Seals - Barrenjoey Head

Go to Index

Barrenjoey Head circumnavigation
Palm Beach, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Date: 2026-June-14

5 of us:
    - Paul  ...  leader
    - Amy Chi
    - Lili Han
    - Stanley Wu
    - Whitney


Lots of unusual / interesting rock formations
along the coastline of Barrenjoey Head.

But highlight of the trip must be the seals:
- Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus) ❤️
- Plus one Chinese red seal (Homo sapiens) ❤️
  (Photo #9 😊😊😊)



1)  Lili

2)

3)  Lili

4)

5)  Lili

6)

7a, b)  Same scene in both pics.
- 7a: The boat is not ours.
- 7b: Left to right: Paul, Amy

Photo by Whitney

8)  Zooming onto the seals of previous pic.

9)  Chinese red seal (Homo sapiens) ❤️
- All the previous seals are:
  Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus)

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/

2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show

Go to Index

2026 Sydney Royal Easter Show
Photo Competition


1)  In a 2024-December bushwalk,
     John Graham took this photo, depicting a
     Megadolomedes australianus
     (Giant Water Spider).
- Just so that there is no misunderstanding ...
  The giant spider is not me ... ok 😊

Location: A Gerringong Creek waterfall
                 Unofficially known as Pensions Falls
                 Budderoo NP, NSW, Australia
Date: 2024-December-05

Trip report and photos of the bushwalk are here:
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/2024/12/pensions-falls-gerringong-creek.html



2)  John Graham submitted the above
     for a photo competition in the
     2025 Sydney Royal Easter Show.
- It was displayed in the 2025 Easter Show's
  Arts & Crafts Pavilion.

Unfortunately, the photo didn't win a prize 😭



3)  I attended the 2025 Easter Show.
- Complete with the same outfit as in John's photo
  😊
- And ...

4)  ... And submitted the above
     for the photo competition
     in the 2026 Easter Show.
- It was displayed in the 2026
  Arts & Crafts Pavilion.

5)  Zooming to my photo on the display board.

Unfortunately, the photo also didn't win a prize 😭



6)  In retrospect, I should have submitted
     this picture instead.
- It may win the 1st prize 🙂

7)  But I think all the previous photos lack colour.
- So I asked ChatGPT to give me
        • a red shirt
        • a red hat
        • and red gloves
- I'll submit this picture to the 2027 Easter Show.
- I bet this one will win the 1st prize 😀😀😀

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/

Canberra Balloon Spectacular 2026

Go to Index

Canberra Balloon Spectacular 2026

Date: 2026 March 14,  Saturday
Location: Canberra, ACT, Australia

Best way to enjoy watching the hot air balloons:
- Over Lake Burley Griffin.
- Lie down in a roomy comfy raft.
- Being towed by pretty ladies ❤️ ❤️ ❤️



For information:

5:30 am
at  Lotus Bay Boat Ramp and Jetty,
      Alexandrina Dr, Yarralumla, ACT 2601
      -35.3007878, 149.1188210

Takes about half an hour to inflate the rafts.

6:00 am
Paddle into Lake Burley Griffin.



Pictures

1a, b)  Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra, ACT.
- Being towed by the pretty ladies ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
- Left to right:
       Kelly Wei  ❤️
       May Yang  ❤️
       Amy Chi  ❤️
       Paul ... me  😊

#1a: Photo by unknown kayaker
#1b: by Amy

2)  Being towed by the pretty ladies ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
- Left to right: Amy, May, Kelly

3)  The pretty ladies ... Amy, May, Kelly ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

4)  Best sunrise scene, ever 😊

5)  Hot air balloons.

Photo by May

6)  Hot air balloons.

7)  Hot air balloons.

8)  Hot air balloons.

Photo by May

9a, b, c, d)  Hot air balloons.
- 9a: Finley The Turtle

#9a, d: Photos by May

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/

Marble Arch, Deua Nat Pk, NSW

Go to Index

Marble Arch
Deua Natonal Park, NSW, Australia
2026 February


A cave there is like an oil painting of a fairyland !
❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Our group are the fairies !
❤️ ❤️ ❤️
- 2 pretty fairies by the window on the left
- A pretty fairy on top of the chockstone
- 2 pretty fairies down on the cave floor

Top row, left to right:
     - May Yang
     - Sornkin Lam
     - Amy Chi
Bottom row:
     - Elizabeth Zhu
     - Kelly Wei



Inside the cave in Marble Arch.

Left to right:
     - Frank Liu
     - May Yang

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/

Kevin Zeng (WenBin) angered Maggie Qiu and me

Go to Index

At a glance

- Kevin Zeng (WenBin) orgainzed a bushwalk.
- Maggie Qiu and I were in his bushwalk.
- Kevin cancelled his trip due to rain.
- Then created a Plan B trip.
- Excluded Maggie Qiu and me from his Plan B !!!



