Trip to Australia, Part 1 Sydney

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Berkeley Boone
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Trip to Australia, Part 1 Sydney

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Let me just start off by saying that I owe my wife big time. Australia is a country that I have been infatuated with for a long time, and my wife gave me an opportunity to go there. She won a trip there, and was able to take a guest, so obviously she chose me.

Yes, yes, I know- ‘won’ a trip there? She did. It was a contest sponsored by Virgin Australia Airlines, Delta Airlines, and the Australian Tourism Commission. There were 52 prizes- each was a week-long, most-expenses-paid trip to various locations around the country. The contest was geography-based, and you had to guess the location of the prize trip and pin it on a computer map. If the pin you placed was within ten miles of the actual location, you were entered into the contest for that particular week’s trip. You could enter all 52 contests if you wanted, so we each entered all of them. I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to Australian geography, and we got each trivia question correct and were entered into each drawing. My wife’s name was selected for the trip during the week of January 25 through Feb 1, which was to go to Sydney and be able to celebrate Australia Day there with the Sydneysiders.

We were able to put together enough money to go up to Far North Queensland and explore Cairns and the surrounding area for a few days after our stay in Sydney. We were in Australia for a total of 11 days, and that was nowhere near enough for me!

I am forever grateful to David (Moloch) and Van (VanAR) for their help in identifying some of the lizards that I found while there. I saw a lot fewer herps than I would have liked to, but I guess that is expected going somewhere completely new for the first time, having limited transportation and not being able to meet up with any locals. BUT, I saw plenty that amazed me, and this already has me planning for a chance to go back.

The pictures are in roughly chronological order. I will do three parts, Sydney, Cairns and a separate post for Taronga Zoo.
Any IDs or ID corrections are welcome!

Our flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles left Friday afternoon, and we arrived in Sydney at 7am on Sunday morning. Due to the time zones, we skipped over Saturday completely. After clearing Customs and getting our baggage, we hopped on a train to get to our hotel. It took a little bit to get used to our new surroundings, being on the bottom of the world and all:
Image1Opera House and Bridge by B Boone, on Flickr

Image2Sydney Harbour by B Boone, on Flickr

Okay, okay! Here are the real pics:
First light over the Pacific Ocean. We still had two hours or so before getting to land.
Image3Sunrise over the Pacific by B Boone, on Flickr

First view of Australia:
Image4First View by B Boone, on Flickr

Our hotel was on the edge of the Central Business District, and about 2 blocks from the train station that we popped out of. However, it took us a little while to figure out how to find the hotel because the directions we were given were not very clear- and it didn’t help that there was a street name change!
Image5Sofitel Wentworth Sydney by B Boone, on Flickr

Image6Sofitel Wentworth by B Boone, on Flickr

After changing clothes, we wandered around the city for the rest of the day. The Royal Botanic Gardens were another two blocks from our hotel, and I walked through them each morning after that. We took a slow loop through, and took in all the sights. Since it was only about 9am now, we walked among the trees listening to the lorikeets and cockatoos chattering and screaming. This one dropped pieces of figs on my wife as we walked under:
Image7Trichoglossus moluccanus by B Boone, on Flickr

The ground underneath was littered with figs, both whole and chewed up, and discarded seed/feces piles.
Image8Figs by B Boone, on Flickr

Image9Chewed Up by B Boone, on Flickr

Image10And Spit Out.JPG by B Boone, on Flickr

Image11Eucalyptus bark by B Boone, on Flickr

Image12big ol rock by B Boone, on Flickr

Image13Eucalyptus trunk by B Boone, on Flickr

Image14Eucalyptus close by B Boone, on Flickr

Image15Eucalyptus Trunk by B Boone, on Flickr

Image16Eucalyptus flowers by B Boone, on Flickr

There were birds everywhere!
Masked Lapwing and Australian Ibis
Image17Masked Lapwing and Ibis by B Boone, on Flickr

Australian Magpie
Image19Cracticus tibicen by B Boone, on Flickr

Image18Waterlilies by B Boone, on Flickr

Because it was summer, the day was hot and sunny, and just spectacular. It was 96 (35C).
We found a huge limestone outcrop with a natural shelf worn out underneath it. Someone chiseled out a series of steps up to the shelf, and we sat down to enjoy the shade and the views of Sydney Harbour.
I thought we looked pretty decent for having just taken a 21 hour flight!
Image20overhang by B Boone, on Flickr

