Yes, you have heard some crickets for a while. I am actually not even in Australia anymore, but sitting in my mom's kitchen in Kennesaw, GA as we enjoy a few days of recuperation and get ready for our next continent. I will say, though, that Australia is probably one of my favorite places on earth. I'll give my top 10 reasons and then tell you about some fun stuff we did during our stay. I'll have to break it up into 3 separate posts, because we were privileged to do SO MUCH cool stuff!!!
10. It is a mixture of the best of the US and England, with its own culture.
9. The wildlife is incredible and easily accessed throughout the country.
8. Excellent infrastructure, within the major cities and from state to state
7. The Great Ocean Road….. its amazing
6. Aussies really care about their food.. where it comes from and what's in it
5. EVERYONE seems to be out and about, staying fit and healthy
4. Australian Football League.. it puts our padded NFL "warriors" to shame.
3. Walking/Running/Bike paths and park/greenspace everywhere within the major cities
2. The beaches
1. Aussies are FUN and really easy to befriend! But I knew that already from some of the cool people from down under I already knew before stepping foot onto their great country.
We flew first into Melbourne after a white-knuckle turbulent flight from Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines. Luckily, we only had 3 of us in our 5 person across row, so I was able to get a little bit of sleep when I wasn't awoken by turbulence or my stomach coming up into my throat from hitting air pockets. After our touchdown, we took a bus into the city and then a train about an hour south to where our friend and Paul's best man, Scott, picked us up and drove us another hour along the Great Ocean Road to his house in Apollo Bay. Scott and his partner Anna welcomed us into their home with their 4 month old Otto who I instantly fell in love with, even though he puked on me within the first 10 minutes of our introduction. We were very thankful to see familiar faces and spend a week in this amazing beachside town.
Apollo Bay is a tourist town during the summer, but as we were there during their autumn, the town was mostly locals save for a few kids and families who were out for school holidays. Scott showed us all around the city and nearby towns. While we were enjoying a coffee on the way to his house, we met these giant cockatoo guys who were keen on getting some food.. They were huge!
We also checked off the 2 major things I wanted to do while in Australia within the first few days there.. see a koala (in the wild!) and check out the kangaroos. Scott took us to see some gorgeous national parkland where we hiked for a couple of hours along the sea while he caught our dinner, rock lobster. Yes, about a 1 foot long huge delicious crustacean from the sea. Afterward, on the way back to his house, we saw this little koala buddy sitting beside the road and stopped to talk to him. We were able to get so close! It was a rare occurrence, as these animals usually sleep 20 hours a day due to the lacking nutrition they get from the eucalyptus leaves that make up most of their diet. We also were able to visit a Kangaroo conservation center and see some Kangaroos hop around. They really look funny as they bounce around across the grass…
Here are some pictures from our hike along part of the Great Ocean Walk.. 2 hours of breathtaking scenery…rugged coastline and temperate rain forests!
I passed the Lonely Planet building during a morning run and gave them my many thanks for helping us find places to stay and things to do during this trip. Maybe they can sponsor a visa and give me a job? I'd be a great asset to their team.. And I really like Melbourne…sooo..
We only spent 3 days in Melbs, but I could have easily stayed longer. It's a really pretty city with a cool vibe and lots of things to do. We were going to rent a car during our stay in Australia, but due to us only having 3 weeks, we decided to fly. Our next destination was Brisbane, where we reunited with another one of Paul's college friends, Ormy, or "Dangerous Dave"… You can read all about our shenanigans in Brisbane in part II, coming soon. :)
10. It is a mixture of the best of the US and England, with its own culture.
9. The wildlife is incredible and easily accessed throughout the country.
8. Excellent infrastructure, within the major cities and from state to state
7. The Great Ocean Road….. its amazing
6. Aussies really care about their food.. where it comes from and what's in it
5. EVERYONE seems to be out and about, staying fit and healthy
4. Australian Football League.. it puts our padded NFL "warriors" to shame.
3. Walking/Running/Bike paths and park/greenspace everywhere within the major cities
2. The beaches
1. Aussies are FUN and really easy to befriend! But I knew that already from some of the cool people from down under I already knew before stepping foot onto their great country.
