The Green & Lean Country

Outlets

Toilet flushers

I have been quite busy here as of late but I realized while telling people about it that I never touched on how much this country is "going green". I mean, not only are they extremely healthy but they are also concerned with the environment! For example, all of the outlets have little switches on them so that you can turn off the outlet when you're not using the thing plugged into it! This makes it a little frustrating when you try to put toast in the toaster about 3 times before realizing that the outlet isn't on...But overall, a great concept! In addition to saving electricity, Aussies like to conserve water! This can be seen by the toilets. Many people have asked me which way the toilet flushes here since we're "upside down" but in all reality, the toilets don't have swirling water like America has. They have little water in the bowl and after going you can decide to flush using minimal water or more water. Simplified less for #1 and more for #2. Pretty clever little water saver there! Finally, in my time being here I have yet to see one dryer. We meticulously hang up wet washing on racks or clothesline to air dry. This is a bit more time consuming, both in the actual hanging, and in the time waiting for it to dry (can take days!) but overall, clothes don't stretch as much and it uses less energy, which is a win in my book! 

Although next week officially kicks off winter here, it has been absolutely gorgeous weather as of late. This makes the weather perfect for walking. It cools off a bit at night (from mid 70s in the day to 50s at night!) which is refreshing and lovely. Apparently it does get colder (I'm wondering what colder even means here!) so I have been taking advantage of the nice weather by doing lots of walking (and some running) around Coogee and occasionally the city. Since I have been out utilizing the walkways along the coast more often I have been noticing what a fit culture this is. Numerous walkers, runners, joggers, and bikers can be seen out at any time of day. There are fitness classes held in parks, yoga at beach-side baths, and special bike lanes with their own stop and go lights and turn signals! There is just an aura of "fit" and "healthy" around here and I can't help getting sucked in a bit, especially during the week with plenty of exercise and healthy meals. The weekends are a bit of a different story, but we all have our vices ;)

The only African Elephant in Oz, all the rest are Asian!

An Echidna, another Oz native

Black Rhinos coming for hay

Other than that, life here has been great. Time is flying by, can't believe I've been here almost 3 months already and my year is a quarter of the way finished! Last weekend we traveled 6 hours to Dubbo, a smaller Western city, where we went to the zoo and met up with Andrew's youngest brother Dave at night for a few beverages. The zoo was amazing and holds 20% of the world's population of Black Rhinos! We took a behind-the-scenes tour and saw the 2/3 of the zoo not open to the public and got to get up close to rhinos, giraffes, cheetahs, and the like. Was a great weekend there for sure! It couldn't hurt that the weather was near 80s and the zoo was an open-range zoo so we walked around the 8 miles of walking trails to see everything while enjoying the beautiful sunshine. 

Still looking for jobs here, although I did have one "interview" which was basically being thrown in a 3 hour busy lunch shift with no training. It was definitely different than interviews in the States! Still waiting to hear back from that one, but in the meantime applying for more! Some changes may be coming soon but it's too early to say anything yet! Keep reading! xx

Just call me Dundee, Kangaroo Dundee...

The last couple weekend have been jam packed with my favorite things....ANIMALS! A couple of cool animal encounters were had...The Sydney fish market, Taronga Zoo in Sydney, and Oakvale Farm near Newcastle and Andrew's parent's house. 

Seafood Lunch

Monster...I mean, lobster

We went to the fish market the day after Anzac day with Andrew's boss, Gene, whom had invited us over for a seafood lunch and also to the markets. The markets were bustling with people, as it was Saturday morning, and there were even tour buses there! The market opens daily at 7 am after the fishermen bring in their catches around 4 am and auction them at the dock. Then the fish, crustaceans, and shelled creatures are put in huge displays cases, filleted, shucked, washed, etc. The market had a faint smell of fish but it wasn't over powering, as most of the fish is kept on ice. The crabs and lobsters were kept alive and some were gigantic (we saw as a worker put one on the floor and it was bigger than her foot!) and there were also regular sized ones in bins. Gene bought us quite a seafood feast and his wife (from Vanuatu) showed us how to correctly cut sashimi (aka raw delicious fish). We feasted on sashimi chunks, thin sashimi with cilantro, mussels baked in a white wine & tomato sauce, fresh oysters, squid and prawns (shrimp) on the BBQ, and fresh salad and bread. Overall the day was fantastic and being able to see the colors of the ocean and taste the "fruit of the sea" made for a delightful day. 