More views of the city:
Image21Looking Up by B Boone, on Flickr

Image22St Mary's Cathedral by B Boone, on Flickr

Image23Great Southern Hotel by B Boone, on Flickr

Image24Cool Bricks by B Boone, on Flickr

This building was really interesting. It looked like something from Jurrassic Park: old, abandoned, overgrown with vines and plants. But we found out that it was less than 2 years old and had been designed that way. How cool!
Image25Are Those Plants by B Boone, on Flickr

We hopped on a bus and rode by Bondi Beach, one of the most famous (surfing) beaches in the world. This particular day, there were over 5000 people enjoying the sand and sun.
Image26Bondi Beach by B Boone, on Flickr

That is pretty much the extent of the beach, perhaps a half mile of sand. The number of people there was mind-boggling to someone who is used to basically having the beach to himself anywhere he goes on the Georgia coast!

We made our way back towards downtown and our hotel, when we found a festival going on. SydneyFest was coming to a close that night, so we joined in the celebration and had dinner and listened to the bands that were playing in Hyde Park.
Image27Beetrelish Burger Chicken Burger by B Boone, on Flickr

These seed pods were on the ground around us as we ate dinner. I believe they are seed pods from the Lace Kurrajong, Brachychiton discolor.
Image28Brachychiton discolor seed pods by B Boone, on Flickr

We went to bed that night after checking the weather for the next day. Turns out, the forecast took an extreme downturn. Highs would be in the 60’s (~17C), and it was supposed to rain.

Well, it did. For the next three days straight. More rain than Sydney has seen in a while. In those three days, we got almost 6 inches. We woke up the next morning and it had already clouded over and was starting to rain. But it was Australia Day, and it didn’t matter!
Image29Australia Day Early AM by B Boone, on Flickr

Image30Australia Day Early AM by B Boone, on Flickr

We chose to celebrate by walking around the city and participating in whatever festivities we ran across. We walked over to Darling Harbour to the Wildlife Sydney Zoo and the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium and spent a good portion of the middle of the day there.
Image31Macropod Walkthrough by B Boone, on Flickr

Image32Wallaby by B Boone, on Flickr

Image33Kangaroo by B Boone, on Flickr

Image34kangaroo close by B Boone, on Flickr

Image35Wombat and Rock Wallaby by B Boone, on Flickr

Image36YF Rock Wallaby by B Boone, on Flickr

Image37Boyd's Forest Dragon by B Boone, on Flickr

There are at least eight lizards of four different species in this picture.
Image38Lizard Enclosure by B Boone, on Flickr

Image39Ridgetails by B Boone, on Flickr

Image40Shingle by B Boone, on Flickr

Image41Stimsons by B Boone, on Flickr

Image42Inland by B Boone, on Flickr

Image43Koala Female by B Boone, on Flickr

Image44Koala Bloke by B Boone, on Flickr

Image45Rex the Saltie by B Boone, on Flickr

We stepped outside during a break for lunch. Still raining.
Image46View of Darling Harbour from Lunch by B Boone, on Flickr

The Aquarium has a pair of dugongs on display- there are only five in captivity in the world. These were really neat to watch.
Image47Dugong Breath by B Boone, on Flickr

Image48Surfacing by B Boone, on Flickr

Image49Dugong by B Boone, on Flickr

They graze constantly, and have a dedicated keeper staff of three people who do nothing but feed them every 10-15 minutes all day long. The staff stood in an open window kitchen area and you could talk with them while they prepared trays of greens. The dugongs go through about 260 pounds of lettuce a day, EACH!
Image50 260 POUNDS by B Boone, on Flickr

Image51Platypus swimming by B Boone, on Flickr

Image52Sawfish by B Boone, on Flickr

It was still cloudy when we walked back to our hotel, but at least it had stopped raining for the moment.
Image53Opera House by B Boone, on Flickr

Besides being able to go to Sydney, the actual portion of the trip that we won was an evening cruise on some historic tall ships through Sydney and Darling Harbours, ending in a front row seat to the fireworks display over the water that night. This was all in celebration of Australia Day, which is when the First Fleet arrived in New South Wales in 1788, essentially beginning the establishment of the country.

