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Sydney Chinese Food

January 5, 2020 by David Herd

Sydney Chinese Food

Sydney Chinese FoodSydney Chinese Food can be found at the very trendy Mr Wong in Bridge Lane not far from Circular Quay. Focusing on Cantonese food in a French Colonial setting, with a large selection of dishes including a huge dim sum selection.

Wonderful decor & atmosphere

Sydney Chinese FoodA very impressive venue as you can clearly see, with a seating capacity of 240 people.

Rather expensive as you can imagine

Sydney Chinese Food Around $100 per head which is probably not over the top for Sydney.

Too much duck is never enough. 🙂

Sydney Chinese FoodJust looking at this photo makes my mouth water.

An ideal setup for lone diners like myself

Sydney Chinese FoodThey cater for all requirements from large parties to lone diners like myself.

Large selection of Dim Sum

Sydney Chinese FoodOther than Japanese Dim Sum is my favourite way of eating.

Waiting to be cooked

Sydney Upmarket Chinese FoodFor all you amateur chefs out there who want to cook Cantones roast, just follow THIS LINK.

Sydney Chinese Food

Sydney Chinese FoodAlways nice to see the busy chefs working.

Mr Wong is owned and run by the Hemmes family, who for over 60 years,  began as an iconic fashion house started by John and Merivale Hemmes. Merivale’s fashion beginnings were soon followed by the  hospitality business, opening a Thai tea cafĂ© within their Sydney CBD fashion building in 1970. From here, Merivale’s hospitality roots were firmly planted.

Merivale is now led by CEO Justin Hemmes, whose creativity and knack for pushing the boundaries has made Merivale what it is today. Hemmes has become a pioneer within the Australian hospitality industry, growing the ever-expanding Merivale portfolio to over 70 brands and venues.

Sydney Chinese Food That’s all folks

Sydney Chinese Food

Thanks for visiting my Sydney Chinese Food photo blog.

Here are some more posts to check out 

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 book through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
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A-One hotel on Beach Road

Seven deadly Songkran days

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.               

 
 
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That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

Check out these great food photo blogs.

 


Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Shuck more oysters please

August 28, 2019 by David Herd

Shuck more oysters please

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya Shuck more oysters please they taste wonderful, and did you know that American and Italian researchers found they are rich in amino acids, which  trigger increased levels of sex hormones. Consequently their high zinc content aids the production of testosterone.  This photo blog will feature many of the places in this wonderful world where I have indulged my love of this incredible delicacy. The photo above is from the Surf & Turf restaurant in Pattaya Thailand where I enjoyed lunch on Friday August 24 2019.

Look at these beauties

Shuck more oystersI was in Sendai in Japan in June 2018 at Ostra de Ole restaurant & found that the Monday special offered half price oysters, I thought I was in heaven, sitting in a great little oyster bar drinking ice cold beer, listening to Abba singing Dancing Queen, & waiting on my 10 oysters to arrive. And as I said, tonight they were half price, 300 Baht or $12 AUD, priceless. 

I’m a very happy guy.

Shuck more oystersMy waiter Ryuichiro Yamamoto a nice young university student who was studying Space Engineering, rolled up with a bonus 3 oysters on the house.  Shuck more oysters please Shuck more oysters please Keep them coming buddy, I’ll tell you when to stop. 🙂

The Oyster Bar at Marina Pier Glenelg South Australia.

Shuck more oysters My old friend Dennis Young from the 70s & I are enjoying Coffin Bay oysters. Coffin Bay is a 700 km drive from Adelaide via Port Augusta or a 50 minute flight from Adelaide to Port Lincoln Airport.

Two dozen oysters = two days food poisoning on Copacabana Beach

Copacabana Rio de Janeiro I was totally out of it for 48 hours after eating these oysters on the beach, this was way back in 2006.

The Evil eye

Copacabana Rio de Janeiro The look on his face should have warned me about eating his oysters. He even had madman printed on his cap. 🙂

Back in Brazil in 2009

Shuck more oystersAnd back on a beach in Florianopolis pigging out on oysters au naturel. Oysters are good for your heart. They are high in omega – 3 fatty acids, potassium and magnesium which can help reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke and lower blood pressure. 

Pataya Thailand in 2003

Shuck more oystersI’m at one of the waterfront restaurants in the famous Walking Street.

Gold Coast Australia at Chevron Island seafood.

Shuck more oystersThis is the best seafood shop on the Gold Coast, that’s my old friend Frank who always looks after me.

Shuck more oysters please

Chevron Island Surfers Paradise I have been eating oysters here for 30 years.

El Mercado in Bangkok

Shuck more oystersCurrently the best value oysters in the northern hemisphere. 🙂

Oysters from Cancle in France

Shuck more oysters A huge selection from the Brittany coast. For prices & information please check out THIS LINK. Renowned for its oyster production, the commune of Cancale is located in Brittany, in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine. Fishing port, it takes place at the western end of the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel, on the Emerald Coast, about fifteen kilometers from Saint-Malo.  Prices at El Mercado Shuck more oysters please  From as low as B35 or $170 AUD each.

June 2022

https://fivestarvagabond.com/shuck-more-oysters-please/ A huge jump in prices.

Do I enjoy the oysters at El Mercado?

Shuck more oystersYou bet your bloody life I do. 🙂

Finally we are at Port Macquarie on the west coat of Australia.

Shuck more oysters People either love them or hate them. If you love them, head to the NSW mid-north coast, where a string of oyster farmers have opened up their doors to oyster lovers who know that fresh from the farm is best.

