OZtralia.tv Blog

Come Swim With The Fishes

By: Phoenix Arrien

Ane…Anem…Animo…Anemon..Those Cute Little Wavy Things in Australia’s reefs.

Remember when Nemo tried to say the word ‘anemones’? Never watched the movie ‘Finding Nemo’, eh? Well, try and say anemones twenty times and you will get the picture.

Unfortunately such creatures are having a hard time due to removal of anemones from reefs. This causes problems for both the anemones and their anemone fish, which cannot survive in the wild without their homes.

The Sydney Aquarium has launched a special display on sea anemones as part of a new campaign to save the home of Nemo and his family.

As the number of anemones harvested from ocean waters continues to grow, the Sydney Aquarium Conservation Fund is supporting Australian scientist Dr Anna Scott, from Southern Cross University, in her quest to develop ways to breed anemones in captivity.

The Aquarium has created a special display on Dr Scott’s research and has given a home to more than 30 of her captive bred baby leathery sea anemones in order to raise public awareness about the pressures these species are facing.

While there are more than 1000 types of sea anemones, only 10 are known to provide a home for anemone fish such as Nemo and his family, making them highly prized for the aquarium trade.

Dr Scott is using her findings to develop ways to breed anemones in captivity to provide an alternate source for private aquariums and potentially to restock damaged reefs.

Sydney Aquarium Chief Executive Kevin Bush said the Aquarium was committed to supporting Anna’s research and helping people realise the implications of harvesting anemones.

“After the movie ‘Finding Nemo’, the world fell in love with our beautiful little anemone fish. But it’s important to make people aware that Nemo and his family are under threat from the harvesting of anemones so we need to support the scientific community in their work to find a solution,” Mr Bush said.

There are also other cool critters at the aquarium and it makes a great day out next time you are in Sydney, Australia

Sea Dog Fridays

By: Phoenix Arrien

Tall ships! These two words conjure up high adventure and bold deeds. Square riggers using only wind and human skill, sailed to Australia bringing white settlers - willing and unwilling.

They dominated the oceans, trade and the fortunes of empires. They were lords of the oceans for centuries and in this day of virtual and fast travel, the few that still ride the seas on their own terms, bring lumps to throats when sighted breezing proudly passing under full sail.

So me hearties. For the next few months I am gonna prepare ye for the weekend, by taking ye to sea on Fridays. Aye, I am gonna spin ye such tales of me sea voyages that ye will enter the weekend with the smell of salt in ye nostrils, the whip of the cat o nine tails - no, that shall give ye ideas beyond the pure sort - let us change that to the whip of the ocean gale, the slap (mind yerself) of the waves against the ship’s hull and the freedom of heading out into the wild blue yonder.

No ordinary ships, mind ye, for I have sailed the seas around Australia in tall riggers, thems with the sails and wooden hulls, tall masts pointing to heaven and anchors pointing to Davy

Jones Locker.

Most Australian states have their own tall ship based in each capital city and undertaking sails ranging from hourly to multi-year journeys. Let us rejoicing in the power and might of these ocean lords; hear the creaking hull pulled along by large sails, feel the wind blow into the canvas and see the oceans seething with a fantastic world of creatures and currents.

Let us not forget the history. Stories, paintings, records and legends have wrapped themselves around the mighty sailing ships plying the oceans; the masters of transport taking people to far off lands. These vessels changed the destinies of countries and shaped the world.

They are also a bonza way to travel. So next Friday we set off on the Leeuwin around one of the five great capes of the world. See you on board then!

Richard Branson’s Australian Retreat

By: Phoenix Arrien

On a visit to Noosa on the east coast of Australia, I took a cruise through that region’s waterways and we passed a lovely-looking island with house on it. ‘Richard Branson’s island,’ said the guide.

The billionaire Virgin chief is building a luxury retreat for his staff on this island - called Makepeace Island - it is going be a two million pound, nine-hectare estate. Plans for a country club and helipad have been scrapped after environmental concerns.

