The Great Ocean Road, Part 2

Day two along the Great Ocean Road found us in Apollo Bay. Our plan was to take advantage of the beautiful walks in the rainforest and to check out the Cape Otway lighthouse. It was raining so hard when we woke up that getting to breakfast turned out to be feat #1 for the day. After that we went back to the hotel and played games in the room for a while because the rain was coming down so hard. Finally it eased a bit and we decided to venture out to the lighthouse. We started our drive....


Somewhere along the way, the fog once again began to lift. As we turned off the highway towards Cape Otway, we had been told to look for koalas. We hit the jackpot! We counted 71 koalas in about a 1 K section of road. What a treat. After our previous koala hunt that was mostly thwarted by the fog, the kids were thrilled. Even W was able to spot them and enjoy the great Koala hunt.


Once we reached the lightstation, the rain had stopped altogether and we were able to enjoy the old telegraph station, climbing the lighthouse, and the beautiful grounds around them. There was a bit of walk between the different buildings and we really noticed how much W has grown. She walked the whole way and did not need to go in the carrier once. It turned out to be a lovely excursion!

The Great Ocean Road, Part 1

After leaving Phillip Island, we headed towards Torquay to the start of the famous Great Ocean Road (GOR). And then it started to rain.... and rain... and rain. While parts of Australia North of us were completely underwater, we were getting drenched down South as well. It certainly changed the mood of our trip. We were looking forward to stopping and sticking our toes in the sand at as many beaches as possible. Instead, we just did our best to stay warm and dry.

We stayed one night in Torquay and fortunately the hotel had a lovely (heated) pool. The kids got in lots of swimming in the afternoon and again in the evening. We saw very little of Torquay but we had fun.

The next morning we started our drive. Our first stop in the rain was the famous Bells Beach. A well known surfing beach and the site of the Bells Beach Surf Classic each year, it was a pretty beach with nice big waves. I did make the kids put down their itouches and get out to take in the view. They were none too happy at first but warmed up to it all as they started watching the surfers. Good thing too because as the fog thickened up, it was the last water we saw for a while!

Our next stop was Angelsea Golf Course to see the famous kangaroos that roam the course.

After Angelsea we drove through to Lorne for lunch and then carried on to Apollo Bay. Sadly some of the notorious look out points were so thick with fog that we could not see much at all. We did stop for a quick look at the Split Point Lighthouse.

There were lots of signs along the way that I could not help but snap photos of as we drove. These are a couple that made me chuckle.

Here in Australia, cutting down or damaging trees in any way is taken very seriously. Still, this sign made us laugh.


The GOR is clearly a tourist attraction world wide. Lest you forget where you are, these signs are posted regularly all along the highway.

I snapped this photo as we dove into one of the main sections of the road. You can see how the fog is starting to thicken by the haze in the picture.


As we rounded one bend, the fog lifted a bit and we caught a glimpse of the water.

Our last stop before hitting the hotel in Apollo Bay was the Kennett River. This is a road through the forest that is meant to be great for spotting koalas. The conditions were not great for a koala hunt on this day!

Again, we found a few spots where the fog was not as thick and we were able to spot a few. If you look closely in this picture, you will see a momma koala with a baby on her back.

It was a wet foggy day but we made it to Apollo Bay in the end. We were hopeful that the rest of the trip would prove to be a bit better...

Vacation in Victoria

We just returned from a vacation down South in Victoria. We flew into Melbourne's Avalon airport and headed straight to Phillip Island to our hotel. We spent the next day exploring Churchill Island and the Nobbies back on Phillip Island. We finished off the evening watching the amazing penguin parade.

Churchill Island

This is a historic working farm. The kids enjoyed walking through the buildings from the 1800's and then checking out all the farm animals.

The farm also had hands-on farm demonstrations. The kids tested their hands at milking cows and had plenty of pats with the horses, sheep and goats. They also had lots of fun just running through the grass and playing!

The Nobbies

A lovely walk down to the water in an area with lots of rocks where seals can sometimes be found. We did not see any but we were still able to enjoy the view.

The Penguin Parade

We were not allowed to take pictures so these are a few I found online. The penguins were amazing. First we watched them come out of the water and waddle up the beach. Suddenly there were hundreds of penguins surrounding us. They then started to work their way up the beach to find their crying babies in their burrows. It was such a neat thing to watch!

You can see the platform here where we were seated. The penguins came through here exactly as they did in the picture. What a great view for these cute little animals.


Our time on Phillip Island was one of the highlights of our trip. We had fine weather and were able to really enjoy the things we saw. Now - on to drive The Great Ocean Road.

We're not in Kansas anymore (or anywhere in America for that matter)

I recall a blog post when we first moved to Australia about shirtless, shoeless men in McDonalds. Similarly, in the past few days, I have noticed several things that have made me think of Dorothy. "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." Here are just a few of them.

1. A grown man walking down our main street wearing a speedo and a t-shirt... and nothing else!
2. An increasing number of people shopping without shoes.
3. A child skateboarding (barefoot) through the grocery store.
4. Christmas Carol services at the beach.
5. Shrimp on the barbie as part of our Christmas dinner.
6. BBQ church every Sunday in January. (That's a real Aussie sausage sizzle after every evening service - did I mention it is in January?)
7. Watching Bowl games while it is 85 degrees and sunny outside.

We are definitely not in Kansas anymore!

Happy New Year!

It was a beautiful, hot, sunny day on New Year's Eve in Sydney. We spent the day playing in the pool as a family.


After dark, when the little girls were fast asleep, I took the two big kids over to a friend's house to watch fireworks. We were able to park in their driveway and avoid the crazy crowds. Then, we walked up the street and had a great view of the 9pm family fireworks. We even had the Opera House in the background. We finished up our kiddie New Year's Eve with poppers back at their house.

Happy New Year!

Australian Walkabout Wildlife Park

I don't think we will tire of petting koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies anytime soon. Another activity (with mom in wheelchair) was a trip to the Walkabout Wildlife Park. The kids ran around with kangaroos, ran from the emus, and had a good 'ole time.

All four kids in one picture with the posing wallaby...

and then...


...the wallaby shifted! And, the kids all jumped. Too cute!

Boxing Day delights

We had grand plans for boxing day this year. In the running were things like - go to the beach, go to the botanical gardens, walk the opera house steps, explore the Rocks - and the list goes on. Sadly, after a wild encounter with the slippery garage floor, I spent the day, along with mom and dad, at the Royal North Shore Hospital. Poor mom - another broken ankle. Poor dad - has to do everything for mom now!

But, we made lemonade out of lemons. With the help of a wheelchair, we were able to make the best of their last few days in Australia and still have lots of fun!