Even though it poured on us for a good portion of the night, this evening was definitely a highlight of our trip.
Image54Ghost Ship by B Boone, on Flickr

Image55Soren Larsen by B Boone, on Flickr

There were two ships that sailed out together for this dinner cruise and fireworks watching. Ours was the Southern Swan and the other was the Soren Larsen. As we floated along, we became aware that the Soren Larsen was edging closer and closer to our ship. Suddenly, they began hurling water balloons at us.
Image56Pulling Up Alongside by B Boone, on Flickr

Image57Water Balloon Fight by B Boone, on Flickr

Image58Water Ballon Fight by B Boone, on Flickr

Our guides pulled out coolers filled with water balloons as well, and we began throwing them back too. It was just hilarious. Everyone was already so wet they didn’t care if the balloons hit them or not.

Image59Yes Please by B Boone, on Flickr

We made it into Darling Harbour and made a couple of slow laps around the marina. There were thousands of people lining the edges and the docks, standing on top of balconies, roofs and any other flat surfaces that would support weight.
Image60Big Screen by B Boone, on Flickr

Image61Darling Harbour by B Boone, on Flickr

This floating bust of a cockatoo shot flames and fireworks out of its crest.
Image62Flaming Cockatoo by B Boone, on Flickr

We were literally parked underneath from where they were shooting off the fireworks.
Image63Aus Day Fireworks by B Boone, on Flickr

Image64Aus Day Fireworks by B Boone, on Flickr

The best part of the evening was sitting on the boat. The other 40 people or so were all Aussies, many had come from other parts of the country though, just to be in Sydney for Australia Day. Drinks were flowing, and the fellow doing some live music wasn’t too bad at all. When he began playing “Land Down Under” by Men at Work, the boat went wild. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was singing this song at the top of their lungs (screaming?). It was absolutely pouring rain at this point, so hard that we couldn’t see 15 feet from the boat, but no one cared. The crew brought around trays of Pavlova, which is a unique meringue and passionfruit-based dessert pastry. The drinking and singing continued. We didn’t get back to the hotel until midnight.

Still raining the next day, so we walked around town some more and spent some time at the NSW Public Library, the Opera House and some other places.
Image65Opera House Kitchen by B Boone, on Flickr

Image66Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae by B Boone, on Flickr

Image67Stairway Circular Quay by B Boone, on Flickr

Image68Japanese dinner by B Boone, on Flickr

The day after that was still wet, but the rain was just showers and only intermittent. We spent a good portion of the day wandering through the Royal Botanic Garden.
St. Andrew’s Cross Spider, female and male
Image69Argiope aetherea female by B Boone, on Flickr

Image70Argiope aetherea male by B Boone, on Flickr

Image71Cassia fistula by B Boone, on Flickr

Little Pied Cormorant
Image72Phalacrocorax melanoleucos by B Boone, on Flickr

Greater Cormorant
Image73Phalacrocorax sulcirostris by B Boone, on Flickr

Dusky Moorhen, male and females
Image74Gallinula tenebrosa drake by B Boone, on Flickr