Below are the details.



1)  Sunday ... 2025-August-03

Kevin organized a bushwalk, on a Sunday,
to Kingpin Mountain, Morton NP, NSW.

I never knew how to join Kevin's bushwalks.
But he invited me ...

Actually, Kevin never messaged me.
Grace Fang invited me.
Grace was Kevin's helper.

The below rants by me hold true,
regardless whether Grace invited me
with or without Kevin's blessing ...

because Kevin was the leader.
He was responsible for this trip.



2)  Saturday ... late afternoon

The day before ...
Late Saturday afternoon,
Kevin cancelled his trip due to rain.

Then, he organized a Plan B bushwalk
for Sunday,
to a sunny place.

He excluded Maggie and me !!!



3)

Now, every weekend,
I always arrange my own bushwalks.

Maggie is also very active.
She plays badminton etc.

But on that Sunday, both
Maggie and I were stranded at home
with nowhere to go !!!

So outrageous !!!

If Kevin had not invited me to his trip,
I would have arranged my own trip,
and I would not have been stranded at home.

Ditto for Maggie.



4)

No apologies from Kevin.

He insisted he did nothing wrong.



5)

Maggie was so angered by Kevin's action,

she quit his WeChat hiking group soon afterwards.



6)

Kevin gave many bullshit excuses
for not inviting me.

When a person gave so many excuses,
you don't need to know what he said.
You know automatically he was bullshitting.

Kevin didn't say  sorry  nor  apologise.
He insisted he did nothing wrong.



7)  Bullshit excuse #1

Kevin said:
- Original trip was cancelled.
- New trip was a new trip, not Plan B.
- Hence he did not invite me.

This is bullshit.

He invited almost everyone
from his original trip
to his Plan B trip.

He called his Plan B trip "new trip".
He played games with names !

Who cared about the name of his Plan B trip !!! ???

Why was Maggie & I excluded ???
whereas almost everyone
from his original trip was included !!!



8)  Bullshit excuse #2

Kevin said:
- He didn't have time to invite Maggie & me.

This is bullshit.

He had time to invite almost everyone
from his original trip.

Why was there no time to invite Maggie & me ???

He was the leader.
He had responsibilities.

If he had to sleep one hour less
to include Maggie & me,
so be it !!!



9)  Bullshit excuse #3

Kevin said:
- He didn't invite me because it was late at night.
- And I might have gone to sleep.

This is bullshit.

Others might have gone to sleep too.
But he messaged them,
except to Maggie & me.

It is true that I often go to bed early.
But everyone knew I would have risen early too.

Kevin knew I would read his message
one way or another...
and be ready for his trip.


(Actually,
he didn't sent out his invitation message
to others very late at night.

I would have time to read his message
before I went to sleep ...
if he had sent it to me.)



10)  Bullshit excuse #4

Kevin said:
- There might be a bit of rain in his Plan B place.
- Hence I would not join his Plan B.

This is bullshit ... a.

I was all prepared to go to his original place
even though it would rain heavily there.

So, why was I worried about a bit of rain
in his Plan B place ?

* * * * * * * * * *

And bullshit ... b.

The Plan B place was actually sunny !!!
That was the reason Kevin chose this place.

The plan B place was in a rain shadow ...

Meaning:
If weather forecast is for a bit of rain there,
it usually means no rain there.

All bushwalkers know
the place is in a rain shadow.

All Kevin had to do, was to tell me his Plan B place.

Everyone knows:
I am not a dumb bushwalker.

Everyone knows:
I know how to read weather forecasts.

I can decide for myself
whether the Plan B place will be dry & sunny.



11)  Bullshit excuse #5

Kevin said:
- I usually didn't join his trips.
- Hence he dropped me.

Another bullshit excuse !

Regardless of past history,
I was invited to his original trip.
He had responsibilities for me.

He could not leave me stranded at home
without including me in his Plan B trip.



12)  Bullshit excuse #6

When all of his bullshit excuses failed ...

Kevin blamed me
for not suggesting a plan B to the group.

So disgusting !!!

I was not the leader.
He was the leader !!!

Why didn't he admit he was wrong ???
instead of blaming me for not suggesting a plan B.



13)

Kevin never messaged me.
All the above were from Grace on his behalf.
(Grace was Kevin's helper.)

It is possible ...
Kevin knew none of the above bullshits.

But he was the leader !!!

It is up to him to apologise to me:
- To say ... he was innocent,
- To say ... all the above were written by Grace
                  without his knowledge.

But I believe:
- Kevin himself said he did nothing wrong.
- Kevin himself gave the above bullshit excuses.

He should apologise
    - to me
    - to Maggie
    - and in public

    - to say he was wrong
    - to say he is sorry for what he did !!!

