10 years after the Sydney Olympics came an opportunity for me to get a taste of the atmosphere during a live event.
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I reached a personal landmark today on my travels. After several journeys by various modes of travel, on the 50th day since I left London, I was making my final journey aboard an inter-city train to Sydney.
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Two hours to see Melbourne from its river was not long. But that's all I had so the only option was to limit the river cruise to the minimum. That equated to just being able to see half the sights that Melbourne has to offer from Yarra River.
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Having arrived early in the morning, I had half a day to take in everything Melbourne had to offer before making my way to a suburb to see folks in Glen Waverley. My return to Sydney was in 24 hours. Challenging for an intrepid traveller who wants more for less.
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After seeing many faces from her lowest points yesterday, I would see Sydney from some of her highest points today. Accompanied by Cheesedrummer, we would walk along Harbour Bridge, grab some history at Sydney Observatory and a try the Skywalk atop .
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Yesterday was a chance to dip feet into the water at Dee Why. Today was to see the many different faces of Sydney from the water. Avis and I were going to try out the Sydney Ferry network aboard its River Cats.
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The day after the Harbour Cruise was quiet and relaxing. About the only memorable event was Dick Pound trying to get into the wrong car in a carpark. According to Cheesedrummer, they've never had that model of car or that colour.
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I had already gathered experiences from the places that I wanted to take home with me from my trip downunder over the last 16 days. Now I was entering the next stage of my trip. Spending quality time with the folks.
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I had left Sydney 16 days earlier for a round trip covering over 5700 miles to travel through half of Australia. Now, it was time to complete that loop aboard CountryLink's XPT service to Sydney.
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Readers of this diary will be familiar with travel to date. I was in Brisbane on Day 42. Those who have only just arrived at this column may find reading my last article (Brisbane Full of Surprises on Days 41/42) useful for some context.
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Home to over a million and half people as the 3rd largest Australian city, Brisbane boasts scenic beauty, balmy climate and friendly atmosphere as some of her natural charms. There is a subtext under her marketing slogans that Brisbane does things a little differently.
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This month's revenues have now been posted, albeit a trifle later than usual.The share of revenue is based on page clicks on your column, not how active you may have been on Newsvine during January.
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It was time to say goodbye to Townsville and board Queensland Railways' Sunlander to Brisbane. The train departed late in the afternoon for a 24 hour trek along the Pacific Coast in Queensland.
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Townsville is the second largest city in Queensland. It was my preferred choice to see the Great Barrier Reef instead of the more renowned Cairns, despite having to pass through Cairns from Darwin. Over-hyped tourist destinations rarely excite me.
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Today would be the single longest journey that I would make on my Australian travels encompassing all modes of travel.
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Kakadu is an ancient landscape of tropical rainforests and majestic rock formations. The largest national park in Australia encompassing some 4.3 million acres (about a third the size of Tasmania, Ireland, Switzerland or West Virginia), it is a UN World-Heritage listed site.
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Named after his friend in 1839 (some 20 years before Origin of the Species) by British captain, John Lort Stokes when his ship landed there, the Port of Darwin is small and colourful.
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Uluru (Ayers Rock) is an instantly recognizable symbol of Australia. Strangely, the imposing view of Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) is not as easily recognized. Both form part of the World Heritage site at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
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Representing 12% of the population of the Northern Territory (and its second largest city), Alice Springs has less than 27,500 people serving the needs of some 400,000 tourists every year. It represents the geographic centre of Australia.
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The opening up of the Australian interior was pioneered during the mid-19th century. Afghan camels were imported to aid the expeditions; John Stuart became the first European to cross the Red Centre from South to North.
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I had been looking forward to spending a few days in Brighton. Outsiders see and hear a lot about life in Sydney; Brighton would offer an alternative view that was not only beyond Sydney but also outside any major city.
