Sunday, 25th April 2010 - ANZAC Day

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for their countries. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga.




History


Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War.[1] The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. Anzac Day remains one of the most important national occasions of both Australia and New Zealand.[2] This is a rare instance of two sovereign countries not only sharing the same remembrance day, but making reference to both countries in its name.



The Gallipoli campaign

When war broke out in 1914, Australia had been a Federal Commonwealth for thirteen years. In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, under a plan by Winston Churchill to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal (later known as Atatürk). What had been planned as a bold strike to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. The Allied Gallipoli casualties included 21,255 from the UK, an estimated 10,000 dead soldiers from France, 8,709 from Australia, 2,721 from New Zealand, and 1,358 from British India. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.



Though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Istanbul and knocking Ottoman Empire out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand troops' actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity in both countries. This has shaped the way their citizens have viewed both their past and their understanding of the present.



The foundations of Anzac Day

On 30 April 1915, when the first news of the landing reached New Zealand, a half-day holiday was declared and impromptu services were held. The following year a public holiday was gazetted (i.e., officially declared) on 5 April and services to commemorate were organised by the returned servicemen.



The date, 25 April, was officially named Anzac Day in 1916; in that year it was marked by a wide variety of ceremonies and services in Australia and New Zealand, a march through London, and a sports day for the Australian and New Zealand soldiers in Egypt. The small New Zealand community of Tinui, near Masterton in the Wairarapa was apparently the first place in New Zealand to have an Anzac Day service, when the then vicar led an expedition to place a large wooden cross on the Tinui Taipos (a 1,200 ft (370 m) high large hill/mountain, behind the village) in April 1916 to commemorate the dead. A service was held on 25 April of that year.In 2006 the 90th anniversary of the event was commemorated with a full 21-gun salute fired at the service by soldiers from the Waiouru Army Camp.



In London, over 2,000 Australian and New Zealand troops marched through the streets of the city. A London newspaper headline dubbed them "The Knights of Gallipoli". Marches were held all over Australia in 1916; wounded soldiers from Gallipoli attended the Sydney march in convoys of cars, accompanied by nurses. Over 2,000 people attended the service in Rotorua. For the remaining years of the war, Anzac Day was used as an occasion for patriotic rallies and recruiting campaigns, and parades of serving members of the AIF were held in most cities. From 1916 onwards, in both Australia and New Zealand, Anzac memorials were held on or about 25 April, mainly organised by returned servicemen and school children in cooperation with local authorities.



Anzac Day was gazetted as a public holiday in New Zealand in 1920, through the Anzac Day Act, after lobbying by the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, the RSA. In Australia at the 1921 State Premiers' Conference, it was decided that Anzac Day would be observed on 25 April each year. However, it was not observed uniformly in all the States.




During the 1920s, Anzac Day became established as a National Day of Commemoration for the 60,000 Australians and 18,000 New Zealanders who died during the war. The first year in which all the Australian states observed some form of public holiday together on Anzac Day was 1927. By the mid-1930s, all the rituals now associated with the day—dawn vigils, marches, memorial services, reunions, sly two-up games—became part of Australian Anzac Day culture. New Zealand commemorations also adopted many of these rituals, with the dawn service being introduced from Australia in 1939.

Wednesday, 24th March 2010 - Loggerhead Sea Turtle

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is the world's most-studied and well-known sea-turtle. It is the only member of the genus Caretta. The genus name "Caretta" is a latinization of the French "caret", meaning turtle, tortoise, or sea turtle. Adult loggerhead sea turtles weigh from 170 to 350 pounds (77 to 160 kg) and measure 31 to 45 inches (79 to 110 cm). Their shell is a reddish brown color, and their skin ranges from yellow to brown. The name loggerhead comes from their disproportionately large head. The loggerhead sea turtle also holds the title of the world's largest hard-shelled turtle.

Early life

The loggerhead's sex is determined during incubation. Incubation temperatures generally range from 79–90 °F (26–32 °C). Eggs which are incubated at the lower range of temperatures yield males while eggs incubated at higher temperatures result in females. After incubating for approximately 80 days, hatchlings emerge from the eggs and dig their way to the surface of the beach. This usually occurs at night when predation is reduced. Hatchlings head for the water, aided by the reflection of the moon off the ocean. A loggerhead hatchling averages about 1.8 inches (4.6 cm) in length and weighs around 20 grams (0.71 oz).