First trip to Tokyo in 2007

Shuck more oysters pleaseThe quality of food in Japan is wonderful.

Dining with Phil & Junko

Shuck more oysters pleaseThis was my first trip to Japan & I was very lucky to have my friends show me the ropes.

Life does not get much better than this.

Great food Waterfront Cape Town Add a stunning view, excellent decor and very efficient staff to the great food and you have all the ingredients for a perfect lunch in Cape Town.

The Kitchen Pattaya

Shuck more oysters please Oysters from France delivered fresh every Thursday & usually sold out by Friday.

$42 AUD per dozen

Shuck more oysters pleaseThey add ++ in Thailand for tax & a service charge, very annoying being forced to tip 10%. Thanks for visiting my Shuck more oysters photo blog. I’m planning to visit Canale in France in 2020 to totally pig out on their wonderful oysters fresh from the sea.

Pattaya seafood market

Shuck more oysters please Thai oysters at B40, or $1.30 USD.

Large Thai oyster

Shuck more oysters please I only tried one & it was better than I expected, even without lemon etc. We will include in our next oyster night.

Oysters at Central Festival Pattaya

Food review Pattaya 2020These oysters were on special, B360 or $11 USD for 9 & they tossed in one for free. 🙂 Certainly the best value I have found in Thailand.

Tuesday oysters special in Pattaya

Oysters Beach Club PattayaThe Beach Club at the Pullman hotel from 3 pm every Tuesday they serve fabulous oysters from France for B30 a piece. Of course being an upmarket hotel the Pullman adds ++ to the price, 7% VAT & 10% service which brings the price to B35 or $1’60 AUD. About $19 per dozen making it the best value I have found in Thailand.

Great value here…

L'Auberge French Restaurant Pattaya

At L’Auberge in Pattaya  fine de claire from France are on special, B570 per dozen, or $23 AUD.

Belon oysters

Shuck more oysters please   Shuck more oysters please

February 11 2022 & L’Auberge were sold out of fine de claire so I ordered the Belon oysters. Belons are the native oyster of Europe. They are an entirely different genus from the rest of our oysters. They act different, and they taste different. Way different. Love ’em or leave ’em. 

Menton on the French riviera

Shuck more oysters please Many of the oysters I eat here in Thailand come from France. Here are some I actualy ate in France. 🙂

Hamish Elton

Hamish Elton Oyster ManHamish eats more oysters than I do simply because he has more money than I do. 🙂 Consequently I have christened “The Oyster Man”. Check out Hamish Elton “The Oyster Man”.

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               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
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 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)
 
                          Click bottom right hand corner for full screen.   Check out these great photo blogs. Tokyo fabulous food Upmarket Chinese Food Sydney Food review Pattaya Thailand Good English restaurants Amazing World Food  Fresh seafood Bangkok Steakhouse New York Pattaya live webcam

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Beachfront restaurant Pattaya

August 24, 2019 by David Herd

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya

Beachside pattaya restaurant

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya is aptly named Surf & Turf & is rated number 100 out of 1187 restaurants in Pattaya. For far better food photographs than in this post just check out THIS LINK for my previous Surf & Turf photo blog.

Location

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya On the beach next door to the Long Beach Garden Hotel.

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya A fairly ordinary front entrance.

Air conditioned inside section

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya It’s much nicer inside which you can clearly see.

Catering for the smokers

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya The further away from me the better. 🙂

Inside in the aircon.

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya Especially during the day the front area beside the beach is the most popular part of the restaurant.

Another outdoor area

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya There is quite a number of different sections in this popular Beachfront restaurant Pattaya.

This is the beachside section

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya No aircon but they have plenty of fans & there is usually a beautiful breeze coming off the ocean.

An unusual dish

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya My friend ordered snapper, as you can see the portion was rather small & there was a skewer of beef with it.

Here is the seared tuna

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya Rather delicious.

Chicken Satay

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya The peanut sauce was excellent.

Oysters from France

Delicious, rather expensive here, around B500 or $24 AUD for 6, double what I pay at El Mercado in Bangkok.

My 2 Australian friends

Beachfront restaurant Pattaya Ian Fraser-Smith & David Robertson from the Gold Coast in Australia are regular visitors to Pattaya. They were both impressed with the food at the Surf & Turf.

For far better food photographs than in this post please check out THIS LINK for my previous Surf & Turf photo blog.

Thanks for visiting my Beachfront restaurant Pattaya photo blog, Surf & Turf has good food in a great seaside location.

Click bottom right hand corner for full screen. There is also a zoom facility.

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Chiang Mai with Tone9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)191de3bb-38fc-45cd-bce7-ef24081c554b

Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
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That’s all folks

1g Duck

This gallery contains 1 photo.

Pretty woman stop awhile

August 12, 2019 by David Herd

Pretty woman stop awhile

This is not a travel blog, it is part of my personal photo history, you may describe it as the melancholy musings of an old man. My answer to that is simple, it’s far better to be a “has been” than a “never was”. 🙂

Pretty woman stop a while

Pretty woman stop awhile, Pretty woman talk awhile, Pretty woman give your smile to me, Pretty woman yeah, yeah, yeah, Pretty woman look my way, Pretty woman say you’ll stay with me, ‘Cause I need you, I’ll treat you right, Come with me baby, be mine tonight. It seems fitting looking back on a random selection of some of the Pretty women I have been lucky enough to know, that Roy Orbison should help me recall some of those wonderful memories.

That’s Karen Smith in 1985, my 3rd & last fiancee, I have never known a nicer girl. 

