Day trips around Melbourne – Queenscliff

My home town is Melbourne, Australia and as summer rolls along its a good chance to do day trips and overnight stops. Queenscliff is an historic town at the entrance to Port Phillip.

Being close to the Southern Ocean the weather can be a little unpredictable. The entrance to Port Phillip is known as The Rip due to the strong currents that rip through the narrow entrance.

The lighthouses stand sentry.

They guide vessels large and small through thr treacherous waters of The Rip.

Day and night the light houses shine their guiding lights.

Standing steadfast while the stars turn.

The waterways around Queencliff are a haven for waterbirds. Even this late in summer some swans have cygnets. Of which they are protective!

The Wood ducks and Spoonbills beautiful to see.

Another feature of Queenscliff is the grand old buildings. From the towns glory days.

Along the bayside the beaches and piers are perfect places to fish or promenade.

One of the attractions of Queenscliff is being able to swim with seals. Unfortunately the strong winds meant that wasn’t possible. Therefore there will be another day trip!

Death of a Passport

It was only 10 years old

Im sure looking

at the picture

I hadnt changed

Still the same person I was

10 years ago

Not the first passport

I have had to put down

But the nature of the passport

like life

is changing

the passport of the future will be more electronic

less stamps

no ornate visas pasted in

but with a wave of scissors it was dead

barcode cut off

chip card snipped

Dead

no longer able to see me safely across borders

Many borders there have been

So let me reveal some of the adventures in those old ornate visas and stamps

Singapore, and India

Singapore the bustling humid city state.

Centre of trade between the hemispheres for centuries

The city  a mix of colonial and bustling modern edifaces

India the ancient history

Sights and smells that are almost overwhelming

Colour vibrancy and activity everywhere.

Ethiopia, Thailand and New Caledonia

Ethiopia the cradle of civilisation

An ancient culture

Home of coffee

Dramatic landscape from high mountains to desert planes,

Many tribes, and diverse wildlife.

 

Thailand- the kingdom in Asia

long held traditions

 

New Caledonia the French called it the Riviera of the South Pacific

A place of beauty

But with the tense undercurrent of colonisation bubbling beneath the surface

Vietnam baring the scars of the American war

An ancient culture its capital a city over 1000 years old

Bustling streets markets and waterways

 

 

The last stamps on the page are Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam.  The start of my recent European adventures but they have been documented in my recent posts.

Ten years of travel outside Australia, my home country recorded on the pages.

Vale passport!!!!