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Mini-Sven on the London Underground

Posted 1st October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
London Underground, United Kingdom: Distance Travelled = 62,082 miles

Afternoon!
The great thing about London has to be the London Underground. It's full of people, the hussle and bussle. You really feel like you're on your way to a big brand new adventure. Heathrow airport is so huge,with all it's five terminals. You could definitely get so lost. I'm flying off nearly as far as you possibly can! I promise to wave at all the other travelling bears on this site as I fly over the top and round to the bottom of the world. I'm flying from summer to winter in the space of just a day! I'll definitely need my lovely new jumper that I'm wearing!
I'll update you as soon as I get there!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven Goes Skiing?

Posted 2nd October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Perisher Blue, Australia: Distance Travelled = 72,686 miles

Evening All!
I've arrived down-under, again. I like Australia, it's wonderful here. Most people do think it's really hot, but you can ski if you look hard enough. I'm at Perisher Blue ski resort. I'm not very good at skiing, so I decided to copy the old Kookaburra song and sit in an old gum tree, merry, merry king of the bushes he, la la la la la. I had a very good view of all the other people slip sliding around on the snow! You know, the funny thing is, I'm sure I saw a little bear trying to ski, he looked like he was struggling though. Must have been my imagination.
Anyway, we're not staying skiing here for very long, Australia is a very large country and there is so much to see!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven in Canberra

Posted 6th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Canberra, Australia: Distance Travelled = 72,772 miles

Morning!
We left the fun times on the ski slope of Perisher Blue and have gone to the capital of Australia, Canberra. The weather isn't particularly warm, but it's better than on the ski slope! I met up with some friends (hello Sophie!), who made sure I was very safe in the car and then we went to Mount Ainslie to look out over the wonderful view.
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven where the Oceans Meet

Posted 7th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Augusta, Australia: Distance Travelled = 74,6593 miles

Morning!
We've now travelled all the way across the counrtry from Canberra to Western Australia and we're at the place where the Southern and Indian Oceans meet. This was a great place, I was told you could see a line where the oceans met, but I looked really, really hard and couldn't see one, so I think whoever told me that was pulling my leg! Hmm. I was sure again that I could see a little flash of bear disappearing into the distance though.....
We're moving on up northwards from here, so another update soon.
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven in the Jewel Cave

Posted 9th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Augusta, Australia: Distance Travelled = 74,698 miles

Morning!
We've moved up the coast from where the two oceans met to the most magical cave in the whole wide world! It seemed to glow gently and the stalagmites were majestical, over 5 meters long some of them, the longest in the world. It goes down by 42 meters and is nearly 2 kilometers long and that is only the bit that is reachable. There is another 60% of the caves that haven't been developed for tourism. Brilliant! I found paw marks in the cave, so I know I'm not the first traveller to be here and I think I know who it is now! We're on up to Perth now, so another update soon!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven in Perth

Posted 11th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Perth, Australia: Distance Travelled = 74,865 miles

Morning all,
We've journeyed up the coast now and have made it to Perth. We found this wonderful hotel - Miss Mauds Swedish hotel and of course we had to go in! (Being Swedish and all!) We had a lovely fika, brilliant, place, definitely go there if you go to Perth! Then we hopped on a train, to travel half way across the country. More soon when we get there!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven in Cook

Posted 12th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Adelaide, Australia: Distance Travelled = 76,728 miles

Morning all,
I really, really love trains. You've probably figured that out by now! This is an amazing train, it goes all the way from Perth to Adelaide and then if you choose, you can go all the way to Sydney. That's a really, really long way. We're going to change trains in Adelaide and head north. In the picture you can see the train that we're on. We stopped in Cook, this is the only scheduled stop on this journey. Cook is pretty much a ghost town, no-one lives here anymore. Well, I think four people do, but I didn't see any ghosts, so it can't really be a ghost town! Ooh, back on the train, I wouldn't want to get stuck here! More soon.
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven Meets a Kangaroo

Posted 13th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Adelaide, Australia: Distance Travelled = 76,272 miles