Carol Aboud in 1978

Pretty woman stop awhile This was taken on my birthday which fell on 7-7-77, Carol & I were an item (on & off) for around 4 years. 

Sing it for me Neil. 🙂

Carolyn Clark 1994

Pretty woman stop a while

I still see Carolyn when I’m on the Gold Coast, in fact in July 2019 we made a little promotional video for her boyfriend Andy Sims.

Next we have Glenn Frey sing a beautiful song, ok I know the song is Caroline as opposed to Carolyn, but you get the picture.

Now this definitely is a pretty woman.

Pretty woman stop awhile

Kelly Davis hailed from Tasmania, we knocked around together for a few months in 1991.

Kelly was a huge fan of Van Morrison so here is another one of my favourites.

One of the sexiest of all the girls I knew.

Pretty woman stop awhile There is something about those Kiwi girls, hot, hot, hot. Karen Greenwood & I had an on & off relationship for over a year in 1991. She stuck around mainly because I lent her a car. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Now here we have a real wild child.

Pretty woman stop awhileAllison Schroeder, 18 years of age & gorgeous. Of course I was only 45 at the time. 🙂 If I remember correctly I promised her the world & bought her an atlas. 🙂

As they say in the classics, I was having the time of my life. 🙂

Allison was wild but Tanya was crazy. 🙂

Pretty woman stop awhileGreat company sober, but give her a couple of drinks too many & she would turn into a nightmare. This was 1989 on the Gold Coast.

Time to feature a triple treat.

Pretty woman stop awhile Meet Kitty, Di Parko & Helen Burke,  before you ask the answer is yes. 🙂

They don’t come any hotter than Donna Turner.

 Pretty woman stop awhile

This was 1996 & she still looks fabulous today in 2019.

Marlene Cuthbert

Pretty woman stop awhile Around 1983 Marlene worked for Ansett Airlines, she had a very sexy voice on a microphone, that’s why Ansett used her to make all the announcements at mascot airport. 🙂

Looking back I sometimes regret I chose Karen Smith to be my 3rd fiancee instead of Marlene. Don’t get me wrong, Karen was one of the nicest person I ever knew, our personalities were at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Lee Gregory was my 2nd fiancee.

Pretty woman stop awhile

Lee was from Adelaide where met, then we reconnected again in Melbourne in 1974. We had a fairly hectic dramatic short time together, travelled to Singapore & Bali & saw Frank Sinatra in concert in Melbourne on my birthday 7-7-74. 

This is one of my all time Sinatra favourites, I can think of no better song to play when I think of Lee.

And they did…..

Pretty woman stop a while Teresa Hamilton-Smith & Helen Burke, we had a lot of fun together in 1982 & 1983.

Barbara Manneli aka the Gypsy. 

Pretty woman stop awhile

The classic island romance, we celebrated the millennium on Koh Samui, 3 months later I flew to Italy to re-kindle the affair. Guess what? I didn’t make 1st base. 🙂 

This one’s for you Gypsy.

Tall & tanned & young & lovely

Pretty woman stop a while

This is Mel, we me on Copacabana beach, she had green eyes & was 6′ tall, say no more. 🙂

Bebel Gilberto will sing the song for us.

Someones knocking at the door.

Pretty woman stop awhile

Do me a favour open the door & let em in.

This is Emily at the Sheraton Mirage.

Pretty woman stop awhile Was a Gold Coast meter maid.

Then there was Jill….

Pretty woman stop awhileCool, sexy & a lot of fun. Last time I saw her was in Sydney in 2102.

Back to the 60s

Pretty woman stop awhile Veronica Crocker was my 2nd serious girlfriend, we dated for a couple of years when I was a teenager until the wanderlust took hold of me & at the ripe old age of 20 I sailed to England. 

Dion DiMucci was a huge artist in the 60s, here are two of his songs. Both bring back great memories of my time with Veronica.

Teenager in Love

Take good care of my Baby

My first serious girlfriend

Pretty woman stop awhile What incredible memories I have of this gorgeous girl Elizabeth Wiggington, better known as Beth. She lived on the corner of Wellington Rd & Antwerp St & I would ride my bike 3.3 Km from my home at 58 Kihilla Rd. It was much easier when I got my drivers licence & bought my little Morris Minor, except for the night I was driving home from her house & collided with a horse on Cumberland Rd. 🙂

Now here is one of the reasons I love Facebook, it was 1960 when we were together for 1 to 1.5 years, then I never really saw her again. It’s now September 2019, 59 years later & we have re-connected on Facebook, in fact Beth sent me quite a few photos, because way back then for some stupid teenage reason I had torn up all the ones I owned. 🙂

Johnny Burnette can remind us how it was back then.

The old shipboard romance.

Pretty woman stop awhileI needed to get over my long romance with Veronica & Leanne Scott on the ship to England seemed like the perfect solution. 🙂

Sing it for me Bobby……

Wendy Winspear, tall & gorgeous.

Pretty woman stop awhile A lovely Dutch girl on the Gold Coast, sadly she passed away far too young around 2017, RIP.

My first fiancee, Melbourne 1970.

Pretty woman stop awhilePaula Wills was an Adelaide girl living in Melbourne & working as a an hostess for Ansett. After 3 months living together I think we just ran out of things to say.

Dianne Parkinson in 1975

Pretty woman stop awhileTo say Parko bought some dramas into my life is a gross understatement. Read about some of it on THIS LINK.

The sweetest Diane of them all.

