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Pink is this season's colour

Mardi Gras. For Peter the month of March begins with a colourful weekend: The famous Mardi Gras parade of gays and lesbians finds its way to Sydney. Berlin's Love Parade is far away, Mardi Gras virtually around the corner – thus, it costs only little preparation (i.e., grap the camera and a beer) to go to Oxford Street. Since around 250,000 Sydneysiders had the same idea, finding the way to and from the event is a little tricky. Additionally, you have to balance on your toes in order to get a view above all the spectators, who brought boxes as transportable stages with them. But it's worth the hazzle. Various groups commit themselfs frankly to being (so-called) "different". Police and fire brigade have their own carriages in the parade. As another key topic besides claims for equal rights, Australia's role in the Iraq conflict is questioned. So at the end of a loud and colourful evening, some critical thoughts remain as well.

Camping in Brambles Green

Claudia paddling on Myall Lakes. For this first week-end in March, Claudia and Gillian – who was sailing with us in the Whitsundays in October 2002 – have subscribed to a kayak trip on the Myall Lakes with the Seakayaker Club. On Saturday morning, we start at Tea Gardens near Port Stephens with a group of 11 paddlers for our first "overnighter". Provisioning, clothes, and tent are stowed into the kayaks and at high tide, we paddle up the Myall River, pushed by a gentle tail wind. Gradually, the vegetation on the river banks changes: We start inmidst mangroves that are eventually replaced by eucalypts and palms. Adrian, our trip leader, knows the area and explains flora and fauna to us. We spot several white-bellied sea eagles (the second largest birds of prey of the country) and late in the afternoon even a wedge-tailed eagle (the largest bird of prey). Also, Claudia learns that the birds of prey we have reported in January were whistling kites. The weather is favourable to us: Despite a forecast of rain and storm, we enjoy the sun and a light breeze. We set up our tents on a small patch of grassland in the National Park, jump into the water, drink red wine (since it doesn't need to be refrigerated...), prepare dinner, and finally sit under the stars of a new moon's night for hours and watch the Orion. The next day, Claudia and Gillian are shown further paddling techniques, and with improved performance, we travel up the "Upper Myall River". This is the first long trip for Gillian, and even though we are happy when we finally approach Buladelah after a total of 42 km, we both get by without major soreness. What is more: We have developed a licking for it. It is incredibly satisfying to let play the muscles, to noiselessly paddle through nature, and to sleep under the stars – we will have future "overnighters".

...not a single step back in this breeze!

Susanne and Christian visiting us. After the thrilling start of this month, the main thing shall no longer pass unmentioned: Susanne and Christian have come to visit us from Malsch. They have almost one month time to explore our new home country and to investigate the differences and commonnesses of daily life. At their arrival, Sydney shows a rather cold and rainy shoulder, but it wouldn't keep us from sitting on the balcony and watching the sailing yachts in the harbour. Susanne valiantly goes swimming each and every day (no, not in the harbour – in the pool...) and Christian (against his habits in Malsch) gets used to having breakfast. We send them into the city and take them along for a truly Aussie BBQ in the National Park of Sydney Harbour. Our famous Spit-to-Manly walk culminates in a restaurant in Manly with a view over the Pacific, and both join in for our beloved tradition to go to North Sydney on Friday at lunch time to have a chicken laksa (cf. 4th photo in November 2002). Finally, all the four of us pack our bags (and tents, sleeping bags, picnic rugs, storm cooker, winter pullover, esky,...) and start our great tour through Victoria in southern Australia.

Even more active is impossible...

Touring the Great Ocean Ocean Road. Let's start with the statistics (special thanks to Susanne for keeping the travel diary): 11 days, 3,100 km, 36 stops with exit (having a coffee, bushwalking, sleeping, etc.), cheapest overnight stay AU$ 5.50 p.p. on a camp ground in Wilsons Promontory, most expensive overnight stay AU$ 44.00 p.p. in a Melbourne motel. Best dinner (if we are allowed to thus disrate all the others) in a Chinese restaurant in Dandenong (8-course menu for AU$ 21 p.p. – after that we were very close to burst!). Night that we will never ever forget: Bombala (the pub we had booked into closed its doors – while we were sitting next door having dinner; we didn't have a key and could see where to spend the night; It was 8:45 pm and the pub was closed!)

Peter composed a more "touristic" description of our holiday which reads as follows: [...] cool rain forests, high water falls, impressive cliffs, deserted beaches, wide hinterland, endless paddocks, uncounted cows. A night in a tent, then in contrast a self-contained appartment with a view. Picnic at the sea and then fine dining in Melbourne – this all and much more is the essence of our great trip. [...]

Now Claudia gets the word with the enumeration of the fauna we spotted: Cows, sheep, koalas (sic! – approximately 20 in pure wilderness), kookaburras, magpies, 2 snakes (thereof one tiger snake – both ca. 1 meter long and fleeing into the bush), 3 echidnas, grey kangaroos, and emus. To the photo gallery Susanne and Christian visiting us.

This view invites to dream

Back to normal. After Christian and Susanne fly back home on March 29, the month isn't long no more. We spend our last week-end of March cleaning and doing the laundry, being lazy, having a good cup of coffee, etc.. Nothing that is much worth mentioning in the Internet. However, we have one tip for those loving the city of Sydney: Wait until sunset and go to Ms. Macquaries Chair in the Botanic Gardens. That is where the photo alongside has been taken ;-)