Morning all,
Having been on the Indian Pacific, all the way across from Perth to Adelaide we decided it was time to get out and see some animals! We've come to the National Park here to look at all the animals. I met a kangaroo, which was nice, he was cuddly and took good care of me, but I'm not sure I'd want to get on the bad side of him, those legs look like they would give a really mean kick. I also met an emu. I'm not sure that I enjoyed that so much, I got covered in muck and I'm sure he was about to eat me! I really felt like I was getting into trouble...... The safest animal was definitely the koala, but he was just a statue, probably for the best! Time to move on, as always!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven in the Barossa Valley

Posted 14th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Barossa Valley, Australia: Distance Travelled = 76,303 miles

Afternoon all,
We've started to head north now and we've stopped off in the Barossa Valley. This is the most famous wine making region in Australia. There are vineyards and wines as far as the eye can see. Amazing stuff! First settled more than 165 years ago by European settlers and has some of the oldest Shiraz vines in the world! We couldn't stay long though, back on the train!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven on the Ghan

Posted 15th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Alice Springs, Australia: Distance Travelled = 77,114 miles

Morning all,
We're now on the train called the Ghan. It stretches all the way from Adelaide in the south to Darwin in the north. For a very long time it only went as far as Alice Springs, but it's been completed now and you can get all the way up to the north of the country. Here we are at Alice Springs. A really amazing place and a really amazing train! An update from the north very soon!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven and the Termites

Posted 16th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Litchfield National Park, Australia: Distance Travelled = 77,857 miles

Morning all,
We're travelled really long and hard and have made it up to the North of Australia on the Ghan train. We went canoeing once we got off the train at Katherine Gorge, which was much fun. Then we went to the Litchfield National Park and saw the magnetic termite mounds. These really were amazing, the termites build them north/south so that they get the warmth from the sun. They are also made of termite poo, so I didn't sit on the mound for very long! Finally we went bathing in one of the water holes there (although I didn't really get very wet). A very fine relaxing time, but of course, not much time to relax, we're moving straight on again!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven at Rockhampton

Posted 18th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Rockhampton, Australia: Distance Travelled = 79,319 miles

Morning all,
We've travelled over to the east side of Australia now and went to a totally fantastic railway museum. It was great to see how the railways were developed over here, brilliant. I sat next to an accordion player on a railway platform, but you couldn't hear him and he didn't move very much! Then we went to the Botanical Gardens. They were very nice, but not as brilliant as the railway museum! More soon!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven at the Great Barrier Reef

Posted 19th October 2009 - Journey: July 2009
Great Barrier Reef, Australia: Distance Travelled = 79,554 miles

Morning all,
A trip to Australia always has to include a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We went out on the sea to see the reef, but I don't really swim very well so I had to stay on the boat and watch all the other passengers going diving and snorkelling. We also visited the Whitsundays, which is a lovely island, very relaxing! We're heading down the coast now, starting to make our way to the end of this adventure!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven in Brisbane

Posted 21st October 2009 - Journey: August 2009
Brisbane, Australia: Distance Travelled = 80,110 miles

Morning all,
I've now travelled down the coast a little way to Brisbane. I like Brisbane, it's very relaxed and the best bit of all was going to the Castlemaine XXXX Brewery. It was brilliant! Oh well, time to move on, further down the coast and to somewhere somewhat cooler than up here in the tropics!
lots of love
Mini-Sven

Mini-Sven in Melbourne

Posted 22nd October 2009 - Journey: August 2009
Melbourne, Australia: Distance Travelled = 80,960 miles

Morning all,
This is my final update from Australia. We've gone all the way south to Melbourne. The weather has got colder again, I definitely preferred it back up in Queensland, much warmer. It was less dangerous too! I ended up being caught in the mouth of a lion and then when we went to the Old Melbourne Gaol I managed to get myself in trouble and had my photography taken as if I was a prisoner and being put in Ned Kellys old helmet. I really felt as if I was getting into trouble all over the place, so it's probably best that I'm heading back to Europe again! I'm sure I'm not the only bear that has got stuck in Ned Kelly's helmet though, or maybe that's my imagination!

Now, the important question is, where to go next?
lots of love
Mini-Sven

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