New Zealand

  So here I am back in Australia. Well, I have actually been back here for a while now. Its been an interesting trip back home despite the fact that I haven’t really gone anywhere since I have been back. Its been raining a lot since I have been back this year which is great. If there was ever a country that actually needs rain it is Australia. The water reservoirs have been sitting on low for many years now and that country has been under constant water restrictions. The recent rainfall has bolstered the water supply a little. However if there was ever a country that suffers from mismanagement of its water supplies it has to be Australia. As soon as the level of the dams had risen slightly so too were the water restrictions eased.  The levels in the dams were dangerously low, to the point where some of the capital cities  had less than a years supply of drinking water left. The people here have become so used to living under water restrictions that surely it makes sense to leave the restrictions in place until the water levels have risen to a safe and comfortable point and there can be no danger in the immediate future.  Above you can see a photo from the Hume Dam situated in the Snowy Mountain region. The trees that you see were a sunken forest covered by water when they built the dam and now exposed by the drought.

One thing I do love about being in Sydney is the easy access to its surrounding waterways and the natural beauty. It seems that you never have far to travel in order to get away from the crowds and the hustle and bustle. To the west you have the Blue Mountains, to the south the Royal National Park and in the North is Pittwater and Ku-ring-ai Chase National park. Even closer within 10-15kms you have spots such as Middle Head, North Head and Garigal National Park. Its something I find that a lot of the great cities in Europe lack. I guess that’s the trade off for not having all the castles and great cathedrals like The European cities have.

I have been tossing around a lot of ideas and making a lot of plans for future although nothing is definite yet. I am hoping to get a quick visit in to New Zealand while I am here. Its somewhere that I have always wanted to go but just never seem to get there. My circumstances might dictate that I have to actually get there this year which will be great even if it is only for a few days.