G'Day Mate!

Can I just tell you that Australia is HUGE! We didn't even put a dent into all there is to do there, but we gave it our best shot. 

 Hobart 

 Our first stop was on my birthday in Hobart, Tasmania. We chose to visit the Bonorong Wildlife Park. It was fabulous! The kangaroos roamed the park freely & you could feed them right out of your hand! They were literally everywhere...some were huge & taller than me when they stood on their hind legs. (Evidently kangaroos are a lot like deer, they are a hazard on the open roads & you will often see them as "road kill" as they tried to cross the highway & couldn't compete with the cars on the road.)

We also saw some little Joeys as well. It was really strange to see the little Joeys hangin out of their mum's pouch...it looks like it would hurt!

I got to pet a koala, & we saw emu, a wombat & tons of little Tasmanian Devils - such odd creatures! I loved it - it was a great birthday present.

 

On the way back to the ship we stopped by the little historic village of Richmond...much of the village was built of native sandstone by conscripted convict labor. Did you know that Australia used to be where Great Britain exiled all their criminals? Many of them earned their freedom by laboring on farms or building buildings as they served their time. They built beautiful buildings like this lovely little church on the hill & this peaceful bridge below it.

That afternoon we walked around the harbor of Hobart & watched the sailboats practicing their racing skills. Hobart is where the famous Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race ends...it was exciting to watch the boats gliding through the water.

It was a great birthday! That night, on the ship, we celebrated...

Geelong I'm pretty sure we were supposed to be in Melbourne for two days (Melbourne is pronounced "Melbun." Australians don't say their "R's" unless it's where it's not supposed to be like after fellow...they would say "feller.") For some reason we ended up in Geelong...not a lot going on there, but we walked along the waterfront to see their colorfully painted "bollards" (old timber pylons that were transformed & painted by an artist to depict the history of Geelong).

I couldn't resist climbing this spider web at the park...a little boy that was playing nearby said, "You're a big girl!" It gave everyone a good laugh...who's idea was it for us to grow up anyway?

 We managed to find a tour of an Aboriginal Culture Center, Narana. We learned about the "didgeridoo" & other musical instruments, tools, & weapons. There are some 250ish Aboriginal tribes throughout Australia, all speaking a different language. We got to toss a boomerang & learn about Aboriginal art.

 

Melbourne After seeing Melbourne, I would have LOVED more time here! It is considered the "cultural capital of Australia." We started in the heart of the city at Federation Square...it was hustling & bustling with all kinds of activities, including a street fair. (The street fair was promoting sustainable living or living "green" - notice the "washing station" in the one pic? Yeah, no paper goods. If you bought food they served it on "real" dishes that you took to the washing station to be reused by someone else later...just don't think about the sanitation issues. Not sure that would fly in the USA with all of our liability regulations.)

 

We walked over to the "laneways" (creative laneways with their covert boutiques, famed restaurants, & hole-in-the-wall cafes where colorful street art is encouraged)...

...contrasted by the "Block Arcades" (a wonderful collection of old Victorian buildings & shops with ornate tile floors & skylighted ceilings modeled after the Galleria Vittoria of Milan)...

 

We found this great little place called "Chokolait" (a lot like Serendipity's in that they have frozen hot chocolate) & a specialty dessert...a Pavlova Cake...it was divine!

Sydney Our cruise ended in Sydney - we pulled into the harbor as the sun was rising...it was spectacular to watch the sun wake up this iconic city.

I couldn't get enough of the Opera House! I couldn't wait to see it up close - truthfully, it is much more beautiful from the harbor.

What can I say? I couldn't resist that last shot. As we were running across the quays, someone ran passed Paul that caught his eye. He turned around & yelled, "Mark!" The guy & his wife stopped & turned around...it was his dive buddy, Mark Doll & his wife, Lois! They live near us in Lincoln, CA...what are the odds that we would see them 1/2 way around the world?

We strolled through "The Strand" (similar to Melbourne's Block Arcade but not near as big). I decided to grab a couple of chocolates...OUCH! ($7.56 Aussie Dollars = $8.06 USD!) Things are VERY expensive in Australia!

ur favorite thing to do in Sydney was to hop on board the Deloitte, an American Cup sailing yacht. We joined the crew & spent the afternoon sailing around Sydney Harbor learning how to work the sails & experience the excitement of this historic America's Cup Race.

It was truly a highlight! Have you ever seen him smile so big?

Even though we were leaving the ship...our adventure continues..."Outback!"