The following Saturday I finally got my wish to go to the Sydney zoo, Taronga. A couple of hiccups getting there, rain in the morning and a flat tire on the vespa, but we arrived near the bridge and opera house just after noon before taking a ferry ride to the zoo. The zoo itself is situated on a large hill and once arriving at the bottom, we took a cable car to the top, catching little glimpses of animals on our ascent. At the top we chose to walk one way which led us to an "Australian Walkabout" section of animals, spiders, farmyard animals, a seal show, penguins, elephants, a varied collection of birds, and a few other animals on the way down. By the time we got to the bottom we decided to call it a day and come back another day to examine the other side of the zoo. 

Birdcage alley

Once arriving back in the city we decided to take some time strolling around. Even though I had done this by myself a few days already, it was nice to have Andrew along as well. He first took me to a cool little alley way that is called the birdcage alley. Basically, there are numerous birdcages hanging from wires above this alley, which is off the beaten path a little and was therefore empty at one point in our stop. Andrew has a fancy camera so we stopped here for some pictures for a while. There were also cafes in the alley, but being the weekend, they were all closed so we got some cool shots there. 

St Andrew's Cathedral

From there I took him to one of my favorite places in the city, St Andrew's Cathedral, right in the heart of the city. The cathedral is 129 feet tall, and has a chilling gothic design. There are no pictures allowed inside but it is open for tours at all times, minus service times. You can also pay a little extra and tour the crypts but they weren't open when we were there. The walls are adorned with beautiful stained glass and there are multiple alters and prayer sections. I would be curious to see a service there since there are so many seats there are television randomly spaced so you can see what's going in the center. 

Zebra costume/puppet

Extreme Gelato! 

The next day also involved some animals, as we saw the Lion King. We started off by getting really dressed up and going out for a delicious dinner of dumplings in the city and walking to the show. It was good, but not quite what we expected. We went with Andrew's sister Jenny and her husband Muzz, who thought it was going to be like a dance recital (I think he was pleasantly surprised!) but the show consisted of a mix of puppet-like costumes, extreme make-up and a really cool stage. The talent was outstanding, but as an avid Lion King VHS fan from the 90s, the script was the exact same, plus a few songs. Overall it was an enjoyable evening and we ended it with "extreme gelato" which was made right in front of you with liquid nitrogen and served with crazy flavors. Andrew got a rose creme brule and I got a nutella gelato topped with rice krispies, dipped in chocolate, served with a waffle cone sheet and a chocolate ganache syringe. Gelato was average but the experience was cool (literally and figuratively). 

My "Goat Friend"

Finally, last weekend we went to Raymond Terrace to visit Andrew's parents and on Saturday we went to a little place called Oakvale Farm. For anyone from "Up North" who has been to Jim Peck's in Minocqua, this was similar...There was a farmyard with goats, chickens, etc running around, as well as some Australian wildlife and big barnyard animals in cages. You could buy food with your admission price and be bombarded by cute little animals all day! 

Cassowary and babies...Dino looking eh?

One of the interesting Aussie animals that I haven't previously mentioned in the Cassowary. These are big flightless birds, third largest after the ostrich and emu, and have a rich blue color near their heads and big dinosaur-like feet. They typically eat fruits and roots, but for defense they have a talon that can disembowel a human! They are becoming extinct here due to loss of habitat, getting hit by cars, and attacked by dogs. It's estimated that only 20-25% of the entire population is left as of 2006. They look pretty scary though, have to admit. 

Related to rabbits maybe?

7th Heaven

Finally, the best part of Oakvale was the hands-on experiences to be had. You could take the bought food and feed long-horn cattle, mini horses, alpaca, camels, llamas, donkeys, etc. and FINALLY once reaching the very back of the park there was a large sunny grassy spot packed with kangaroos that would gingerly approach you and take food out of your hand! They had absolutely no fear and would even bounce around following you for more food! 

Sleepy little fellas!

Coming in for a sneak attack!

As if feeding, petting, and hanging out with kangas wasn't cool enough, the place also let you bottle feed goats and calves, milk a cow, and pet koalas! The koalas really lived up to their sleepy nature and were sleeping mostly while petting but it was a great experience for an animal lover like me!  Truly a fabulous day!

