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@ Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Katie begins her walkabout in New South Wales!

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@ Living on the Edge

White Daisy Egg
My pets are in awe of these beautiful eggs—they would love to try to paint their own one year. Easter and spring are times of joy as the earth awakens, plants are pushing forth from the soil, and the days are becoming warmer. Many baby animals are born in the spring, and life is burgeoning. May these eggs bring you joy and be a reminder of the earth renewing itself.

Living on the Edge
A cliff edge in the Blue Mountains National Park, New South Wales.

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@ Cliff Hanger
"Did you know the Sydney Harbour Bridge has a little twin, Katie?" asked Peaksy.
"How little? And where?" responded Katie.
"It's the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle on Tyne, England. Both bridges were designed by the same London firm and both were built by the same Middlesbrough contractors. The one in Newcastle opened in 1928, four years earlier than the Sydney Harbour Bridge, simply because it's so much smaller, i.e. 1,276 feet in total length (389 m) compared to the 3,770 feet (1149 m) of the Sydney one."
Cliff Hanger
The Blue Mountains, NSW.

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@ Maroubra, Sydney
C'mon Katie, put that camera away and grab your surfboard and shades, because Bondi Beach is where all the cool dudes hang!
Maroubra, Sydney
Maroubra, Sydney

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@ Coogee, NSW
"Would you like a barbecue-flavoured Shape, Katie?" queried Casper.
Katie accepted with thanks and examined her little biscuit. "It's got six sides. Why don't they call it a Hexagon, rather than a Shape?"
"Oh no—they're all different, Katie! The Cheddar flavour is a rectangle, Chicken is oval with a crimped edge and Cheese & Bacon is a sort of pillow shape."
Coogee, NSW
Coogee, in residential Sydney, is a very popular beach with large stretches of sand and inlet ocean pools.

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@ Sydney Opera House, Australia
"Did you know that Sydney was named after an 18th century British Home Secretary? Originally the settlement was called Sydney Cove," remarked Katie.
"I'd like to have a city named after me," mused Shadow.
Katie snorted. "A city called Shadow! Get away with you!"
Sydney Opera House, Australia
In Sydney harbour stands the world-famous Sydney Opera House, the multi-venue performing arts theatre, a masterpiece of 20th-century architecture. Queen Elizabeth ll officially opened the theater on Oct. 20 1973. On 28 June 2007, the Sydney Opera House became a Unesco World Heritage Site.

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@ New Year, Sydney
"Today's trivia question, Katie! What unofficial national anthem is often played in pubs and AFL matches across Australia?"
Katie thoughtfully munched a TimTam. "What's AFL, Kåre?"
"The Australian Football League! You must have come across it by now!"
Katie dropped his TimTam wrapper in a bin. "Oh. What was the question again?"
New Year, Sydney
A blaze of firework bursts light up the sea and Sydney's iconic harbour bridge in this display to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.

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@ Slumbering Sydney
"What's the most easterly part of New South Wales, PeeJay?"
"Um -- the bit closest to Queensland? -- Byron Bay?"
"Yes and no," responded Katie. "Cape Byron is the most easterly point on the mainland, but Lord Howe Island, 360 miles (580 km) east of the continent, also belongs to New South Wales. It's roughly parallel with Port Macquarie."
Slumbering Sydney
The Opera House stands out as a landmark in this dark night scene. The Sydney Harbour Bridge can be seen on the far left.

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@ Sails in Silhouette
"The time zones are quite complicated and varied in Australia, Lady Jane!"
"How so, Katie?"
"There's a town in New South Wales called Broken Hill which does not adhere to the region’s time zone. Instead, it uses ACST, Australian Central Standard Time, which is 30 minutes behind the rest of the state!"
Sails in Silhouette
The famous "sails" of the iconic Sydney Opera House against a backdrop of the setting sun.

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@ Landmark Lighthouse
"Are you looking forward to the snags at the sausage sizzle tonight, Katie?" asked Zoey.
"Can you translate that, please, Zoey?"
"Are you looking forward to a barbecued sausage wrapped in bread, with fried onions and other trimmings? Apparently the best snags are found in Nowra, so we're in the right State!"
Landmark Lighthouse
This historic and distinctive landmark stands atop a rocky cliff, guarding the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

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@ Fireworks over the Harbour
"Okay, Katie! The name of the unofficial national anthem that is often played in pubs and AFL matches across Australia?"
"Waltzing Matilda?" hazarded Katie.
Boci sighed. "It's a little bit more modern than that. The song is It’s A Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll) by AC/DC—a band that was formed in Sydney, and incidentally is pronounced Acca Dacca here."
"That's a lot of information to take in all at once, Boci!"
Fireworks over the Harbour
The night sky is lit up in shades of fuchsia and blue as huge fireworks enhance the celebrations for the New Year!

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@ Anzac Bridge, Sydney
"Did you know that Sydney was named after an 18th century British Home Secretary? Originally the settlement was called Sydney Cove," remarked Katie.
"I'd like to have a city named after me," mused Rosie.
Katie snorted. "A city called Rosie! Get away with you!"

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@ Bridge, Sydney Harbour
Blimey, they grow big cockroaches down here Katie, don't they? Fortunately I don't see any in this scene!
Bridge, Sydney Harbour
Due to its shape, it is affectionately referred to as the "Coathanger" by Sydney residents!