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/

Pink Caves, Central Coast, NSW, Australia

Go to Index

A group of us went to
    Pink Caves, Central Coast, NSW, Australia
in 2025-April:

Paul,  leading ...
    - Ai Ling Lim
    - Amy Chi
    - John Graham
    - Karen Lee
    - Lyndal Tegel
    - May Yang

Detailed trip report is in this link:
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/2025/04/pink-caves-to-caves-beach-part-1.html

Below are the pictures only.


Pink Caves entrance

1a, b)  Pink Caves entrance.
- Amy takes the honour for the 1st person
  to get there.

Inside Pink Caves

2a, b)  Wonderful pink-coloured rocks in the cave !
- 2 white arrows: Same as the 2 white arrows in photo #3

Photos by John

3)  Inside Pink Caves.
- 2 white arrows: Same as the 2 white arrows in photo #2

4)  Left to right: John, Amy
- Red arrow:
       • It is the top white arrow in photo #3.
       • Also, Amy will be standing over it
         in photo #5.

5)  The pool here is the red arrow of previous pic.
- Lyndal, Amy, John

6)  Lyndal, Amy, John.
- The pool in the front is the one
  in the previous pic.

7)  Amy ... on the pink rock.

8)  May on the pink rock.
- In the background, left to right:
       Karen, Lyndal, Amy

9)  Lyndal, John.

10)  Nice colour !

To the back of Pink Caves

11a, b)  Walking towards the back of Pink Caves.
- Upper pic: Ai Ling, Lyndal, John, Amy
- Lower pic: Lyndal, John, Amy

Upper pic: Photo by May

Back of Pink Caves

12)  Back of Pink Caves.
- Karen, Lyndal, Paul

Photo by Ai Ling

13)  John, May, Karen, Ai Ling, Lyndal, Paul.

Photo by Amy

The other side of Pink Caves

14)  Looking across the channel
       at the other side of the cave.

Photo by John

15)  Looking across the channel
       at the other side of the cave.
- John, Lyndal, May

16)  Lyndal, John, Karen.

Photo by May

17)  May, Karen.

Looking out from the cave

18)  Fantastic colour !
- May

Photo by Karen

Warning / Danger

You should only visit the Pink Caves
during low tide and low swell.

It is suicidal to go at other times.
Peolple have died there !!!



Detailed trip report

Detailed trip report is in this link:
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/2025/04/pink-caves-to-caves-beach-part-1.html

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/

Light rays in Colliery Canyon

Go to Index

Fantastic light rays in
Colliery Canyon

We were there just at the right time
to witness the magic scenes !


Date: 2025-May-17
A bushwalk in Colliery Canyon,
Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia
(About half-a-day's walk)


7 of us:
    Paul,  leading ...
    Bao'e Dong (宝)
    Jack
    James
    John Zhong
    Kelly Wei
    Lucy


Pictures - light rays in Colliery Canyon

Some of them may look like waterfalls ...
For example: First 2 photos below.


1)  Colliery Canyon.
- Kelly
- Note: Light rays, not waterfall !

Time: 10:45am

2)  The 3 lovey ladies, left to right:
     Kelly, Lucy, Bao

Time: 10:46am

3)  The 4 guys, left to right:
     John, Paul, Jack, James

Photo by Bao

4)  A laser light in Colliery Canyon !

Time: 11:13am

5)  Kelly.

Photo by Bao

6)  Closer to the shafts of light of previous pic.
- James on the left
  Others: Lucy, Bao, John, Kelly

Time: 10:50am

7)  Lucy, Kelly, John.

Time: 10:53am

8)  Identical scene as previous pic ...
     24 minutes later.
- John

Time: 11:17am

9)  Same scene as previous pic, different angle.
- John

Time: 11:17am   Photo by Bao

10)  Paul.

Photo by Bao

11)  Jack, Bao.

Time: 11:15am

12)  Jack.

Photo by Bao

Pool at end of Colliery Canyon

13)  Pool at end of the canyon.
- White arrow:
       It is possible to climb up the here.
       Not easy !
       Only Kelly Wei & John Zhong can do it.
       Refer to next pic.

Time: 10:58am

14)  Kelly at the white arrow of previous pic.
I suspect if we stay here long enough,
We may see shafts of light shining through
the slit at the top ... Refer to next few pics.

Time: 11:03am

15a, b)  This is John Graham's trip
              to Colliery Canyon in 2024-Feb-01.
- Same scene and pool as previous pic
- We miss this light show 😭

Photo by John Graham

16)  John Graham's trip in 2024-Feb-01.
- Edna Frougas ...
  on the same rock as Kelly in photo #14
- We miss this light show 😭

Photo by John Graham

Comment

Colliery Canyon is quite interesting.

About half-a-day's walk.
Some bushbash.
No abseil.
No swim.

But you have to be there at the right time
to see the light rays.

Go to Index

Please visit my main page at
https://mntviews.blogspot.com/