Image75Gallinula tenebrosa hen by B Boone, on Flickr

Image76Gallinula tenebrosa hen by B Boone, on Flickr

Image77Eucalyptus flowers by B Boone, on Flickr

Image78Asplenium australasicum.JPG by B Boone, on Flickr

Australian Magpie
Image79Cracticus tibicen.JPG by B Boone, on Flickr

Laughing Kookaburra
Image80Dacelo novaeguineae.JPG by B Boone, on Flickr

Image81Amorphophallus paeoniifolius.JPG by B Boone, on Flickr

Image82My Own Private Jungle by B Boone, on Flickr

Image83Everything Is Still Wet by B Boone, on Flickr

Image84Nymphaea.JPG by B Boone, on Flickr

Image85Do You Call It A Fiddlehead.JPG by B Boone, on Flickr

Image86Tree Fernery.JPG by B Boone, on Flickr

Noisy Minerbird
Image87Manorina melanocephala.JPG by B Boone, on Flickr

Image88Golden Bamboo.JPG by B Boone, on Flickr

Image89Black Bamboo by B Boone, on Flickr

Image90Lotus Pond by B Boone, on Flickr

Masked Lapwing
Image91Vanellus miles by B Boone, on Flickr

Image92Tapeinochilos ananassae by B Boone, on Flickr

Golden Silk Spider
Image93Nephila edulis by B Boone, on Flickr

Since the gardens butted up to the Opera House, to get out of the rain for a bit we made a pass underneath the walkway there and happened across some staff from Taronga Zoo. They had a display up with a few of their outreach animals for people to meet and touch. We were able to see up close and even touch an echidna and a shingleback skink. I was beyond elated. We also had some good conversations I will detail more in the post about Taronga Zoo, part 3.
Image94Echidna by B Boone, on Flickr

Image95Aus Walking Stick by B Boone, on Flickr

Anemone Stinkhorn
Image96Aseroe rubra by B Boone, on Flickr

Image97Aseroe rubra by B Boone, on Flickr

Wood Duck
Image98Chenonetta jubata by B Boone, on Flickr

Image99Gigantic Bromeliad by B Boone, on Flickr

Australian Raven
Image100Corvus coronoides by B Boone, on Flickr

Image101RBG art by B Boone, on Flickr

Image102Tree Ferns and Eucalypt by B Boone, on Flickr

Image103Plumeria by B Boone, on Flickr

Image104Plumeria by B Boone, on Flickr

Image105Sofitel Wentworth by B Boone, on Flickr

Image106Happy Hour Indeed by B Boone, on Flickr

That evening, as we walked around the open area at Circular Quay, I saw some street art that was just fascinating. It was a sculpture that extended for most of a block, and it was a continuous fountain. The best part though, was that it contained sculpture of snakes and other reptiles, and enigmatic native fauna. I have never seen public sculpture or street art involving snakes before!
Image107Longnecks by B Boone, on Flickr

Image108Platypus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image109Snakes by B Boone, on Flickr

The weather perked up again, and was hot and sunny once more, and for the remainder of our trip. We booked a day trip to the Blue Mountains since we did not have a car to get there ourselves. The trip made a couple of stops: Featherdale Wildlife Park, King’s Tableland, Echo Point, Jamison Gorge and the town of Leura.
From Featherdale Wildlife Park:
Image110YF Rock wallaby by B Boone, on Flickr

Image111Boing by B Boone, on Flickr

Image112Emydura macquarii by B Boone, on Flickr

Image113Tiliqua nigrolutea by B Boone, on Flickr

Image114Varanus varius by B Boone, on Flickr

Image115varanus varius by B Boone, on Flickr

Wild Yellow-Bellied Water-Skinks basking in a spot of sunlight
Image116Eulamprus heatwolei by B Boone, on Flickr

King’s Tableland/Lincoln’s Rock Overlook:
Image117BnL Overlook by B Boone, on Flickr

Image118Dizzying by B Boone, on Flickr

Image119Lincoln's Rock Overlook by B Boone, on Flickr

Image120Lincoln's Rock Overlook by B Boone, on Flickr

Image121Petrophile pulchella by B Boone, on Flickr

Image122Petrophile pulchella by B Boone, on Flickr

Image123What I Do by B Boone, on Flickr

Echo Point and Jamison Gorge:
Image124Jamison Gorge by B Boone, on Flickr

Image125Jamison Gorge by B Boone, on Flickr

Image126Fern Gully by B Boone, on Flickr

Image127At The Bottom by B Boone, on Flickr

Image128Three Sisters by B Boone, on Flickr

I’m not sure if these are Brush Wattlebirds or Red Wattlebirds:
Image129Anthochaera carunculata by B Boone, on Flickr

Image130Anthochaera carunculata by B Boone, on Flickr

Image131Cliffs by B Boone, on Flickr

Image132Tres Eucalyptus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image133Jamison Gorge by B Boone, on Flickr

