The Koala Conservation centre,
Philip Island.

Well,, Now I know this photo is a bit too girlish, but what the hell , we couldn't get any closups of a real Koala, The ones we could see were all deep in sleep high up in the branches.

They say a Koala Sleeps 16 - 20 hours a day and gets up only for eating and that too eating only Eucalyptus leaves. Perhaps the laziest animal I have ever seen.

Maybe The only major physical activity in its life is procreation , makes me wonder how our life would be if we had such a minimalist lifestyle, only food, sex and sleep. everything else taken care of.

Subaru FOESTER














Some friends had come down from Sydney for christmas driving all the way in a Subaru Forester.

The vehicle is really good with a comfy feel to it. Its Big, powerful and has a good image going for it. Finally its one of those vehicles you Walk into and not crawl into.

A Wicked Camper Van!

Campervans are vehicles of choice for travellers here, This one is from a company called Wicked Campervans, Typical Camper van contains the following equipment .

Its just like the Recreational vehicles in the US , just a tad too small :-) can be really very useful if you plan ot stay on the road for a month or so. Forget hotel bookings , reservations, just drive park and enjoy.

Some Pics from a recent scenic Drive to Wollongong,

This place is around 80 Kms south of Sydney and has some really good riding roads. Winding roads through the national parks and then finally a spectacular over-the-ocean bridge. The Ride was so good in the car it just makes me drool over the thought of riding around here on a motorbike.

Procedure to apply for Australian Permenent Resident Visa

If anyone else has plans to apply, in very short the process for PR VISA for toolmakers is as Follows

1) >> Apply for Trades Recognition Australia > Canberra >> Expense around 10,000 + courier charges + notarizing documents etc
Time taken normally 20 - 30 days from date of receipt of application

2) >> By the time TRA comes, Write and clear the IELTS (Minimum score 5)>> Expense around 6,500(Exam fees) + course training / material if required
Time taken normally 30 days 1 week for booking 13 days for results

3) >> Once TRA and IELTS results have come >> Apply for VISA by filling form 47 SK, General Skilled category, all the info available on www.immi.gov.au
Time taken > Varies but normally about > 4 - 6 months for next stage (medical and PCC) ,, Expense around 70,000 + notarizing documents etc + courier charges

4) Once you have applied for visa through form 47 SK , I would suggest you keep the Police Clearance Certificate ready as it takes a month here for the PCC to come after all the enquiries. But it depends in some places(HYD for exp) ppl have got PCC within 2 days. So this depends on your local Passport office's efficiency.

5) Medical and PCC requests come together and you have to get yourself tested by a specified doctor( List available on www.immi.gov.au) Expense around 3,000

6) Once you have sent the Medical and PCC the Visa grant letter comes by mail within 2 - 60 days (mine came in about 2 weeks)

7) Print a copy of this and send your passport to the Aus high commission in Delhi to get the Visa Stamped (normally these days you have to enter Aus within 6 months of Visa grant)

Total expense including all the miscellaneous expenses will not be more than 1.2 lacs in the worst case ! and the process is normally completed within 1.5 years. If from the applicant all the procedure is done proactively without delay, the process may even take as less as 8-9 months!!!!

I hope you people find this information useful, this is the process in very brief. I will be happy to assist you in any further information that you might need.


Personal Mail addresses > hari_iyer_s[at)yahoo.com , hari.iyer[at)yahoo.com , haribombay[at)gmail.com

Best regards,
_______________________________________________________________
Hari Iyer

A Crawl race on the beach,































At Meroubra Beach, Sydney

The SYDNEY Opera House! finally a good pic, without the tripod it was very difficult to take pics. This one was different for a change.
 

Friends at the Stunning view from Botanical Gardens! the view from here is SIMPLY VOW,
the photos can never capture the surreal effect of the view, on one side the OPERA HOUSE, HARBOUR BRIDGE and the beautiful SYDNEY SKYLINE.
 

The following few pics are from Rockhampton(Biloela) where I had been on a short assignment teaching CATIA to a few students.

The Pajero belongs to Mr Mark Mc Millan , who is a school teacher and kindly offered to take me ona tour around the Countryside.

It was quite a ride , though we didn't have to engage the 4WD, nevertheless was a good ride. and Now I that I have tasted blood having gone on a ride on a 4WD, just waiting for some real action.

Its in times like this that I miss my bike,, well travelling on rough roads is infinitely more pleasurable on a bike than it can ever be in a car. I know many would disagree, but hell this is my blog:-) this is just what I feel.

"Travelling in a car is like watching a movie pass through your windscreens , travelling on a bike is like BEING IN THE MOVIE. " from the book Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintenance.

Feel free to comment if you disagree:-)



Having said that I my next vehicle is a CAR / 4WD not a bike, in AUS its pretty risky to ride. and Bikes are prohibitively expensive.

