Into a Tropical Winter...
June 2022

Steve looking over at the harbour bridge, Sydney
Photo © Jo Hackett

An exotic banyan tree, Brisbane
Photo © Jo Hackett

It had been a long wait for the Australian and New Zealand tour with all the rescheduling, so we were thrilled to finally be heading down under!

As before, we initially felt somewhat comatosed on our arrival in New Zealand after more than thirty hours travel, but Auckland was as welcoming as before and it's a lovely location. It might be winter there, but the sun shone over all those exotic trees and tropical plants. Jo and I enjoyed walking in the nearby park, marvelling at the vegetation and being fascinated by a strange shaped hill on the horizon which we're told is an old volcano...

The gig received a brilliant reception and despite jet lag, the band totally sprang into life...

Next morning we flew to Brisbane. Jo and I headed off to the South Bank, a vibrant part of the city on the river, lined with gorgeous tropical trees and vegetation. Sydney was equally wonderful. It was great to see the opera house and Sydney Harbour bridge again, all glistening under warm winter sunshine. In Melbourne we stayed in a hotel on the seafront, which was intriguing because that spot reminded us of Torquay back in the UK, but behind it rose those city skyscrapers...

The shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne all went really well with fabulously enthusiastic crowds.

It felt exciting to travel to Adelaide and Perth, particularly as those two places were a first for us. Both cities had a fabulous atmosphere... not too crowded with beautiful open green spaces. Jo and I greatly enjoyed visiting Kings Park in Perth, with its extraordinary trees along with spectacular views over the lakes and waterways leading towards the sea.

The gigs in those two places felt really special too, with such ecstatic crowds and the band totally on fire!

Now we're all visiting other lands before heading north for the long awaited shows in Japan...