Image134Is This Even Real by B Boone, on Flickr

Three Sisters rock formation:
Image135Three Sisters by B Boone, on Flickr

Image136Three Sisters by B Boone, on Flickr

More Yellow-Bellied Water-Skinks:
Image137Eulamprus heatwolei by B Boone, on Flickr

Image138Eulamprus heatwolei by B Boone, on Flickr

Image139This Also Is What I Do by B Boone, on Flickr

Would have liked to have been able to explore this area a little more, but alas, we were with that day trip and had to stick to a schedule.
Image140Open Woodland by B Boone, on Flickr

Image141Banksia serrulata by B Boone, on Flickr

Eastern Water Skinks at the ferry pick-up near the Olympics site:
Image142Eulamprus quoyii by B Boone, on Flickr

Image143Eulamprus quoyii by B Boone, on Flickr

Image144Harbour Bridge by B Boone, on Flickr

Image145North Side Looking South by B Boone, on Flickr

Image146Opera House by B Boone, on Flickr

Image147Leia by B Boone, on Flickr

Image148Berkeley by B Boone, on Flickr

Image149Twilight by B Boone, on Flickr

Image150Sea Wall by B Boone, on Flickr

The next morning I got up early and went for one of my walks through the Botanic Gardens down to the edge of the Harbour. There was an Australian Darter lounging on Mrs. Macquarrie’s Chair (a pile of naturally stacked boulders right in the splash zone of the waves):
Image151Anhinga novaehollandiae by B Boone, on Flickr

Image152Cacatua galerita by B Boone, on Flickr

Grass Skink
Image153Lampropholis delicata by B Boone, on Flickr

Image154Lampropholis delicata by B Boone, on Flickr

Image155Banksia serrulata cone by B Boone, on Flickr

Bar-Sided Forest Skink
Image156Eulamprus tenuis by B Boone, on Flickr

This was the day that we spent at Taronga Zoo. More on that in Part 3.

We stopped by Luna Park on the way back to the hotel that afternoon. In order to get back to where the ferry had picked us up that morning, we had to complete the circuit, and one of the stops was this Coney Island-like amusement park which is right across the bay from the Opera House and Circular Quay. So we figured, what the heck!
Image157Pool Windows by B Boone, on Flickr

Image158Luna Park by B Boone, on Flickr

Image159All To Ourselves by B Boone, on Flickr

Image160Coney Island by B Boone, on Flickr

Image161Luna Park by B Boone, on Flickr

Image162Ferris Wheel by B Boone, on Flickr

Image163Harbour Bridge by B Boone, on Flickr

A lot of the architecture was made out of the local sandstone. This wall that edged a sidewalk next to the water was showing some pretty significant erosion from wave action and constant spray.
Image164Sandstone erosion by B Boone, on Flickr

For our last full day in Sydney, we booked another day trip, but this time northward toward Newcastle: Port Stephens and Birubi Beach.
Pied Currawong
Image165Strepera graculina by B Boone, on Flickr

On the way up, we stopped at the Australian Reptile Park and got to wander through there.
Image166Waterfall by B Boone, on Flickr

Image167Cute Little Rock Wallaby by B Boone, on Flickr

Image168Is It Dead by B Boone, on Flickr

Image169Big Eucalyptus by B Boone, on Flickr

Image170Way Up High by B Boone, on Flickr

Image171Warming Up by B Boone, on Flickr

Image172Having A Feed by B Boone, on Flickr

Image173Sitting In The Sunshine by B Boone, on Flickr

Image174Big Fella by B Boone, on Flickr

I ran into the world record size Thorny Devil there:
Image175Record Size Moloch by B Boone, on Flickr

From there, we traveled to Birubi Beach to do some sandboarding. There are MASSIVE sand dunes here, and from the top of them, you can see for miles.
Image176View From Up Top by B Boone, on Flickr

Sandboarding was a blast. I have never been snowboarding, but I would imagine that it is a lot like that. Due to rules, we had to remain seated on the boards –no standing up- but you went plenty fast even in the seated position.
Image177Sandboarding by B Boone, on Flickr