Sooner or later The Red Bull will be here in Australia I can imagine myself riding the Bullet across the Australian Countryside .

The HUGE COAL MINE in Biloela, this photo does not put things quite in perspective but this was a HUUUUGEEE OPEN PIT COAL MINE!!

The company also had a Power plant nearby and the coal was directly carried over there by conveyor. From what it seemed they had a very efficient operation , its a pity I could only have an external look.

Another beautiful view!!!
Like it says in the Enfield Cruisers Advertisement
Welcome to a place where your bath tub is 2 kilometeres wide.

Mr Mc Millan's 4WD PAJERO , had a nice long drive in the Australian outback. The Australian s are a merry lot. Always into something or the other in the weekends (Fishing , boating, or go off camping or on a road trip with their caravans)

Mr MacMillan is a high school teacher here and he owns 2 CARS , a 4WD Pajero and another normal SEDAN. He has a small BOAT and a decent sized CARAVAN.

AFFLUENCE is the name of the game here.

The students and the teacher(Mr Mc Millan) at the Biloela high school where I had gone on a short assignmet to teach CATIA

Australian Kids are well,, to put it simply different. The Teacher Student relationship here is quite different to what we have back home. I remember being scared of a couple of teachers back in my school days. Here this is definitely not the case.

Hmm Ford FALCON

 

hmm Newcastle Beach
 

again


 

hmmm, me on a beach inNEwcastle with frnds

 

hmm a good pic,,
 

Our caravan 

Some other views of the Caravan Park where we stay. a decent but pretty expensive place to stay.
Accomodation , Courtesy, Mr Ritesh Subhash Bankapur ,














Chilly night ,,,, cold mornings

Ritya's CAr the FORD FALCON >> Very recently washed and is seen parked outside the CARAVAN.
Its a HUGE car with loads of space inside, and a really big boot, On our way back fom the airport we could fill in all our lugage in the boot itself, and believe me we had loads of luggage. More than 50Kgs each.

It has got Automatic transmission, Power steering, Cruise control, 2 Airbags, etc , etc.

Another inside view of the Caravan










The Caravan comes with an external 4 wheeler parking and an inhouse 2 wheeler parking. See below.

The same place between Sydney and New castle

Another Pic,, @ the Opera house

Street Tamasha- - - - at the Circular Quay




They Call these people the Aboriginals My guess is the ones in the photo were just fake imitants.

Cycle rickshaws in Sydney


These toys are imported here from Germany and cost a fortune. Mainly running on Muscle power but are assisted by batteries too.
Seats two and they run on specific lanes / areas in the city centre.

The Sydney Skyline:-( Well frankly speaking I am not very impressed with the skyline, there is so much space in Aussie land that for a city the size of Sydney I do not find as many Skyscrappers, just a very few in the city centre and some assorted places in and around. Well I haven't been around the city so much so most of this is just a first impression, I may be wrong and if I am I will come back and eat my words.

At the Govt house, in the Royal Botanical gardens, Near the Opera house , Sydney. For ppl visiting the area please note there are around 5 museums in the 1 km radius(In and around circular quay), really good museums and I am yet to see them fully.

For those who don't know , Its the Sydney Harbour bridge in the background. Pretty Famous place. This along with the Opera house is touted to be one of the most photographed monuments.

I seriously doubt the claim though.

Hmmmmmmm, At the OPERA HOUSE again a closeup this time.

Well frankly the OOMPH factor or the Awe about these places is a thing of the past. I think I lost the oomph about Sydney when I was close to getting the Visa.

I guess when targets come closer you need to set your sights further high, I am still looking for the next leap.

Final pic before leaving from the beach, some families in the background having their small outing.

The whole beach and the passage were lined with nice Benches and it was generally a very nice place to spend an evening with friends and others.

The water was freezing cold atleast around 12 degrees, especially once you get out of the water . the wind would just Freeze you. A practical example of the windchill factor.



















TIme to Cut down the Tyre????


















Another Just Married couple on the beach here, Marriages are a different thing here. Invite only 20-30 very close personal frnds and relatives. and its all done ina day :-)

This couple did a hindi movie scene right out there, with the Bride running ahead and the groom running behind to catch her. The following photos in this series are censored:-)


















Lawn just outide the beach, again very neatly maintained. Neat benches and seating everywhere. Really a very lovely place.

If the Govt takes 40% of sal in taxes they do provide the citizens here with superb facilities in return.

The Beach had Marked area for non swimmers >> Patrolled by life guards, good facilities for toilets, Change rooms, (Hot n cold Showers) , Lunch tables n general ambience. All offerred free.

Also being a resident gives you access to all the regions libraries> ( Free internet access, and a maximum of 30 Books onone card) . This is something I realy love about the facilities here.