Breeding

The loggerhead mating period may last up to six weeks. It appears that these turtles court their mates, however these behaviors have not been thoroughly examined. Nuzzling, biting, head movements, and flipper movements are forms of male courtship behavior. Females may produce cloacal pheromones to suggest reproductive ability. Males approach females and attempt to mount them, while females resist. The male and female may circle each other. If the male has competitors, the female may leave the males to struggle with each other. The winner then mounts the female. Other courting males bite the male during mating, damaging his flippers and tail, sometimes to the point of exposing bones. Such damage can cause the male to dismount, requiring weeks to heal. The male's curved claws damage the shoulders of the female's shell when he mounts her. He may injure her by biting her neck during mating. Over several months, females produces many egg clutches and then become quiescent, producing no eggs for an average two to three years. Unlike other sea turtles, courtship and mating usually do not take place near the nesting beach but rather along migration routes between feeding and breeding grounds. In the Mediterranean, Loggerheads mate from late March to early June. The nesting season peaks in June and July, but varies by nesting beach.

All sea turtles have similar basic nesting behaviors. Females return to lay their eggs on or near the beach where they hatched. They haul out of the water, climb the beach, excavate a body pit, lay eggs, fill the egg chamber, fill the body pit, and finally return to sea. The nesting area must be selected carefully because it will have an affect on characteristics of the turtle such as fitness, emergence ratio, and vulnerability to nest predators. Clutch size ranges from 7–15 centimetres (70–150 mm). Each egg is roughly the size and shape of a ping-pong ball.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle laying eggs.Loggerhead turtles are the most common sea turtle to nest in the United States. Loggerheads nest from Texas to North Carolina, requiring soft sandy beaches where there is little or no light pollution. The largest concentration of nesting is in south Florida.

Wednesday, 24th March 2010 - Mon Repo Turtles

Down at Mon Repos beach turtles have been layying there eggs for... well since forever I guess. For a really small fee ($9) you can watch the giant turtles layying there eggs or the little baby turtles scurrying down the beach to the sea. It depends on th time of the breeding season as to what you see. We went at the end of the reeding season so the turtles had all layed there eggs and gone off, all that was left was for hatchling turtles.

So we arrived at the information center and waited patientely. We was in luck. We did not have to wait long. After about 2 hours we was escorted down to the beach to see Logger head turtles crawling out of the beach down towards the sea. Now they need a little assisstence and certain people (Steve included) had to act as a light beacon for the turtles. Making a path of light from the beach to the sea where they swim away.

There was about 130 eggs, 120 hatched and went to the sea, one died and about 9 eggs failed to hatch. Amazing thing is Logger Heads are really rare and very endangered so was amazing to see. Loved it. We was allowed to hold one and that was really amazing too. Such a great experience.

Wednesday, 24th March 2010 - Bundaberg

Bundaberg Rum is a dark rum produced in Bundaberg, Australia, often referred to as "Bundy".

Bundaberg Rum originated because the local sugar mills had a problem with what to do with the waste molasses after the sugar was extracted (it was heavy, difficult to transport and the costs of converting it to stock feed were rarely worth the effort). Sugar men first began to think of the profits that could be made from distilling. The vital meeting was held at the Royal Hotel on 1 August 1885, W M C Hickson served as the chairman, and other notables in attendance included all the big sugar mill owners of that time, W G Farquhar, F L Nott, S McDougall, T Penny, S H Bravo and A H Young, all to become the first directors of the Company. They started with a capital of 5,000 pounds.

Bundaberg rum was first produced 1888, production ceased from 1907 to 1914 and from 1936 to 1939 after fires, the second of which caused rum from the factory to spill into the nearby Burnett River.

In 1961, the company introduced the polar bear as its unusual choice of mascot, to imply that the rum could ward off the coldest chill.

In 2000, the Bundaberg Rum company and distillery were sold to British company Diageo.

Wednesday, 24th March 2010 - Bundaberg Factory

I love Bunaberg. Phil (Emma's brother in-law) introduced us all to it. Its my favourite drink. It is rum and I aint a rum drinker but mixed with coke it goes down too easy. Bundaberg is home to the Bundaberg rum factory. No surprise there. So we took ourselves on a guided tour of the factory and managed to sup some Bundaberg at the end. Hmmmm... Nice refreshing draught Bundaberg and Coke.