The locals are still grumbling about the removal of trees and the 85-year-old timber house built in the classic ‘Queenslander’ style including wraparound porches.

Richard brought it for one million pounds in 2003. Nice to know those cheerful Virgin employees will have a swanky holiday hideout. Mind you, Noosa has plenty of swankiness.

More on that hip little town soon.

Rest Among Trees In Australia

By: Phoenix Arrien

The Otway’s is a lush cool temperate forest on the southern coast of Australia. Cool fern gullies, dark hidden creeks and the inspiring Mountain Ash - magnificent trees that are an inspiration to stand under - are magnet for loggers.

After years of confrontation, environmental battles and resistance by the logging industry, the chainsaws are finally quiet in this region and the remaining trees are safe. Australia sends a good slice of its old growth forest overseas as woodchips and there has been a strong movement to stop this.

I visited a beautiful old growth forest in Tasmania called the Weld Valley. On the way I picked up a hitchhiker who was travelling to the forest blockade to help protest over the clear felling of this forest as well as have ‘some time out in the bush’.

This is common around Australia. Joining a protest is not just voicing one’s opinions about the destruction of trees, it is also a working holiday and an opportunity to spend some time camping in the middle of wilderness, meet interesting folk and breathe some pure air.

If you are thinking of seeing travelling Australia and experiencing a bit of the original bits, as they were hundreds of years ago before European habitation, as well as helping to stop clear felling forests, you may want to join an forest blockade. More info can be found on www.wilderness.org.au/getinvolved.

Low Coast Air Travel

By: Phoenix Arrien

Low cost carriers (LCC’s) or budget airlines as they are commonly known, have transformed the way people travel in Australia.

I just booked a flight with Tiger Airways from Melbourne on the south coast to the Sunshine coast two thirds of the way up the continent for $69AUD. This is a 2 ½ hour flight and is extremely good value.

There is a difference of course. You pay for check-in luggage, you don’t get meals or blankets (though you can pay for them) and you are bound to end up wedged between a crying toddler ripping his mum’s blouse apart and a long-bodied surfer with elbows like a praying mantis.

Fuel is a big cost, so it is my opinion that the ride is more turbulent, because the pilots do not climb as high as often as the normal carriers to find some calmer air space.

Still, you get there and you have enough money left over to BYO a bit booze for the party.

Whale Watching in Australia

By: Phoenix Arrien

Towns along the mid north coast of Australia’s New South Wales - a prime whale watching region - have adopted whales as part of the ‘Humpback Whale Migration Icon’ project.

Port Stephens has adopted ‘Panda’, a juvenile Fairly whale; Port Macquarie has embraced Panda’s mother, ‘Magenta’, a supermum featuring a distinctive ‘M’ on the underside of her white tail; while Coffs Coast has adopted a Humpback called ‘Janggalay’ (meaning Free Spirit/Happy Go Lucky).

The whale watching season along this stretch of Australia occurs from June to November and attracts visitors to view these amazing ocean giants from pristine coastal vantage points or on board professional cruise operations.

I have watched whales from several vantage points around Australia’s coast and I can honestly say it is an incredible sight. They are huge, slow and mighty and magnificent - giants of the sea.

Visit www.midnorthcoastnsw.com.au for more information.

Eating Healthy While On The Road in Australia

By: Phoenix Arrien

Australia is fortunate to offer just about every type of cuisine you can imagine. However when you travel it is so easy just to grab anything that looks remotely like food as you pass through airports and cities.

A diet of fast food can make you feel bloated, irritable and depressed, as well as unfit and lacking in energy just when there is so much to see and do.

Tips to eating healthy while travelling in Australia:

• drink lots of water (this is (mostly) a hot and dry place)

• avoid sugary fizzy drinks

• go for white meat instead of minced reds like burgers

• ask for grilled food instead of fried

• make sure you have vegetables with meals

• use cutlery instead of hands so you slow down your eating by having to use a utensil

• avoid fatty sauces

• limit desserts

Eating can still be fun. Try emu, kangaroo, crocodile and even witchetty grubs. No? Then fine French fare, hearty Tibetan yak or delicious Italian may just fill the belly and get you ready for adventure.

