There were some big ships in Sydney last week for the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Review to mark 100 years since the navy first entered Sydney Harbour. Warships came from all over the world, including Britain, France, the USA, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Thailand. Even Prince Harry turned up. It made quite a spectacle on the harbour. We even got a helicopter fly-past in Manly.
I was lucky enough to have a prime position to see the New Year fireworks on Sydney Harbour last night. What a show!
New Year fireworks over Sydney Harbour
It’s been a very warm start to spring – the flowers are loving it! Here’s a shot I took with my iPhone of Sydney Harbour.
Spring flowers at North Head, with Sydney Harbour and the city in the background
I was lucky enough to get on board one of Sea Shepherd’s vessels when it was in Sydney recently. This is the ‘Bob Barker’ one of three boats that will travel down to Antarctica this summer to chase the Japanese whaling fleet as they hunt for minke whales under the guise of ‘research’. Marine activist group Sea Shepherd (a bit like Greenpeace but much more radical) have been down to the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary to harass the whalers for the past seven years. The Australian government is opposed to the whaling activity and agrees that it’s illegal, but doesn’t seem to do much about it. We got a tour around the boat, met the crew and captain Paul Watson and travelled with them as they brought the ship from the inner harbour to Circular Quay. Here’s a video we made.
Coastal Dweller 