Koalas, Kangaroos, and Penguins...Oh My!

We left Sydney on a beautiful Monday morning and traveled by ferry, train (maybe 2-slight detour-oops!), plane and bus before finally arriving at our hostel in the Central Business District of Melbourne around 3:30 PM. It quickly became evident that the luxurious leg of our journey was over. Jaclyn and Jimmy's cozy and welcoming apartment had been replaced with bunk beds in a windowless room with no bathroom. Not allowing this to dampen our spirits, we dropped our backpacks and headed out into the crisp Melbourne evening. Unlike in Sydney, it really did feel a bit like winter. Many of the trees were bare and there was a definite chill in the air. After booking a few tours at the nearby tourist center in Federation Square, we set out in search of the famous Fitzroy neighborhood. Having left our guidebook at the hostel, this proved to be a difficult task. Fortunately we were properly attired in our Himalayan walking shoes. We walked for hours through the streets of Melbourne, happening upon landmarks such as the Fitzroy and Carlton Gardens, Parliament House, Melbourne Museum, and St. Patrick's Cathedral (where of course we stopped and said a prayer). Finally we arrived at our destination-Fitzroy-and although it did not live up to our expectations, we did run into the famously rotund Dutch triplets, so all was not lost (see photo shoot). We continued walking, walking, walking, and eventually stopped for a much needed pint of Bulmer's at a British pub on Bourke St. (can you believe they have it here?! Shout out to Kelly!). We ended our first night in Melbourne with a sushi feast, complete with $3 glasses of house wine. Exhausted from walking, we made it another early night. We were in bed by 9, falling asleep to the sound of our Chinese neighbors chatting in the room next door.
We woke early on Tuesday for a jampacked day of sightseeing. First stop:Old Melbourne Gaol, where we discovered a long lost relative, Rose Ann Joy (see photo-any resemblance?). After paying our respects to dear old Rosie, and learning all about the infamous Ned Kelly, we left the Gaol and strolled to the Queen Victoria Market. We haggled over some fruit (and by haggled I mean they weighed it and we payed what they asked), admired the colorful displays, and sat in the sun for a quick snack. Our busy day continued as we jumped on our minibus for a tour to Phillip Island. We journeyed along the scenic Melbourne Highways to the island's edge for a great view of Seal Rock and the rugged coastline. The seas were angry that day my friends, like an old man sending soup back at a deli. The views were breathtaking, but the wind almost knocked us off of our feet! Fortunately we ate all of those Tim-Tams back in Sydney, and that extra weight kept us planted on dry land. Although there were no seals to be found, our guide led us down a boardwalk in search of the famous fairy penguins. If we wanted any photos of penguins, we had to find them in the daylight. Taking pictures of the penguins at the nightly Penguin Parade is forbidden, because a flash can either blind them, or cause them to throw up the food they'd searched for all day. We quickly turned into the penguin paparazzi-lying down on the walkway and sticking our cameras underneath in hopes of getting a good shot. We did! As the sun sank down, we hopped back on the bus and headed to the sight of the penguin parade. Each night at sundown, the entire colony of fairy penguins-the smallest penguins on earth- climb out of the sea at the same time, and march themselves back to shore to their little homes. It is a truly amazing sight. They follow the same path each night so we were able to stand just inches from them as they made their way by. Adorable! After the parade, we had one more treat in store-the animals at the Moonlit Sanctuary. Our guide, Mark, met us at the sanctuary with a python around his neck. Maura made a quick exit to the bathroom, while Marie channeled her inner Britney and draped the python around her neck. We moved on from the snake and out into the darkness of the sanctuary. After only a few steps we were greeted by kangaroos and wallabies! Though kangaroos in the wild will apparently greet you by ripping out your intestines, these little guys are used to being fed and are quite friendly. They happily hopped up to us and waited their turn to be fed. After that, we toured the rest of the sanctuary and saw a variety of native animals, including a wombat named Rita, and a Koala named Gumba! Many great photo ops later, we jumped back on the bus and returned to Melbourne.
We just arrived back from a wonderful day trip along the famous Great Ocean Road. We were picked up at 7:30 this morning and headed to Bell's Beach, where we spotted some early morning surfers. We continued cruising along the scenic highway for the rest of the day, and saw some incredible scenery, including the famous rock formations -The 12 Apostles, London Bridge, and the Razorback. We also got a chance to stop and take a quick hike through a cool temperate rainforest. It was straight of Jurassic Park! The pictures won't be able to do it justice, but it was an amazing day, complete with rainbows, sunshine, wind, rain, and even hail. Overall, we've enjoyed our time in Melbourne, the highlights definitely being the 2 tours. Tomorrow we're off to Brisbane. We can't wait to go where it's warm!

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Part of trip: Australia

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