Pretty woman stop awhile

Adelaide 1973 Diane Butson was one of my neighbours in a condo block on Anzac Highway. She was a dance instructor at Arthur Murray dance studio. A great girl & absolutely gorgeous.  Follow THIS LINK for more old photos.

Great song from the Bachelors in 1964.

The Bachelors ~ Diane ~ 1964

Another beautiful Adelaide girl.

Pretty woman stop awhileJan Seagers was another neighbour, we had some terrific times together. We caught up again in 2015, I had not seen her for 40 years. Check out THIS LINK.

Pretty woman stop awhile

Pretty woman stop a while Helen Burke from Melbourne, we really had some fun, played backgammon all through Hawaii & the California coast in 1982.

Linda Ronstadt will tell you about the coast.

Well by now you are bored silly by the memories & musings of an old man. But make no mistake, Glenn Frey will describe exactly how I feel today.

Pretty woman stop a whileSo it’s time for me to go, thank you for visiting my Pretty woman stop awhile photo blog. Here is the collection on Flickr.

Jose Feliciano has the last word.

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             Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
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 That’s all folks
Surfers Paradise Party Animals
 
 
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A-One hotel on Beach Road

Seven deadly Songkran days

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.               

 

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

 Soi Cowboy (5)           e1274c0c-cf4d-4406-b5dc-d9e8071e382e            8993ef02-ccf3-46a7-8b6d-fc11af9d93ad

Check out these great posts


Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Boys must have toys

August 7, 2019 by David Herd

Boys must have toys

Boys must have toys

Boys must have toys, it’s ingrained in our DNA. I have searched through my photos to find nearly all of the cars & boats I have had the pleasure of owning throughout my life.

They don’t come much prettier than my yellow canary shown above, I owned this beautiful Mercedes 350SL for 17 years from 1990 till 2007.

Here’s what you do with a beautiful carYou fill it up with pretty girls of course. 🙂

When you own a beautiful Mercedes….

Boys must have toys

Naturally you need a Porsche to keep it company. 🙂

When you drove a Porsche on the Gold Coast……..

Boys must have toys

Good things seemed to happen.

My first Mercedes 350 SL

Boys must have toys

I purchased this classic in 1980, it was the ultimate chick magnet. 🙂

When you have a Mercedes & a Porsche…..

Boys must have toys
Naturally you need a boat. 🙂 This is a 22′ Fraser with a 200 HP Yamaha.

Next you need a crash test dummy

Boys must have toys

This keeps the birds away when the covers are off. 🙂

My previous boat.

Boys must have toys 

19 foot long with a 150 HP Suzuki. 

Life is hard, then you die.

Boys must have toys

Joking of course, life is wonderful, when you die you can take a rest. 🙂

26 foot Williams bay cruiser

Boys must have toys

This was my boat when I lived in Newport in Sydney in the 80s.

Also at Newport

Boys must have toys 

A little runabout to get me around Pittwater & Scotland Island. Do you like the name?

Here is my Bertram 25

Boys must have toys

A terrific flybridge cruiser with twin 165 HP Mercury inboards. It was moored outside my Drummoyne apartment in the early 80s & spent most of the time visiting Doyles at Watsons Bay.

When you own a boat…..

Boys must have toys 

Good things seem to happen. 🙂 🙂 🙂 

Loading the team on board

Boys must have toys 

Off to Doyles again.

Gluttony at it’s very best. 🙂

Boys must have toys 

So many memories of long lazy lunches at Doyles.

A typical Sunday at Doyles

Boys must have toys

Huge crowd at Doyles & the Watson’s Bay hotel next door.

Back to the cars

Boys must have toys

Early 80s I drove a Ford Marquis for a while.

You gotta love a Benz. 🙂

Boys must have toys

This was my Mercedes 280 E in 1989.

My beautiful Jaguar XJ 6.

Boys must have toys 

It came with 2 petrol tanks & 2 gorgeous girls.

My first car

Boys must have toys

Sorry about the photo quality most of my photos were damaged when my home in Melbourne was firebombed in September 1977. But that’s another story, it & others are on THIS LINK.

Next car was an iconic FJ Holden.

Boys must have toys

My girlfriend Beth washing my FJ Holden outside my home at 58 Kihilla Rd Auburn. 

I was lucky to survive some of the things I did in this car. Looking back, I was a typical teenager in the 60s who knew no fear.

Then came the Volkswagen

Boys must have toys 

I can remember floating it on the flooded highway at Ballina in the floods. I just pushed it 50 metres to the dry road.

When you owned a VW in the 60s……

Boys must have toys

Good things happened, for example “Veronica Crocker”.

EH Holden station wagon.

Boys must have toys

This was my next car after arriving home in 1965 after 18 months in England & Europe, including a 4 month stint as an officer on the La Maria.

A 1970 MGB, my first new car.

Boys must have toys

It set me back just under $3000, worth every cent. Purchased in Melbourne, relocated to Sydney for 2 years then moved to Adelaide in 1972.

A 1971 E Type Jaguar

Boys must have toys 

Forget the photo quality the car was magnificent. I remember driving from Adelaide to Melbourne in the middle of the night in 5 hours 45 minutes.

When you drove an E type good things happened.

Boys must have toys

Meet Jan Seagars & my Doberman Ziggy, this was Lexton Grove Windsor in 1974. Three thoroughbreds together.

My two sports cars

Boys must have toys

One was a little faster than the other, but I loved them both. Madison was guarding the fleet.

The work horse

Boys must have toys

My Commodore station wagon initially was my 2nd car, in 2003 I took 3 Japanese students on a road trip which started in Surfers Paradise & went through Broken Hill  NSW to Coober Pedy in South Australia. The next leg took us to Uluru aka Ayers Rock. 

