Being out in the country, Belinda assured me that I would see some of Australias unique wildlife.  Sometimes, they just appeared in front of us, and to see others we had to go out hunting in the night.

Another fun excursion was taking a ride on the Puffing Billy Railway.  The line is one of the most popular steam heritage railways in the world and is kept in operation through the efforts of volunteers of the Puffing Billy Preservation Society. The railway aims to preserve and restore the line as near as possible to how it was in the first three decades of its existence, but with particular emphasis on the early 1920s.
I was told that normally everything is lush green, but unfortunately what I saw was mostly brown, due to the recent drought conditions.

We were lucky to have Conductor Fraser, a friend of Belinda's, ride with us, as our  personal guide.

Though I flew in and out of Melbourne, this is all I saw of the city, driving to and from the airport.  Hopefully next time I'll get there!

I taught 2 workshops - Flowers and Portraits
​Here are the results & happy creators.  

It was a gorgeous day to take the train and then the ferry into Sydney.  Approaching the iconic Opera House from the river was a treat.

& a few  random shots from my final walk around the city. 

This is where I stayed while in Perth! It was amazing for me to stay in this idyllic and beautiful location, with a view of the Indian Ocean.  The little blue building on the right is Pat's mosaic studio.

The Art Supply store where my workshop was held, was aptly named Friendz.  And, to my great surprise, located on Pensacola St!

Hey! That's where I live!

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Inside, the workshop begins, with everyone drawing.  It was a wonderful 3 days.  The room was soon full of laughs and learning as everyone worked diligently on creating thier portraits, over the next 3 days.

I just love the diversity of their work and all their smiling faces!