipway was created for and used in the film “Unbroken”, directed by Angelina Jolie and filmed on the island last year:

The solitary confinement cells on the island, opened to visitors only last week, and introduced with great enthusiasm by our charming guide:

Inside the left-most solitary-confinement cell:

A tunnel cut through the sandstone, built in 1912, and used as an air-raid shelter during WWII:

A view through the window of the now roofless military guardhouse:

Below is the prison barracks, built in 1839. The convicts themselves quarried the sandstone and erected the buildings. Our guide told us that each man had a specific style when hewing sandstone. You can still see the marks in the stone used in the buildings on the island. At the end of each day, the overseers could tally each man’s work just by looking at the distinctive cuts in the stone:

Notice the seagull nesting at the bottom of the building in the above photo? Pro tip from a wary worm: You don’t need to worry about cockatoos on the island. They all left when people cut down the trees to make room for the convicts. So now the seagulls reign supreme. Go Jonathan! Be afraid, be very afraid. As our guide said, the chicks are cute but the parents are not.

Inside the barracks:

A window to freedom:

That’s all for today, dudes.
A line of Processionary Caterpillars in Sydney, Australia

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

A line of caterpillars, following each other nose to tail – have you ever seen the like? These Processionary Caterpillars were on their way to find food one morning when the TC spotted them. She seemed especially delighted that they numbered 42. We worms are wondrous folk.

The caterpillars are the larvae of the Bag-Shelter Moth, so called because they build themselves a little bag of silk to hide in. Their scientific name is Ochrogaster lunifer. The little hairs on the caterpillars can cause skin irritation, so be wary of getting too close.

A line of Processionary Caterpillars seen from afar:

Getting closer:

And closer:
Sydney under smoky skies

New South Wales, Australia, is battling more than 90 bush fires. The last few days have been scenes of fierce horror and deep sadness for many people. Approximately 1500 fire fighters have been battling the blazes throughout New South Wales. Close to 100 homes have been destroyed. Our fire services and volunteers are hard-working, efficient, smart and heroic.

For those of us in the city of Sydney, the fires brought smoke-filled skies and showers of ash. The weird lighting yielded some beautiful effects. It was as if someone had thrown a sepia filter over the city.

These photos show the Sydney city skyline on Thursday this week, as seen from Pyrmont.
A quarrel of cockatoos

Ever wondered what the collective noun is for a group of cockatoos? I’m proposing a “quarrel of cockatoos”. Check out my video to see why!

Internet wisdom suggests a few group names for cockatoos, like a chattering, clattering, or crackle of cockatoos. Those are good. Quarrel is used for lawyers and sparrows. But let’s add a “quarrel of cockatoos” to the collective wisdom!

Cockatoos high in a tree at Manly Dam nature reserve, New South Wales, Australia.
University of Queensland in Ipswich

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC hopped up to Brisbane and Ipswich last week, to visit the two main campuses of the University of Queensland (UQ). Our first stop was Ipswich, about 40 kilometres to the west of Brisbane. The UQ Ipswich campus caters for students in the medical and health sciences, as well as arts and education.

My impressions? There’s more to Ipswich than you might think.

The book I’m in

A Nameless Witch, by A. Lee Martinez. This is a truly delightful book, especially for those of us who like a good dose of fun with our fantasy. The hapless hero of the book, a witch without name, suffers temptations both carnal and carnivorous, and manages to conquer an evil sorcerer to boot.

Recommended restaurants

Urban Pantry, 181 Brisbane Street, Ipswich. A great place for coffee, cakes, pastries, and lunch. The welcome is friendly, the food good. Photo below.

Travel tip

Look out for cane toads. Disappointingly, this worm spotted nary a one, but I’m reliably informed the city of Ipswich is hopping with them.

The photos

There’s no photograph of me, your intrepid Travelling Worm, in this post! I do assure you I was there, but I managed to dodge the TC’s camera for a few hours. Rest assured, there’s the obligatory homage to me in my next post, snapped when we were making our way to Brisbane. For now, please enjoy these images of Ipswich.

We climbed to the top of the water tower on Denmark Hill, to get a view of the city of Ipswich. This is the tower, with the staircase leading up to the top:

A view of sky and layered hills, from the top of the tower:

The Old Flour Mill in Ipswich is currently undergoing renovation. A few shops and restaurants have already opened their doors inside this attractive building:

Another interesting edifice on Brisbane Street, Ipswich:

Goleby’s building in Brisbane Street:

Another aspect of the same building:

More of Brisbane Street, including the Urban Pantry – an excellent lunch venue. It’s to the left of the middle of the photo, on the ground floor, with a light brown facade:

We strolled around the Ipswich campus of the University of Queensland. It’s nicely laid out, with plenty of space and pleasing spaces. This is a view of a main thoroughfare, taken from inside the medical school:

The library is gorgeous. This bookworm was sorely tempted to take up permanent residence:

A river runs through it. Yes, through the library. With fish:

Join me in my next post for a look at the big smoke, Brisbane, and the UQ campus there.