Boys must have toys

Boys must have toys 

You may think this Lexus is a little out of character, I owned it for 3 years prior to moving to Thailand in 2011. Without a doubt it was the best value out of all the vehicles I ever owned. Paid $7,500 in 2008 & sold it for $7,000, it was as smooth as silk.

Well, that’s all folks.

Boys must have toys

Many thanks for visiting my Boys must have toys photo blog & indulging me in truck loads of nostalgia. 

 Here are some more posts to check out

         Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

2835141a-02cf-4cda-a909-2a8408a99f47        6a173a01-9744-404a-a45f-87a975ec90fa          d5436828-abbc-4da1-a638-7f90436c6417

  Adelaide 1972                 Iron Bar Freddy               Sydney 2006

417091_10150704751043594_62315468_n          Susies home Newport 1 (1)        April24FreewayHotel-33 (1)

Thailand 2008                Gold Coast Babes               World trip 2003

Fun in Pattaya-116         92bfa275-a122-4078-9970-1e24188a5917        CopacabanabeachNov2003-124

             Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
                              Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
                         d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037              01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f
 
 That’s all folks
 
 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1) 
A-One hotel on Beach Road

Seven deadly Songkran days

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Surfers Paradise Party Animals 1992

January 15, 2018 by David Herd

This is not a travel blog, it is part of my personal photo history. It seemed like Groundhog day. 🙂

Surfers Paradise Party Animals

Surfers Paradise Party Animals

Surfers Paradise Party Animals, 1992 was just another year of fun & games on the beautiful Gold Coast. I was certainly among the main party hosts, I had a great home for entertaining & I loved have lots of beautiful girls around. 

Some of the usual suspects.

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsNaturally when there were pretty girls around the competition between the guys was fierce. 🙂

A rose between two thorns, I don’t think so. 🙂

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsI guess there is no need to say I was enjoying life to the max.

Occasionally some of the girls would relax in the spa.

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsNaturally I always had my camera ready.

These girls loved nature

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsAnd Dr Evil was always there with the camera. 🙂

Roslyn & Jill looking good

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsI remember spending some “quality time” with both these lovely ladies.

 Jill & Sharon

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsAnother “daily double” I’m happy to say, (that just means I bonked them both. 🙂 )we saw a show that night at Jupiters casino, I think it was Barry Humphries.

Andre Buzek dentist extraordinaire, (I don’t think so)

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsSadly my great mate lost his life soon after in a car crash in Cuba.

Girl of the year Kelly Davis

Surfers Paradise Party Animals I was lucky enough to spend a few months on & off with this lovely lady.

Here we are on New Years Eve

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsNaturally Harley is locked & loaded once again. 🙂

My favoute song from 1992

Big Steve Bristow (son of Tim) & Greg Johnston.

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsNow in 2018 Greg lives in Pattaya & runs a bar on the dark side, & Steve still lives on the Gold Coast.

 Birthday drinks at Melbas 7-7-92

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsOur local drinking hole was Melbas on the Park.

Mister Melbas himself.

PaulAllen1992 (1)

The late great Paul Allen, a Surfers Paradise icon.

Talking about icons…………

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsDaryl Beattie is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer, those bikes however all belonged to  Mick Doohan the living legend who won five consecutive 500 cc World Championships. The guy in the middle is a legend in his own lunch time, my good mate Ross Kennedy aka “Shoeless Joe”.

 Talking about legends…

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsHere I am giving my boat a good wash. 🙂

A good looking bunch of babes

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsIt was Xmas day 1992 and we all had a great lunch at my home in 106 Upton St Bundall.  My main squeeze at the time was Kelly 2nd from the right, & my occasional squeeze was Jill standing beside her. 🙂

Another night another dinner at Upton St

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsHarley & his gay flatmate naturally came dressed in their army outfits. 🙂 Tat’s Kandice on the left & Nicola on the right.

That night produced one of my favourite photos

Surfers Paradise lifeThis is a true classic.

Another classic from 1992

Surfers Paradise Party AnimalsLyn Goss & Roslyn provided the glamour & Tony Murphy & I contributed with a truck load of style. 🙂

Can’t remember the other guys name.

 Here are some more posts to check out

         Life 2015                     Family history                   Life 1982

2835141a-02cf-4cda-a909-2a8408a99f47        6a173a01-9744-404a-a45f-87a975ec90fa          d5436828-abbc-4da1-a638-7f90436c6417

  Adelaide 1972                 Iron Bar Freddy               Sydney 2006

417091_10150704751043594_62315468_n          Susies home Newport 1 (1)        April24FreewayHotel-33 (1)

Thailand 2008                Gold Coast Babes               World trip 2003

Fun in Pattaya-116         92bfa275-a122-4078-9970-1e24188a5917        CopacabanabeachNov2003-124

             Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
                              Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
                         d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037              01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f
 
 That’s all folks
Surfers Paradise Party Animals
 
Pattaya live webcam 
 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1) 
A-One hotel on Beach Road

Seven deadly Songkran days

For a great room rate at the A-One hotel opposite the beach just book through THIS LINK.               

 

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

 Soi Cowboy (5)           e1274c0c-cf4d-4406-b5dc-d9e8071e382e            8993ef02-ccf3-46a7-8b6d-fc11af9d93ad

Check out these great posts

Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Amazing Food Planet Earth

June 22, 2017 by David Herd

Eat to live or live to eat?

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one starting with AUSTRALIA.

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

 Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one, you are probably not mistaken thinking my life revolves around food. I guess I’m guilty as charged, therefore I’m going to highlight through my photo blog called “Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one” my favorite food from all over this wonderful world.