Tuesday, 23rd March 2010 - Town of 1770 & Agnes Water

We arrived at Town of 1770 and Agnes water early afternoon. We checked into a really nice campsite with a great pool. After spending a little bit of time on the beach we chilled by the pool.

We went and explored a little and came across some wild kangaroos. This was the first time we had come across some live, wild kangaroos. We didn't go to near them in fear of scaring them but they were beautiful.

Monday, 22nd March 2010 - Capricorn caves

We carried on heading south once we had woken up and had breakfast. We was heading down to Rockhampton. According to the Lonely Planet Guide to Australia, one of the things you have to do when in or near Rockhampton is got the Capricorn caves.

So we took the slight detour to the caves and paid a modest fee for our guided tour. Now you had to wear proper shoes, not thongs (flip flops). So I wore my black pumps. Which have no grip what so ever. Not the smartest thing to wear when you in a wet and slipy cave. So the guide takes us into the cave. Pretty much from the start I know I am not going to like this. Bats. Bats. Bats. There are bats everywhere. Flying around and within millimeters. I cant look straight ahead, just have to look at the floor. The guide thinks its hilarious. I just cannot wait for the end. So we go through the caves its a pretty easy walk. Then we get to the 'Cathedral'. He is where people come to get married. Who would want to get married in a bat infested wet slipy cave? No thanks.

We was made to sit in the cathedral to 'experience' it. Apparently the acoustics are amazing. So basically the guide made us listen to some music while she turned a few lights on and off. Thank god that was the end of the tour because I was pretty close wetting myself in there.

We carried on south and booked into a campsite at Rockhampton.

Sunday, 21st March 2010 - Path of destruction

We woke up in the morning and was surprised that we had not woken up during the night with the wind and rain. Because luckily Townsville had escaped most of the storm. We was supposed to me going on a trip out to the Whitsunday's tomorrow but they rang to confirm it was canceled.

We packed up and headed south. The drive to Airlie beach is about 275km. We got about ¾ of the way before we started to see aftermath of the cyclone. Trees were up rooted and knocked over. Some trees just simply snapped in half. The sugar cane was flattened. It has rained so much that there was flooding. Once down near the epicenter of the cyclone, near Airlie beach the flooding became worse. Because of the hills nearby the water was still draining down. The Bruce Highway is the only road between Cairns and Brisbane. There was talk on the news that it may be closing. So we had to be quick. If the road was closed we would not be able to had south for a few days, at least.

We hit some flooding. The road was completely flooded, worse still we was just 3km from Airlie beach. People on 4WD made it through, but they had a pretty high clearance. We headed back and tried a different route to Airlie beach.

We made it Airlie beach after a bit. It was deserted, everything was shut and boarded up. The lagoon at Airelie beach was wrecked. Seen as there was nothing open and nothing to do we jumped back in the camper and headed on south.

On the way out I drove. We came to a flooded road. On the opposite side was police, who was stopping cars crossing. From our side cars were still going through. We figured it was make or break. We did not want to get stuck, so we tried to drive through. I was pretty scared having never driven through water before. But luckily we made it through without any problems. The police man at the other side seemed surprised to see us make it through. Soon afterwards we heard that the road had been closed.

We carried on down to Mackay, after finding some petrol. There was lots of petrol stations but none of them were working because of the power cut. We was nearing empty, but we eventually we found one. Phew.

In Mackay we booked into a campsite. I was tired and it looked ok from the outside. But once parked up I saw was a mess it really was. We quickly drove off to find another site. No where looked suitable and in final attempt to find some comfort we booked into a Motel.

Saturday, 20th March 2010 - Alice in Wonderland

After arriving in Townsville we checked up on the weather. The cyclone was due to hit Airlie Beach in a few hours. We had a few options. 1-Goto Airlie Beach and try and weather the storm 2-Try and drive past Airlie Beach but risk getting caught in the storm or 3-Stay in Townsville and try tomorrow to get to Airlie Beach.

We decided to stay and see tomorrow what damage had been done and see if we could continue or journey south. Since we could not go out to the reef in Cairns we headed to the Reef HQ Aquarium to look at all the little fishes. We booked in to the campsite, chilled in and around the pool.

