Phillip Island & The Penguin Parade With My Parents

July 7, 2013

Our last Melbourne adventure was a day trip to Phillip Island.  Phillip Island is about a two hour drive from Melbourne.  It is a beautiful place full of incredible beaches, vacation homes, wineries, Nobbies Centre (home to a large population of seals), and most importantly- the cutest little parade you ever did see.  The PENGUIN PARADE!  It is also important to note that the Hemsworth brothers hail from Phillip Island.  Sadly, no Hemsworth sightings.

Here are some photos from our first stop- the Nobbie Centre.  Unfortunately, we didn't see any seals, but the views were amazing!  (No Hemsworths AND no seals?!  I want my money back!)

Double rainbow ending at the kangaroo crossing sign!

Can you tell it was FREEZING cold?!

Supposedly this thing is usually covered in sun-bathing seals

 

 

 

 

So here's the deal with the penguin parade- first, you must know that these penguins are the smallest penguins in the world.  Which also conveniently makes them the cutest penguins in the world!  Anyway, each morning at sunrise these penguins go out to sea to spend their days fishing, and then each evening at sunset they return to their nests.  This is what you are seeing when you view the Penguin Parade.  Like clockwork, right as the sun began to set, we started to see little black blobs coming up to shore.  The penguins were coming!!!  The penguins get together in large groups, and before you know it, they're standing on the sand.  It's pretty funny to watch, because it takes them 3 or 4 times to build up their courage to really come ashore- the little groups would keep on running back into the water before finally beginning their parade.  Once they start coming up, it's the cutest thing as they march/waddle in perfect little lines across the beach, and up the hills to their nests.  Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed- and they had tons of park rangers around enforcing this rule.  So you'll just have to take my word for it- they were adorable!  It was such a cool sight to see and so amazing to think that these tiny penguins repeat this ritual every single day. 
 

The penguins we saw are only as big as the tiny little one at the bottom!

Since I couldn't take photos of the real ones, this will have to do...

Snuck this photo while waiting for the penguins

 

And that concludes my very overdue recaps of my parents' visit to Australia.  Thanks for coming mom and dad!  So glad you got to see this beautiful place! 

The Great Ocean Road With My Parents

July 5, 2012

I was so excited to take my parents on The Great Ocean Road tour.  David and I went on this tour in January, and it is one of my favorite things that we've done in Australia.  So I was really excited that I would have the chance to see it all again!  You can see the recap from my first time on The Great Ocean Road HERE. 

As I mentioned in my last post about this tour, The Great Ocean Road is a very famous stretch of road along the southeastern coast of Australia- somewhat similar to the Pacific Coast Highway. The road is narrow and twisty, but it travels right along what I can honestly say is probably one of the most beautiful coastlines I have ever seen.  There are also lots of famous landmarks and beaches along the way.  The entire road is actually a war memorial, as it was built by soldiers returning from WWI. 

It's impossible not to take a million photos on this tour.  Everything is just so beautiful.  It's also impossible to narrow down which photos to include... so prepare yourself for a major photo overload. 

 

The first of many rainbows we saw that day

Our first stop was the little beach town of Torquay which is home to Bell's Beach.  Bell's Beach is a very famous surfing beach.  We didn't see any surfers this day though- the water was extremely rough (and cold!). 

 

Next up was Lorne where we stopped for morning tea at a park overlooking the ocean.  Such a fun little Aussie custom!

 

We made another stop just a bit later at Mount Defiance Lookout Point.  Not far from here, we stopped again for a walkabout in a little area known for having plenty of koalas (!!!!) hiding in the trees.

 

Our next stop was Apollo Bay and the nearby Mait's Rest Rainforest.  In true rainforest fashion, this is when the rain began again.  So our walk through the rainforest was a bit more of a hurried power walk.  It was still beautiful and impressive though.  The rain continued off and on throughout the rest of our trip, but always seemed to let up when we got to each view point, so I can't complain too much.  Plus, it made for a series of amazing rainbows that seemed to follow us the whole day. 
 

Can't you just imagine dinosaurs roaming through this rainforest?

At long last, we arrived in Port Campbell to see the incredible Twelve Apostles!  A lot of the photos I included are from pretty similar vantage points, but I just thought it was so interesting how much the sky changed in the 45 minutes we spent there! 

 

The path out to the 12 Apostles viewpoint

 

  

 

 

 

Also in Port Campbell is the Loch Ard Gorge.  This little cove and the ocean right outside this area are known for being extremely rough.  There is a long history of shipwrecks in this area. 

 

And finally, we made it to our last stop- The London Bridge.  This rock formation used to be connected and people were allowed to walk out to the end.  There's a story about a couple who met for a rendezvous out on the point and had the bad luck to be out there when it collapsed.  They had to be rescued by helicopter... and then explain to their spouses what they were doing out there.  Scandalous!

 

Crazy beautiful sunset action happening in the upper left corner

Can you tell we were freezing by this point?