This brought us up to Mother's day and we went out for a nice family breakfast and then over to Andrew's brother Steve's house to see his puppy. After all of this animal loving, I am a very happy girl!

Little Benson...Steve's puppy

"Lest We Forget"

Last Friday, April 25th, the whole nation celebrated Anzac Day. Anzac Day is a very special day for Australia and celebrates all veterans from the wars they fought in. In fact, Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps! A Its held on the 25th of April because on April 25th, 1915, the Australians (and New Zealanders aka Kiwis) landed on the shores of Gallipoli, Turkey (I have also been to Gallipoli and saw the battle grounds). This was important because it was Australia's first military action in WWI after becoming a republic, only 13 years prior to the battle. The main goal of the battle was for the Aussies to gain Constantinople for the allies. In the end, Australia left 8 months later, having failed in capturing Constantinople and suffering casualties over 8,000. Even though the battle was lost, we all know what happened in the war. All soldiers are commemorated on Anzac Day but Anzac traditions reign true...

We woke up SO early to catch the 4:30 am dawn service. Its held slightly before dawn so that towards the end of the service, the sun begins to rise. The reason for the early service is to mimic the dawn when the Anzac soldiers landed in Gallipoli. The service was well-attended despite the early hours. It included a choir that sang hymns, speeches, a brass band, and a laying of wreaths on a memorial. Throughout the ceremony, the phrase "Lest We Forget" was said, as it is the Anzac Day tradition paying homage to the veterans. The clouds did block the sunrise a bit but at dawn we walked to a local club for a cheap breakfast and beer/screwdriver. While waiting in line for our drinks I suddenly got an overwhelming whiff of liquor, almost enough to make your stomach churn at 6 am. I looked around and saw a table with glasses with one shot of rum in each one and a couple pints of milk next to it. I was a bit confused when I saw people pouring the milk into the glasses and sipping it. This is also an Anzac tradition and part of a typical "Digger's Breakfast" which was the men in the trenches (diggers) pre-battle meal, usually a hearty breakfast and coffee, or more commonly, milk with rum. After our hearty breakfast (not quite a "diggers" since we skipped the milk rum) we headed home and found everyone was still sleeping so took a quick nap before heading out for another Anzac tradition...Two Up.

"HEEEAAADDD 'em up spinaaahhhh" were the first shouts I heard coming from the bustling two up room. Explaining two up is simple...There is a person that stands in the ring (spinner), who has a paddle (a kip) with three coins on it, you place your bets on heads or tails, the spinner flips, and you win or lose. Two up was a common game played in Anzac trenches during WWI and even though gambling in pubs/bars/clubs is typically illegal, two up is allowed for 4 (ish) hours every Anzac Day. Despite the simple rules, it was not quite what I expected...There was no "house" you basically had a minute before each throw to tap your money on either you head or tail and yell "[amount of money] ON TAILS/HEADS" and wait for someone else in the audience to hear you and accept your bet. Then, the person who called Heads holds the money during the flip and either hands it over or pockets it. It's a game played on trust of the other person simply not running away with your money and we had no problems. I only gambled $20 total, since you can only use paper money (denominations $5 and up) I would win one and lose two. Took it slow and had fun near the ring, but was very reasonable. Oh, the spinner was also randomly selected from the crowd and allowed to flip until they came up tails. There were some other rules with them, ie. the coins had to go above their head during the flip, the coins couldn't go out of the ring, etc. If these rules were broken, the entire crowd would uproar with "boos!" Before the flip, you can also yell out "head em up spinner!" or "tail em up spinner!" to try to get them to toss them your way, which accounts for a very, very noisy game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLkWeKAipA8  Follow this link to get a peak at Two Up!

After the games, we came back home with some friends and shared pizzas and beers. An early morning did account for an early night though. And thus ends Anzac Day.

We'll Never Be Royals...