The best seafood in the world.

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

Of course that’s just my opinion, Australia has the 7th longest coastline in the world, 25,760 km (16,006 miles) so is it any wonder there is an abundance of seafood on offer?

There is only one problem.

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

Seafood like most things in 2017 in Australia, is rather expensive. However that is not going to stop me enjoying this wonderful food. In March 2017 I was in Port Macquarie on the NSW coast where they have some of Australia’s best seafood. What you see above was around $25.

I have eaten oysters all over the world, please check out THIS LINK.

Next in the alphabet I believe is AUSTRIA.

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

If you visit Austria you will certainly eat a schnitzel, absolutely delicious 🙂  

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

We are a long way from the ocean in Salzburg but that makes no difference, they love seafood and offer very high quality as you can clearly see. Check out my road trip from St Moritz to Salzburg.

Belgium

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

I have traveled to Brussels & Bruges & really enjoyed the food. They seemed have an obsession with Mussels & Fries, & Mussels I can take or leave. Consequently I indulged in other areas. There is no doubt they brew the best beer in the world. 

Bruges.

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

One of my many weaknesses, I guess that’s why I’m 112 kilos.

CAPE TOWN

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

  The entree pictured above was as good as I have had anywhere in the world. Prawn and avocado tian with sesame wonton crisp’s and a touch of “caviar” for around $9 aud. A dozen Oysters were only $22 aud.

We can’t escape the seafood in Cape Town

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

Why would we want to when it’s served like this? 🙂

Lets take a closer look at this great food 

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

If you are in Cape Town make sure you visit  OYO restaurant & cocktail bar.

Croatia & Bosnia

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

Without any doubt they have the best  Cevapcici in the world. This fabulous snack was in Sarajevo, Ä†evapi has its origins in the Balkans during the Ottoman period, and represents a regional specialty similar to the kofte kebab.

Donner Kebab

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

 Another specialty is the Donner Kebab originally from Turkey, delicious but for me the Cevapcici wins hands-down. đź™‚

And the winner is….

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

THE Cevapcici.

ITALY BELLA BELLA

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

Famous of course for both food & wine, when I am there I’m always looking for a  Veal Scallopini. I doubt if I have ever had a better one than this in a side walk restaurant beside Lake Como.

I know this is the best pizza I have ever eaten.

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

 Caffè Italiano, Via Isola delle Stinche, 11R-13R in Florence. Without a doubt this is the best pizza I have ever eaten in my life. You can’t book at this small restaurant, you must wait outside in the lane until there is a free table, believe me however, the wait is worth it.

Amazing Food Planet Earth, just go there

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

The magician who makes them is originally from Naples.

Portifino costa plenty. 🙂

Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one

I’m going to wind up volume one at Portofino where the delicious seafood soup in 2006 cost 26 Euros, it’s probably twice that price now. 🙂

Thanks for visiting my Amazing Food Planet Earth Volume one photo blog. Check out volume two here.

   Please check out these fabulous posts     
Pattaya Hilton

Pattaya hotels, Hilton & Holiday Inn

This is the view from Horizons the amazing rooftop bar. A great five star hotel located opposte the beach & above the Central Festival shopping mall. Just book through THIS LINK for an excellent room rate. 

 Soi Cowboy                  Nana Plaza                    Patpong

 Soi Cowboy (5)           e1274c0c-cf4d-4406-b5dc-d9e8071e382e            8993ef02-ccf3-46a7-8b6d-fc11af9d93ad

 
  Please check out these fabulous posts
       Gold Coast                              Pattaya                          Cinque Terre
bd96516a-84df-4ca0-86e6-c757cc9053d1          01a75360-9573-473f-acba-3a187f779b7f          e18b6c87-5adc-4a80-92cf-6c643ad130c1
 
Rio de Janeiro                  Singapore                    Eastern Europe
f044491e-69aa-4082-b49b-1ff33557d7d4          60e7d26d-1039-4dde-863d-62b66656ccbf          1bea4a99-cb07-4161-83ba-75c0ef2b63cc
    Bangkok Bars                         Tokyo                      Cape Town Safari
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          f5e9441a-4154-44e0-a362-18b662d40b48          2a2b79ea-bc5f-46e3-8448-2e71658eff14 
               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037          b1c99886-3940-4dda-b350-44c5e5c77e41
 
 That’s all folks

1g Duck

 

Check out these great food photo blogs.

Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

April 18, 2017 by David Herd

Driving south from Gosford to Sydney.

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour were all waiting for me after my leisurely drive down the east coast from Surfers Paradise in QLD. 

It was a great drive down from from Surfers Paradise  to Sydney stopping at Kingscliff, Yamba, Port Macquarie, Forster-Tuncurry, Gosford & Coogee. Also dropped into Maroubra which is a place I have not seen for over 50 years. Just click on the links to see my photo blogs.

The historic Roseville Cinema

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

 On the road between Hornsby & Sydney is The historic Roseville Cinema on the Pacific Highway, noted for its art deco facade. It became Traynor’s Picture Palace in 1919, but did not become a full-scale cinema until 1936. Roseville Cinema was renovated & updated to two screens in 1995.

Approaching the Harbour Bridge

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

Not too much traffic on a Sunday morning.

World famous Sydney Opera House.

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

A fabulous iconic Sydney landmark.

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

Huge ships dock at Circular Quay because they are too tall to go under the Harbour Bridge.

Naturally Bill had to climb it. ?

