|
A Little Bit Of (Down Under) Heaven On Earth...
I live (and work) on the NSW Central Coast, about an hour's drive north of Australia’s largest city, Sydney
(home of the 2000 Olympics).
There is a variety of wildlife (not just the bikini-clad young ladies), and plenty of fishing – both inland waters and ocean. The area abounds with pelicans – pterodactyls, my wife calls them – and you can see them everywhere (specially if you want to sit outside near the water and eat a meal). Seagulls are bad enough scavengers, but they ain't as big as pelicans... We have so many parrots around us here (a cacophony of colour – mainly reds and greens ) we sometimes complain about the noise they make when they feed. Other birds include the cockatoo and the kookaburra – a noisy crew but a noise we're happy to hear.
The surf beaches along the Pacific Ocean are a magnet for young (and not so young!!!) surfers who enjoy the ocean beaches, with lifesaving clubs providing protection for swimmers on many beaches. I am fortunate to live just a few hundred metres away from a quiet (as far as tourists go) surf beach!
Needless to say, a pleasant place to live with a lot of local entertainment, and magic scenery.
Australia’s most popular poem is My Country by Dorothea McKellar, often called “The Sunburnt Country” (shortened from “I love a sunburnt country” which is the first line of the second verse). Click on the poem’s title and experience a feel for Australia – more than just the Sydney Opera House or the Sydney Harbour Bridge but a vast dry land which hides an enormous mineral wealth, the oldest continent on this planet.
This is a holiday resort area which boasts a sub-tropical climate, spectacular scenery, huge inland waterways (the only place in the world where five separate waterways meet), and some of the best surfing beaches in the world. So very hard to take...
Pic Caption: Wild cockatoos abound on the Central Coast
The region has a large aged population which has led to a large number of very good retirement villages being established here. This has encouraged older people to move to the region from all over Australia.
Pic Caption: Pelicans feeding
The Coast also has a number of great tourist facilities, like Australian Reptile Park (a great wildlife sanctuary where snakes and spiders are milked of their venom for medical research), and heaps of other attractions like National Parks, horse riding (including the largest free-range horse riding centre in Australia on over 1000 hectares), art galleries, etc, etc, etc.
Pic Caption: Kangaroo & joey
The Central Coast has a sub-tropical climate, with summer temperatures averaging about 28º C (approx 82º F) during the day and 23 (approx 73º F) at night. Winter temperatures average around 18 (approx 64º F) during the day and down to just below 7º C (approx 45º F) at night.
Graham’s Christian writing:
"Graham Pockett doesn't mince any words, but he writes with a kind heart. If you have questions about such things as "once saved, always saved", or why so many different ideas can come from the same scripture, or how much what we see and do affects us as spiritual beings, you'll find much to think about here." from This Christian Life 
Download these articles:
GrahamsWriting.zip
Jeremiah 31:34c NIV
Could this key save your life?
|