We flew first into Melbourne after a white-knuckle turbulent flight from Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Airlines. Luckily, we only had 3 of us in our 5 person across row, so I was able to get a little bit of sleep when I wasn't awoken by turbulence or my stomach coming up into my throat from hitting air pockets. After our touchdown, we took a bus into the city and then a train about an hour south to where our friend and Paul's best man, Scott, picked us up and drove us another hour along the Great Ocean Road to his house in Apollo Bay. Scott and his partner Anna welcomed us into their home with their 4 month old Otto who I instantly fell in love with, even though he puked on me within the first 10 minutes of our introduction. We were very thankful to see familiar faces and spend a week in this amazing beachside town.
Apollo Bay is a tourist town during the summer, but as we were there during their autumn, the town was mostly locals save for a few kids and families who were out for school holidays. Scott showed us all around the city and nearby towns. While we were enjoying a coffee on the way to his house, we met these giant cockatoo guys who were keen on getting some food.. They were huge!
Apollo Bay
Here are some pictures from our hike along part of the Great Ocean Walk.. 2 hours of breathtaking scenery…rugged coastline and temperate rain forests!
One day while Scott was at work, he let us take his car to the Twelve Apostles, which is about 90km away from Apollo Bay. The Twelve Apostles is a rock formation in the sea, and attracts many tourists from all over for a visit. It really is worth the drive. It reminded me of Paracas National Park in Peru, which also had lots of weathered rock that stuck up from the ocean. There used to be 12 standing pillars, but a few have crumbled from storms and erosion.
As you can see, Paul had a really great time driving on the left side of the road.. He obviously learned to drive this way back in the UK but had not driven, much less on the "wrong side" (as we say in 'Merica) of the road, in a very long time. There must be have been lots of accidents on the Great Ocean Road, because as you drive down there are multiple signs saying, "Drive on the Left in Australia". HA. Silly tourists.
We really had a great time spending some time in the outdoors and catching up with old friends. We spent a good 5 days in Apollo Bay with Scott and his family, and then made our way up to Melbourne with Scott and a few of his work buddies to watch an AFL game, Melbourne vs. Carlton. Australian Football is very different from anything I've ever seen. Firstly, the arena is huge. These guys are the epitome of athletes.. They run around the entire time on a huge field and pass, kick, throw, bounce the ball with the goal of getting it through the 2 posts on either side of the field. I tried my best to follow what was actually going on, and tried to understand the rules, but it was tough. It was very exciting to watch, though! And there are no pads and full contact. It's serious.
We were kind of up in the nosebleeds, so pictures don't really do it justice. These guys use an entire Cricket ground as their playing field. It's big.
After a fun night out in Melbourne, meandering through parks and seeing wildlife at 3 AM, we parted ways with Scott and met up with one of Paul's other college friends who also lives in Melbourne. We are so lucky to have friends spanning the globe.. Australia is very expensive (as we learned pretty quickly), and I don't know what we would have done if these kind friends had not taken our poor transient souls into their homes! We had a blast spending time with Shep and his girlfriend (now fiancé within the past week or so!) Leanne in Melbourne.
Melbourne is one of the fastest growing cities in Australia, and you can tell with the amount of cranes and traffic. It's a really cool city with lots of little neighborhoods that are all unique. The central part of the city, the "CBD", has tons of cool alleyway pubs and restaurants to explore. Need some beach time? A 30 minute drive cross town can get you to the beach. Drive a little further, and there are mountains with hiking trails aplenty. We were really lucky and had incredible weather during our stay, which allowed us to walk through the botanical gardens, parks and the downtown area. There is also a bike/running path that stretches along the river and can take you from downtown to the suburbs. It's my kind of town.
We only spent 3 days in Melbs, but I could have easily stayed longer. It's a really pretty city with a cool vibe and lots of things to do. We were going to rent a car during our stay in Australia, but due to us only having 3 weeks, we decided to fly. Our next destination was Brisbane, where we reunited with another one of Paul's college friends, Ormy, or "Dangerous Dave"… You can read all about our shenanigans in Brisbane in part II, coming soon. :)
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