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

 Being an ex Para Military man who has made over 500 parachute jumps my friend Bill Austin naturally had to climb to the top of the bridge, and what an amazing view he had from there.

Sydney Harbour Ferry

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

Circular Quay ferry terminal.

The famous Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

Opened in 1933 it is certainly Australia’s best known landmark.

 Holiday Inn Old Sydney

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

For a very good room rate at the Holiday Inn walking distance to Circular Quay just book through THIS LINK.

From the Manly ferry

Sydney World's Best Harbour

After leaving Circular Quay we pass the Opera House on the way to Manly.

Rose Bay 

Sydney City Boats Beaches Harbour

These boats are moored at the Royal Motor Yacht Club of NSW.

The Sydney Harbour foreshore.

Sydney City Boats Beaches Harbour

Sydney harbour is quite amazing, certainly the best in the world.

Arriving at Manly

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

About a 45 minute journey across the wonderful harbour.

My lovely friend Sue from Shanghai

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

A beautiful summers day at Manly.

A little further north.

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

Dee Why beach is about 7 kms north of Manly.

For a good place to stay 1/2 way between Manly & Dee Why just book through THIS LINK.

Lets jump to the South side of the harbour

Sydney City Boats Beaches Harbour

Here is the city skyline from Watsons Bay.

Doyles on the Beach

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

 On this the original site, Doyles opened Australia’s first seafood restaurant in 1885.

Catalina Restaurant Rose Bay

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

 Family-owned waterfront restaurant known for its upmarket seafood dishes and open veranda bar.

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour Bondi Junction

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

The junction is very quite indeed of a Sunday. 

 Maroubra Beach

Sydney City Boats Beaches Harbour

This trip I skipped Bondi Beach & went further south straight to Maroubra. For lots more photos just follow THIS LINK.

Back a little north to Coogee

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

More photos HERE.

 Ronin Hood Hotel Waveley

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

ORIGINALLY BUILT BY TOOTH & CO. IN 1938 & RECENTLY RESTORED TO ITS ART-DECO GLORY, THE ROBIN HOOD HOTEL IS LOCATED ON THE CORNER OF BRONTE AND CARRINGTON ROADS IN WAVERLEY (CHARING CROSS).

Wonderful antique pub signs

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

When I was growing up I remember these great signs were on most Australian pubs. 

Typical old Australian home in Waverley.

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

I would hate to think what it’s worth today, Sydney prices are outragious. 

House prices in Waverley

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

As you can see you need plenty of money to live in Sydney. 🙂 

My road trip from QLD has ended

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

My Honda rental car never missed a beat, time to head to the airport.

Apex Car rental

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

It’s worth checking their promotional prices, ofter you can get a terrific rate to relocate one of their vehicles. In my case I rented for 6 days at $19 aud per day. Picked it up at Surfers Paradise & dropped it off at Sydney airport.

A great trip down the coast.

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

Certainly one of the world’s great coastlines.

A Qantas kerosene canary

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

However I’m flying Singapore Air which leaves Qantas for dead.

Novatel Brighton Beach

Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour

As we taxi out you can see the Novatel at Brighton, so if you want to stay near the airport just book through THIS LINK for an excellent rate.

Siam Sunset

Untitled

An hour away from Bangkok we have a beautiful sunset. Thanks for visiting my Sydney Boats Beaches Harbour photo blog.

                     Here are some more posts to check out
 

           Zagreb Croatia                      Rio de Janeiro                  Brisbane River 

Zagreb Croatia bars restaurants        a7ff7566-9628-434d-a2b1-8c6e8b9a9021       IMG_0100

       

     Koh Samui                                   Korea                                  London

32780a6c-baf6-428a-bd71-68b1bed30b4c         Changdeokgung Palace (2)        IMG_7042

         Bangkok                                   Osaka                                     Pattaya

Soi Cowboy (25)          Osaka 1st night (17)       Walking St Pattaya is wild & sexy 

                                     

             Chiang Mai                      Pattaya                      Chao Phraya river

Chiang Mai with Tone        9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)   191de3bb-38fc-45cd-bce7-ef24081c554b

Pattaya live webcam
 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

That’s all folks

1g Duck

Click here to check out Beach Rd Pattaya.

Australian adventures


Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Road Trip South Australia

April 13, 2017 by David Herd

Road trip with Japanese students.

Road Trip South Australia

Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia

Road Trip South Australia reminds me of the last frontier and the road trip I took in 2003. Three Japanese students, Yukako, Megumi & Noriko & I travelled from the Gold Coast in Queensland, through Broken Hill  NSW to Coober Pedy in South Australia, a fascinating opal mining town where most of the population live in underground houses, then on to Ayers Rock and back home to the Gold Coast via Hervey Bay where we went whale watching. On our marathon journey all through the Australian Outback we traveled 7,300 kilometers  which was around 82 hours behind the wheel. 

The above photo is at Tenterfield on the New England Highway.

Peter Allen Motor Inn

a87c5f32-93ed-48a3-9ce7-e1a600c5c54f (1)

This famous Australian singer son writer was born in Tenterfield. For a discounted room rate just book through THIS LINK.

Listen to Peter sing one of his famous songs about the Tenterfield sadler.

The first stage

Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia

Across  NSW to South Australia.

Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia

Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia

Our first day on the road, we will overnight in Broken Hill.

Trades Hall in Broken Hill.

Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia

 The Trades Hall is Broken Hill’s most historically important building. 

Broken Hill in outback NSW.

Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia

Broken Hill over 1,100 km (680 mi) west of Sydney and  surrounded by semi-desert.

