Aussie Money

The national currency in Australia is the Australian dollar.  The denominations are $100, $50, $20, and $10 notes. 

The 'one-hundred' is green, the 'fifty' gold - the 'twenty' red, the 'ten' blue, and the 'five' pink.  Each note pictures a famous Australian. 

The notes are made of a plastic polypropylene polymer and can't be torn intentionally or by normal wear and tear. 

And as a bonus - it's all waterproof!

The money is almost too pretty to spend, but with the current foreign exchange rate ($1.00 US = $71.36 AUS).   

That's like having a 25% off coupon for everything I buy anywhere in the country! 

I'm going shopping!

Exchange rates change, so check the exchange rates before booking your flight for a spending spree down-under.

Along with the Aussie dollar, the currency includes coins worth $1, $2, and 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents. 

The one-dollar coin is gold and similar to the quarter but heavier. 

Two-dollar coins are smaller than the one-dollar and slightly larger than a penny but three times as heavy.

The silver coins are sized proportionally to their value.  And, there are NO pennies Aussies got rid of them in the '60s.

You never pay extra for sales tax because it's already calculated in the merchandise price, so you only ever pay what's on the sales ticket. 

But if something costs $4.99 and you pay with a $5.00 note, don't expect a penny back. 

Counting money is the same, but you need to remember the Aussie coins look different than those in the US.

So, you can imagine my confusment when my bus fare was $2.40, and I gave the driver two gold coins and two twenty-cent coins, like below and he looked at me as if something was wrong.

 

I kept thinking that the $1 gold coin should be smaller than the $2 gold coin.

And finally realized I was giving him two $2.00 coins which added to $4.40 instead of $2.40.

To me, at first glance, they looked alike. 

Each time I overpaid, the driver smiled, gave me a $2 coin back, and asked, "Visiting?"

(Yeah, how did he know?)

Australia is a constitutional monarchy.  Its elected Head of Government is a Prime Minister who governs within a parliament, and the Queen of England is the sovereign who reigns but does not rule.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's official jeweler designed the currency, which is probably why the Queen is on the front of all Aussie coins, not to mention so pretty.

 

Australian dollars come in vivid colors, and to me, look like Monopoly money.  But be very careful, because it's not!

Queens . . .

Waterproof money . . .

No pennies . . .

I'm NOT in Kansas.

Harbour Loop to the Emerald City

My blog cover picture is of the Sydney Harbour with Kirribilli, a cozy suburb nestled in the background. 

My daughter lived there for more than ten years before moving north of the harbor.

The ferry is a popular mode of transportation (public transport) for folks lucky (and wealthy) enough to live on the harbor.

My son-in-law and many professionals rode it to the City (or Central Business District) to go to work.

The ferry stop was 400 meters from our apartment - a 4-minute walk. It was usually on schedule, every 20 minutes during rush hour. 

I always arrive early to enjoy the harbor's rocking motion of the ferry and fantastic views. 

The ride into the city takes me past international icons like the Sydney Opera House. 

From the water, you get a magnificent view of Oz.

The white roofs on the Opera House are shaped like sails on a sailboat by design.  

The harbor draws thousands to the water for recreation, competitions, and panoramic views of the infamous landmarks each year.

A close-up of the Opera House roofs shows it resembles seashells.

The glass front of the Opera House provides a beautiful view of the harbor from inside the auditorium. 

It's not just a pretty face. 

It features great artists from all over the world. 

Across from the Opera House is the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The bridge plays center stage each year as Sydney is one of the first cities to kick off the world's New Year's Eve celebrations! 

Fireworks explode from the top of the bridge and flow from it like a waterfall.

If you want a thrill, try booking a climb to the top of the bridge. 

Yes, I mean the very top where the flags are flying. 

To be eligible to climb, you need proof of fitness, a blood-alcohol reading below .05, and over eight years of age. 

Also, if you are over 24 weeks pregnant, forget about it!

It takes more than nerve to climb cause it isn't cheap.

• Children = $100-200 AU 
• Adults = $300 - 400, AU

Check it out at Bridgeclimb.  It will blow your mind!    

Oprah and Gail did it when she came to town. 

As my ferry steers closer to the dock, a cruise ship appears.

Harbour City Ferries operates a fleet of 28 boats with inside & outside seating, restrooms, water fountains, and sea breezes.  

This ferry takes me to Circular Quay (pronounced Kee), the ferry hub.   

I am in la-la land off the ferry, where the energy and activity are through the roof. 

Excited tourists and locals are taking in the sights - snacking, dining, shopping, and snapping selfies and pictures of one another. 

Street musicians (Buskers) and magicians are entertaining the crowd, all there for your pleasure and enjoyment (= tip). 

