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See You Later Australia
After the Great Ocean Road I had only three nights left in Australia, I stayed with friends in the suburbs of Melbourne, who were amazing with accommodating my stay! I wish I had spent more time with them and I hope they know how much I appreciate them taking care of me. I left Australia to come surprise my mother on her birthday in Hawaii, leap year only comes every four years so this was a special one that I couldn’t miss!! My mother finally, after waiting four years has turned 12! :) My great Aunt picked me up from the airport after learning that the airline had lost my luggage, so my arrival into Hawaii started out with me in tears but hopeful that my luggage would be found. My great Aunt had a beautiful lei for me, that lifted my spirit and reminded me why I was there - to see my mother. I don’t think it has hit me that I left Australia, I’m thinking its because I was excited to come to Hawaii - a place I haven’t discovered yet. The adventure isn’t over yet!
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The Loch Ard Gorge is a few kilometers past the Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road, it is an absolute must to stop and enjoy! The small beach got its name from the Loch Ard Shipwreck of June 1878, only two survived and swam to safety on this beach. As I was walking closer to the water I felt like Leonardo DiCaprio in The Beach. This enclosed beach is stunning, you feel as if the Loch Ard Gorge is your very own private paradise. And I wouldn’t mind living here! This location wins for the greatest stop on the Great Ocean Road!
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From Melbourne, my friend Allison, her two friends Albert and Jack, and I took a road trip on the Great Ocean Road! The drive along the cliffs were beautiful, the lookouts and sights were unreal…This was a 2-day road trip of constant jumping in and out of the car. And it was well worth it. These are most of our stops: Geelong, Torquay, Apollo Bay, Split Point Lighthouse, Kennett River, The Twelve Apostles, Bay of Martyrs, Bay of Islands, Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge, and Port Campbell.
Kennett River is where I hand fed flocks of Rosella’s, and where I finally saw Koalas - in the wild!! If your looking for animals in their natural habitat definitely go to Kennett River and be sure to bring bird food! If you see people feeding the birds, PLEASE do not drive past them, the birds flee and it ruins the experience. It’s best to stretch your legs from the drive, take a walk, and see what you can find! -
I ended up changing my flight to leave Tasmania a week early and headed over to Melbourne. I wasn’t as impressed with Tasmania as I thought I would be. I arrived in Hobart at 7:30 p.m., wondered around for a grocery store or restaurant…could find hardly any LIFE. Everything was closed with the exception of a few pubs and the restaurants along the harbour side. The tours were limited and a bit over priced. The weather wasn’t great either, if I’m going to spend $300 on a 2-day 1-night tour of Wineglass Bay and Bay of Fires I want it to be a nice sunny day. I did have some great experiences which I wrote about and posted photos in earlier posts.
Arriving in Melbourne I was happy to be back in a real city! A city with good transportation, a variety of food and price ranges, free orchestra shows, late night shopping, and even a few days of tanning on the beach and park. -
Richmond, Tasmania has the oldest landmark’s of Australia which are still in use - the Richmond Bridge, built in 1823, and the St John’s Roman Catholic Church, built in 1836. I was lucky enough to get my own shot of the bridge and church!
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I said goodbye to Sydney and hello Tasmania in the beginning of February, where I absolutely fell in love with this Victorian home! Can I please transport this home back to California? The highlights of Tasmania were taking the ferry to the MONA Museum of Old and New Art, I spent the entire day looking at art, enjoying a delicious lunch with one of the restaurants near the museum, lounging on bean bags in the lawn overlooking Hobart, and to end the day right I did a cellar tour and wine tasting at the Moorilla Wine range with our guide Mick. Moorilla Wine has two brands: Muse and Praxis. Being known for my “expensive taste”, I preferred Muse over Praxis. The other highlight was taking the shuttle ride out to the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and Richmond to capture that famous shot of the Richmond bridge and oldest Catholic Church in Australia. The Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary was ten times better then visiting a zoo. The sanctuary was not crowded which made the experience more intimate, especially with the short informational tour with the [sleepy] wombat, Tasmanian Devils, and koala. After the short tour ending with petting and snapping a shot with a koala [also, sleepy], I spent most of my time with the Tasmanian Devils, watching them run around after each other was more playful then devilish. There were kangaroos everywhere, they definitely ruled the sanctuary. The moment they heard my hand going into the brown paper bag with kangaroo food, they would stand next to me and patiently wait for me to put my hand out. It was adorable! I lost track of time here, I was having far too much fun, the driver was at the end of the trail waiting for me…whoops!! I didn’t want to say goodbye to all the kangaroos, Tasmanian Devils, quolls, koalas…Australia has amazing native animals, I wish I could have one of everything!
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California vs. Sydney
Same thing, different name…
Ralphs = Woolworths
Office Depot = Officeworks
Burger King = Hungry Jacks
BevMo = Liquorland
Ritz Camera = Ted’s Camera
Craigslist = Gumtree
We say, they say…February 2nd = 2nd of February
Grocery store = Market
Sprite = Lemonade
Habor = Harbour
White trash = Bogan
Movie theater = Cinema
Roommates = Flatmates
![I said goodbye to Sydney and hello Tasmania in the beginning of February, where I absolutely fell in love with this Victorian home! Can I please transport this home back to California? The highlights of Tasmania were taking the ferry to the MONA Museum of Old and New Art, I spent the entire day looking at art, enjoying a delicious lunch with one of the restaurants near the museum, lounging on bean bags in the lawn overlooking Hobart, and to end the day right I did a cellar tour and wine tasting at the Moorilla Wine range with our guide Mick. Moorilla Wine has two brands: Muse and Praxis. Being known for my “expensive taste”, I preferred Muse over Praxis. The other highlight was taking the shuttle ride out to the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and Richmond to capture that famous shot of the Richmond bridge and oldest Catholic Church in Australia. The Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary was ten times better then visiting a zoo. The sanctuary was not crowded which made the experience more intimate, especially with the short informational tour with the [sleepy] wombat, Tasmanian Devils, and koala. After the short tour ending with petting and snapping a shot with a koala [also, sleepy], I spent most of my time with the Tasmanian Devils, watching them run around after each other was more playful then devilish. There were kangaroos everywhere, they definitely ruled the sanctuary. The moment they heard my hand going into the brown paper bag with kangaroo food, they would stand next to me and patiently wait for me to put my hand out. It was adorable! I lost track of time here, I was having far too much fun, the driver was at the end of the trail waiting for me…whoops!! I didn’t want to say goodbye to all the kangaroos, Tasmanian Devils, quolls, koalas…Australia has amazing native animals, I wish I could have one of everything!](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzo7w0Uoue1r3mgcmo1_1280.jpg)
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hi miss caylee
sure did miss u for thanksgiving! hope u r having a woanderful time, be safe and...
