A relatively short flight on a good airline (food, reclining seats, free booze), takes us to Australia. We are a bit concerned with being a bit let down by this country as it has the disadvantage of following our absolute favorite New Zealand, but, there is no disappointment from the first day.
New Zealand has no native land mammals. While we loved seeing the sheep and cows, it wasn’t thrilling. Within the first two days in Australia, we see kangaroos, koalas, and kookaberra birds. Remember the song, “ kookaberra sits in the old gum tree-ee, eating all the gum drops he can see-ee.” Apparently, the eucalyptus tree is a gum tree. The koalas eat the leaves and the
kookaberras eat the berries.
One morning, we had a mob (group of kangaroos) of over 30 ‘roos grazing on the grass in our backyard. There were three nursing sheilas (females), and it was wild to see the joeys (babies) burrow their heads into mothers’ pouches for some milk. You can’t believe how wonderful it is to watch them hop. 100 + pound adults can bound over 6 foot fences without any apparent effort. It isn’t silent, either. There is a distinct “thud” on landing.
The koalas are cute, but boring in comparison. They sit in the eucalyptus trees and slowly munching on the leaves. If you enjoy watching paint dry, koalas are your kind of animal. Actually, we did see one move. It reached out for another branch, and languidly moved onto it. Then, it sat back down and started eating again. In total, we saw 6 koalas.
The bird life was beautiful and much more active. The brightly colored parrots dive-bombed us when we were trying to take pictures of the koalas. In fact, I was startled when one landed on my hand holding the camera. It was impossible to get a picture of that, but I was able to get one of my mother in another moment!
Where in the world are Ethan and Siena?
Along the southern coast of Victoria (a state in the south east of Australia), there is a spectacular drive. There are steep cliffs, going straight down into the water, wide sweeps of beach, and huge waves crashing onto 
shore. We stop at Bell’s Beach, home of a surfing world championship, and watch the surfers. It is wild to see them cut into the curl of the wave, and back out. Sometimes, they would catch a wave perfectly and we would watch them come out of the tunnel formed by the breaking huge wave. Further along this gorgeous road, there are numerous sandstone rock stacks standing in the surf. The most famous of the formations is the Twelve Apostles. As the name indicates, there used to be 12 stacks or towers just off shore; now there are only 10 as the other two became undercut by the persistent waves, and toppled over. We see a huge arch, in front of which the kids are standing, and look at pictures of when there used to be a second arch connecting the now island to the coast. 10 years ago, this bigger arch collapsed. We learn that the sandstone is eroding at a rate of 5 centimeters a year. How much longer will some of these amazing structures remain standing? This is The Great Ocean Road, and it is great!
The Aussies are famous for and proud of their beer. And they should be. The beer here is wonderful. We’ve tried several different types from local microbreweries. Each is quite distinct. We particularly liked one which was brewed at a vineyard. It actually had the same sort of
bouquet as a white wine. The prices aren’t so good, though. Even at a package store, the prices are over $2 Australian ( $1.50 USD). The wines are fabulous, and relatively less expensive. We prefer the big reds, and they produce great Shiraz, and Cabernet blends here. The local cuisine is a combination of fresh seafood and English pub-type fare. Lots of pies, delicious fish and chips, great mussels and scallops--rich food. Luckily, we can wash it down with the wine!
G’Day to ya, Mates!
The Beatties
New Zealand has no native land mammals. While we loved seeing the sheep and cows, it wasn’t thrilling. Within the first two days in Australia, we see kangaroos, koalas, and kookaberra birds. Remember the song, “ kookaberra sits in the old gum tree-ee, eating all the gum drops he can see-ee.” Apparently, the eucalyptus tree is a gum tree. The koalas eat the leaves and the
kookaberras eat the berries.One morning, we had a mob (group of kangaroos) of over 30 ‘roos grazing on the grass in our backyard. There were three nursing sheilas (females), and it was wild to see the joeys (babies) burrow their heads into mothers’ pouches for some milk. You can’t believe how wonderful it is to watch them hop. 100 + pound adults can bound over 6 foot fences without any apparent effort. It isn’t silent, either. There is a distinct “thud” on landing.
The koalas are cute, but boring in comparison. They sit in the eucalyptus trees and slowly munching on the leaves. If you enjoy watching paint dry, koalas are your kind of animal. Actually, we did see one move. It reached out for another branch, and languidly moved onto it. Then, it sat back down and started eating again. In total, we saw 6 koalas.
The bird life was beautiful and much more active. The brightly colored parrots dive-bombed us when we were trying to take pictures of the koalas. In fact, I was startled when one landed on my hand holding the camera. It was impossible to get a picture of that, but I was able to get one of my mother in another moment!
Where in the world are Ethan and Siena?
Along the southern coast of Victoria (a state in the south east of Australia), there is a spectacular drive. There are steep cliffs, going straight down into the water, wide sweeps of beach, and huge waves crashing onto 
shore. We stop at Bell’s Beach, home of a surfing world championship, and watch the surfers. It is wild to see them cut into the curl of the wave, and back out. Sometimes, they would catch a wave perfectly and we would watch them come out of the tunnel formed by the breaking huge wave. Further along this gorgeous road, there are numerous sandstone rock stacks standing in the surf. The most famous of the formations is the Twelve Apostles. As the name indicates, there used to be 12 stacks or towers just off shore; now there are only 10 as the other two became undercut by the persistent waves, and toppled over. We see a huge arch, in front of which the kids are standing, and look at pictures of when there used to be a second arch connecting the now island to the coast. 10 years ago, this bigger arch collapsed. We learn that the sandstone is eroding at a rate of 5 centimeters a year. How much longer will some of these amazing structures remain standing? This is The Great Ocean Road, and it is great!The Aussies are famous for and proud of their beer. And they should be. The beer here is wonderful. We’ve tried several different types from local microbreweries. Each is quite distinct. We particularly liked one which was brewed at a vineyard. It actually had the same sort of
bouquet as a white wine. The prices aren’t so good, though. Even at a package store, the prices are over $2 Australian ( $1.50 USD). The wines are fabulous, and relatively less expensive. We prefer the big reds, and they produce great Shiraz, and Cabernet blends here. The local cuisine is a combination of fresh seafood and English pub-type fare. Lots of pies, delicious fish and chips, great mussels and scallops--rich food. Luckily, we can wash it down with the wine!G’Day to ya, Mates!
The Beatties
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