Melbourne Australia Is Good For Relaxing

By: Phoenix Arrien

First of all, if you are travelling to Australia in the next few months you will hit cool weather and that means the most blissful of all relaxations: sleeping in.

When you wake up, relax with a long breakfast at any number of all-day breakfast cafes; have a dip in a salt-water spa at the St Kilda Baths; put your body under an expert’s fingers by having a massage; join a winery tour to the surrounding grape regions; or have a picnic along the Yarra River or take cruise to see some of the places of interest in the city or out on the Bay.

Well that was a lovely day, time for bed.

The Great Ocean Road  is AMAZING!

By: Phoenix Arrien

Apart from its stunning views, Seatree is a useful base for visiting the attractions including the region’s new attraction, the Otway Fly. This 600 metre treetop walk, created from steel, snakes its way through moss-covered Myrtle Beech, Blackwood and imposing Mountain Ash. Well worth it, even though there was a distinct lack of wildlife as it is so new they have yet to return to the disturbed forest.

No trip along the Road is complete without a sunset viewing of the Apostles, a group of monument-type cliffs which, losing their grip of the mainland, now stand sentry in a long scattered line in the foaming sea. The enclosing cliffs rise to nearly 70 metres in some places and the highest Apostle is approximately 50 metres from base to tip. They change colour depending on the light, so as the sun sets, the rock catches the warm hues of the fading day while the clouds streak even more colour into the darkening blue sky in competition.

The apostles head a stunning list of natural features along this truly remarkable stretch of coastline. Great names like Pudding Basin Rock, Island Arch, the Razorback, Muttonbird Island, Thunder Cave, the Blowhole, Bakers Oven, London Bridge and the Grotto intrigue and just force you to explore them. Extensive boardwalks and viewing platforms ensure visitors experience sweeping vistas of rugged coastlines.

Activities which offer other angles to viewing this region include hang gliding off the cliffs, horseriding along the beaches and scenic flights buzzing low over the coastline. Good food and wine are dotted around the towns with local chefs making the most of the fresh foods produced in the area, including berries, cheeses, herbs, mustards, vegetables, honey, mussels and crayfish.

It’s a region in which to peer through a window to beautiful scenery, history and adventure as well as peace and quiet, all conspiring to be an ideal drive, one of the best in the world.

Ideal trip length along the GOR is 2-3 days by car. A bus also travels the Road from Geelong.  For more information click here.

Australia’s Southern Road of Wonders

By: Phoenix Arrien

Further along is quieter Apollo Bay, home to fishing boats and a well-attended annual music festival. The crescent shaped beach, ending in a small harbour, shelters marine life from the rougher Southern ocean and I spend a happy hour with a socialable grey seal cavorting by the pier.

Time for a bit of a feed at one of the cafes and a bed at one of the hotels. See you bright and chirpy tomorrow.

It’s not just water we had come to see. The dense, tall-timbered rainforest of the Otway Ranges is a diamond in a region of jewels. Within its massive 88,000 hectares are waterfalls, lakes, glades of massive tree ferns and native animals. Maitland’s rest is a historic little walk taking us through a lush rainforest pocket of ferns and creeks.

Little villages dot the area around the Otways allowing you peace and quiet, the reason Ron Kintscher, a UFO fan loves the area. Living in a pyramid-like structure he built himself (from which he sometimes flashes coloured lights to intrigue passers-by), Ron operates two unique self-contained guest cottages named ‘Seatree’ so named because it is near the sea and he loves trees) in the peaceful little village of Yulong.

He pointed us to neat little secluded beaches you can only get to by foot or boat and the rustic ambience of little places with sweet names like Lavers Hill.

A long soak in one of the Seatree cottage’s spas whilst gazing at the vista of sea, forest and pasture is taking me into blissful relaxation. This is the true escape: beautiful landscapes and luxury surroundings with no doorknocks, phones or faxes squealing their intrusions.

Yawn, final day tomorrow and I will take you to the Apostles for a divine experience.