Oh yes, that title was surely meant to provoke curiosity. But it is also way more than that. This is my first travel blog and this one is about Australia.

I fell in love with Australia the first time I visited here in 2010 for an SAP summit in Brisbane. Over the years and many more visits, personal and professional, my family and I visited and spent a lot of time visiting the most popular touristy places in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and Canberra over the past 18 years. There are still 3 amazing states remaining to be seen (as the Visited app on my phone was quick to point out).

The states of Southern Australia (SA), Northern Territories (NT) and Western Australia (WA) are not the ones on mainstream tour operator top lists, but they hold the amazing if you like history, landscapes, nature, wildlife and culture …

But they are a handful to explore. So, we planned to visit NT and SA this time. So, we set out after a whole bunch of planning of stays, transport, ToDos and tours.

This live blog ( will keep adding over the next 25 days or so) is about some non-standard stuff from Sydney and – hopefully- some awesome stuff from Southern Australia and Northern Territories. It will be a series of stories. Pretty excited and I look forward to capturing the mood and the moments and the excitement. Please do write to say what you think. Please do add your suggestions which, I am sure will enrich our travel.

Story 1: Hyde Park, Circular Quay: When the White Ibis ( a protected species) turned to Bin Chicken in a habitat and habit mutation : The Australian Ibis most certainly subscribes to the Darwinian survival by selection. They have , over one generation, migrated from interior wetlands to the coasts of east and southeast Australia and the south-west. They are thriving on the endless waste the cities provide.

The Ibis have, in the process, entered the Australian English lexicon as “bin chickens”, “tip turkeys”,“sandwich snatchers” and “picnic pirates”, to name just four of their many nicknames. Between the 70s when they were not a common sight and today, Australia is clearly embracing its white ibis with passion, wit, and, in equal measure, affection and disgust. The ibis came second in a 2017 vote for Australia’s most popular bird, organised by Birdlife Australia and The Guardian. At the same time , not everyone loves an ibis. Almost 8,000 people registered for the International Glare at Ibises Day in Sydney on December 21, 2016. 

Change is an interesting journey be it for humans or the Ibis. This particular one was fascinating.

Story 2 (Darling Harbour, Sydney) : The art and manifestations of efficiency. Seagulls and Mirrorless cameras- a very unlikely pair of topics. The seagull stands on one leg to cut body heat losses in half.

 The DSLRs shed their weight in half getting rid of the pentaprism and transforming into the amazing mirrorless cameras. My new Nikon Z7 mirrorless captures the mood of the birdie on one leg (standing around for a chance to steal our fries) as beautifully as it captures the Darling harbour by night.

Story 3: A friend called Fred : The cool thing about travel is some very very awesome people you befriend. Here is my new buddy Fred. A Stanford graduate, 3+ decades in Sydney, a huge lover of indian music and culture , a level 6 Reiki master, energy healer, and an absolutely warm and hospitable person and the owner of our AirBnB apartment in central Sydney. Great feeling that we were the first of his customers to be invited hone for a tea in 5 years. As cool as Fred was a view of Hyde Park and beyond from his high rise apartment. Thanks Fred .. A great memory to carry back.