ANZAC day and more

Last Sunday was ANZAC day.
ANZAC is an acronym for ‘Australian and New Zealand Army Corps’.

This name came about when Australia and New Zealand joined forces to enter into World War One.
The ANZAC’s landed on the Gallipoli Beach in Turkey on the 25th of April 1915 (hence why ANZAC Day is on that date).

ANZAC Day now incorporates all Australian men and women that have fought in times of war. That being the Boer, Vietnam, Borneo, Iraq and Afghanistan Wars to name a few.  It is a day when every Australian celebrates and remembers the men and women who have done so much for Australia.

On the ANZAC Day itself, all around Australia people gather for the marches in the streets with past and present soldiers and dawn services in such squares as Brisbane’s ANZAC Square.
It was an honour to experience this day in Australia.

What else have I been doing? I took a free walking tour and learned even more history about Brisbane and Australia. Apparently, about 40.000 years ago,  carnivore kangaroos about 3 metres tall were living in Australia. Glad they have been extinged. Australia has enough dangerous wildlife as it is.
The most venomous snakes and spiders are found in the land Down Under. But as you can see, I travelled all around Oz and I'm still alive. :)

I've also been to the biggest man made beach in Queensland, which is right here in the city. It's a true lagoon, white sand, and crystal clear water with a view over the Brisbane skyline. *Sigh* If we only had something like this in Belgium!
And the bes thing about it: it's free. Yep, FREE...  A  lot of things in Australia are free. Toilets, for example, you never have to pay for a public toilet! Saved me a lot of money ;)
Or in every big city there is a free bus that loops around from 7am-6pm.
Water! Everywhere you go you can find free drinkable watertaps to refill  your bottle, also in bars & restaurants the water is free.
In most parks you can find gasBBQ's free of use.
And of course, you can see so  many sunrises and sunsets for free, along with the friendly smiles of the Aussies...

My feelings right now are bittersweet.
Sweet because of all the amazing things I've seen, done, experienced,...
Bitter because in exactly 3 weeks I have to leave this place I called home for almost 4 months...
But, alsways look on the bright side of life, I still have 3 weeks. I will go snorkling on Moreton Island to see the ship wrecks, I'll stop over in Surfers Paradise & Byron bay to enjoy some surfing and laid back beachlife to end up where I started: Sydney. the city where it all began...