In the evening went to see Alice in Wonderland 3D. The movie was great and with the 3D effects it was amazing. Had a great time. Really loved it.

Friday, 19th March 2010 - Cyclone Ului

Severe Tropical Cyclone Ului was first identified by the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) late on 9 March roughly 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of Hiw Island, Vanuatu. At that time, the system was classified as Tropical Disturbance 13F. Early the following day, the system became sufficiently organised for the FMS to upgrade the disturbance to a tropical depression. Several hours later, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) also began monitoring the system. By this time, deep convection had developed around a low-level circulation and banding features had formed. A slow westward movement was expected as the depression was situated north of a subtropical ridge.

Cyclones Tomas and Ului  on 16 MarchOn 12 March, 13F was upgraded to Tropical Cyclone Ului. By early on 13 March, it was a category 2 cyclone. Later that day, Ului strengthened into a category 3, making it a severe tropical cyclone. The storm continued to strengthen throughout the day and that night it became a category 5. Ului became the first category 5 South Pacific cyclone since Severe Tropical Cyclone Percy in February 2005 but weakened to category 4 about the time it crossed the 160°E meridian. Ului was predicted to restrengthen back into a category 5 as it moved away from an upper level low and Severe Tropical Cyclone Tomas, however Ului remained as a category 4 and had weakened to a category 3 system in the early hours of 18 March. It weakened further to category 2 for a while before regaining category 3 strength. Early on 21 March (local time) it crossed the outlying Whitsunday Islands and made landfall near Airlie Beach, Queensland.

Friday, 19th March 2010 - Magnetic Island

In the morning to boarded the ferry over from Townsville to Maggy Island. I fell in love with Maggy island the last time I was there. We decided not to take the camper on the ferry, it was really expensive. Instead we hired a 4WD on the island. So we picked up our 4WD. Well it was nothing special. It was more like a toy 4WD.

The steering was so heavy. There was not power steering at all. I thought I would be ok, seen as neither my cars have power steering. But this was like a tank. It was not a comfy drive. We explored the island and the beaches, before heading back to the Hostel. Bungalow Bay and chilled by the pool.

That night we went for a nice meal down on the water front in a really cool place, it was ½ restaurant and ½ art gallery.

Thursday, 18th March 2010 - PANTS!

So we was again supposed to be going to the Great Barrier Reef. But we was denied. The weather was still not safe enough for us to go out. So we figured that it was not meant to be. We packed our stuff up. Collected the refund and headed south to Townsville. We had been given some places to stop off on the way.

Originally we wanted to take a sky ride trip on the cable cars up into the rain forest. We got there, bought our tickets. But the thing was not working properly so they told us to come back in an hour. We came back but it was still not running properly. Time was getting on so we decided to head south.

So we headed down for the 350km drive. En route we stopped off at Josephine falls and another beautiful spot. It was great. Lovely weather. Great short little walks to some really beautiful look outs. It was really great.

Also on the way we stopped of at Mission Beach. I have been here before and was a nice place. But we did not stay long. We grabbed some lunch and headed off. We arrived at Townsville, checked into the campsite for the night.

Wednesday, 17th March 2010 - Horse riding along the beach

After awaking from what an only be described as a night from hell. We got to the Marina to make our boat trip to the Reef. And our SCUBA diving. Well we only just made it on time to the marina. Well... only to find out the trip had been cancelled because of adverse weather conditions en route and in the Reef. Waves 2-4 metres high, so not good for boat or us swimming. So I managed to change a few things around and booked Reef again fro tomorrow and headed off up to Port Douglas to go horse riding.

We had to drive about 2-3 hours north of Cairns. We arrived at a ranch type unit. It was scortching hot. We were made to wear trousers as well. But it was all good. There was about 6 people on the guided tour altogether. Well I was given the worst horse ever. I told her I was not a very good rider. The horse I got was a lazy and crazy. To start wit he kept holding up the line by stopping to eat, anything he could find. I yanked and yanked on the reins but he would not budge, nor did he move for my kicks. Only when he was ready would he move.

Then every time we came to some water he would just stop and stand looking at the water. The first time I managed to make him go through, but the at the next one he just refused and I had to go the long way around over the bridge on my own.