Not sure how big of a deal it is in the US, but Prince William, Kate, and baby George started their world tour last week and happened to be in Australia this week. They are doing things quick to see as much as possible currently...Their itinerary of Oz included:

Shrine for baby George

• Sydney Opera House
• Blue Mountains
• Sydney: Royal Easter Show
• Brisbane
• Easter Sunday church service in Sydney and Taronga Zoo
• Uluru
• Adelaide (a whopping three hour tour!)
• Canberra (the capital!) is 
• Anzac Day in Canberra
• Leave

Government House

They were staying in a house but also visited the Government House in the Botanic Gardens where they left George while they toured their last few destinations. Anyways, this is big news here but you're probably wondering why I am so enthusiastic about the itinerary! First of all, I did not run into them or anything. But, we did happen to do a number of the same things over the last week that they did on their fast-track trip here. 

We started last weekend by going to the government house in the botanic gardens. It is the house where the (female!) governor of NSW lives. The house is ridiculously old and is rich with history and art and culture. There was ornate ceilings with gold painted on them, massive dining tables, and a ballroom. The tour was limited to certain portions of the house but we learned that the entire second story was modern apartments. Overall, great for a free tour!

On Thursday evening in an attempt to beat the long weekend traffic we headed to Raymond Terrace to spend a few days with Andrew's family. We got the kids an Easter present (Just Dance for Kids!) and stocked up on beer and food because everything is closed on Good Friday...Then we settled in and played some cards, Euchre is the big game here, and went to bed relatively early. On Saturday Andrew and I toured around the area, went for a swim and hiked up so huge sand dunes nearby. The dunes were incredible and spread for miles and miles. We then met with Andrew's brother's Chris and Dave and some of their friends for a motorboat ride and ski/wakeboard. It was beautiful sunset and although I didn't get in the water, we all got wet when Andrew drove into a wave which drenched the entire boat. On Saturday we went to his brother Paul's house for dinner and a few drinks before waking up at 5 am to come back to Sydney to Skype my family. Great seeing them all together for Easter filled me with love and affection and gave me an appreciation for what a great family we have, and also a few friends showed up as well!

Three Sisters

From there we headed to the Blue Mountains. We got stuck in a little traffic and by the time we got there and stopped a park with grills to cook lunch (steaks, deviled eggs, and some salads) we went on a 2 hour hike around the mountains to the Three Sister rock formation and some waterfalls. The Three Sisters is an Aboriginal legend about three sisters from a tribe who fell in love with three men from another tribe which was illegal. There was a war waged between the tribes and an elder turned the three sisters into stones so they would be protected from the battle. However, the elder was killed and no one was able to turn them back. So, there are three tall random rock formations now. We went out for dinner and visited a fancy old hotel with a rich history dating back to the 1800s. 

View from the top

On Monday we hiked around the mountains a bit more including the Great Stairway, which is a 900 step ascent to the top of the mountains. After hiking through the temperate jungle for two hours, seeing many waterfalls, wild cockatoos, and foliage, we reached the stairs and began the steep climb to the top. It was quite the workout...The people walking down were even huffing! The view from the top (a place called Echo Point) was breathtaking and we could see the Three Sisters and most of the valley and mountains! We decided to stop and hike to one more waterfall on the way back and ended up getting back into Sydney for a late dinner. 

Teaching the kids to judge cattle

On Tuesday we went to the Royal Easter Show, held in Olympic Park where the 2010 Olympics were held...We met Jenny (sister), Jemima, Miranda, and Sam, Steve (brother) and Braxton, and Denise (mom) in the morning and began wandering around the massive carnival. There were thousands of animals and even an animal nursery where we fed the animals. The kids loved the rides and we went on a few too including a (surprisingly scary) haunted house...We ended the day watching a precision driving team and then a 45 minutes show called "Australia in all its glory" while eating some deep fried foods on a stick. The show highlighted some of Australia's special people, history, sports, and inventions. The best part? Tubes of Vegemite dancing to Kylie Minogue. The night ended with a 15 minute firework show in the arena (which included fire fountains) set to music. It was probably the best firework show I've ever seen! 

So that was our own little "royal" tour. Will, Kate, and George definitely had the right idea...And so did we! 

One more thing...tune into Modern Family's Australia episode. Not sure when it airs there but it features Sydney and looks pretty comical!