 



Groundhog Day

**I wrote this post over a week ago, when I was in a bit of an expat funk.  It's crazy how much can change in just a week... attitudes, circumstances, future plans, etc.  At any rate, I'm feeling a lot better about things since the time that I wrote this post.  I've managed to shake that "trapped" feeling, and am no longer wishing time away... in fact, I'm now wishing time would slow down a bit.  But I still wanted to publish this post so that I can look back on and remember the lows of this adventure along with the highs. 

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Another beautiful Aussie sky

Let me begin with a little bit of a disclaimer:  Having this opportunity to live abroad is a truly amazing experience for which I am very grateful.  I have absolutely loved all the wonderful places we've visited and experiences we've had that we probably never would have had the opportunity for before.  The people that we've met here (both Australians and Americans) have been incredibly welcoming and kind.  Now that that's out of the way...

This experience isn't without its challenges and frustrations.  Not everyday is a vacation or adventure.  Most of our days here are just normal "real life."  We wake up early, work, do chores, get annoyed by our neighbor's barking dog, eat dinner... repeat.  Nothing glamorous or exciting most of the time. 

I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I know we're going "home" for a visit soon.  And being in countdown/escape mode makes it difficult to enjoy where you are and what you're doing presently.  So, to be completely honest- lately, I am just so over it.  The other day while driving home from work, I had one of those, "What the hell am I doing in this place?!" moments.  Don't get me wrong- this little town has been good to us, and I know I will always look back on our time here positively.  But that doesn't change the fact that sometimes I would just rather be anywhere but here.  One of the lessons I've learned here is that I am a city girl.  I'm glad that I get to experience small town life for a few years.  But what I'm even more glad about is that this small town experience has an end date.  Something about me needs traffic, tall buildings, sidewalks, crowds, freeways, etc. 

An American friend of mine here described it quite well.  She said that living here is like Groundhog Day- "same s***, different day."  Sometimes I just feel so trapped, isolated, and stifled here.  Very little ever seems to change here.  For example, even if I wanted to get crazy and spice things up by changing my route to work, I couldn't really.  There really and truly is not another option or "back road" I could take.  Even something as simple as that can't be changed up.  Yes, I've lived here for over a year now, but a lot of things still feel very foreign to me.  I still everyday feel very aware of the fact that I am an outsider... and that can be exhausting.  I have another friend whose husband always says (half jokingly, half seriously... depending on the type of day he's having here), "Welp, at least someone is getting the hell out of here" whenever he hears a plane taking off from our very small airport.  I know how terrible that sounds, but sometimes it's true.  I think that trapped feeling is somewhat common here every once in a while. 

I'm sure the fact that our trip home is approaching is amplifying these feelings.  Having that "end date" totally helps, but it also seems to just make me more frustrated with the time in between now and then.  I hate to be in a position where I am wishing time away.  But that's kind of just where I am right now.  I'm just ready for a break!  And I know that when we return, I will feel refreshed and have a much better attitude :-) 

Melbourne with My Parents

July 4-8, 2013

I can't believe it has taken me so long to finish blogging about my parents' visit to Australia.  They visited in July.  JULY!  I'm so behind!  At any rate, here's where I last left off:

G'Day Grants!
Sights & Sounds From Oz
1770
Beaches & Boats - 1770
Evolution of a Sunset - 1770
Kangaroos, Koalas, & Crocodiles.. Oh My!
Heron Island
Boomerangs, Didgeridoos, and Caves
Tondoon Botanic Gardens

I was really excited that my parents had chosen Melbourne as the big Australian city that they wanted to visit while in Australia.  Melbourne has been one of my favorite cities that we've visited in Australia, so I was glad to have an excuse to go back!  HERE is a link to my first Melbourne trip back in January. 

David and I had such a great time in Melbourne when we visited and loved everything we did and saw, so I decided to pretty much do most of the same things with my parents on their visit.  Why mess with success, right?   We spent one full day exploring the city, one day on a tour of The Great Ocean Road, and one day visiting Phillip Island and the Penguin Parade. 

On our day exploring the city, I was excited to show my parents everything I had loved so much about Melbourne the last time I was there.  We started off at the Queen Victoria Market.  This market is totally overwhelming, but totally awesome at the same time.  There is produce, meat, cheese, souvenirs, etc. as far as the eye can see! 

 

 

Lollies, lollies, and more lollies!

 We also spent some time walking through Chinatown and doing some shopping in The Block Arcade. 

Next up was the Federation Square area.  Fed Square is where David and I celebrated NYE 2013 last year.  It is right near the river and has some great views of the city.  There always seems to be something going on in this part of the city- while we were there, the square was home to a really neat sculpture exhibit.  While I noticed the beautiful church across the street from Fed Square the last time I visited, my parents were smart enough to have the idea to actually check it out.  St. Paul's Cathedral was so pretty inside, and I'm glad I didn't miss out on this for a second time!

 

And of course, we had to spend some time wandering the alley ways that are famous for their street art.  We were even lucky enough to see some street artists at work!

 

 

 

 

 

I love you Melbourne!  I hope I get a chance to visit this beautiful city again while we're still here!