So we get to the beach. Here we all agree to go for a trot. Now I am nervous here, beause i could never trot back home. But I figured these horses would be easy to trot. Boy was I wrong. So my horse does not like to trot. It either walks extremely slowly or canters. So off it cantered and I am amazed that I manged to stay on. I lost my reins. I love my footing in the stirups. I had my arms flailing around shout (screaming) for the horse to stop. Anyway the woman guide managed to stop the horse by blocking it with hers.

If I could of got off and walked back to the camper I would of gladly. But no we had to carry on, walking to slowly. I felt so bad because I was holding the hole group up. But hey ho. The woman came to take some pics of me on the horse, I struggled to smile.

Anyway, made it home safe and sound. Luckily. But was very sore. We decided that there was no way we was staying at the same campsite again so found a really really nice one with a gorgeous pool and great facilities and it made its heaps better. We even managed to find a fan for the interior and cool it down.

Tuesday, 16th March 2010 - Jucy

Our camper is a little Toyotta MPV. Which has been converted. It's from a company called Jucy. They look really kewl. Having never been inside a camper i was not sure what to expect at all.

Urrrgghhhh.....

So after arriving at out campsite, which seemed all ok. We headed out to look around Cairns and chilled and sunned ourselves at the Espanade. We got back to the campsite and there was a heavy police presence. Look there was some trouble on the campsite. So we cooked our tea on the camper cooker and fixed up the camper for bed. It was a bit of a faff to set it up but nothing major.

No the major problem was the heat. It was like an oven. There was no fan or anything in the back and it was so noisy (and scary) outside that we dare not open the windows. Instead we sweated it out in the sweat box. I hated the first night. It was awful and i was really worried that I would not be able to sleep in the camper for the next two weeks.

Tuesday, 16th March- Cairns

So we hopped on a plane from Sydney to Cairns. God I forgot how hot it was up in Cairns. It was like walking out into an oven. We quickly went though the airport, grabed our bags and headed for a taxi. Heading straight out to get our camper.

Monday, 15th March 2010 - Bondi

Bondi is just a short bus ride away from Sydney. We took the scenic route and stopped along the way to take some pictures. The bus driver was kind enough to pull up and let us get some great view of Sydney and then wait for us to hop back on board.

Bondi was great and I loved it. Shame we only had a few hours there. But it was no where near as big as I thought it was going to be. I have seen it a few times on the Bondi Rescues show, which I love. But it was really was not as impressive as I thought it would. Still I did love it. The sea was a little too cold for my liking though and I chickened out. LOL.

Monday, 15th March - Manly

We boared the ferry and headed out to Manly beach. Now the weather was red hot and it was beautiful. Great for soaking up rays. We had a chill and then headed back. I was keen to see Bondi beach, the World Famous Beach and this was our last day. So off we headed back to the City.

Sunday, 14th March 2010 - Avatar Moonlight Cinema

I have seen Avatar till today. I have heard all about it in the press, but other than its a CGI film I did not know the story or details. So off we went to Centennial Park to watch Avatar in the park. It is an out door cinema. It was not in 3D and that was the only drawback. It was great to watch movie out doors with the bats and other things flying around.

The seats where really comfy bean bags. So comfy infact I fell asleep once or twice. Not because it is a boring film or anything, just because I was so tired after the busy day.

Sunday, 14th March 2010 - Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The dramatic view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is an iconic image of both Sydney and Australia. The bridge is locally nicknamed "The Coathanger" because of its arch-based design.

The bridge was designed and built by Dorman Long and Co Ltd, Middlesbrough Teesside and Cleveland Bridge, Darlington, County Durham and opened in 1932. Until 1967 it was the city's tallest structure.[citation needed] According to Guinness World Records, it is the world's widest long-span bridge and it is the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres (440 ft) from top to water level.  It is also the fifth-longest spanning-arch bridge in the world.

Sunday, 14th March 2010 - Bridge Climb

Well we barely made the bridge climb. We got there sweating like pigs, knackered and unable to breath. We was on the Ferry heading back towards Central Quay, thinking we had left in plenty of time. Little did we know we was on the slowest ferry ever. Eventually we arrived at the quay and we was already a few minutes late. Now we had to run up hill to the bridge climb center. Only problem was we did not know where exactly we needed to be. After some dodgy directions we ended up on the wrong side of the bridge. Anyway, we eventually made it with 30 seconds to go, literally.