Flora and Fauna

This past Friday I was lucky enough to have a beautiful day to explore the Royal Botanic Gardens right in the heart of downtown Sydney! I had previously read a bit about the huge gardens and was interested but never thought that I would enjoy wondering around the 74 acre glorified park as much as I did. I learned a lot about many different kinds of trees, plants, and animals that inhabit Australia. My camera was dead so I had limited pictures on my phone of the gardens which were littered with not only plants, but statues, a huge mansion called the Government House, museums, green houses, wildlife, and the largest public drinking fountain in NSW (New South Wales).

I began my walk in the morning and was pleased to find signs by most of the unique trees and plants. Some of the areas had more signs than others. On my initial stroll along I noticed a plethora of HUGE spider webs, reaching from the ground (or low plants) to the branches on some high trees. I tried to watch out for these since 1. I hate spiders, and 2. most spiders in Australia probably have the potential to kill you. However, later (on my free guided tour) I learned that these spiders are actually a very special, non-poisonous species that weave golden webs and are used in Asia for fine silk garments. Learning that these were actually useful and not deadly made them seem a little more cool and allowed me to study the golden webs closer to see the color, but I still would not want to touch them!

Dracarena Draco

There are also some very interesting plants/tree species that are native to Australia that are very very interesting. For example, the Dracarena Draco tree. When I first saw it, I had to double-take because It just looked like a lot of branches/roots. But as I got closer (and to a different angle) I noticed that its branches were simply on one side. I found a sign saying that the tree had actually fallen over in 2008 and it couldn't be moved because some damage to the trunk had made it very susceptible to breaking. However, these trees generally live to be around 600 years old in the wild! This one in particular is over 100 years old. I did encounter more of these trees and noticed that they oozed a red slimy substance...I learned that these trees are often called "Dragon's Blood Trees" for this very reason! The red resin the tree produces has many common purposes but it most frequently used for varnish on violins!

Wollemi Pine

Another very interesting tree is the Wollemi Pine. The tree was first founded in Australia in 1994, so its a relatively new discovery and they are still trying to figure how to grow it in captivity (you can't see the reddening/loss of needles on the other side!) One of the reasons that this tree is so special is because its in a genus that was found in fossils and thought to be extinct 65 and 200 million years ago! It was actually found in a canyon somewhere and the location is secret (and protected!) so that no viruses get in and destroy the only known breeding ground for these trees!

Breed of Eucalypt

Of course there are many different kinds of trees in Australia, but the most common trees (in the wild and in the garden) are Eucalypt trees. There are many different varieties of these trees but they have common features and some special attributes. For example, Eucalypt trees shed their bark instead of there leaves for "fall". Also the leaves are the only food that koalas will eat. The leaves don't have much nutrient value though so koalas spend most of the day sleeping in the trees (20 hours a day!), and eating intermittently. Eucalypt trees are also called "widow makers" as sometimes the huge branches fall unexpectedly. Our tour guide told us that last week a kid was killed walking out of school from a falling branch! He also said that his garden hosts a few eucalypt trees and they have gone through his roof twice, and his neighbor's roof once! Sounds like quite an insurance investment! Anyways, I could go on for ages about the thousands of plants, flowers, shrubs, and trees that I saw in the gardens but I figure I got all the good parts at least.

Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf

The trails around the gardens led to an amazing view of the opera house and bridge and also of the famous Woolloomooloo Finger Wharf. The wharf was mostly used in the early 1900s as a base for soldiers coming to and from war. After WWII the wharf was the landing place for the thousands on immigrants who came to Australia. I'm not exactly sure how famous the wharf is exactly, I didn't go in it, but the building was HUGE..and of the course the name is something that is fun to say and could possibly be famous :)

Magpies on the balcony

Finally, a bit more local wildlife that is right on our balcony off our room...Magpies! These crow-like birds are heard squawking all day long. They are black and have distinct white marking on them which differentiates them from crows, ravens, and each other! I have taken to feeding them bread crusts on our balcony so that they come in. I am working towards feeding them while I'm out there since I can't technically have pets! Some of the other wildlife in the area includes kookaburas, which have a very unique call that sounds similar to a group of laughing monkeys! ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0ZbykXlg6Q ) There is a whole colony of them in a tree nearby and they all start calling at random times throughout the day. They call when another bird comes near to their tree, which apparently happens a lot around dusk or early in the morning.

