Positive Police Presence on Magnificent Mounts

At the Australian International 3 Day Equestrian Event held in Adelaide, South Australia, last year, I came across two mounted police officers.

They were supposed to be on patrol on the Cross Country day which was the Saturday.

However, their patrol was probably done at snail's pace, certainly not at a canter or a gallop. They would have been continually stopping to chat and allowing the public to pat their mounts.

Such is the reputation of our South Australian Mounted Police that people of all ages are drawn to them and their horses like a magnet.






The police "greys" are all geldings of German warmblood breeding. As well as carrying out their police duties, both riders and horses provide a positive side to policing. You only have to look at the smiles on the faces of both officers to see that they love their job. I have a sneaking suspicion that the horses love the attention too.

Here are a couple of websites for more information:
http://www.horsesinuniform.com/index.php?set_albumName=album04&name=gallery&include=view_album.php
and
http://www.police.sa.gov.au/sapol/about_us/structure/operations_support_service/special_tasks_rescue_group.jsp

The stables for the police horses are located near the old Adelaide Gaol, where my grandfather was a warder.

Just a word of warning. In some countries you have to be very careful when photographing police. Sometimes it isn't allowed and you can get yourself into trouble, particularly in some Asian, South American or African countries.

However, it doesn't just happen there. While I was waiting for my flight home to Australia in 2009, I was photographing traffic outside Los Angeles Airport Terminal. Some of the traffic included, by chance, police cars and motorcycles. I suddenly found myself being approached by a security guard. He wasn't very amused and asked why I was taking so many photos at the airport. I handed over my business card and promptly explained that it was all quite innocent and I had no ulterior motive other than to take photos for my "Getting Around" DVD for aged care and dementia patients.

So, having had that experience, I asked the mounted policewoman if it was OK to photograph them and post the photos on the internet. Not a problem!

What a great way to promote the police and South Australia with such a positive attitude. Go Greys!

Fran's Backpack - 16th January 2011

Fran's Backpack brings to you various products on travel, adventure, flying and photography.

They could be books, ebooks, videos, or gear. Check each one out as it's highlighted on the day.


Today's item in the Backpack is 1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. & Canada Before You Die [Paperback] for $13.57.

After six visits to North America I've still got hundreds of places to see before I die. My bucket list just keeps growing.

Click on the ad for more information.

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - Tacking Point Lighthouse, New South Wales

Lighthouses are a feature of the coastal landscape and Australia certainly has its share of life saving beacons which warn mariners of dangerous coast. Tacking Point Lighthouse, New South Wales, is one of them.

It's not far from Port Macquarie, north of Sydney, about 10 minutes by car or about one hour's walk.

Built in 1879, it's classed as a small navigational lighthouse so there's no huge tower.



The lighthouse is a heritage site and is classified by the National Trust of Australia (New South Wales).

As far as navigation goes, lighthouses are also good beacons for pilots (a bit similar to the huge white grain silos inland). They're clearly marked on the map and there's no question about position.

One thing I do regret about my flight around Australia's coast is that I didn't fly lower to photograph the lighthouses. So my photos really only capture the shape and colour of the coast rather than the actual lighthouses themselves. Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

Here's a bit more about the Tacking Point Lighthouse.

If you're interested in lighthouses, I came across this book on Amazon.com. Tacking Point Lighthouse is listed in the contents, so hopefully it's the Australian lighthouse that's depicted. Click on the ad if you want more information.

Fran's Backpack - 14th January 2011

Fran's Backpack brings to you various products on travel, adventure, flying and photography.

They could be books, ebooks, videos, or gear. Check each one out as it's highlighted on the day.


Today's item in the Backpack is a Garmin GPS 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator
for $199.99.

This has use for marine and outdoor. Great for using when hiking, in a big city and also as a backup if hiring a car in a different city (not all hire cars have GPS units yet).

Click on the ad for more information.

Flyabout around Australia's Coast - Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory or "There are No Accidents"

Nhulunbuy (or Gove) in Arnhemland, Northern Territory, is one of the places I had to spend some time on the ground during my flight around Australia's coast.

The weather was extremely windy and not good for flying and successfully photographing. Sometimes it's better to stay on the ground and rest or do other things.

I caught up on writing my diary, did my laundry and a bit more planning and rescheduling.

I was also put in contact with a local military historian.

Apart from the tremendous hospitality (especially the meals at the canteen) from Nabalco (now Alcan Gove) this was a highlight of my stay.

According to a character in "Kung Fu Panda", "There are no accidents" and I believe this to be the case here. My father was stationed at Gove during the Second World War. He was in the Royal Australian Air Force in signals, not as pilot crew, and he never liked to talk much about his war time experiences.

Phil, the military historian, told me a little bit about Gove during the war and even showed me an old map. Everything has changed and the building where my father would have been stationed is now under the bauxite mine (the bright orange/yellow colour).

So, I had to do my flight around the coast of Australia to discover something about my own father. No accident indeed!

Check out Nhulunbuy http://www.theterritory.com.au/index.php?menuID=140

Australia's Coast from the Air DVD

Australia (incl. P&H) $27.50 Overseas (incl. P&H) $31.00

Fran's Backpack - 12th January 2011

Fran's Backpack brings to you various products on travel, adventure, flying and photography.

They could be books, ebooks, videos, or gear. Check each one out as it's highlighted on the day.


Today's item in the Backpack is Easy French Step-by-Step [Kindle Edition]
for $8.39.

I have a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in French and German (and Latin) so I love languages. I've spoken French in Canada, Europe and Asia and it's spoken in the Pacific, Africa and South America making it a good choice to learn for travelling. Even if you're not fluent in a language it does show the locals that you're making an effort and that counts for a lot.

Having a kindle reader means you can take heaps of language phrase books all for the weight of a reader. How good is that?

Click on the ad for more information.

Floods in Queensland and Northern New South Wales Just Devastating

The floods in Queensland and northern New South Wales are just devastating. One of the worst natural disasters Australia has had.

So far, 10 people have died with over 60 more unaccounted for and thousands have watched their homes flooded or swept away from them. One peak of the flood water is reportedly going to reach 19 metres. That's about 57 feet or 10 tall blokes standing on top of each other, totally mind boggling.

Australians are very quick to come to the aid of other Australians and people all around the world. Now Australians need some assistance.

Would you like to help?

On my flight around Australia's coast I received a lot of assistance and hospitality from Queenslanders. Now it's my turn to give back.

I've just finished production of my DVD, "Outback Adventure". You can see more details about it by clicking here. It costs AUD$25.00 plus postage & handling.

For every DVD that's sold via this web page, I'll donate 10% to the Queensland Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal.

Now it's up to you. Queensland and New South Wales are great travel destinations (amongst other things) but after this will take a long time to recover.

Outback Adventure DVD

Australia (incl. P&H) $27.50 Overseas (incl. P&H) $31.00