Victorian Vacation

Despite our international travels, Will and I have done a fairly small bit of Australian exploration since getting here. I think deep down we knew (hoped?) that people would come visit us and we would just have to do it all again once they got here. So we waited.

And finally, finally we had our first visitors! My parents spent one glorious week sleeping in the 5-star accommodations of the Chateau de Stone. Most notable features: shower that doesn't fully close and subsequently leaves much water on the floor; only one computer that hosts a little thing we like to call the internet; 200 of the 600 sq. ft. dedicated to the six suitcases the traveler may or may not be carrying; a spacious air mattress covering another 50 of the dwindling sq. ft.; a little dog that glowers interminably at the travelers when the travelers take her bed and she is, therefore, made to sleep on the floor (really, she couldn't understand why her mommy and daddy were sleeping on an air mattress, and she camped out on the couch in protest).

But thank goodness we had the amazing city of Melbourne to offset the less-than-luxurious accommodations. Thanks to my flexible work schedule, I was able to spend most of my days taking my parents around the city. A few notable pictures:

My mom and I at the Skydeck -- an observation deck atop the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. Pay no attention to the man in the yellow jacket.

Man in the yellow jacket and me in a picture together

City of Melbourne at twilight

We saved the real travel for the weekend, when we rented a car and drove the Great Ocean Road, and also took a trip to Phillip Island. The Great Ocean Road is similar to the Amalfi Coast in Italy, for those of you who know your Italian destinations; basically a long, winding coastal drive with lots of picturesque scenery, cute towns, and wildlife. The first stretch is known as the Surf Coast, which is some of the best surfing in the world. The Great Ocean Road technically begins in Torquay, which is the home of QuickSilver and Rip Curl. Bells Beach, where the longest-running international surf competition is held, is also part of Torquay. We concluded our trip at the Twelve Apostles, a famous rock formation consisting of rock towers caused by the erosion of the mainland (there used to be twelve, but they've been consistently crumbling).

Family picture at Devil's Elbow, a scenic lookout along the Great Ocean Road

Overlooking Apollo Bay

We saw a koala on the side of the road! (Actually two, but one was really high up in the treetops) Native Australians were fairly impressed with our sightings.

Cape Otway Lighthouse -- The most significant lighthouse in Australia. Not sure why because it cost a significant $16 to tour it. This is a covert, unpaid-for picture.

Two of the 12 Apostles (I'm thinking Peter and James)

The rest of the Apostles

Eroding Mainland

Loch Ard Gorge (named after a famous ship that wrecked there)

Despite the long hours we logged in a car the day before, Sunday we were up bright and early to take a trip to Phillip Island, an island a couple of hours outside of Melbourne that features lots of wild life-- most notably the Australian version of the March of the Penguins.

We stopped at a dairy farm on the way to Phillip Island. The little joey in this picture was very uncooperative.

The Nobbies on Phillip Island -- a mating ground for seals who were not mating on this cold day

Look closely and you'll see a kangaroo! He was a shy booger ...

... there he goes. Australians were not quite as impressed with our kangaroo sighting. Apparently they're pesky little creatures that hop in front of cars. Come to think of it, our very first kangaroo sighting was roadkill.

Every night at dusk the Little Penguins (their actual name, not a cute nickname I just adopted for them) come in from sea to their little burrows. Little Penguins aren't comfortable crossing the beach because it is when they are most vulnerable to predators, so you watch them muster up their courage (it sometimes takes a good ten minutes), and then waddle (very quickly, as far as waddling goes) across the sand to the brush and the safety of their burrows. It's super cute, but unfortunately they don't allow pictures. Apparently taking even un-flashed pictures "upsets the Little Penguins" although the floodlights and amphitheater installed on the beach don't seem to bother them one bit. Of course, I knew I couldn't come back to my dear readers empty-handed, so I snuck a quick picture of a couple of solitary Little Penguins while no mean ranger with a walkie-talkie was near by (seriously, there was this one ranger who was standing near a group of tourists who were watching the penguins, and after asking a few people to kindly refrain from taking photographs, she yelled into her walkie-talkie: "I need backup on the boardwalk. There's cameras everywhere!”). So enjoy your illicit picture. Know I faced great danger and possible penguin excommunication to bring it to you… all in the name of blogging, of course.

Sunset waiting for the Little Penguins to appear

Our illicit, covert picture of Little Penguins on the way to their burrows

So that concludes our very Discovery-channel-worthy adventures around Melbourne. We loved having my parents here, and hope to see some more of you coming through Australia before too long... Anyone? Anyone? Chateau de Stone is always open!