Speaking of wildlife, one more thing! We have bought tickets to go see the Broadway production of Lion King here in Sydney! In case you haven't seen the viral video of the cast singing on a plane from Brisbane to Sydney here is a clip of the cast performing a "flash mob" style rendition of one of the songs... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfcyGPHP0Ak Andrew and I will be going with Jenny (his sister) and her husband (Muzz) on May 4th!

Another view of the opera house/bridge

Toto, we're not in Wisconsin anymore....

I have been here now just about a month and things are finally starting to fall more into a routine and I'm getting my bearings more about Coogee and Sydney. There are still sometimes where I am taken aback about the differences between Australia and the US, and I have been asked a plethora of questions about these differences. I'll come back to these differences after a quick update on the happenings here!

Kangaroo on the BBQ

Bondi Beach

Over the last week I have mostly been cooped up in the apartment because it has been rainy all week, but on Saturday Andrew and I took a lovely day-long walk to Bondi Beach (pronounced bond-eye), one of the most famous in Australia...In fact before coming here while Andrew was in Wisconsin he showed me a movie called "Two Hands" with Heath Ledger in it and Bondi beach was featured in the movie! Also there is a reality TV show about the lifeguards at Bondi Beach...so its pretty famous! Anyways...its a 12 mile walk there and back to the apartment so we laced up our sneakers and headed out in the morning and enjoyed a lovely stroll along the ocean past some very nice beaches. By the time we arrived in Bondi we were hungry and eager to rest our legs so we grabbed lunch and spent some time down at the beach before we hiked back home...We took our time and made it home just as the rain was hitting and settled in for pizza and a movie. On Sunday we went to this little bay for a swim and then to the mall in pursuit of snorkel gear from Target or Kmart (yes they have both of those stores here and they are similar to ours!). We didn't find any snorkel gear but we did find a cabinet for our bathroom to add some more drawers and space. It was plain white so we bought paint and I began sketching on the drawers and spent a couple days this week painting the drawers...not the outsides but the sides of the drawers, where the pictures will only be seen when the drawers are out. Good practice for the outside of the cabinet! Also this week we ate kangaroo on the BBQ! Definitely tastes like venison, very lean, red meat, but not quite as "game-y"...overall pretty tasty!

My new art project! 

Alright so these little differences?? The accent is still really cool to me and I can understand fine until they start throwing in Aussie slang... For example when we were camping we had to have an eski...any ideas on what that is? A cooler! A chemist is a pharmacy, togs are swimwear, thongs are sandals, knickers are underwear, a fortnight is two weeks, servo is a gas station, petrol is gas, and so on and so forth. I'll think of many more as they come up. I can say that I am adopting certain phrases into my vocabulary though...I say reckon instead of think, and say "it'll be 'right" instead of "alright". But no cool accent for me yet!

Prices are also outrageous here. Sydney is one of the most expensive cities to live in in the WORLD. So it should come as no surprise about how much everything from groceries, to gas, to rent, to going out for a night cost. Just last night we went out for dinner and drinks with some of Vera's (one of the flatmates) friends. We had a great time with them, we shared a few plates of food between 6 of us and 3 bottles of wine. At the end each person had to pay $20 for food (not too bad) and $45 for drinks! YIKES. So a night out for us was $120 plus cab fare plus $10 gelato for two.Some other interesting pricing...

•  Gas here is $1.60 per liter which makes it roughly $6.40 per gallon! 
• When we were in Melbourne and looking for a hotel we found hotels for $700 a night...partly because the F1's were on and partly because its a city!
•  A 10 bus ride pass is $30 in Sydney.
• Beer is $40-45 for a 24 pack (depending on beer) and at a pub a beer $6-8
• A new movie release movie rental costs $7.50 for one night! 
•  An avocado is$3-5 in the grocery store, blue, black, and raspberries are $5 a carton. 
• Gym memberships are about $60-70 a month. 
• Rent for Andrew's room here is $400 a week plus utilities...but I've seen advertisements for apartments for $650 a week! 

I could continue to bore you with the high prices here but basically, the overall theme is that most things are way more expensive!

I guess those are the two biggest differences that I recognize here...Besides that nutrition is upheld at a much higher level, portion sizes are smaller, and juicing is a huge trend as well as gluten-free and vegetarian. And there are still McDonalds, Burger King (called Hungry Jacks is the name here), KFC, Subway, Dominos, and Krispy Kremes, just in case I would be craving a little slice of USA.

