NZ/Aus Days 53-60: Sydney

The week that followed was full of much lounging around and catching up with our great friends Kristen and John. We were thankful to have enough time in Sydney to casually see bits of the city while still enjoying lots of card playing, beach crawls, and time with Baby. We loved both the bustle, energy, and food of Newtown, and the chilled-out seaside vibe of Coogee.

We made sure to get down to the Sydney Harbour more than once to appreciate views of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. For a sight so iconic to Australia, we weren't sure it would hold up to the images in our minds. But the Opera House exceeded both of our expectations in its size, unique architecture, and accessibility. We had drinks at the Opera House bar, took a quick look around the inside, and walked its perimeter.

Another highlight was taking a boat from Watson's Bay to the harbour so we could appreciate the Opera House and bridge from a different viewpoint. We'd highly recommend this for anyone visiting Sydney.

On our last day of our two-month-plus trip, the four of us visited the Blue Mountains, and, of course, finished the day off with lots of laughs, some great wine, a match of Wha-bam, and some sad good-bye tears. XOXO

Day 60 seemed to go on forever, and with good reason. We left Sydney at 10:30 am and had a very long 13 hour flight where Baby refused to go in the bassinet. We transferred through San Fran, departing for Calgary before we had technically left Sydney: 8:45 am on the same day. A rough couple of weeks followed as the three of us adjusted to the 8 hour time difference, significant increase in daylight hours, and re-taught Baby how to sleep independently again. But it was all worth it for the amazing memories we created together on our first-ever family travel adventure.

NZ/Aus Days 50-52: Jervis Bay

Two long driving days followed with a quick night's rest in Eden. Our favourite stop was the surf beach in Narooma where we ate lunch and strolled along the shoreline. The white sand squeaked as it was supposed to do at Squeaky Beach in Wilson's Prom (where it had been too wet from rain to squeak). The pristine beach was deserted and as we looked out at the waves we noticed a pod of dolphins swimming by. They gaily rode the waves towards shore and jumped above the surf. Delighted, we watched, as one leapt from the water straight up in the air like a dolphin at Sea World trying to tap a hanging ball with its nose. We almost begrudingly got back in the car as it was such a lovely place to stop and rest.

A brief walk at Bateman's Bay

We spent the next two nights in Jervis Bay where we lounged on Hyams Beach, saw kangaroos, and tried desperately to get Baby back on her regular sleeping schedule (with no avail). It was with weary legs that we drove to Sydney, glad that it was our last stop and that we had smiling friends waiting to spend time with us. A few nights of drinking Australian wine and playing Wha-bam sounded just about perfect right now.

NZ/Aus Days 47-49: Sandy Point

We bid Melbourne farewell, and with it our friends, and continued on our way the next drizzly morning. We drove for what felt like forever along an uninspiring suburban highway that had us feeling thankful that we don't have to commute to work at home. Slowly the landscape started to change, and we were glad to finally turn Bo's nose back toward the coast.

Craig had picked a beach spot for us to stop at on Phillip Island. It had lovely sand and great views of the tumultous sea, and we joked that it had much less seaweed than his previous break spot. Unfortunately, the chosen beach was home to an endangered shearwater nesting ground and only one bird successfully left the beach that season. So... we had to do a lot of side-stepping around bird carcasses... and dying birds. :(  Nevertheless, we enjoyed the stunning view above.

We got back on the road heading to the complete opposite of bustling, trendy Melbourne. Three nights of solitude awaited us at our hideaway on Sandy Point. Where our Melbourne flat had been tiny, loud, and bright, this accommodation had oodles of space (as in, an entire king sized bed and bedroom for EACH of us!), the deafening quiet of a summer resort area in the off-season, and it was so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face once the lights were out. It was perfect! The only similarity was the weather. At least the rain stayed OUTside our place this time. The other bonus? A short walk to a sandy beach, of course. We ventured out and were happy with our decision to come in fall for both the lack of people, and the lack of snakes on the grassy pathway to the beach.

Another draw of staying at Sandy Point is its proximity to the protected marine park, Wilson's Promontory. The Prom is host to such a variety of Australian wildlife that we were bound to see something cool. We set off early the next morning, and the day did not disappoint. We quickly checked the boxes of nearly all the classics: kangaroo, wallaby, emu, and echidna (and sadly a few dead wombats on the side of the road). Alongside the animals, the scenery was stunning. We walked another beach and drove to an impressive viewpoint. We would highly recommend setting aside a couple of days to explore this beautiful and wildlife-abundant area!