We donned out great looking jump suits and got our safety harnesses and head sets and radios all attached and secured. Then made our way out. Sadly you cannot take your own camera up with you. Because people would be stopping all the time or even worse they may drop there camera overboard. Can you imagine.

We went on the express climb. This is an hour shorter than the other climbs, but just as good. I think it gives better views. You walk out along a scary wooden platform to the first steel row and climb up that. Then you have to take some very steeps steps to the summit. Going up was ok. But I knew that going down was going to be horrific. Steve looked like he was going to die at some points. LOL.

Still we made it to the top and the whole group gout our pics taken. We then had to walk across the top. I thought I was not going to make it. It was seriously scary stuff. Luckily we did not hang out there long and we was straight over. But then we had to climb down those really steep stairs. Goowwdd. Still the views from the top were absolutely stunning. The weather was great. It was one of the best experiences ever. I am so glad I did it. It is good to care yourself once in a while.

Sunday, 14th March 2010 - Sky Tower

So in the morning we headed out and back into town. I was keen to go up the Sky Tower. We had done a similar thing at Melbourne and I was really keen. But once up there it was such a let down. It was no where near as well thought out as the one in Melbourne. Don't get me wrong I still really liked it and it was good, but Melbourne was ½ the price and so much better. We decided against the walk-out seen as we had the bridge climb in a few hours.

Saturday, 13th March 2010 - Wicked The Musical at Capitol Theatre

I read the book 'Wicked' by Gregory McGuire a year or so back and liked it. I have wanted to see the Musical adaptation for sometime. So I booked tickets a few months ago for a showing of it at the Capitol Theatre. It was great. I loved it. I could watch it over and over again. It was really really good. It cost an arm and leg but wwas well worth it. During the interval they served up some green Oz coloured ice'd alcholic drinks. Was great. Definitely up for seeing it again.

Saturday, 13th March 2010 - Wicked: The Musical

Wicked is a Broadway and West End musical, with songs and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. The story is based on the best-selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, a parallel novel of the 1939 film of L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the witches of the Land of Oz.

Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Galinda, later Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Their friendship struggles through their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government, and, ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace. The plot of the first act is set before Dorothy's arrival from Kansas, and includes several references to well-known scenes and dialogue in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz as a backstory.

Wicked the musical premiered at San Francisco's Curran Theatre in May 2003. In October, 2003, the show moved to Broadway's Gershwin Theatre. It was produced by Universal Pictures and directed by Joe Mantello, with musical staging by Wayne Cilento. Its original stars were Idina Menzel as Elphaba, Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, and Joel Grey as the Wizard. Although the production received mixed reviews and was panned by The New York Times, it has proved to be a favorite among patrons. The Broadway production's success spawned productions in Chicago, Los Angeles, London's West End, Tokyo, Melbourne, Sydney, Stuttgart, and San Francisco, as well as two North American tours that have visited over 30 cities in Canada and the United States.

Wicked has broken box office records around the world, holding weekly-gross-takings records in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis, and London, and the record for biggest opening in the West End (£100,000 in the first hour on sale). Both the West End production and the North American tour have been seen by over two million patrons. The show was nominated for ten 2004 Tony Awards, winning those for Best Actress (Menzel), Scenic Design and Costume Design. It also won six Drama Desk Awards and an Olivier Award.

Saturday, 13th March 2010 - Kings Cross, Sydney

Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney. It is bounded by the suburbs of Potts Point, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay and Darlinghurst. Kings Cross is colloquially known as The Cross.

The area is known as Sydney's red-light district. Once home to musical halls and grand theatres, it was rapidly transformed after World War II by the influx of troops returning and visiting from the nearby Garden Island naval base. Today, it is still dominated by bars, restaurants, nightclubs, strip clubs and adult bookstores.

History

The intersection of William Street, Darlinghurst Road and Victoria Street at the locality's southernmost limit was named Queens Cross to celebrate Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1897. Confusion with Queens Square in King Street in the city prompted its renaming as Kings Cross, after King Edward VII, in 1905.

Indigenous inhabitants

The traditional owners of the land were the Cadigal clan of the Eora people, who lived in the area for many thousands of years. After European settlement in 1788, the number of indigenous people was decimated by a smallpox outbreak in 1791 and the destruction of traditional food sources on the land and in the water.