That’s all for today, dudes.
Sparkling webs in the mist

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC have been very busy of late. She’s writing a book! It has the somewhat unwieldy title of Confluence, Tech Comm, Chocolate: A wiki as platform extraordinaire for technical communication. She wrote a blog post about it. This worm is looking forward to a comfy place in the book, when it appears at the end of January.

At times when deep in the throes of writing, me and the TC have gone out for a walk. To blow away the cobwebs. And at times there were more cobwebs outside than in.

Follow me into a wonderland of mist and sparkling cobwebs, the world of spring in the Australian bush.

The book I’m in

A Clash of Kings, by George R.R. Martin. A grand epic worthy of any bookworm.

The photos

Me, braving the droplets and the chance of a nasty fall into wet mud, all for the sake of a snapshot:

Entering a wonderland of webs in the mist:

Sparkling cobweb wrapped around a twig:

Like the lights that people drape over Christmas trees:

Droplets shining in the early sun:

The flowers of a Tea Tree amongst the droplets:

Just another gorgeous sparkling web:

And another:

Cobwebs in the mist:

Droplets and big yellow flowers:

Cobwebs on curvy stems:

A web-festooned twig:

Shiny webs:

More eye candy:

Sparkly webs around two flower buds:

Webs draped across the trees:

Webbed twig and yellow flowers:

There’s nothing like a good web to liven up a dead thicket:

A closer look at those webs:

A glistening cocoon for spiders:

Another glistening spiders’ nest:

The coup de grace:

That’s all for today, dudes.
The Basin, Palm Beach, NSW Australia

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

The TC’s mum is in town! Yesterday the TC took her mum and the family to The Basin, near Palm Beach just north of Sydney. The Basin is one of the bays in the Hawkesbury waterways, on the shores of the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. To reach it, catch a 20-minute ferry ride from Palm Beach.

This worm heard that the outing would involve a ferry crossing and some splashing around in a lagoon. Being a pulp fiction kind of guy, water is anathema to me. So I stayed at home and sent Naught, my trusty stunt worm, instead. You may remember Naught, from his debut in my post about Shelly Beach.

Naught’s impressions? If you’re looking for a relaxing day out of Sydney, where natural beauty and serenity vie with the kookaburras for your attention, The Basin is beaut.

Recommended eating

Take a picnic lunch. There are no restaurants or shops at The Basin, but you can grill food on the barbecues provided.

The book I’m in

After Shock, by Sam Fisher. A good action story, the second in the series about the E-Force rescue team.

Let me tell you a secret: This worm was comfortably ensconced in Philip K. Dick’s book, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? But the TC hoiked me out of there, saying her brain is too lazy for that book at the moment.

The photos

Naught, my stunt double, taking a dip in the sparkling waters of The Basin:

Palm Beach Wharf:

Heading out from Palm Beach across an arm of the Hawkesbury River, destination The Basin. Don’t be deceived by the halo. This is not Saint Wordsworm, but Naught who has already donned his protective coat:

The heads and hills of the Hawkesbury River waterways:

Fellow wayfarers:

Bennets Wharf, the ferry stop before The Basin:

The entrance of The Basin’s lagoon, seen from the ferry:

The ferry approaching The Basin Wharf:

Jonathan waits at The Basin Wharf to greet the travellers:

Wallabies abound at The Basin. This mother has a full pouch. The pink cross struts are the feet of the little joey inside the pouch:

Another wallaby on the shores of the lagoon:

A kookaburra takes an interest in the picnic:

A bird’s eye view. Will ya look at that beak! At this stage even a stunt worm is well advised to take cover:

That’s all for today, dudes.
Powerful Owl in Sydney

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

The TC went wandering in the woods yesterday. The first sign of trouble was the ruckus made by the Currawongs. If you hear them kicking up a fuss, there’s sure to be something interesting happening. The TC followed the noise and saw a big, shadowy shape high up in a gum tree. The Currawongs and Magpies were dive-bombing it. That usually means that the birds have found a possum out and about in the day time, and are having fun tormenting the poor disoriented creature

The TC pulled out her camera and zoomed in as far as she could. Check the photos to see what the lens revealed.

The book I’m in

Fourth Day, by Zoë Sharp. A powerful action thriller with a touch of fierce beauty.

The photos

My apologies for disappointing all my fans. There’s no photo of me today. I stayed safely deep in a book, as all wise worms do when a Powerful Owl is in town.

Here’s what the TC first saw. Can you spot the bird? It’s well camouflaged:

The bright glare of a Powerful Owl:

In the video you can hear the Currawongs calling. The owl raises its head to look around, then goes quietly back to sleep. It’s holding the remains of its prey, most likely a possum:

The owl takes a careful look at the TC:

Please excuse the jumpy shots. It was a very steep angle and the lens was just about at maximum zoom. And of course the TC, bless her cotton booties, was somewhat excited about the whole experience.

That’s all for today dudes.