NZ/Aus Days 45 & 46: Melbourne for Reals

We got into Melbourne late in the afternoon and after getting groceries, feeding Baby, eating ourselves, and putting her to bed, we were more than pooped. We'd spent a lot of time in the car the last three days and were ready to stretch out and recoup. Unfortunately, the Melbourne Department of Transportation had different plans for us.

Our accommodation was situated right beside the above ground train station. For some reason, there was an apparent need for the trains to honk their horns when coming into the station. Loudly. Sometimes with two honks. So imagine trying to put a baby to sleep during rush hour when trains are arriving every three minutes from each direction. It was brutal. Then imagine trying to sleep yourself on a saggy mattress while the trains continued to do this all night long. Hell.

Maybe the day will turn around

So when we got up the next morning (note that we did not say "woke up" as that implies we were sleeping in the first place), the deluge taking place outside mirrored our moods. When the hail started coming down and water began falling (again, note the word choice - not "dripping"), and the apartment started to flood, it was laughably appropriate. Except that we were too busy throwing our bags on the bed and pulling the couch away from the wall to laugh.

But, you see, we had brunch plans because the thing to do in Melbourne is to go for brunch. So we got dressed, shrugged our shoulders at the pool of water on the floor, (and notified the owner), and went to brunch!

After a delicious meal and delightful conversation with Kirsty, we threw in the towel, (or more literally, threw it on the floor), and decided to cancel our plans for the day. Thankfully, Erin's cousin Ros is the most accommodating person in the world, and she agreed to come to us for the day rather than meet us downtown. To this, we were so grateful, especially when we discovered that our train station had closed due to flooding (though the trains still needed to honk when passing through the station!). We relaxed, got caught up, did laundry, gave Baby a bath, and had a much needed day at "home."

With the second night being not much better than the first, and our 2.5km drive taking 35 minutes in morning rush hour traffic, we were not feeling oh too happy with Melbourne. But we tried our best to give the city a fair chance. Whether it was Ros's upbeat personality, the fact that the sun finally came out, or that we were away from the infuriating beeping, we actually did find things to enjoy. 

Melbourne is trendy but not uninviting. It has a thriving art scene with interesting-looking museums that we would've checked out if we'd had more time. And we loved the alleyways with wall-to-wall graffiti. We sadly didn't get to visit the bar under the bridge because it wasn't open yet, but we did stop for a bite beside the river. Thankfully, for us, Melbourne's best attribute was its company. Thanks, Kirsty and Ros, for making our time there enjoyable!

NZ/Aus Days 45 & 46: Melbourne

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NZ/Aus Days 42-44: The Great Ocean Car Park

Okay, we admit it: we've been incredibly spoiled this trip. We had five weeks in New Zealand zipping along mountainous and coastal routes with the roads to ourselves enjoying breathtakingly beautiful scenery. So when we heard the words, Great Ocean Road, we kind of assumed that the road would hug the ocean.

To be fair, we were doing it backwards.
It worked better for us to go from Adelaide to Melbourne, meaning we were looking back for the best views, we weren't on the coastal side of the road, and we started, rather than finished, with the Twelve Apostles highlight. But nearly our entire first day of driving was through farmlands and brush without a wave or cliff in sight. How is this portion a part of the Great Ocean Road? We also had the disadvantage of needing to get a baby in and out of the car seat at most stops because the viewpoints required some walking. This was hard on all of us.

Despite our grumblings, we enjoyed the trip. Here are some of our favourite moments and places:

The Grotto

Gibson's Steps

The Twelve Apostles

The Twelve Apostles

London Bridge

Cockatoos!

We were so excited to spot our first koala on our own...
no cars pulled over or anything!

NZ/Aus Day 41:Moooving Onwards

After a relaxing four days in Adelaide, we left it behind to gradually make our way to Melbourne. We were excited to be joined by our friend Kirsty who had flown from Melbourne to make the trip with us. Our social life had seriously been lacking over the past six weeks so we happily gabbed away in the car.

