So I clearly landed safely in Melbourne, and was greeted immediately by Caitlin! I can’t believe it had been so long since I’d seen her, but per usual, it took about .3 seconds before we were off and running from where we left off almost two years ago. We made our way into Melbourne CBD, and had a wonderful dinner at a local place called the Blue Train on a place called South Wharf that overlooked the river. Afterwards, we walked along the river, checked out the Casino (where I taught Caitlin how to play blackjack) and then headed back to her house just about 45 minutes outside of the city in Belgrave. It was pretty late, so we just headed off to bed for the night.
I woke up early to the sound of what I thought was someone laughing hysterically at me…turns out it was a kookaburra! In any event, we made our way along Great Ocean Road. As it has been in every location I’ve been, the weather was cloudy and rainy (YAY WINTER!), but it was still a lovely drive along the coast for a few hours. We ended up in a town called Lorne, where I made Caitlin go out of her comfort zone and try a new place for lunch. We both had an amazingly delicious roast veggie salad, shared two different kinds of scones (which we had an argument over – is a scone plain? Biscuit like? With fruit? The answer to all of those is apparently yes, by the way…), and some banana black tea which made the meal that much more special. We did some people watching, and had a lovely conversation with an extremely old woman who didn’t understand that I was traveling while Caitlin was local, and I got pestered by the owner who told me to go home and take care of the oil sill. I apologized, and told him that I apparently couldn’t turn my back on America for three seconds without them screwing something up. Caitlin appreciated that I was one American who understood humor/sarcasm, and was impressed at my ability to joke around with the owner in a witty way.
This particular café also had 80 kinds of tea, and we probably smelled over half of them. They were pretty amazing, and it was a great way to kill some time and let the bad weather pass us by. The road was delayed for about half an hour due to the weather, so we decided that the hour-long delay for both directions wasn’t worth continuing, so we made our way back toward Belgrave. We made our way to Grant’s Picnic Grounds just above her neighborhood, where we saw plenty of cockatoos swarming the picnic tables. We also went on a hunt for some wild animals, but were denied…sad news.
At home, we set up for dinner: the Kingsley’s were having their neighbors over. It just so happens that these neighbors recently moved from South Africa to Australia. Well then, guess who got to pick their brains! I not only got a list of things to do, but also a bit of history and more insight as to what the country is like and will be like for the World Cup. They were absolutely phenomenal people, and I hope to talk with them after I return. I also got to meet Caitlin’s boyfriend, Scott, who is an amazing person! In about 2 minutes, we got to talking and hit it off pretty well. He even offered to pick me up the next day from a tour I had considered doing. Great guy! A lamb roast, roasted veggies, soup, and dessert later, we were all full and tired, and made our way to bed.
Caitlin had to work in the morning, so I woke up and did some reading next to the fire. I was supposed to take the Puffing Billy train throughout the mountains, but the weather was really shit – per usual. So instead, Mrs. Kingsley offered to take me for a drive up Mt. Dandenong with a little visit to a few of the localities. We stopped off at a lovely little café called the Kallista Tea Room where we had some organic coffee and just chatted about anything and everything. It amazes me how similar she is to my mom, and I think they would get along so well. They have the same values, same views about their children, friends, and just about everything. She happens to be quite wonderful, and the morning couldn’t have gotten much better.
Once we were done with the drive, we went back home and met up with Caitlin, who whisked me off to meet Chrissy at a local lunch place. She met us in town because she was going to take me to Phillip Island to see the Penguin March! We had ourselves a really long lunch and caught ourselves up on each others lives, and then Chirissy and I made our way to penguin land. The drive was absolutely fantastic: rolling hills of cows and sheep surrounded us one minute, and the next it fell flat into coastal waters. Such a drastic change in such a short amount of time was really quite amazing. We also went through Koo Wee Rup, the asparagus growing capital of Australia! Too bad it wasn’t asparagus growing season…
Finally, we made it to Phillip Island! We were in the visitor’s center for a bit because we arrived early, but it was a nice way to kill some time. Then, we moved down to the beach and got ready for the penguins…in the freezing cold. I didn’t realize how cold it was going to be, which was stupid of me, because had I just looked at a map, I would have realized how close we were to Antarctica. Seriously, have a look on a map – go on: I’ll wait. There is literally nothing blocking Phillip Island and Antarctica, and the winds show it.
