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Grafitti Grannies let loose

Australia, family fun, Museums, NSW Southern Highlands, Sydney, Trains, Travel, vintage steam train 09.03.2012 Comments Off

Trains seem to attract graffiti and now it’s happening right before my eyes – over carriages, engines, and platforms. And no one is doing a thing to stop it.

In fact the culprits, looking suspiciously like cheeky nannas, are being actively encouraged! They are yarn bombing and wool tagging all over the joint – and having serious fun while they’re at it.

Trainworks Museum in Thirlmere, about 90km southwest of Sydney, turns one on April 1^st 2012 and as part of the celebrations the local Picton Knitting & Crochet group have been let loose to brighten up exhibits with scarves for funnels, ‘eyes’ for buffers and spider webs for carriages. That a museum encourages such community involvement and interaction with its exhibits, speaks volumes about its philosophy of engaging the public and indulging in a bit of fun.

Trainworks underwent a $30 million dollar refurbishment in 2011 and the money has been well spent, breathing new life into dusty old trains. The museum is truly engaging for all ages – from Thomas the Tank Engine for little children to Australia’s largest collection of rolling stock for serious train buffs.

Exhibits include the massive 260 tonne 6040 Garrat, one of the world’s most powerful engines, and the elegant timber Governor-General’s carriages. A prison van comes to life with inmates’ stories and the rail pay bus looks like it comes straight from a cartoon.

Birthday celebrations on April 1^st include vintage steam train rides, Circus Monoxide performers, Dixieland bands and a jumping castle. There’ll be a three tiered birthday cake, to be cut by a mystery guest, with slices for everybody.

Don’t forget to check out the work of the graffiti grannies, which is on display until April 25^th.

10 Barbour Road, Thirlmere NSW Trainworks is open 7 days a week. 10am-4pm Mon to Fri, 9am-5pm Saturday and Sunday. Ph 02 4681 8001 www.trainworks.com.au
Shopping for Compare Cheap Car Rental the Easy and Convenient Way

Compare Cheap Car Rental 09.12.2011 No Comments

There are different options for a cheap car rental that everyone can take advantage of. You can look for a better deal and offer from one rental agency to another in order to end up with value for money deals. Clearly, for a more convenient and easier access, the best place to your car rental shopping is through the use of internet.

As you can see, the vehicle can cost you certain amount depending on the total number of days it is used. However, with the increasing demands on rental cars these days, the entire service has never been cheaper and at the same time easier to acquire. There are different agencies which are able to personalize their car rental services as well as booking procedures. As a matter of fact, many of them have even participated on the search engine optimization feature in order to assure that people can get the information needed more instantly and accurately.

The SEO marketing style is able combine all the major car rental suppliers into a single and a simple search result. Through this endeavor, you are able to compare all available cars side by side including other pertinent information like the rate, features of the car and promos if there are any.

As you can see, the prices set are going to vary according to different factors. However, many of these rental places are able to provide a guarantee that the price ranges are still the cheapest prices that are assessed on the best vehicles they got. You can actually save a lot of time simply by looking in a single place that is packed with all the information needed and are guaranteed to be correct and updated all the time.

Therefore, there is no longer a need to remember a lot of username and password. There is also other Compare cheap car rental agencies which can allow you to cancel the vehicle rental booking or reservation anytime without being assessed with cancellation fee for it.

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Tags: Compare Cheap Car Rental
Corrugated Iron Capital of the World

corrugated iron, New Zealand, Tirau, Travel 06.12.2011 Comments Off

Napier might be the Art Deco capital, but the tiny town of Tirau, in New Zealand’s North Island, is the self-proclaimed ‘corrugated iron capital of the world’. It’s a big claim for a little town – population 700 – but for this once blink-and-you-might-miss-it town on State Highway One, between Hamilton and Rotorua, it’s reason to stop and take in this quirky country village with great shopping.

I’ve always loved corrugated iron, the relatively inexpensive building material used, and reused, for farm sheds and shanty towns. From shiny, shimmering virgin silver to rust-ridden russet tones, its undulating surface catches light and shadow for dramatic effect.

It’s had a renaissance of sorts recently as a trendy building material, holding up bars, lining restaurants and bathrooms, and as an art surface for painters and photographers.

But in Tirau, it’s been given a new lease of life, sculptured into quirky shop signs, unusual statues and animal-shaped buildings.

It all started in 1998 with a wool shop built from corrugated iron in the shape of a sheep. When the town needed a new building for a visitor information centre, the community decided to build it in the shape of a sheepdog, adjacent to the sheep, and the rest, they say, is history.

Local shopkeepers and business have joined in the fun with cute colourful signs. Even the local church has a corrugated iron Good Sheppard out the front.

Tirau means ‘the place of many cabbage trees’ and the town logo looks gorgeous rendered in corrugated iron.

This has meant plenty of work for local corrugated artist, Stephen Clothier, of Corrugated Creations, which is located just outside Tirau. The ‘mechanic-turned-handyman’ was initially reluctant to take on the sheepdog project, but once finished he was inundated with orders for signs, garden features and letter boxes.

Each artwork is individually designed for the location and handmade, including the frame.

With galleries, art and craft stores, coffee shops and more, Tirau makes a great place for picking up some unique NZ gifts or souvenirs. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to check them all out, or buy my own corrugated souvenir. But I’ll be sure to stop off next time I’m in New Zealand.
Buttocks on the futtocks

Adventure, Australia, family fun, sailing, Sydney, Travel 23.10.2011 Comments Off

Yes! I’ve got my buttocks on the futtocks*. Literally.

