Summer

Oh I just love summertime!  I love the hot weather and I wish we had a longer summer around here!  Earlier in the season we met some friends up at the Melbourne Zoo for a concert!  I was so much fun and it was beautiful out!  We packed a picnic and went early to see some of the animals.  The rest of the evening we listened to the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, which was a huge band with every instrument ever!  It was really fun to listen to.  During the show we walked over to the lions den and in between the songs they would roar and growl!  We cant decide if they really liked it or really hated it! :)

After a few busy weeks with work (Brian was mostly in Perth) we had some visitors!!  My cousin Shelly and Brians brother Steve!  It was so much fun having them!

 On their visit we first on a road trip to the beautiful Great Ocean Road....

That was the fourth time we've been out there and those views never get old!  We saw lots of koalas and and echinda but no kangaroos...  Darn those wild animals not being out in the open!

When we returned from our trip we relaxed before a full week of activities!
Monday- Having some of the best Melbourne foodies have to offer for an event at the Food and Wine Festival.  Then an afternoon soaking up the sun at the beach!
Tuesday-  Lunch in one of the iconic laneways followed by a trip to the Aquarium, museums and a walk through the city.  A VERY HOT DAY!
Wednesday- A long walk through the city with their wonderful tour guide (ME!) including the Old Melbourne Gaol, Little Italy (pizza) and Chinatown (dumplings) and walks through parks and all the old beautiful buildings.  That night we went to the open air cinema in the Botanical Gardens.  We watched our favorite Aussie flick, Red Dog, while huge bats flew overhead.
Thursday-  A trip to a wildlife sanctuary where we got to see ALL the Australian wildlife!  Right after we went to a few wineries in the gorgeous Yarra Valley.
Friday- In the morning I took them to the Queen Victoria Market to stock up on souvenirs.  Afterwards, Brian and Steve took a drive (in the convertible!) to the Mornington Peninsula where they saw lots of scenery, kangaroos and a micro brewery.  Shelly and I spend the rest of the day shopping and went to a nice dinner.
Saturday- They went home! :(

So much was done in so little time!  We had the best time seeing the sights during the day and visiting and playing games and drinking and grilling in the evenings.  I have a few more pictures from our trip (but I didnt take too many)  Here goes... ENJOY

Be back real soon for more updates! :)

South Australia road trip!

Earlier this week we got back from a great road trip through South Australia.  South Australia (if you didnt know) is one of the 6 states in Australia.  They only got creative on half of the states names, the other half are named after their location, South Australia, Western Australian and Northern Territory... but enough about that...

We left on Thursday afternoon, Brian, myself and the dog! Along the way (while still in Victoria) we stopped at a National Park.  We walked up to the rim of where a volcano was many many years ago and it was a great view.  More importantly (to me!) as we were walking back to the car we spotted a koala up in a tree!  They are so cute and this one is so cuddly hugging the tree!  Shortly after we saw emus walking around!  They are NOT so cuddly!  Brody was not a fan either and was barking away at them from the car! 

 A few hours later and we were in Mt Gambier SA.  Since we didnt have much time at each destination we did some sight seeing straight away.  This region of the state is known as the limestone coast.  Apparently, limestone makes caves and sinkholes.  There were many in the area so we stopped by some!  The first one was a sinkhole which was turned into a garden.  It was really beautiful and a great way to display a giant hole in the ground :)  

Brody barking at caves... 

That evening we went for a pizza and the got settled in to watch the Australian Open!  The next morning we got up to go see another sinkhole,  Blue Lake (which is a volcanic crater) and get out to the coast for the rest of our journey.  

Beautiful Blue Lake

Bubs and I a little windblown :)

Along the limestone coast are some really pretty beaches!  We stopped at a few along the way.  Oh and this is very exciting... we got to see the BIG LOBSTER!  Not totally sure why but in Australia they have about 150 of these "big" items and its become somewhat of a cult phenomenon, so naturally we had to stop to get a picture! 

Brodys 1st ferry ride

seals lounging on seal cove

After lots of hours driving we arrived in a small town where we can get the ferry to Kangaroo Island, our next destination!  I was pretty excited about going here but for some reason had not realized it was necessary to pre-purchase ferry tickets!  When we pulled up the next morning they said they were all booked and had no room for us!  OH NO!  It was a holiday- Australia day- and were busier than normal.  On top of that we found out that you are not even allowed to go in the National Parks (which is a majority of the island) with a dog.  I was really bummed but Brian went in and saved the day!  He sorted us all out and once we got there we even went by the dog kennel place (which I had previously called and they said were booked) and they at the last minute said they would let Brody stay there!  So it all worked out in the end, we got to go and see all the wonderful sights of Kangaroo Island on Australia day! (Brian- my hero, lol !)  We first went to Seal cove where they have, you guessed it-- SEALS-- lying all over the beach!  They were honestly not that excited because they were mostly all just sleeping... but still cool to see!

Next we went to Flinders Chase National park to see some of the sights, Admirals Arch and the Remarkable Rocks. When we got there we realized there were actually tons of seals playing in the water, on the rocks, all over the place!  (well actually the previous ones were "sea lions and these were "fur seals"  but they all look the same to me!)

More seals playing in the water!

@ Admirals Arch

The Remarkable Rocks were actually pretty remarkable.  From pictures I didnt think they would be but really just the size and randomness of these boulders is amazing.  The granite rocks were formed into these crazy formations from sand blowing on them from the beaches...

Remarkable Rocks

the rocks also got a pretty nice view of the beach below :)

Sydney University ranked Vivonne beach on KI as the best beach in Australia, so we had to pay it a visit!  I dont know if I would rank it #1 but it was gorgeous!  After spending a few hours there we went to pick up the puppy and take him to a dog friendly beach!  He was so excited to see us and even more excited to run around and play on the beach and in the water!  He LOVES it!  It is so fun to watch him and he will now even go chase a stick in the water if we throw it out for him!  (He must have gotten used to being in the water from all the time in my parents pool!)

Vivonne beach

the beach we took Brody, see I think this one is even prettier!!

Haha, this may be my favorite picture of the day!  HE LOVES THE BEACH!

After a long evenings drive we arrived at our next location Barrosa Valley.  We woke up to the beautiful wine region of South Australia.  We went to several wineries and they were all wonderful!  Gotta love Australia and all its wineries, it sure makes our stay here even better!  We spent half the day in the valley before we went on down the road to have dinner in a town called Hahndorf.  It is a really cute little town with lots of German culture.  We stopped at the German Arms Hotel and got a MASSIVE lunch --the German feast for 2.  It was full of schnitzel and wursts and kraut and pretzels!  While at our table we had two different sets of strangers sit down with us.  The people there must just be extra friendly, not that we minded!

 

On the way back to Melbourne there was one more exciting stop!  Another "big" thing.  This time is was the Giant Koala!!!!  Its a little creepy but we still had to get a photo!  

We made it back safe and sound shortly after and have been back at work getting into our normal routine ever since.  We are enjoying relaxing and will probably continue to do that for awhile!  

Miss you all!  xoxo