It was a good thing, too, because our first driving day felt long and uneventful. The stops we'd chosen were a little underwhelming... Pink Beach certainly was pink - because it was COVERED in seaweed. The pelican viewpoint had a small wooden stand that looked likely to be infested with spiders and snakes, and the gas station was, well, a gas station. Needless to say, we were happy to finally reach our destination for the night: an 1890's farmhouse complete with original furniture and a bedroom full of creepy oil paintings of past family members. It was so remote, the owner had to meet us and guide us to it through her cow fields and through multiple gates! With a roaring fire in the stately hearth, we nestled in for the night.

NZ/Aus Days 37-40: Adelaide

Four whole days. Four whole days? Did it ever feel longer? After our go-go-go finish of New Zealand and excitement of arriving in Continent Number Seven, four complete days in one place felt heavenly.

Adelaide, and specifically the gem of a spot Craig found on Christie's Beach, turned out to be perfect. The beach was literally at our doorstep (or more seriously, by the end of our stay, all over and in our apartment). The water was calm, the shore sandy, and temperature well above what we'd been experiencing the last little while in NZ. We strolled the coast, lazed in the sand, swam in the ocean, and tormented Baby by getting her to try new things. Actually, after our first failed attempt of getting her in the water in New Brighton, things went very smoothly for her second attempt. Perhaps we prepped her well by all of our sunrise/sunset walks where she was intent on watching the waves roll in and out. She even smiled this time! We also enjoyed watching three dolphins play in the water just off shore.

The great thing about Adelaide is that everything is close. On our second day, we took a short drive to the Onkaparinga River National and Recreation Park. Our main focus: koala hunting. (To be clear, we were searching for one to SEE it in the wild, not capture or kill it!)

We'd barely left the parking lot when Erin quickly pointed across a field and exclaimed, "There!" It wasn't a koala, sadly, but instead, a bright-eyed kangaroo mom and joey. Our first kangaroo sighting!!!

We proceeded to have the slowest-paced hour and a half nature walk of perhaps the history of all time. There was so much to be watching for in such a "barren" shrubland. Koalas, of course, and now kangaroos, the vast variety of colourful birdlife that suddenly seemed to be surrounding us, along with some busy anthills to step over. Then add on the famously huge and scary Australian spiders and snakes (of which we saw none, thankfully). And the nature itself wasn't all to shabby, either...

It was rainy on our third day, which was fine because we'd planned a little drive into McLaren Vale to visit some wineries. We were pleased with the atmospheric vineyards and friendly staff who led us through an educational and thorough tasting at the Oliver's family estate. It was nice to have a variety of wines to try after the sav blancs and pinot noirs of New Zealand. And, it was fun to spot a kangaroo in the field across from us!

And on our fourth day, we felt energetic enough to do a bit of everything. A short morning hike led to more kangaroo and bird sightings but no koalas. That was followed by two delicious and atmospheric wine tastings thanks to some perfect recommendations (thanks Kevin, Heather, and Kirsty!). Then we still had time left to go to the beach! Adelaide really does have it all!

NZ/Aus Day 36: The Big 7

Celebrating 7

The older you get, the less "milestones" there are (that are created by society). We've graduated university, secured tenure positions in jobs, gotten engaged and married, purchased a home, and birthed a child. (We pause for a moment to acknowledge just how unbelievably privelged we are). Other than decade birthdays and retirements, what's left? Just think of the labels on greeting cards to get what I mean. Setting your own goals and establishing your own milestones becomes more important, just as it's important that you celebrate them all the same.

Today, we achieved something important to us. We arrived in Australia and have now officially set foot on all 7 continents. We've discovered the beauty of the world together, and the humbleness of humanity. We've witnessed a thousand - no, a million memorable snapshot moments of sunrises and sunsets, unbelievable animals and plants, sweeping vistas, and emotional human traditions, that have all taken our breaths away.


That being said, we're not done. Travel is more than just a checklist. There are more cultures to experience, new peaks to witness the sun rising on, further lessons to learn, and now, old places to revisit and watch our daughter discover. There will always be a new corner of the world that excites us (and many amazing places to revisit), and we are fortunate enough to get the opportunity to (re)discover them. Cheers!

In celebration, we've pulled some photos from the archives to commemorate each continent...

North America: Top of the World, BC, Canada

South America: Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia

Africa: The Church of Saint George, Lalibela, Ethiopia

Asia: Taj Mahal, Agra, India 

Antarctica: Portal Point, Antarctica

Europe: Porto, Portugal

Australia: Christie's Beach, Adelaide