Music from Termites
 
What you see on the left of the picture is an Australian termite mound. Half the trees within a hundred yards of this mound have been hollowed out by the termites (from the inside). The other half will be soon.
 
The aboriginals knock on these trees until they find one with a hollow trunk and branches. One of these branches is then broken off, cleaned out with a hot stick, and painted. The end result is the instrument that our guide is playing on the right. It's called a Didgeridoo.
 
Maybe you've heard the low rumbling sound that these things make on TV. I had, but it didn't prepare me for what I heard in the canyon valley. The sound was low, loud, reverberating from the canyon walls, and hauntingly beautiful. No recording device could possibly have captured it. You just have to be in the Australian outback and hear it live.
 
 
The Sydney Opera House
 
Clearly, no photo essay of Sydney Australia would be complete without at least one shot of the Sydney Opera House.
 
So, here it is. It's not actually nearly as nice up close as in pictures. It's old, run-down, and dirty!
 
Here are a few more pics you can click on:
 

 
 
Sydney Harbour and 'The Pill'
 
The little yellow craft you see is at the bottom of the picture is a ubiquitous Sydney water taxi. It's interesting in itself, but the real subject of this pic is the tall tower. It's the Sydney Harbor Control Tower.
 
From this tower officials direct the flow of all traffic in Sydney harbor and control all of the shipping berths. The local's call it "The Pill" because it is used for 'Berth Control' (Pun Intended). You'll find Australian Humour like this everywhere.
 
Sydney Harbour is quite a pretty place. And huge! I heard someone say it's the largest natural harbour in the world. Might be true.
 
Below are a few more pictures of the Sydney Harbour you can click to enlarge.