Well, my short post has now turned into a ramble and the weekend is just beginning here so I will log off and find something fun to do this weekend! PLEASE send me some questions about things you're curious about here! I'll answer or ask an expert about it (AKA Andrew)!

Kids, Kangaroos, Camping, and Coastline

The last week and a half have been spent traveling by car to north of Sydney to visit Andrew's family, back to Sydney, and down the Eastern coast to Melbourne. 

Miranda and Jemima

We visited Andrew's family because his brother, Chris, was riding a bull in a rodeo...FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! We went to Andrew's parent's home in a small town called Raymond Terrace which was about 1.5 hours north of Sydney. The drive was through the mountains and we had a beautiful, sunny drive. The bull ride was exciting even though it was only seconds but the whole family (minus one brother) was there and there was an excited buzz the entire rodeo since Chris rode last. After the ride we watched the kids (Jemima-7, Miranda-5, Sam-3, and Ethan-2) on the bounce house and playing some carnival games. After getting attacked by hungry mozzies (mosquitoes) we headed back to the house where Jemima and Miranda gave me a gift box (decorated by them and their brother, Sam!) and some homemade necklaces. Then I taught 5 more people to play cribbage! Wisconsin taking over Oz! The next day we celebrated Andrew's parent's anniversary (40th I think!) with a BBQ and a short game of golf with Andrew, his youngest brother, Dave, and Andrew's sister Jenny's husband, Mark (Muzz). Jemima and I took over driving the cart around which was great. In the morning we also went for a motorcycle ride with Dave around the country. It was a beautiful day and the area around Raymond Terrace was surrounded by green pastures filled with cows, horses, or sheep. The landscape reminded me of Wisconsin a lot with the farms, temperate "rain forests", and small towns. It was a great way to see the area!

Wild Kangaroos! 

Jervis Bay-- "Whitest Sand in the World"

After we left Raymond Terrace, we drove back to Sydney to pack for our week trip to Melbourne. Andrew's parent's equipped us with a tent and camping gear so our plan was to tent on the way down, stay with Andrew's friends while we were there, and maybe get a hotel in the city one night. We drove a few hours and ended up in a lovely little place called Jervis Bay on our first night. We didn't have much of a plan and since we drove from Raymond Terrace the same say we didn't arrive until nearly 7 which meant the after a quick stop to check out my first wild kangaroos we set up camp just before sunset and grilled up some sausages for dinner and were following up with some cribbage in the tent (by lantern light) when some kids dive bombed our tent, that is, jumped right on it (and Andrew mostly), caving it in, and running and jumping the fence. Andrew wasn't happy but it was a little funny. The next day after exploring Jervis Bay, which boasts the "whitest sand in the world", we drove another few hours to Narooma where we stayed the night in a cabin (cheaper than a hotel!) due to thunderstorms. We continued our trip down the coast to Eden, where I dragged Andrew to a Killer Whale Museum and onto Lake's Entrance where we stayed in another cabin. The road we drove down the coast is called the "Princes Highway" and it winds through mountains, more temperate rain forests, wine countries, farmland, and coastline. It takes about 6 hours longer than the main highway but the scenery made it worthwhile!

Wallaby

On Thursday when we got to Melbourne we stayed at Andrew's friend's house, Nick and Mel who had a toddler, Zach, and a newborn, Ben. They were very nice hosts and we had three great nights with them just drinking beer and eating yummy dinners. We went to the Formula Ones on Friday which was just a practice day but we still saw the cars, enjoyed the atmosphere, and even saw Tony Hawk! On Saturday we went with Nick and Mel and their kids to the zoo. It wasn't a normal zoo though, it was just Australia animals, so it was pretty cool, and if you know me, you know I love animals so getting to pet wallabies, wombats, and even snakes was right up my alley! On the way home we decided to just take the less scenic highway back to Sydney and after road construction, a huge crossword puzzle, and 9 hours we arrived home safe and sound. 

Looks like a calm couple of days back here in Sydney before another weekend traveling to visit one of Andrew's brothers, Steve and his family (and new beagle puppy!). Steve also lent me a guitar for the year which worked out perfectly!
If you have any specific questions for me, please comment them and I will answer as best I can!