Exploring the stunning Whitsunday Islands aboard the handsome Derwent Hunter, a lovingly restored tall ship crafted in Tasmania in 1946. The day was full of snorkeling with sea turtles and shoals of technicolor reef fish, exploring beautiful coral reefs, lounging on white coral cays and plenty high seas adventure with the crew and fellow passengers. […]
Category Archives: Nature
October
29
Old School Sailing Adventure – The Derwent Hunter in the Whitsundays
posted by Claire Usmar
October
23
This is Australia – The Whitsundays, Queensland.
posted by Claire Usmar
Home to the beach with the whitest sand in the world, there is no comparing the stunning Whitsunday Islands to anywhere else in the world. This island group contains 74 unspoilt gems to explore and it’s less than a two hour flight from Brisbane. The Whitsundays are the perfect spot to experience great snorkeling […]
October
07
This is Australia – A bush sunset
posted by Claire Usmar
Watching the bush come to life as the sun turns the world golden over Boonah, nestled in the heart of the Scenic Rim southwest of Brisbane.
September
25
This is Australia – The Scenic Rim
posted by Claire Usmar
A short break exploring the glorious Scenic Rim area just south west of Brisbane, in the ‘Land Down Under’.
June
25
Cherry blossom avenue, Shinhidaka, Hokkaido.
posted by Claire Usmar
The spot in Hokkaido to best appreciate the cherry blossoms must certainly be the Nijukken Cherry Tree Avenue (二十間道路桜並木) in Shinhidaka, about three hours by car from Sapporo. Set in the heart of Japan’s version of Kentucky, you can admire the blossoms surrouned by the season’s new thoroughbred foals. Shinhidaka is thoroughbred breeding central for Japan […]
June
11
Cherry blossoms at Goryokaku Fort in Hakodate, Hokkaido
posted by Claire Usmar
This five-point star shaped fort was once the sight of a battle in 1869 between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the newly established Meiji Government during the Meiji Restoration. But these day’s its perhaps the most famous place in Hokkaido to see cherry blossoms which peak in the first week of May. Thousands of trees line the edges […]
June
05
Hokkaido – A drive from Chitose to Hakodate
posted by Claire Usmar
A day trip along the wild coast of Hokkaido to it’s most southern city, Hakodate.
May
26
Green escape in Kibune, Kyoto.
posted by Claire Usmar
A glorious day in the leafy ‘retreat’ that is Kibune (貴船), a small town just north-west of Kyoto (京都). During the opressive Japanese summer, this town is the choice among Kyoto residents for a cool break away from the heat. Not hard to see or feel why.
April
24
Spring in the Japanese countryside
posted by Claire Usmar
Spring comes in a flurry of flowers to the Japanese countryside in the tiny town of Kubota in Mie Prefecture.
April
12
Cherry blossom bliss – Sakura season 2014
posted by Claire Usmar
As mid-April approaches, Japan’s famed cherry blossoms are heading towards the end of their beautiful display here in Mie Prefecture.
April
01
Plum Perfection
posted by Claire Usmar
Plum blossoms at Yuki Shrine (結城神社) in Tsu, Mie Prefecture.
March
28
Pretty in Pink
posted by Claire Usmar
A local enjoying the plum blossoms, the first and most colourful harbinger of spring here in Japan.
March
12
Spring at the zoo
posted by Claire Usmar
An early spring trip to Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens (東山動植物園) in Nagoya, Japan.
March
03
Snow Day
posted by Claire Usmar
The heaviest snow fall in Mie for many years turned my little town into a silvery world just for Valentine’s Day.