Image178How It Is Done by B Boone, on Flickr

Birubi Beach:
Image179Rocks by B Boone, on Flickr

Image180Dunes by B Boone, on Flickr

Image181Are You Freaking Kidding by B Boone, on Flickr

Image182Birubi Beach by B Boone, on Flickr

Image183Wow by B Boone, on Flickr

Image184Pretty by B Boone, on Flickr

While shaking the sand out of my clothes at the bathrooms, I overheard a young boy telling a bunch of his friends about a redback on the steps up to the parking lot. I watched where they were pointing, and then watched them run off to their parents. I walked over, and sure enough, there was a full grown, well-marked redback spider (Latrodectus hasseltii, a cousin to the black widow, L. mactans) sheltering in its messy web in the shade of one of the steps. I was impressed! A, because the boy knew what it was, and B, because they left it alone. Had this same situation played out in the US, the spider would have been crushed underneath someone’s shoe because it ‘could’ hurt someone.

From there we loaded back onto the shuttle and went to Port Stephens for a boat ride out to the mouth of Nelson Bay and the entrance of the Tasman Sea.

The water was bewilderingly clear and turquoise.
Image185Look At The Water by B Boone, on Flickr

Image186Bright Blue by B Boone, on Flickr

Image187Rockwork by B Boone, on Flickr

Image188Nelson Head Lighthouse Point, Port Stephens by B Boone, on Flickr

Image189Mount Tomaree, Port Stephens1 by B Boone, on Flickr

Image190Mt Tomaree, Port Stephens by B Boone, on Flickr

The wave action at the mouth of the bay was incredible. The swells were 8-10 feet, and there were dolphins playing all around. My wife did not enjoy the pitching of the boat as much as I did though!
Image191Tasman Sea Entrance by B Boone, on Flickr

Image192Volcanic Rock columns at Yacaaba Headland, Port Stephens by B Boone, on Flickr

Australian Pelican. These things are freaking gigantic!
Image193Pelecanus conspicillatus by B Boone, on Flickr

Massive termite nest on shore that I spotted from the boat.
Image194 Massive Termite Nest by B Boone, on Flickr

After the boat ride, we had to load back up and head back down to Sydney. We stopped at a truck stop along the way for snacks and a bathroom break. I darted into the woods and had a quick look around. Unfortunately, aside from a flicker of movement in the leaflitter (never could find the culprit) I did not see anything. Again, I wished that I had more time to explore here.
Image195Open Woodland by B Boone, on Flickr

Image196Open Woodland by B Boone, on Flickr

Image197Open Woodland1 by B Boone, on Flickr

Image198Open Woodland2 by B Boone, on Flickr

Image199Eucalypt Up Close by B Boone, on Flickr

Image200Eucalypt Up Close by B Boone, on Flickr

Image201White Bark by B Boone, on Flickr

Once we got back into the city, the driver asked what we had planned that evening. We told him we didn’t really have anything in mind, except getting some dinner. He suggested that we go to Darling Harbour and watch the fireworks. We told him we saw them on Monday during Australia Day, and had enjoyed them very much. No, no, he said, they shoot fireworks off over Darling Harbour every Saturday night in the summer. He offered to drop us off there, so we wouldn’t have to walk over from the hotel. We took him up on the offer. We found a restaurant that had some takeaway pizzas, so we got some and went and picked seats on the side of the marina, legs dangling over the water.

Evening fell, and true to the shuttle driver’s word, crowds started gathering all around us. Promptly at 9pm, the fireworks show started. So we were able to start and finish our time in Sydney with fireworks.
Image202Saturday Night in Darling Harbour by B Boone, on Flickr

Image203Saturday Night in Darling Harbour by B Boone, on Flickr

Image204Saturday Night in Darling Harbour by B Boone, on Flickr

What an amazing city!
The next morning, we could relax and take our time checking out of the hotel. Our flight up to Cairns wasn’t until 2:30pm, so we had plenty of time to wander just a little bit more.
If you are still with me, thank you. I hope you have enjoyed it. Part 2, Cairns, will be coming soon.

--Berkeley
simus343
Posts: 566
Joined: March 30th, 2014, 1:16 pm
Location: Okaloosa ca, Fla.

Re: Trip to Australia, Part 1 Sydney

Post by simus343 »

How I miss Australia! :cry:. I use to live in Canberra just 2 hours away from Sydney.