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@ Oceanides Sea Nymphs
"Something I found out just now, miniyao! Paul Hogan, or Mick Dundee in Crocodile Dundee was once employed as a painter on the Sydney Harbour Bridge."
miniyao laughed. "We like Mick Dundee, don't we, Katie? 'That's not a knife. That's a knife.' "
Oceanides Sea Nymphs
Oceanides by Helen Leete, installed in 1997, refers to the sea nymphs of Greek mythology which were often part human and part sea-creature. They represent bathers enjoying the sea and sun at Manly Beach, Sydney, NSW.

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@ Relax By The Water
Oh look ... you won a pet!
Relax By The Water
This looks like the perfect place to relax after a day of walking around museums. Here there is soft white sand, enough perfect rocks for sitting on, and inviting water to dip into and cool off. Bring a snack and some water, and enjoy the views while giving your sore feet a break.

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@ Sunset at Shelly Beach
"Are you looking forward to the snags at the sausage sizzle tonight, Katie?" asked MK.
"Can you translate that, please, MK?"
"Are you looking forward to a barbecued sausage wrapped in bread, with fried onions and other trimmings? Apparently the best snags are found in Nowra, so we're in the right State!"
Sunset at Shelly Beach
Sunset, Shelly Beach, NSW

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@ Rural Postbox
I wonder if we will run into the man from Snowy River or his mountain pony while we are here, Katie!
Rural Postbox
A sturdy makeshift postbox set up in the hinterland of Byron Bay.

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@ Tweed Heads, NSW
"Our tour guide says that the first European to come ashore in 1770 in what is now Sydney, was the cabin boy, who jumped from the boat onto the sands of Botany Bay," remarked Bubblegum.
Katie chuckled. "I bet that really annoyed the important big-wigs behind him who wanted that distinction!"
"Yes! Still, I guess you have to have someone to hang onto the rope so the boat doesn't float away."
Tweed Heads, NSW
Where rainforest meets ocean! Tweed Heads is right next to the border with Queensland and offers all you could wish for a quintessential Australian holiday, whether it be hiking, kayaking or surfing!

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@ Chinwagging pelicans
"Did you know that Sydney was named after an 18th century British Home Secretary? Originally the settlement was called Sydney Cove," remarked Katie.
"I'd like to have a city named after me," mused nicki.
Katie snorted. "A city called nicki! Get away with you!"
Chinwagging pelicans
These Australian pelicans are enjoying the scene below -- one wonders what they are talking about! It is a distinctive bird, large, with black wings and a long pink bill measuring nearly 20 inches (49 cm).

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@ Green tree frog
"So who was Lord Howe, anyway?" queried Garth. "Some fuddy-duddy octogenarian in the Westminster House of Lords?"
"No, not at all -- or rather, I don't know about fuddy-duddy or his age, but he was an Admiral in the British Navy at that time."
Green tree frog
Not to be confused with the green frog cakes in South Australia!

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@ Skink on the Brink
"Did you know the name New South Wales came from the journal of Lieutenant James Cook -- later Captain Cook -- who sailed up the east coast of Australia in 1770. He thought that the land looked like the south coast of Wales," said Mischief.
"Huh!" responded Katie. "He saw kangaroos boinging about on the beach and -- and -- banana trees and thought, 'Oh, this reminds me of Porthcawl'!"
"Don't be silly. Anyway, he first named it 'New Wales' but then changed the name in his journal to 'New South Wales'.
Skink on the Brink
The pink-tongued skink cyclodomorphus gerrardii can be found in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales and upwards to Cairns in Queensland.

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@ Iridescent Ibis
"Are you looking forward to the snags at the sausage sizzle tonight, Katie?" asked Shadow.
"Can you translate that, please, Shadow?"
"Are you looking forward to a barbecued sausage wrapped in bread, with fried onions and other trimmings? Apparently the best snags are found in Nowra, so we're in the right State!"
Iridescent Ibis
The straw-necked ibis, named after its distinctive pale, spiky feathers down its neck, is found throughout Australia, except it avoids the arid interior environment.

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@ Little Pied Cormorant
"Okay, Katie! The name of the unofficial national anthem that is often played in pubs and AFL matches across Australia?"
"Waltzing Matilda?" hazarded Katie.
Beauty sighed. "It's a little bit more modern than that. The song is It’s A Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll) by AC/DC—a band that was formed in Sydney, and incidentally is pronounced Acca Dacca here."
"That's a lot of information to take in all at once, Beauty!"
Little Pied Cormorant
This is a very common bird on Australia waterways, fresh or saltwater. Its main diet is crayfish and other crustaceans.

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@ Sunset Silhouette
"Something I found out just now, Hoppy! Paul Hogan, or Mick Dundee in Crocodile Dundee was once employed as a painter on the Sydney Harbour Bridge."
Hoppy laughed. "We like Mick Dundee, don't we, Katie? 'That's not a knife. That's a knife.' "

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@ Canberra ACT at night
Katie has now completed her walkabout in New South Wales! As she prepares to go home, she receives a wonderful gift!
Skateboarding Goanna, Black
Hey! Hi, how are you? I am just goanna go for a skate, hehe. I love my new skateboard, and it is such a lovely day the sun is shining; I have my new hat on my head, though I don’t need it to protect me from the sun, it is rather stylish. Let’s race over to the barbecue; I like mine rare, how about you?


Katie has enjoyed her walkabout in New South Wales, but it is time to go home now! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also enjoy an Australian Walkabout!