Anyway, we waited and waited and waited for these tiny little penguins to wash ashore. I never thought they would come, until finally they arrived. Waves kept crashing onto the beach as they normally do, but this time, as the water began to wash backwards back to the sea and drift away from the beach, it left a huddled bunch of baby penguins! Well, not babies, but considering they are only about a foot tall, I’m going to call them babies. Man, were they adorable! They join in groups out at sea, wash up on shore together, and then waddle their little bodies up the beach and into their burrows ashore. So, once we saw a few dozen groups the make their way onto the beach and head up, we followed, and saw them waddle toward their homes. They were really freaking cute. We even saw two of them mating. Sexy…
The next morning, I woke up, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and grabbed the train out to the city to meet my wine tour group. There were a total of six of us: a group of three women visiting Melbourne for a girls’ weekend, and a couple from Brisbane who were just taking a quick vacation. A small enough group that we felt as though it was a “private” tour, but big enough for us to make friends with each other.
We made our way out of the city about an hour into Yarra Valley territory to the De Bortoli winery: a family owned winery that is probably one of the biggest around. Since we were a small enough group, we got our own tasting in the “Trophy Room,” which was basically an excuse to show off their awards (or a small portion of them) while we tasted their wines. Now there were four glasses in front of us, so I assumed that we would taste four wines. I was only off by about five wines and three cheeses from around the world. We tasted everything from whites to reds, $19.00 bottles to $50.00 bottles, 2009s to 2005s. There were so many different varieties and variations to the wines, and the way that they paired with the cheeses in their own ways were just stellar.
From there, we hopped back into the van and made our way to Yering Station where we got to try as many wines as we could in the allotted time, with the ability to choose from about 20 reds, whites and sparklings. Let’s just say I tried a lot of them...all the while talking sports with Justin, the only other male on the tour.
The next stop was Domaine Chandon, where we had our lunch. And more wine. Four half-glasses with our meals (I had the grilled Barramundi), in addition to an antipasto platter filled with grilled red capsicum (bell peppers, America), prosciutto, onions, cheese, bread, artichoke hearts…etc. It was an overall deliciously paired combination of food flavors and wines. We also got a tour of the winemaking facilities and a room where they hand-turn all of the wines each and every day to keep them mixed and moving a bit for…well…I’m not exactly sure what reason.
Next stop: Coldstream Hills Winery. We all stood at a long table and got about five wines there. Finally, we stopped off at Yarra Valley Dairy, where we were able to try about six different cheeses that we all locally made, as well as grab some (well needed) coffee and desserts as we overlooked the hills of the country and, despite the bare, winter-stricken vines, had a glorious view.
I found my way back to the train station, caught the hour-long train back, and decided to walk back to the Kingsley’s house, despite the offer from Caitlin’s dad to come pick me up. It was an extremely clear night, and in the brush you could see all of the stars and nearly touch them. When I arrived, dinner was just about ready to be served, and we sat down together and ate as families do.
Because I have had about zero time to exercise over this trip, I asked Caitlin if we could go for a run in the morning around the woodsy area by her house, so that is how we started our day. About ten minutes into the run, she stopped me, and pointed through a clearing between two trees. About 10 feet away, there was a tree that had fallen over, and sitting atop this tree was a lyrebird! What is a lyrebird, you may be asking yourselves. Look it up, but in short, it is a bird that looks similar to a peacock: but that isn’t why it is famous.
Its fame comes from the fact that it can imitate any sound that it hears. ANY sound. For example, it will mimic all of the birds in the surround areas: cockatoos, kookaburras…etc. But it will also mimic the sounds of dogs, or if there was construction around, chainsaws and machinery. And I don’t mean that they get close to a similar sound, they duplicate it exactly! So for about ten minutes, I stood there with my jaw around my knees, listening to this lyrebird go through call after call, kookaburra after cockatoo after dog after some clicking sound I couldn’t even recognize, until he hopped off the log and made his way farther into the forest. It was an unreal sight, and of all of the wildlife I’ve gotten to see this trip, this one took the cake.