At the tarronga zoo, I must know - did they still have the Corroboree Frog breeding program? There was a public viewing window. They are, or were, endangered according to the Tidbinbilla nature reserve display.

Sadly I never got to visit the reptile park, but I did plenty of herping on my own - mostly lizards though. Looks like you had a nice trip so far! :thumb:
User avatar
chrish
Posts: 3295
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:14 pm
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Re: Trip to Australia, Part 1 Sydney

Post by chrish »

I learned to swim in that pool next to Luna Park. Chlorinated salt water....yuch!

Enjoyed the first part, looking forward to the QLD installment.
MonarchzMan
Posts: 341
Joined: September 8th, 2011, 6:12 pm
Location: Oxford, MS

Re: Trip to Australia, Part 1 Sydney

Post by MonarchzMan »

Fantastic post! I'm here in Newcastle now doing some research on Pseudophryne, and I'll be here for another 2 months. I'm trying to figure out what to do/where to go in my free time. I stopped through Sydney on my way to Canberra and was impressed with the city for the day that I was there. I visited the Taronga Zoo to see the Corroboree Breeding program (actually got a behind-the-scenes tour and got to shoot some of the frogs!). I was told to visit the botanic gardens, but that'll have to be for another day.

I'm going to Cairns in the beginning of August so I eagerly await that post. I figure the brunt of my herping will be there since it's on the cool side now.
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Berkeley Boone
Posts: 878
Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:02 am

Re: Trip to Australia, Part 1 Sydney

Post by Berkeley Boone »

Thanks guys, I am glad you enjoyed part 1. It is great getting to relive it all!

Yes, the Corroborree frog breeding program is still going strong over at Taronga. James can correct me if needed, but they had about 400 adult frogs (half or so on display in that public window) and innumerable froglets being raised up. It seems to be chugging along, and if I remember correctly, they had a release of some frogs not long ago. I would love to see some of your shots of the frogs, James! That would be incredible.

And yes, I highly recommend the Botanic Gardens! It was really quite well done.

Chris, chlorinated salt water does not sound fun at all.... I'm sorry! :)

--Berkeley
MonarchzMan
Posts: 341
Joined: September 8th, 2011, 6:12 pm
Location: Oxford, MS

Re: Trip to Australia, Part 1 Sydney

Post by MonarchzMan »

Berkeley Boone wrote:Yes, the Corroborree frog breeding program is still going strong over at Taronga. James can correct me if needed, but they had about 400 adult frogs (half or so on display in that public window) and innumerable froglets being raised up. It seems to be chugging along, and if I remember correctly, they had a release of some frogs not long ago. I would love to see some of your shots of the frogs, James! That would be incredible.
JP ;)

Yea, I think that's about right in that they had around 400 frogs. The head keeper there said they're producing about 1000 eggs a year (I guess an individual will lay 20-30 eggs in a clutch). Sounds like they are really approaching it from all angles. They released a bunch of Northern Corroborees rather recently, but the keeper said that they've just been doing egg releases for the Southern Corroborees recently. Right now, they're dealing with sympatric Crinia signifera, which can harbor chytrid with no ill effects. So they're trying to do reintroductions in areas where Corroborees can survive, but Crinia cannot, which is no easy task.

At some point, I'll make a big post detailing my research, which will of course, be filled with photos (not sure how many herp photos there will be since it's cold here).
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Berkeley Boone
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Re: Trip to Australia, Part 1 Sydney

Post by Berkeley Boone »

MonarchzMan wrote:JP ;)
Dangit! Sorry about that JP. After our correspondences, I should have remembered that. I apologize. I just had it in my head it was 'James'.

I'm looking forward to seeing your post about your research. Bring on the photos, herp or not!

--Berkeley
MonarchzMan
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Re: Trip to Australia, Part 1 Sydney

Post by MonarchzMan »

No worries! You're not the first to mix it up. You at least had the first letter correct. Given the number of photos I'm taking, I'll probably have to make it a series of posts. I would really like to get herps in them, though!
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Trip to Australia, Part 1 Sydney

Post by BillMcGighan »

Great start.
Looking forward to more.
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