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South Australia ran a headline-grabbing recruitment campaign in the UK just under 2 years ago, enticing Brits to jump a sinking ship and come work in Adelaide. I wasn't sure if the downturn had changed the bottom line of the campaign since.
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The Indian Pacific links Perth on the Indian Ocean to Sydney on the Pacific, travelling right across Australia from East to West. I had so wanted to do the entire journey in 2 steps. But that just wasn't feasible.
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Cherrybrook is a quiet and quaint suburb of North Sydney. In common with many other suburbs in Sydney, it has witnessed much growth and prosperity. For my first day in Australia, the plan was to do as little as possible.
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Yes, I was on my way down under. Apart from being born (and brought up in my youth) just south of it, this will be the first time I will be crossing the Equator and go well into the Southern Hemisphere.
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Ah Ha! I knew you were around and just not saying anything! Nice to see your comment on my column. As a matter of fact, it's nice to just see you posting something! Thanks and take care of yourself.
— rottlady
Thank you, Raat, you are a good friend.
— psykhe
Raat is one of my dearest Newsvine friends. Always encouraging, insightful and supportive--he's a good guy.
— Angel_C
Raat dishes up food for thought, spiced with strong opinion and a side of good humor.
Raat, I just published my first article. It can be found in the Greenhouse. Would you check it out and let me know what you think.
Thanks,
Psykhe— psykhe
East, West, South, North --- Here, There, Everywhere
Lucky fellow!!
— ntq
I love reading Raat's perspectives on any topic. One of my favorites.
— Bootie
Raat ki Raani, I don't know what took me so long to get to this. I have appreciated you for a long time and expect us to have years more of association. You are one of the finest examples of the very best of Newsvine. Thank you.
— oldfogey
Raanisahib: Omnipotent! Omnipresent!
From the moment I read Raat ki Raani's original article in which he expressed his thoughts about being new to the vine I was hooked.
His original articles never fail to attract my attention and the skillful diplomacy he exhibits when commenting within threads is admirable.
He keeps Newsvine a kinder, gentler, intellectual place to visit.
— ShaunV
RkR is singular. Track his comments. That's where the genius is found.
Hi Raat,
Thank you so much for leaving a comment on my page. I feel like I'm actually a bonafide member now! I see by the above comments that people like and respect you, so I look forward to getting to know you.My experience here has been a good one so far. It's much different than my poetry sites, but I like reading other things, too.
Thank you for the welcome.
Rosie
Raat continues to delight me with his humor and eloquence... never does a moment go by that he does not add something to the conversation.
I am very glad we are both new together, he definitely is a wonderful addition to NewsVine!
Hey Raat Ki, thanks for helping me. Passing by just to thanks u nothing more..... Just like (I think it was you) said is just about having some friends and then adding personality to your column... Well I.... Forget it, thanks and bye.
From Your most recent addition to the friend list- Diel- :)
(Yes, I'm just that crazy)
I'm not sure why Raat is on Newsvine, when he could be out there running the World Bank or something.
But it's good to have him here... coz he's a top banana!
RkR might be new, but he's an excellent writer, and a great addition to my watchlist. I highly recommend tracking his stuff.
— Zaki
Raat is my favorite Newsviner and not only because I love the beauty of the name. I mean, how many people have the beauty, the simplicity really, of having a double vowell in the middle of their first name.
But seriously we joined at the same time and read a lot of the same stuff and
his participation makes my participation that much more enjoyable and
intellectually stimulating.I can almost stop being mad that he named someone else as his favorite viner.
Raat landed like that black monolith in Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey, kicking the evolution on Newsvine a couple of notches ahead. He is well informed, socially engaged and an original contributor. Representing the essential qualities of the long-lasting Newsvine columnist, it is no surprise Raat has managed to establish himself as a voice to be recognized in very short time.
Raat ki Raani has not been on the Vine so long but some of us have felt his impact already. One of my favourite new viners.
— Oluseye
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