Sydney - Maritime Museum - HMAS Vampire

The Australian Maritime Museum.

If you love ships and submarine, this is the place to be. But EVEN if you detest water and anything to do with water, you STILL MUST visit the ships, more so, the Destroyer and Submarine. Why? You get a sense ...well, of awesomeness, comprehension and compassion for the men and women who had/will live their lives living on these boats.

So 1st stop, the museum. More on that later.

And the Destroyer - HMAS Vampire.

General write up and hey, it had served in Malaya too! That's the old name of Malaysia, before independence of 1957. Of course, these ships are no longer in service and that's why one is allowed to visit aboard.

It's tour of duties...

The back or front(?) of the museum.

Big bad ass guns.

Olden days to heave up the anchors use manpower. These days, well, you've got these. :)

Inside of one of those big bad ass gun turrents.

And no kidding. There are telephones like these. It's really cool to see this as one watches those old war movies, you would see them. I wonder what do they use now to communicate? Wifi headsets?

And to think the satnav that we use nowadays are soooooo small...

"Where to Capt'n?"
"Somewhere out there lah!

Radar!

So many displays! And you'll see more of it...

Missus comfy? Must be, judging by that smile.

So this is how fast things are...

And it's radar dome.

Mind the gun!

Wanna jump from one side of the ship to the other?

The Captain's quarters.

See... more dials.

And more...

And some more!

Captain's cabin.

1st officers cabin (I think)

The scullery.

Fryer for the officers.

HMAS Vampire's food menu. You should open it up and see what they eat... we spotted some very interesting stuff there!

Officers lounge.

"Come on now, dry that patch"

Big bad ass guns at the back of the ship.

Small torpedo's

This shows the shells in used.

The fuses.

This is what turns and shoots the big bad ass guns at the back. I wouldn't wanna repair this!

Shower stalls.

Upstairs kitchen was for the officers. This one here? For everyone else.

The Infirmary.

And it's plaque.

The End.

Sydney - Manly

Manly Beach - a seaside location, which, not as famous as Bondi, still draws surfers and people who just want to get away... but not too far! It's also where the Manly Aquarium is... 

A view from the back of the Ferry as it leaves the harbour and heads toward Manly. Good thing about the My Multi ticket, it covers ferries too!

And yes, that IS the ocean out there.

After doing a little turn, you have all these houses/apartments. Must cost plenty for the view. BUT, am guessing come winter, you'll be burning electricity!

These ferries are passenger ferries. Bikes are allowed, I think and it's a double decker.

A steam fountain to greet you once you come on out of the terminal.

Okay. Not terminal. It's called a Wharf.

One cuts across from the Wharf and walk about 5mins before you see... the above.

This bloke decided to make his work of art early.

Did I mention that these gulls are really ...pesky?

Moi and missus...

Swim... if you dare.

A very old building.

And ode to the Manly.

A church.

The town council building.

What's so great about this picture? It's the sign by the road that got my attention. :)

This is what the ferry looks like, from the outside.

A memorial to ...???

You CAN drive to Manly. Or take the Bus/Train there as well. But I think, taking the Ferry is so much more fun! :)

The End.

Sydney - Luna Park

Luna Park. A simple children's attraction entertainment park. No where near the Big Giants of theme parks, but for the price one pays, what can you complain about?

So here we are. At it's entrance, which is situated opposite the Opera House, and just off the Harbour Bridge.

Interesting mirrors to view one with...

You better get out of his way alright... He can run on those stilts.

And he's coming for me...

But actually, he's not all that bad. Nice chap actually.

The End.

Sydney - Kiama Blow Hole

Kiama - a small town situated south of Sydney and by train, about 3 hours or so. Good thing it's still covered by the My Multi passes. 

Anyway, you come here for just 1 thing which you will find out shortly.

But 1st, a little history of that place. Hope you can read the inscription.

Rough seas. Very good for what we're here for! :)

Very rough and strong currents. Good. Good.

And here we go. A Blow Hole. That's what we're here for. Hence, the rough seas and strong currents. Else, it ain't no Blow Hole. Having read them in numerous books, it's certainly fascinating to come across one and see it in real life.

So, sit back and enjoy the next sequence of shots...

And below is the channel that flows into the cavern below from which the water will sprout out.

God having a sense of humour?

The bloke who went looking for the Blow Hole.

And since the seas are rough, you'll obviously need a lighthouse to warn the boats.

The reddish building, it's the GPO, built back in the 1800s.

And so's the courthouse.

Next to the GPO, Courthouse is the Police Station which up till today, still functions.

But what interests us on the plaque what this: Heritage Trail. I mean, for a small town like this, they have a Heritage Trail. They KNEW tourists would come and visit the Blow Hole, and decided, "You know what, we've got more than that. Let's show them our town's history too!"

And coming from Malaysia where buildings in prime location are just torn down and bulldozed over, this is fantastic. Sometimes, one just wished that these idiotic and $$$ minded blokes would just think about something else, besides $$$. *sigh*

Ok, sorry about the rant.

Here's more history for you.

The End.