Travelogue - Australia Final Report

Look at these school uniforms!  I snapped this pic from one of those overview tourist double deckers buses we always do the first day in a large foreign city to get the layout and decide which areas we want to explore more thoroughly.  As I took this, another group of students in the same unis were approaching these girls but I wanted a closeup.   Aren't these the cutest ones you've ever seen?

On our last morning in Melbourne, we got up and drove to the mission office and picked up this guy below.  What a joyful reunion!!!!  It's the first time I have seen him in person in two years!

The Melbourne Temple is on the same property as the mission office so I snapped this before we headed for the airport to fly to Tasmania to have dinner with the awesome King family in Launceston.  She and I became IG and FB friends after she befriended my missionary son and we just had to meet her family and spend some time with them.  Fabulous woman raising 3 delightful and such well mannered children.  She lost both a special needs son and love of her life husband unexpectedly a few years ago and impresses and inspires me with her faith, dedication and optimism.

All these pics above were taken during our one and a half days in Tasmania.  It was mostly gloomy and cool weather wise but we loved the lush green countryside, cute towns and delicious sea shore.  I would have loved to have had more time on that island.

We flew to Sydney from Tasmania and spent the remaining four days there.  I can't decide which city I loved more, Melbourne or Sydney and I don't think I  have to choose.  I loved them both so much!!!  We stayed at the Sofitel in the city center a few blocks from Circular Quay and the Opera House.  Our first day we took the Explorer tour bus as I mentioned and it took us to 34 different places in the city which pretty much took up the entire day.  Then we were able to make up detailed agendas for the remaining three days.  On one of our stops at Darlington Harbor, we were standing by a pier looking at boats and spotted these little jelly fish all over the place right below us.  I'd only seen them a public aquariums before and here they were in their natural habitat!

Our second day we started in Paddington where we took in the Saturday flea market - some of the best stuff I've seen yet at a open market - really pretty clothing, beautiful art, jewelry, antiques, fabulous food stalls, accessories, flowers, music, housewares, etc set up in an open area of the local elementary school right by the town center.

In the above pictures, look at the houses we encountered as we walked the residential areas of Paddington when we had finished at the market.  So lovely, every street.  And the commercial areas as well.  We ate lunch at a place I think called Mario's on Oxford St. that made ice cream shakes by hand like you make at home using the best ingredients and they were incredible - so was the food.  Dane had a Mars and Chocolate Cheesecake and Dan ordered a Chocolate Brownie one.  I took a good sip of each.  I saved room for a treat later in the day.

Circular Quay where we walked all over and then headed to the Sydney Opera House followed by the glorious Botanical Garden.  We spent a lot of time in the gardens relaxing, talking, smelling roses, looking at huge and scary spiders with webs in some of the plantings, and watching two weddings.  When we walked down town later on on our way to the Queen Victoria Market Building, we saw four more brides right before their wedding ceremonies.  

This rose is called Sweet Intoxication, a floribunda, and the scent truly is!

We saw these everywhere; they are large and this one had plenty of meals (victims) in his food storage  area of the web.

Gorgeous 4 level indoor shopping at the 19th century restored Queen Victoria Building.  Next two pictures are the exterior. 

We sat harbor side and watched people after dinner.

 Sunday we walked to church - about 7 blocks from our hotel.  Wonderful service, wonderful people.  No matter where we attend our churches in the world, they always feel the same; like home.  That's comforting.  I forgot to take a picture of the place we attended church but the next two buildings are two we passed along the way; a war memorial at St James Park and St Mary's Church.

After church, we walked to Circular Quay and hopped a ferry to Manly Island where we spent the rest of the day exploring the little town there, the parks, going on a long ocean trail walk, watching people from all over the world at the beaches there from our park bench on the board walk, and eating ice cream.  For dinner, we had chinese food down at Darlington Harbor.

Above and below; views of the Opera House and skyline from the Ferry.

Monday morning, our last day, we went out to breakfast where I enjoyed my last bowl of the country's fantastic muesli and yogurt and then eggs with the orangest yolks ever and then Dane and I walked several blocks to Cole's and bought a ton of candy to bring home; stuff you don't see in the US, especially the Cadbury line -very extensive and creative selection.  Then 30 very long hours of travel and layovers to get back home.

We are home and two days later we are still so very jet lagged; exhausted yet having a hard time sleeping.  And we are watching Dane adjust back to "civilian life".  It's not easy - I felt like a fish out of water when I came home from my mission and so did Dan.  I'm so very glad we had an excuse to scratch Down Under off of our bucket lists and not only pick Dane up, but see where he served and imagine what it was like for him.  What an incredible and happy experience.  I would go back again for sure!