For a very good discount on a Broken Hill hotel just book through THIS LINK.

Typical outback building

Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia

 In the 19th and early 20th century Broken Hill was home to a community of Afghans. Afghans worked as camel drivers in parts of outback Australia, and they made a significant contribution to economic growth when transport options were limited. The camel drivers formed the first sizeable Muslim communities in Australia, and in Broken Hill they left their mark in the form of the first mosque in NSW (1891).

Wilmington South Australia

Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia

 Wilmington is a farming community, known for sheep, wheat and barley, but more recently for the planting of olive groves.

Road Trip South Australia, the general store

Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia

Wilmington is 305 kilometres north of the state capital, Adelaide.

This was at Byron Bay near the start of our journey.

Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia

Such lovely young girls,  Noriko Megumi & Yukako. Thanks for visiting my Surfers Paradise Road Trip South Australia photo blog. Next stop is Coober Pedy.

 Lots more posts here;

   Zagreb Croatia                      Rio de Janeiro                  Brisbane River 

Zagreb Croatia bars restaurants        a7ff7566-9628-434d-a2b1-8c6e8b9a9021       IMG_0100

       

     Koh Samui                                   Korea                                  London

32780a6c-baf6-428a-bd71-68b1bed30b4c         Changdeokgung Palace (2)        IMG_7042

         Bangkok                                   Osaka                                     Pattaya

Soi Cowboy (25)          Osaka 1st night (17)       Walking St Pattaya is wild & sexy 

                                     

             Chiang Mai                      Pattaya                      Chao Phraya river

Chiang Mai with Tone9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)191de3bb-38fc-45cd-bce7-ef24081c554b

Bangkok Hotels        Pattaya Hotels
d0c59ff5-7f2b-41b5-9312-4556d4a62037b1c99886-3940-4dda-b350-44c5e5c77e41
Pattaya live webcam
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

That’s all folks

1g Duck

Counter only started June 16 2020.

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Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

March 28, 2017 by David Herd

Chevron Island Surfers Paradise

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

 Surfers Paradise Sydney  Trip seeing lots of friends & in particular caught up with Karen Greenwood an old girlfriend from 1991, 26 years ago. As you can see see still looks fantastic. 🙂 So many great memories came flooding back, it was certainly wonderful week Surfers Paradise. We are at Franks seafood cafe on Chevron Island.

Here we are 26 years ago.

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

I couldn’t resist posting this photo from 1991. 

Melbas on the Park

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

I first visited this iconic bar on New Years Day 1982, 35 years ago. The reason I am so sure of the date is it was the day after my unforgettable NYE on Sydney harbour with my overloaded boat being showered by sky rockets.

First stop Kingscliff only a 40 minute drive.

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

Just a quick stop for a very good breakfast and some photos.

Breakfast at Kingscliff

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

The name of the cafe was Kettles On & the breakfast was excellent.

Miles of deserted beach at Kingscliff

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

Certainly an idealic place to live.

Kingscliff to Yamba

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

About a 2 hour drive to Yamba on the Clarence river, this is my first visit to this pleasant little coastal town.

The sea was angry that day my friends….

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

Many thanks to George Castanza. 🙂

Discounted room rates at Yamba through THIS LINK.

 Mexican

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

Strangely Mexican food has never been on my list of favourites.

Mexican! That’s not a Mexican, this is a Mexican.

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

My apologies Pablo.

Yamba to Port Macquarie

Surfers Paradise Sydney Road Trip

A 3.5 hour drive with a stop at Grafton for a Maccas.

Old habits die hard…

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

Over the years I think I have stopped here at Grafton 20 times for a strawberry shake.

 

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip, Port Macquarie.

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

The mouth of the Hastings River in Port Macquarie.

Centre of town

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

Port has quite a large shopping centre & a population of 80,00 & growing rapidly.

Expected growth

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

A very popular area with a good climate and about a 4’5 hour drive to Sydney.

Port Macquarie to Gosford.

 

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

With a brief stop at Newcastle to say hi to my old mate Barry Madden.

Barry Madden

Surfers Paradise Sydney Road Trip

Barry & I worked together in the mid 90s with NRMA as financial planners. 

The Settlers Tavern Gosford

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

A terrific T Bone at Settlers Tavern at 2 Hely Street, West Gosford. They have a great menu for a local pub, check it out on THIS LINK.

Early morning workout

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

It was a perfect Sunday morning for a workout for these rowers.

Gosford to Sydney 

Surfers Paradise Sydney Road Trip

The final leg of my Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip.

Maroubra Beach

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

One of Sydney’s famous southern beaches.

Chaotic Coogee Beach.

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

Late afternoon & most people have gone home or to the pub. 🙂

For a great room rate in Coogee or anywhere in the world just book through THIS LINK.

Classic Australian pub picture

Surfers Paradise Sydney Trip

This is the Robin Hood hotel at Waverly, however years ago these fabulous pictures were found on most Aussie pubs.

It was a great drive down from from Surfers Paradise  to Sydney stopping at Kingscliff, Yamba, Port Macquarie, Forster-Tuncurry, Gosford & Coogee. Also dropped into Maroubra which is a place I have not seen for over 50 years. Just click on the links to see my photo blogs.

Thanks for visiting my Surfers Paradise Sydney  Trip photo blog. 

           

                    Here are some more posts to check out 

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          Tokyo                        Rio De Janeiro                        Budapest
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           London                            Beijing                            Capetown
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                book through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
                                                                 Plus free cancellation .
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Slide show here.

Pattaya live webcam
 
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That’s all folks

1g Duck

Check out these great photo blogs.

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