Aboriginal musicians are playing the didgeridoo. 

Sistahs, this is a great place to get a husband! 

Some folks are waiting on ferries, and others, are just having a look, a coffee, or a beer.

I'm hanging out around Whaf 5 - there are 6 of them in total. 

Learn more at Sydney Ferries.

Circular Quay is active all year long, and the shops and restaurants play to the diversity of the tourists. 

UGG shops are everywhere. 

Koala and Kangaroo stuffed animals are everywhere on sale. 

Australian meat pies, authentic Chinese, and even American fast foods are in Circular Quay.

Hungry Jacks is Australia's, Burger King.

A short walk around will take you to the steps of Botanical Gardens, where you can see beautifully manicured gardens, exotic trees, and tropical native birds, or to the Sydney Opera House.

Life is good on the Sydney harbor!

Sydney Opera House . . . 

Ferrying to work . . .

Aboriginal buskers . . . 

I'm NOT in Kansas.

Backyard Birds - Cockatoos

 

The first birds that caught my eye in Sydney were the iconic sulphur-crested cockatoos - backyard birds native to Australia, Indonesia, and New Guinea. 

They are massive birds that grow to be 17 inches.

They have beautiful white plumage, stunning black eyes, and well-kept beaks that they trim by chewing on small tree branches.

Sulphur-crested cockatoo.

Cockatoos are exotic birds with a recognizable yellow crest, which they use to communicate and express emotions. 

They raise their crest when they are excited or curious and fluff it after preening.

Fun and funny, cockatoos are known to bob their heads when they want something or to the tune of a good song.

Lowering their crest is a sign that all is well.    

These birds are as loud as they are beautiful! 

While bird alarm sounds, like screeching or squawking, are an excellent tactic to warn the flock of an approaching predator, it is not pleasant to hear when sitting in the back garden enjoying a peaceful cup of coffee.       

 

I was so excited when a cockatoo landed on the back deck railing. 

I wanted to feed it, but my daughter warned me not to cause many more would come.

Not listening, I fed it anyway, and more came.

Cockatoo eating crumbs off the deck.

Cockatoos perched on the railing.

Cockatoos are not mean birds but can be aggressive and lunge toward you if they feel fear or stress. 

You can see the yellow wash on the inside of their wings when they flutter.  This action can be pretty startling if you're nearby. 

Jethro and the fluttering cockatoos.

Before the cockatoos came, I was excited about a tomato plant on the deck with two tomatoes on the vine ripening, and my son-in-law was thrilled with his new herb garden in the 3-tier deck planter.

The tomatoes, plants, leaves, and herbs were gone when the birds left!

So we had to plant flowers. Bummer!

Deck planter with flowers.

The birds continue to visit from time to time, hoping to find something to eat. 

They are out of luck at my house. 

It was time for them to find a new food source cause I stopped feeding them - daughter knows best!

While tourists, like me, love to look at them, most Aussies call them pests. 

They can be destructive in large flocks because they like to chew on wood, decks, and outdoor furniture, not to mention the poop they drop every 15 minutes.   

A healthy cockatoo diet consists of blossoms, berries, nuts, fruit, vegetation, and leaf buds, along with two ripe tomatoes and a few herbs.   

To protect fruit trees from cockatoos, Sydneysiders cover them with fruit netting.

Densely woven mesh netting protects animals from becoming trapped or injured.

It's not a nice look in the front garden, but it's worth it for a harvest of fresh fruit!

Lemon tree

Lemon tree.

Mango tree.

Mango tree.

Orange tree.

Even though cockatoos are noisy and pesty, we still get a kick out of seeing them up close and personal. 

There are twenty-one different species of cockatoos; five of them are native to Sydney.

I didn't realize this until I came across a family of pink & grey cockatoos —feeding off the seeds and vegetation in a nearby field. 

These exotic birds are called rose-breasted cockatoos.  

They have grey wings, feet, tail feathers, and pink underparts covering their face, breast, and belly.

The aboriginal name for them is "galah," which means silly or loud. 

Although "galahs" are supposed to be one of the most common cockatoos in eastern Australia, this was my first encounter. 

They enjoy open areas and are supposed to be very friendly to humans, although they wouldn't let me get close enough for a proper photoshoot.

Rose-breasted cockatoos.

Rose-breasted cockatoos take flight.

Finding the rose-breasted cockatoos was a serendipitous encounter, and it put me on a quest to find other species.  

When visiting another country, taking pictures of birds is one of those things I do. 

After all, I'm just an American tourist with time on my hands and a decent Phone camera!

Squawking cockatoos . . .

Sulphur-crested cockatoos . . . 

Rose-breasted cockatoos . . . 

I am NOT in Kansas!