Travelogue - Australia Part Two

After we left Gold Country, we ventured to the east side of Victoria.  We skirted around Melbourne and passed through the city of Cranbourne where my son Dane is currently serving his mission.  I kept hoping we would pull up next to a car he and his companion were driving at some red light and I kept my eyes peeled for missionaries in white shirts and ties on every street we drove down.  No such luck.  Our plan for the next two days was Phillips Island and the Gippslands.  We first did a loop around Mornington Peninsula - it felt like we were in Cape Cod.  When we arrived on Phillips Island, we immediately went to the tip of the island to watch something that has been happening every evening as long as and who knows how long before man inhabited the island.  A breed of penguins called rightfully, the little penguin as they are about a foot tall and 2 pounds, they come to shore at summerwind beach every night at dusk after all day out at sea diving down for food, and hundreds of them appear out of the water, stop to gather in little groups, do a bit of preening, and then head into the dunes and shrubs to their little underground burrows to sleep for the night.  So we gathered with a bunch of other people onto this beach behind a roped area and waited for dusk.  We were told to absolutely take no pictures as our flashes or phone screens would frighten them back into the water though our presence would not.  Suddenly they started to pop out of the water and gather and waddle up in to the dunes - adorable!  And they squeak.  Once they entered the dunes, we followed this on boardwalks with side rails and watched them (by then it was pitch black but dim lights were hung all along the boardwalks) find their little dens.  Before they would go in, they would stand around in pairs or small groups and socialize.  It was such fun to watch them!

This is where we sat to await the penguins - handsome Dan below

                   Penguin dens

         That dark lump is a koala!

I can't imagine how they sleep that way 20 hours!

The following day we went to an area of the island where there is a colony of koala bears living.  To protect them from their main predator, man, the area they live in is protected and you have to gain entrance to go in.  It was so exciting to look for them in trees, dark lumps in the crooks of branches, and several were sitting down low enough that we could get some good shots.  They sleep 20 hours a day, eat at night, so most were asleep but a couple were stirring but never leaving their perch.  Thrilling and adorable.  We saw wallabies and emus in the wild that day as we drove the countryside and the day before but no kangaroos even though we passed through many areas where the road signs indicated that they lived. So, so far we have only seen the one dead on the side of the road.

We drove all over the Gippslands, tons of farms woven among forests and lakes and along the seashore, the longest uninterrupted beach I've ever seen, 90 mile beach, much of it empty this time of year and so breathtakingly lovely, and did I mention the tons of gorgeous lakes clustered by the sea.  This is called the fishermen/anglers paradise and most traffic we saw was pulling boats.  Such a beautiful and pastoral area and cows and sheep and fruit/veggie farms everywhere.  We even drove into the Snowy River national forest area and drove down to the town of Marlo where the beautiful Snowy River meets the ocean.  Remember the movie "The Man From Snowy River"?  I loved that movie and its sequel and my kids did too so it was cool to be close to where it was filmed and see the place the legend was made. The movie was based on a poem by the same name about the legendary horseman Jim Craig.

          We made a pit stop here 

I love the Cyprus trees that line the back roads

       Heading down to 90 mile beach

   Not a soul for miles either direction

After our couple days in eastern Victoria, we headed to Melbourne where we have been for the last couple days and man is it a fabulous city.  The architecture is both Victorian/European and modern and such variety in the tall building styles.  We covered it as completely as possible and my feet are killing me. 

         Fabulous Italian food at Tiamo

    Melbourne city beach - super long too

We ate two nights in a row at a Greek restaurant called Gazi - amazing food!  We couldn't stop watching the chefs work - they serve huge bowls of thick fries which they put in a big bowl right out of the grease, add salt, tons of feta, garlic oil and parsley.  Check out the ceiling!

           Victoria Market above & below

Chinatown, the Italian area, the glorious parks and botanical gardens, the harbor, city beach, downtown, several churches, several neighborhoods and the largest and best outdoor market we have ever seen anywhere! It is clean, super easy to get around with free trolley cars that take you all over, the people are so friendly and warm, we ate some of the best food ever, the shopping is fabulous, it's a melting pot of cultures and nationalities and we just had a ball here!  Tomorrow we head to the suburb of Wantirna South to pick up Elder Sargeant aka Dane at 9 am!!!  Then we'll head immediately by plane to the island state of Tasmania.  So here I will end for now!  Stay tuned for the reunion with Dane!