I’m standing in the crow’s nest, or in this case, on a small metal plate, 15 metres up the mizzen (aft) mast of the timber sailing ship the Southern Swan. Sydney Harbour is sparkling beneath me, the Opera House glistens in the sun to my left, and the Harbour Bridge frames the view ahead. Sure, the boat is rocking, but only gently, and the thrill of the climb is worth it.

As a schoolgirl in New Zealand in 1976 I climbed the mast of the sail training ship Spirit of Adventure. Scrambling up the ratlines and out onto the yards to unfurl and furl the square rigged sails was exhilarating. So when the Southern Swan launched its mast climb experience this month (after 12 months of negotiations and red tape) I leapt at the chance. Could I still do it after all these years?

The Southern Swan is a barquentine built in Denmark in 1922 and took part in the First Fleet Re-enactment in 1988. Thanks to the efforts of owner/operators Marty Woods and David Warne, she is now Sydney’s only authentic timber tall ship.

Devastated to see the Bounty sold to Hong Kong, the pair purchased the Southern Swan in 2007, determined to keep her for the enjoyment of Australians and visitors to Sydney Harbour. Investing their life savings into the purchase and on-going restoration, their enthusiasm is infectious.

Sword-fighting pirates welcome guests at Campbell’s Cove and a band plays on the two-hour Sydney Harbour cruises, which include a delicious BBQ lunch, brunch or dinner with champagne and beer available. You can sit back and relax or help set the sails. And for just $59 you can climb the mast.

Wearing a harness and clipped on I make my ascent of the ratlines (ladder rungs fastened between mast shrouds). A twinge of nervousness threatens, but I just concentrate on climbing and soon I’m into the rhythm. The topmost rungs are so narrow it’s hard to get a foothold and with my short legs the clamber into the crow’s nest requires reversing bottom-first.

But I’ve done it and the view of Sydney Harbour is my reward. Thank you Southern Swan!

Visit www.sydneytallships.com.au to book.

*Futtocks – timbers of a sailing ship’s frame. Futtock plate – an iron plate across the top of a lower mast to which the dead-eyes of the top-mast rigging and the upper ends of the futtock-shrouds are secured.
Car Rental: A Double Whammy of Savings

Car Rental 21.10.2011 Comments Off

If your trip is far enough away, there’s a great opportunity for you to get huge savings and this covers every aspect of your trip, from car rental to accommodation. While it’s common knowledge that booking early for flights and hotels can lead you to the best prices, you might not know this about renting a vehicle. Simply put, the savings that you can get through the early bird promos of various companies also applies to car hire. So you’re months and even weeks off to your trip. Start scouring the internet for details on how to save with renting a car.

Not knowing where to start with www.carrental.com.au getting the best deals for car rental isn’t really a huge obstacle. It’s just as simple for you to do a search on the popular search engines and you’ll be led to the best sites to get a good price on rental vehicles. Even better, when you click on a comparison site, you can compare and contrast offers from the big brands in car hire. For instance, you want to rent out the Toyota Yaris. If this model car happens to be offered in the lots of Hertz as well as Avis, you can look at where you’ll get the most savings.

You already snagged the chance to getting a rental vehicle for a cheap price by booking early but then you have an even bigger chance of saving money when you compare what these companies offer. You wouldn’t really take the pricier offer not unless you’ve sworn allegiance to a particular car hire company, right? Apart from the rental price, information galore about the car is also what you get. You would never be picking out a model car blindly even if you’re trying out various models of cars with car rental.

Tags: Car Rental
Sensational Segway Adventure

family fun, Segway, Sydney, Travel 18.05.2011 Comments Off

For sensational family fun don’t get on your bike, get on a Segway and float above the ground.

OK, it’s not quite levitating, but the Segway personal transporter does feel like it hovers above the ground rather than rides over it, and that’s a thrilling sensation.

Looking a bit like a pogo stick with wheels the Segway uses dynamic stabilisation technology, including gyroscopic sensors, to make it self-balancing once you’re standing on it.

Like an extension of your body it senses your movements and the changing terrain then responds accordingly. To move forward or backward, you just lean forward or backward; to stop you stand up straight and to turn you lean in the direction you want to go.

Basically, if you can stand up you can ride one, although their size dictates children need to be about nine years old and there are weight restrictions (between 30 and 120kg).

It definitely feels a bit weird initially, but it doesn’t take long to get the hang of riding one and then you fall in love with the sensation and want to take the Segway home.

Segway Tours in Sydney operates at Newington Armory in Sydney Olympic Park and offers 30-minute fun rides through to 90-minute all-terrain adventures. Unless you’ve got very young children who might tire, you should definitely go for the longest tour, which still isn’t enough!

All rides start with individual tuition, then a guide accompanies you around the park. As your confidence builds they’ll teach you new skills and soon you’ll be zooming off, spinning around and racing each other – with a permanent grin plastered on your face.

Our family has done it twice and can’t wait to do it again. Sure it’s not cheap, but it makes a memorable special occasion family outing you’ll be talking about for ages.

Have you done any great Segway tours you’d like to share?

Sydney: Segway Tours Ph 1300 85 99 83, www.segwaytours.com.au

Queensland: Segway Safaris are available at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat. See www.segwayqueensland.com.au