European settlement

During the early 19th century the Kings Cross-Potts Point area was one of Sydney's most prestigious suburbs, being far enough to escape the noise and smell of the central city but close enough for easy travel. An additional attraction was the commanding harbour views to the east and north and (from some points) views to the west as far as the Blue Mountains.

In the early 1800s the Governor of NSW granted several large estates to favoured subordinates and leading businessmen. They built a series of grandiose mansions with sprawling gardens of up to ten acres (4 ha). The remnants of these gardens helped give the area its leafy character, and many of the mansions are commemorated in street names, such as Kellett Street.

Most of the grand estates were ultimately subdivided with all but a handful of the great houses demolished. One of the surviving estates is Elizabeth Bay House, a quintessential example of Australian colonial architecture.

Bohemian district
The Kings Cross district was Sydney's bohemian heartland from the early decades of the 20th century. From the 1960s onwards Kings Cross also came to serve as both the city's main tourist accommodation and entertainment mecca, as well as its red-light district. It thereby achieved a high level of notoriety out of all proportion to its limited geographical extent.

The area boomed during the late 1960s, with hundreds of American servicemen on R & R leave flocking to the area each week in search of entertainment. Organised crime and police corruption was well entrenched in the area—one of Sydney's most notorious illegal casinos operated with impunity for many years, although it was known to all and located only yards from Darlinghurst police station. Much of this activity can be related with Abe Saffron, commonly known as Mr Sin or "the boss of the Cross". This inevitably led to a rise in crime, vice and corruption, and a massive increase in the influx and use of heroin, much of which was initially brought in by American servicemen in the pay of drug rings.

A positive influence in the area during that time was The Wayside Chapel, run by the late Rev. Ted Noffs. His church was open most of the time, providing a "drop in centre" and counselling services to many of the itinerants who were drawn to the area. A foundation created in his name has been running since 1971.

From the late 1960s, drug-related crime was one of the area's main social problems, leading to the controversial establishment of Australia's first Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (where users of illegal drugs can inject themselves in clean conditions) at a shopfront site near Kings Cross railway station in May, 2001. An example of harm reduction, the injecting room is credited with reducing the occurrence of fatal overdoses in the injecting drug user community, as well as reducing the number of needles left in the street.

Since the turn of the century Kings Cross has witnessed a large number of real estate developments, both refurbishments of historic apartment buildings and the construction of new ones. This has resulted in demographic changes as affluent professionals are increasingly residing in the area and are in turn significantly altering the character of the area.

Saturday, 13th March 2010 - Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre on Bennelong Point in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who, in 2003, received the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest honour. The citation stated:

“ There is no doubt that the Sydney Opera House is his masterpiece. It is one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of great beauty that has become known throughout the world – a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country and continent. ”

Sydney Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007. Currently, it is the most recently constructed World Heritage Site to be designated as such, sharing this distinction with such ancient landmarks as Stonehenge and the Giza Necropolis. It is one of the 20th century's most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world.

Sydney Opera House is situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It sits at the northeastern tip of the Sydney central business district (the CBD), surrounded on three sides by the harbour (Sydney Cove and Farm Cove) and neighboured by the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Contrary to its name, the building houses six venues. The two largest venues, the Opera Theatre and Concert Hall, are housed in the two larger sets of shells. Three smaller theatres, the Drama Theatre, Playhouse and Studio are situated on the western side of the building, and the Utzon Room on the eastern side. The award winning Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant occupies the smaller set of shells. A seventh performance space, The Forecourt, is regularly used for free community events and large scale outdoor performances.

As one of the busiest performing arts centres in the world, providing over 1,500 performances each year attended by some 1.2 million people, Sydney Opera House promotes and supports many performing arts companies including the four key resident companies Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Symphony. Sydney Opera House also presents more than 700 of its own performances annually that offer an eclectic mix of artistic and cultural activities for all ages from the educational to the experimental. It is also one of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia, with more than 7 million people visiting the site each year.

Sydney Opera House is administered by the Sydney Opera House Trust, under the New South Wales Ministry of the Arts.

Saturday, 13th March 2010 - Sydney

We boarded the flight to Sydney without any hick ups. It was a smooth flight and did not take that long. Had to pick up some glasses at the airport 'cos Steve had lost his somewhere in Melbourne. There was enough time to grab some breakkie and buy a new book (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) before boarding the flight.

