Exploring a New Continent

We have a list of long term goals, some serious and some fun.  They are split into two categories: BC - before children and AC - after children.  One of our BC goals was to travel to Australia and thanks to a work-related training for Red, we made it there! 

I cannot quite describe the smile that spread over my face as I walked off of the plane into an airport with a familiar language being spoken, all the signage in English and the promise of warm weather.  We are loving our adventure of living in Russia, but it was amazing to have a holiday where language wasn't a complicating factor and the culture felt like home.  Speaking of language, Australians do have some fun sayings: g'day, heaps, brekkie, barby, and snags, just to name a few. 

I arrived in Sydney a day before Red and then he joined me and we spent the weekend there before heading on to Melbourne for his training class.  We kept things simple in Sydney and saw the major sights...

 

Sunset Sitting on the Patio Outside of the Opera House

Cloudy Daytime View From the Gardens

 

Beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens Along the Harbour

More From The Botanical Gardens

On the Ferry Coming Back From Manly

The Iconic Sydney Opera House

Trying to Relive Life at the Hyde Park Barracks

We Even Got to Visit Hillsong United (amazing music...check out their new CD Zion!)

As usual, after two days in a capital city with tons of people, Red and I were ready to head over to Melbourne.  Melbourne is still a large city, but it has the feel of a small town, because it is so convenient to walk or take the tram around the central business district.  There is a city code that keeps old buildings from being overtaken by highrises and the unique architecture gives the city a lot of charm.  We enjoyed dinners together and while Red was in training during the day, I got to explore the city, catch up on CME and meet up with my friend, Shenae, who I met in Sakhalin when she worked with House of Hope.  Red and I got to see the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, complete with flying car.  I remember sitting on my Mama and Papa’s living room floor watching the movie with my brother as a kid.  It was fun to share those memories with Red.  We also made it to a key ritual in Victorian Australia – Australian Rules Football.  ARF is played on a cricket field with over 30 players on the field at a time, with dribbling like basketball, punching the ball like in volleyball, kicking the ball like soccer and catching the ball like American football.  We had a great time and it was such an entertaining game.

 



The Modern Side of Melbourne

Flinders Street Station

The River at Night

PENGUIN!!!!! At the St Kilda Pier

A Fun and Silly Evening at Her Majesty's Theatre

The Dome Room at the Library - a Perfect Place for Finishing Up Some CME

Australian Rules Football - Complete with Meat Pies and a Drink

Once Red’s training finished, we headed off for some backpacking adventures.  Thanks to some awesome advice from my Australian friend Sherry, we headed first to Wilson’s Promontory.  Pictures are worth a thousand words, so… 

Our Drive to Wilson's Prom Reminded Us of Texas...

Our First Ocean Views

The Beautiful Scenery

Little Oberon Bay

Wind Tossed Waves

My Handsome Husband in the Sunset

Breathtaking

A Jog on Little Waterloo Bay (9+km wasn't enough for Red)

I Elected to Walk the Beach

Our Campsite

Sunrise



Looking Back

17km - We Made It!!!

Yes...that IS a wombat!

 

It's a KANGAROO!!!!

And He Hopped Away!

Red wanted extreme wilderness, so we flew off to Tasmania and drove to the Walls of Jerusalem National Park.   After an uphill hike for several hours, we finally made it to the campsite at Wild Dog Creek.  Our first night in the park, we had one neighbor and the second night two other people in the park….I’d say Red got his wilderness.  It was absolutely beautiful place and we would go back in a heartbeat.

A Birdseye View of Wilson's Promontory

 

The Moment I Thought We Were Close to the Campsite...(we weren't!)

 

Red Meet Wallaby...Wallaby Meet Red

Close Up

Walls of Jerusalem NP

Alpine Fishing

An Afternoon Nap

On Top of Mount Jerusalem

Morning Fog

Sunrise View

Red - the Energizer Bunny - His Sunrise Hike Destination



A Perfect River for Flyfishing

Our Last Sunrise in Australia

We had a lot of firsts in Australia…

First trip Down Under.  First Australian Rules Football Game.  First wild kangaroo sighting.  First time driving on the right hand side of the car on the left hand side of the road.  First wombat sighting.  First wild wallaby sightings…there are tons of them! First look at wild penguins.  First backpacking trip together.  Clearest view of the night sky to date.  First caravan park stay. 

Hopefully someday we will be able to return to the land Down Under!

(And just in case you’re wondering…we still have more BC goals, so don’t get too excited!)

 

**Update on Red**

His surgery was successful and he is in Spring recovering.  Thank you to everyone who has been calling, texting, emailing and visiting him!  If all goes as planned, he will be back in Sakhalin late next week after following up with his surgeon.