Scuba Diving Tweed Heads and Shag Rock

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Up close and personal with a wobbegong carpet shark at Shag Rock, a dive site off North Stradbroke Island

Up close and personal with a wobbegong carpet shark at Shag Rock, a dive site off North Stradbroke Island

My first Australian diving experience was based out of Brisbane and North Stradbroke Island in Queensland. First I did a Nitrox course with Dive World at Tweed Heads. Although there isn’t a ton of amazing reef life, there were some impressive schools of fish and a cute Buddha statue to be seen. There were some heavy currents so it was hard to take pictures, but I did snap a few.

Then I ventured off to North Stradbroke Island to dive with Manta Lodge. I did two days of diving there, both at Shag Rock which is a site just off their beach. I saw a few rays there as well as wobbegong sharks and massive schools of butter bream. It was an awesome experience thanks to the great staff at the lodge and it got me all geared up for my Great Barrier Reef liveaboard next week!

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Street Art in St. Kilda

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A mural in St. Kilda

A mural in St. Kilda

During my rainy afternoon walking around St. Kilda I found a ton of gorgeous street art all throughout the neighborhood. There were entire alleyways completely covered in gorgeous rainforest motifs or elaborate tags. The variety of motifs and styles was striking.

For more Melbourne street art, see parts 1, 2, and 3.

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St. Kilda: A Photo Essay

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Boats at Port Phillip with the skyline of Melbourne

Boats at Port Phillip with the skyline of Melbourne

St. Kilda is a trendier neighborhood to the south of Melbourne’s CBD and it’s very popular among backpackers and other travelers. I hopped on a tram and headed down there for a rainy afternoon of walking on the pier and looking at street art (separate post coming soon). A huge highlight was seeing the fairy penguins on the pier, though flash photography is not allowed and thus I couldn’t capture them for the blog.

The botanic gardens were also lovely and I’d highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the neighborhood!

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Street Art in Melbourne: Part 3

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A electric blue mural of a girl on Croft Alley in Chinatown of Melbourne's CBD

A electric blue mural of a girl on Croft Alley in Chinatown of Melbourne’s CBD

This batch of artwork includes another Adnate mural, a second round of Hosier Lane photos, and some great pieces from around Chinatown, particularly Croft Alley. I love the stencil of Philip Seymour Hoffman on Hosier Lane as well as the futuristic portraits of women, one of which is to the left. Some of the detail in the Croft Alley murals is absolutely incredible, and the colors are outstanding.

If you like these photos, check out batches 1 and 2.

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Street Art in Melbourne: Part 2

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A gigantic mural by Adnate that rises above Tattersall's Lane in Melbourne's CBD

A gigantic mural by Adnate that rises above Tattersall’s Lane in Melbourne’s CBD

This batch of photos comes mostly from Stevenson Lane in the CBD and the neighborhoods of Collingwood and Fitzroy. Some of the most impressive murals (only one of which I was able to get a good photo of) are the gigantic women’s faces done by the extremely talented Adnate. His works are mostly commissioned and they tower above the city streets.

There are some whimsical characters to be found on doorways and next to windows, as well as some environmentally-minded works like the “I’m Getting a Brazilian” sticker.  I quite like the “Now” stencil – a reminder to focus on the present moment – which can be found in various places throughout the city. The images of the iconic Ned Kelly found on Stevenson Lane (off of Tattersall’s Lane) are also great.

This is only a tiny sampling of what can be found on Melbourne’s Streets. A lot of the most impressive works are too big to get proper photos of and simply must be seen in person.

If you like these, check out my first Melbourne street art post. Stay tuned, because there are more to come! Continue reading →