We ran for about an hour, and then turned back home. After a quick shower and change, we made our way to the famous Queen Victoria Market. It was basically like a giant swap shop as far as the merchandise went, but we also checked out the amazing deli, meat and fish market. There, they had countless deli counters with infinite dips and cheeses and antipasto type things, and the meat counters had every kind of meat imaginable. The fish was fresh, and you could get it any way you wanted to! So, we bought some T-Bone steaks, baby lamb chops, and I purchased a bright red, fresh, kangaroo steak for us to barbecue back at Caitlin’s for dinner that night. A quick lunch in the city and back to her house we went.
After dropping off the food, we went up to the top of the mountain to go to Sky High, which was pretty much just a lookout over the entire city. We had a gorgeous view as the sun was setting, and saw a burnt orange skyline that drew across the horizon.
As we had decided to take charge of dinner, Caitlin and I got to prepare. She threw some pumpkin and red capsicum (once again America, bell peppers) into the over, and grilled up some onions, mushrooms, and at my suggestion, pineapple and zucchini. I put together a salad, and then manned the barbecue. Dad: thank you so much for the genetics/teaching, because I have never cooked steaks and lamb more perfectly in my life. Everything came out perfectly medium rare (including the kangaroo, which I was told was cooked to perfection), and the lamb chops were melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The grilled veggies were the perfect side, and the meal was such a pleasant way to end the day. The conversation never dulled, the food seemed never ending, and the company was spectacular.
We finished the meal with some mulled wine that I had made, and some Bailey’s that Caitlin and I had picked up. Then Scotty made his way over, and the three of us looked at some pictures and talked for hours on end before making our way to bed.
Caitlin and her boyfriend took me to the airport early that morning, but before we left both her mom and her dad woke up to bid me farewell. Honestly, they treated me just like a son for five days straight, and I could not thank them enough even if I tried. Their hospitality was beyond anything I could have ever hoped for, and I really will miss them so much. Her mother and my mother are so similar: from the way that she told Caitlin that “She’s 21, she can do whatever she wants, but…” to the way she speaks about her children. It was overall just a phenomenal experience, and was a bit heartbroken to leave.
My plane was actually an international flight (a connection that had made its way from Bali), so that was a bit odd, but I got onto the plane and sat next to a young lady (maybe 28ish?) who turned out to be a speech pathologist for young children. She received a grant to work around for a bit, and we got in to talking for just the entire duration of the flight: and then some. I can’t think of a subject we didn’t cover, and there was no silence the whole way through. We realized that we hadn’t even exchanged names until we had landed in Sydney. I gave her my name and told her to contact me if she were even in the States. I find it amazing that people like that can come into your life for two hours and can be gone in an instant, but leave such a lasting impression.
Brendan met me at the airport, and we made our way to UNSW. It was a beautifully sunny day, so we grabbed some lunch and sat out with Beth and her friend Hannah at the lawn in front of the library. Had I not been so content, I would have been pissed that I was back at a school doing something that I normally do anyway: but somehow this was different. Off to Unibar for some beer, and then I caught the bus to my Bridge Climb!
This climb was absolutely surreal. We actually got all harnessed up, and got to climb to the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. When we started at about 5PM, the sun was just setting, and I got an amazing glimpse of that same burnt orange sunset color that has seemed to follow me around for my trip. We made our way higher and higher as the sun was getting lower and lower. The traffic was flowing directly below us, and we just kept climbing up! As the sun set, we really got to see the lights of the city in action. All of the city lights were on, the headlights from peak hour traffic snaked the “traffic river” down below us, and the buildings were all lit up. What was even cooler was that Vivid Sydney was going on (http://vividsydney.com/events/lighting-the-sails/lighting-the-sails): it is a celebration of lights and sounds all throughout Sydney, and they project a light show onto the Opera House. We got amazing views of that as well during our climb. There is also something called the “Black Rainbow” that you can only see while you’re on the bridge. It is actually the reflection on the sky from the lights that hit the bridge, which forms a black arch overhead that is seemingly projected onto the sky. I really lucked out with all of the goings on for this climb (and probably the first time that my choosing to come over here coincided with events and weather!), and had an amazing time.
