The Grampians & a petting zoo!

The Grampians were very pretty and we were lucky enough to have beautiful weather while we visited a few of the major sites in the park including...

MACKENZIE FALLS

THE BALCONIES

CRAZY ROCK FORMATION (not the official name)

My absolute favorite part, though, was going to the petting zoo in Halls Gap. We were able to feed and pet wallabies (tiny kangaroos), deer, peacocks, emus, and many other native Aussie animals. I was in heaven!

Also along our drive we spotted some koalas just hanging out in the trees. And one even had a baby in its pouch!

Great Ocean Road

Hi everyone! We just got back from our five day road trip along the Great Southern Touring Route and up into the Grampians, a national park in central Victoria. It was my first time in a campervan! Crazy but I actually really enjoyed driving around and parking at caravan parks. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!

So the touring route follows along the southern coast and is absolutely beautiful. You can see the Twelve Apostles in this picture...

These are rock formations that were once part of the coast but have been worn down by the sea. You can see the beautiful colors in the layers of the rock. The amazing pictures Steven has taken say it all.

A wash and a curl

Some of you know what a big baby I am when it comes to my hair. But it was time for a change! So I got some "fringe" as they call it over here ("Bangs? What the bloody hell are bangs?"). I like it so far!

Hello Australia!

FEBRUARY 4, 2009

We made it to Melbourne! Is there a better city to be in for three months? We were lucky enough to find an awesome flat for the first six weeks of our stay. You can see pics below. Cute, isn't it?

About the fires...luckily we've been about an hour away from the bush fires but you can definitely see the haze hanging over the city. It has been such a disaster and we feel for all of the families and animals who've been through hell and have much more to come. The way the nation has come together though, is quite an inspiration. They raised $100 million within two weeks of Black Saturday, the day with the worst fires and temperatures reaching 115 degrees. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims.

So about Melbourne...

There's no wonder this has been the number one city for all the Aussies and Kiwis we've talked to. It has a wonderful European feel with alfresco dining, cafes and gelaterias, and lovely fashion-forward people. Learning the Aussie vernacular has been interesting. A ladette is a wild woman. A bogan is a hick. And a nappie is a diaper. There's much more to learn so stay posted for more vital Aussie words.

Steven started classes and has enjoyed them so far. I've been very busy doing nothing so that takes up most of my time. Next week: our first camper van experience along the Great Ocean Road!

Missus (hug n' kisses) from Lib and Steven!

Goodbye New Zealand!

FEBRUARY 2-4, 2009

These were our last days in NZ. Before heading to Christchurch, we stopped by the Moeraki boulders. Some are as large as three meters across and weigh a few tons. According to the Maori (indigenous Polynesian people of NZ), the boulders are remains of calabashes (gourds), kumaras (sweet potatoes) and eel baskets that washed ashore after the legendary canoe, the Araiteuru was wrecked at nearby Shag Point. You can see in the pic that they have a hollow core. It's amazing that they took 4 to 5.5 million years to develop. It was a neat stop before we flew out of Christchurch.

We both had an awesome time in NZ and saw so many wonderful things. We will definitely return some day and have already started our "To-Do" list for next time. Thanks for the memories New Zealand!

Soooo cool

FEBRUARY 1, 2009

Along our southern drive to Dunedin, NZ, we stopped at the Curio and Porpoise Bays. We saw two baby Yellow-eyed Penguins waiting along the shore for their parents to return. Birds leave the colony at dawn and return the same evening to care for their young. Cool fact: they are one of the world's rarest penguins and could be the most ancient of all living penguins. You'll see Steven swimming in the ocean below at Porpoise Bay...with dolphins! He bared almost everything, dove into the freezing sea and was able to swim within three feet of them. They surfed along the waves and leaped up in the air. Very awesome thing to witness! And there was even better stuff to come. When we drove a bit further up the coast, we got to Nugget Point. Steven spotted a huge blob coming out of the water towards the beach so we pulled over to check it out. Why wouldn't we, right? It was a massive sea lion!

I have never seen such a huge creature come from the sea. You can see in the pic. It looks like a statue almost. As we carefully progressed down the beachfront (you don't want to scare a giant animal like that!), we came upon a father sea lion and his pups. Apparently the father stays with the young ones while the mom goes about her business - swimming, eating, playing. It was a pretty great day!

Come feast my darlings!

JANUARY 31, 2009

Pic of me in Te Anou feeding the farm animals right outside our cabin.

The Sounds

JANUARY 27 – 30, 2009

For these few days we were in Te Anou in the Fiordlands…a huge national park in the south island. We stayed at a B&B a bit outside of town where we were able to feed the sheep and deer that were on the property. We had a very nice little cabin all to ourselves. On the second day we drove a couple hours north to Milford Sound. We took a cruise around the sound and were able to see waterfalls, seals, and a few dolphins. It was a very pretty area. It made me feel like we were seeing the sound the way it was when it was first discovered. That’s how “untouched” it seems. The third day we began our overnight kayaking trip in Doubtful Sound. Do you know the difference between a fiord and a sound? We didn’t either and apparently neither did Captain Cook who discovered Doubtful in the late 1700’s. Just a little trivia for you all…a fiord is carved by a glacier, whereas a sound is a river valley that has been flooded by the sea.

Now I’m not exactly sure how to interpret this kayaking experience in Doubtful. If I had written this blog while I was on the water, it would probably sound something like this…

“Day one: I’m thinking about purposely breaking my leg so that I can be airlifted back to the B&B. Someone save me. I’m dirty, cold, and covered in sand flies. Please send in reinforcements soon. I’m not above mutiny.”

Now that I’m on dry land recalling my experience, it is a little different. The weather was cloudy and drizzly for our trip, which was actually a good thing because it allows you to see the waterfalls in all their glory. Also, it keeps the sand flies at bay. These terrible, tiny beasts are like biting fruit flies. They swarm you when get close to the shore. Not a lot of fun for camping…which we did. I’m told I was not a happy camper, but I don’t really remember as I have blocked out good amounts of time of this trip. Truth be told, it was an amazing place to see. We only saw about 3 boats during our time there and one other kayaking group. It was almost complete solitude. I haven’t even mentioned the 37 kilometers we paddled…in 2 days time (I’m not going to bother converting that number into miles because it sounds way more impressive in km’s). We saw a lone seal and were able to get very close to him. It was neat to see him just perched on a rock, yawning and scratching himself before plopping down for a nap. Yes, it was as magical as it sounds. :)