So after getting off the plane the first thing to notice is that it is much warmer than

Melbourne (Phew). We jumped in a taxis and drove straight to the hotel. Now we knew we would not be able to check in at this time, because it was like 9 am. But they was kind enough to take our bags and put them somewhere safe. We stayed in the Kings Cross are of Sydney. Which was a little scary. Well not scary. Just eye opening. It reminded me of London somewhat.

We had a walk around Kings Cross and got our travel passes. Then jumped on the bus to Central Quay. The home of the Sydney Opera house and great views of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Now I am surprised my camera has done as well as it has. I have thousands of pictures of Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. I got a little too carried away.

We got all the obligatory shots of us outside Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. Got a ferry around and under the bridge to Darling Harbor. Walked through the Chinese Gardens. Which was a surprise. I thought it was going to be pretty lame but it was actually really beautiful. After some more walking around and sight seeing we headed back to check in and get ready for the theatre.

Friday, 12th March 2010 - Great Ocean Drive

Now it is not called the 'Great Ocean Road' for nothing. It is truly amazing. The road stretches for ages and it is impossible to navigate it in a single day. Which is all we had. We managed to cover about 600km of it though and it was stunning. We made it as far as the twelve apostles. There is not actually twelve anymore though. But they are big heaps of rock that stand out between the ocean and the cliffs. The sun was shinning, the weather could not of been any better. It really was a great day.

Thursday, 11th March - Geelong

So we left the hotel and headed for the coast. Steve has an Auntie who lived there and arranged to see here. She was the most Yorkshire woman ever. And her house looked like it had been picked up out of deep Yorkshire and dropped in the middle of Melbourne. Even down to the Cheese and Spam toasties. Still was a great day.

Thursday, 11th March 2010 - Banged up abroad

In the morning after breakfast we went to the Gaol. The prison and police station of old, for Melbourne. We got to see loads of old stuff and where Ned Kelly was locked up and hanged. Then went next door for the police experience. This was really scary. The Sergeant was a right B!%*h. She would have given some of the people from Cell Block H a run for their money. Still despite been locked up for possessing a fire arm it was all good fun.

Wednesday, 10th March 2010 - Melbourne

So finally time for some fun. Been working hard and saving money for a holiday. I had to get up at 3am for my flight, but instead I woke up at 4 am. An hour later! I could not believe it. I managed to get a taxis and make it to the airport just in time to check in and make it to the plane in time for my flight to Melbourne.

After an uneventful flight I touched down in Melbourne. AND IT WAS FREEZING! Ok so maybe freezing is a slight exaggeration but it is certainly cold. I managed to meet Steve at the airport and then went for the hire car.

Now that was stressful. After queuing for about ½ an hour i made it to the front of the queue. Then the lady tells me I have no booking. So after about 10 minutes I realise I am a dick and have gone to the wrong company. LOL. So i had to go next door and queue for another ½ an hour before getting the rental. Which was just day light robbery. Still it was a really great car.

So we dumped the bags at the hotel and went into Melbourne and explored. We went up the tower and got some absolutely amazing views of the city.

Saturday, 6th March 2010 - Becky's Birthday

So the old girl is turning 26. He he he. Such a momentous occasion needs to be celebrated in style. What other way could we spend it than hiring out the Sub-Penthouse on the 63rd floor in Surfer's Paradise. Becky and I went on the train to Surfers. Matthew was driving but there was not enough room for us all. My thinking was I would rather volunteer to go on the train before the carnage. I did not fancy getting on no train with a banging hangover.

Becky and I was the first to get to the apartment and it was stunning. It was just the thing out of movies and dreams. The view was just stunning. There was three bed rooms. Four bathrooms and balcony that ran all way along the apartment. The en suite in the bathroom was amazing. It had a bath that gave you views of Surfers while the bath was also a spa and it was enclosed in the wet room. It was great. Becky being the birthday obviously had the master bedroom.

The others soon arrived and the party got started. We got the drink open and the tunes playing and danced and sang around. Messing around and having fun. We finally got ready and headed out.

We had a great night, went to a few bars and a club. Before heading home at about 3 am. Me and Emma headed up for home together. But soon realized we had no idea where we was supposed to be and no keys to get in once/if we found the place. Still we managed to find it and get in. LOL