Welcome to Australia Zoo

When we travel many of us want to experience the highlights of the city/country we are in and usually these lists will contain zoos, theme parks or aquariums. These places are marketed as a way to educate and conserve but how fair is it on the animals. Places like SeaWorld where you can see dolphins, sea lions and even orcas up close. We are given the impression that these animals are happy in captivity but documentaries such as Blackfish and The Cove suggest otherwise.

There is one place that I have visited that I feel maybe an exception to this, Australia Zoo. Steve Irwin started the zoo in order to educate people about animals, he brought them up close so people could see them. He rehomed animals that were in unsuitable conditions and works to preserve endangered species.

Unfortunately Steve Irwin died and the zoo was left in the hands of others. The core values still remain but as developmental plans are made they may be forgotten and we could see it turn into a more ‘American’ style theme park.

Australia Zoo, Queensland
Australia Zoo, Queensland

Eureka Tower in Melbourne

Eureka Tower is a 297m tall residential building in Melbourne. When it was completed in 2006 it was the tallest residential building in the world but since the building boom in Dubai it is now the 14th. Even though it is no longer the tallest in the world the Eureka Tower still stands out among the Melbourne skyline. It can be seen from all over the city and that may be because of its size or because of the golden top floors shinning in the Australian sun.

© Our Shadows Will Remain

And the view from the observation deck on the 88th floor is equally as impressive with views all over Melbourne and the surrounding suburbs. See for yourself.

Eureka Tower in Melbourne

Out of Petrol in the Outback

It was the last day, the drive into Darwin. The night before we had been lost in the van, driving up and down the road looking for the overnight parking spot we had seen before entering Litchfield national park a few days earlier. The van my girlfriend and I were driving had to be returned with a quarter of a tank and I was being too careful in the refueling and hadn’t anticipated being lost for an hour before we eventually found the overnight parking place.

The next morning we packed our stuff ready to return the van and prepared for the short drive into Darwin, it would take about 2 hours and we wanted to leave with plenty of time to make sure we found the rental office before midday. Starting the van took a little longer than usual but it was almost unnoticeable, it wasn’t until a few kilometers down the road that I realized. The petrol light came on and instantly the engine cut off.

We were out of petrol.

The van had been running great through out the whole trip, around 3000 km. There hadn’t been a single problem. Until now. This wasn’t even a problem with the van, completely down to human error. In no way could I hold the vans mechanics responsible, that lay completely with me. Over the two weeks we had been driving the van had become a big part of that trip and many memories had been made. The night in Kakadu national park when we left the door open and mosquitoes had filled the inside. Driving through two feet of water on our quest to see crocodiles. And then the endless miles it drove unrelenting. We had left a message inside the van of our memories. The roof had been littered with peoples trips, a written map of the journeys this heroic van had made across Australia, so we left ours:

Adelaide to Darwin: let’s fuck shit up

As I drifted into the lay-by, there was only one thing I could do, I had to get a ride into town for fuel. I knew the town wasn’t far away from the previous nights driving back and forth. I left my girlfriend in the van and thumbed down a lift almost straight away.

I got into a car with a mother and her two young boys. “I don’t usually do this, you aren’t a serial killer are you?” It seemed like she was more nervous about this than I was.

At the nearest gas station I got the fuel quickly as time was running out and headed back to the highway to catch another lift. it wasn’t so easy this time. The cars were moving too fast to stop. After a few minutes two guys waved me over from the car park and asked where I was going. They agreed to drop me off even though it was out of their way. After helping them unload their beers into an esky we jumped in the car and were off.

“Have you ever seen Wolf Creek?”

© Our Shadows Will Remain

If you have enjoyed this then you might like to see my photo journal from Crossing the Nullarbor.

The Heart of a Nation

The city of Canberra was designed especially to be the capital city of Australia in 1908. Melbourne and Sydney were rival cities and both fighting to become the capital, it was decided to build a new city that would be situated between the two. Because of this Canberra is an entirely planned city and designed to suit the location and incorporates natural areas and topography.

As Canberra was planned to be the capital the central area is mostly made up of government buildings and institutes of social and cultural significance, that includes the site of the Parliament House. The city is built around a large man made lake which is named after the cities architect, Walter Burley Griffin.The Heart of a Nation

Canberra has been voted the most livable city in the world for two years in a row but is that necessarily a good thing? Find out HERE from an article from The Guardian that looks into the down sides of planned cities.

Have you visited Canberra? I would like to hear opinion in the comments below.