I woke up to some shitty weather yet again, but hey, par for the course as far as I was concerned, so no worries there. We had plans to go drive out to Palm Beach (no, not that one…) and then meet up with J.P. for some brunch, but decided that because of said rain that we would just take a pretty local drive so I could see the life of a Manly man (Brendan lives in Manly). After a bit, we get a message from J.P. that she’s running a bit late, so we decided to make our way to Palm Beach anyway, but as we were on our drive we passed a really deliciously sketchy looking pie shop called The Upper Crust. When I said aloud that it looked deliciously sketchy, Brendan nearly brought the car to a dead halt, pulled over into a conveniently placed parking spot, and said that he heard amazing things about this place and that he had a craving for a pie…as did I, for some odd reason. So, at 9:45am, we had pies…for breakfast. And they were some of the best freaking pies I have ever had!!! Really close up there with the one from Te Anau, if you’re a frequent reader.
So we made our way to Palm Beach as the weather began, had a bit of a look, killed another hour and a half or so, and met up with J.P. at a place called Sunrise Café which overlooked the beach, and all immediately got to talking, catching up, and filling each other in about anything and everything. We then called up Nick who was decently close by, and Brendan and I decided to forego our previous plans of BBQ and party at UNSW (because the weather turned iffy again anyway) to hang out with Nick. We stayed for a few hours with some coffee, and finally parted our separate ways. It was a great feeling to be able to catch up with people on this side of the world, and I felt like it was about damn time!
Brendan and I went and relaxed back at his place, and just had a bit of a chill afternoon, until we decided to head into the city via ferry and have a nice final night out and to find a nice chicken Parmesan for Brendan. His dad dropped us off at the wharf, and we were about 20 minutes early for the ferry. We had considered staying in Manly for the night because, once again, it had started to pour down on us, but we hadn’t made up our minds yet. So to kill some time, we checked out a few menus along the streets, unimpressed at first, until I spotted a place called 4 Pines. When I asked if he had heard of it, he said that he heard great things but had never been there. So we popped our heads in, gazed at the board, and what just so happened to be on special? You guessed it, chicken Parmesan and a pint. Sold!
Turns out, this place is a brewery that had just won several gold medals at Sydney’s latest beer competition, one of which won gold for the nation. I grabbed a delicious salad with grilled chicken and roasted veggies (my staple this trip thus far), and we had a few amazingly delicious pints. But during the meal, this guy started to eye us up, and walked our way. He looked like he was going to say something, but coughed up some playing cards instead. Apparently on Thursday nights, they have a magician walking around just entertaining people. He was great! Lots of close up, interactive magic that was just a lot of fun to watch. To make a long story short, I now have a balloon animal with the six of spades sitting next to me as I type. After he left, we ordered some sticky date pudding (apparently a British/Aussie dessert staple) which was pretty heavenly, the magician came back for some more tricks (or illusions) and then we headed off to walk some of the corso. After a bit of a walk, we decided to call it a night, and while waiting for his parents to come collect us, we grabbed one last hot chocolate at Max Brenner.
And that, ladies, gentleman, friends, family and strangers, concludes my trip to Australia and New Zealand. I have met so many people who I’m sure I will never in my lifetime see again, but have made such a tremendous impact on my trip. From the woman sitting next to me on the plane to Sydney to the couple that bought me a lamington, and every minor conversation about travel, sports, culture and life, each has given me a lasting memory that I won’t soon forget. It has also been filled with people I hope to see more of and on multiple occasions: people who have opened their homes, arms, and hearts to me and treated me like family. To all of you: I cannot thank you enough.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog (thus far) half as much as I have enjoyed living it. In the morning I will be off to South Africa for the World Cup, and a study abroad that will hopefully be as enlightening as it sounds. I will attempt to update as frequently as possible, but there’s only so much I can promise!
Until next time,
Josh
