As is wont to happen in these darkening days, the temperatures have been slowly dropping and our rangings have become a little more limited. So I guess that is to say, this will be a short and sweet update from way down south. Even the most ambitious of adventuring appetites will be a bit tempered by the darkest days of the year, even if winter in Victoria has proven to be enjoyably mild. As such Meredith and I have been contenting ourselves with explorations around the city and day trips into the nearby countryside.
Recently, our sight seeking spirits took us south out to the coast proper to the properly well-recommended Phillip Island. It may only sit an hour south of town but this little surfer’s paradise felt a world away from the big city, if only I’d brought my board. Spanning the mouth of Western Port Bay this rolling island is a staple escape for Melbournians with miles of open beach along the Bass Strait supplying plenty of surf and natural escapism year round. As we drove past all the shuttered baches dotting the coastline it was pretty clear that we weren’t exactly visiting in high season; no worries though, we came not to dive into the ocean but for the splendor it provides. We made our way out to the remote Nobbies Nature preserve where we were treated to a splendid walk along sea cliffs overlooking the strait keeping a keen eye out all the while for whales. June is whale season after all. And our efforts did not go unrewarded! Humpbacks were splashing about out in the waves, while to our backs little blue penguins nestled in their burrows in the scrub atop the cliffs. We capped it all off with a round of mini golf on the way home to mark a day trip well taken.
Just last week we were graced by our first (and likely only) visitor here in Aus, Meredith’s sister Davis! Sure, she lives in Brisbane so a long weekend trip is a bit more feasible, but credit where credit is due and we were glad for the company. After all, we had some town to show off. It was just a 3 day trip, so we packed in as much of Melbourne’s fine food and beverage scene as we could. From our favorite curry shop down the street, to some of the finest fancy-pants Asian-fushion in town, Davis loves a good bite and we love to facilitate. We also slipped out of town to explore some of the countryside. Just to make sure we saw all the classic Aussie creatures we visited the Healesville Animal Sanctuary and paid a visit to the koalas (easily photographable), emus (also easy to capture), platypuses (nearly impossible to take a picture of) and Tassie devils (too shy to be seen even in a sanctuary). Of course it didn’t go unnoticed that Healesville sits squarely in the middle of the nearby Yarra Valley wine region, so you know lunch at a scenic cellar door was in order. It may have been a quick and casual visit but it was great to have company and even more of a reason to play tourist in our own town.
Our time here in Australia is running in nearly panic-inducing short supply; in just a couple months we’ll be bags packed and headed off onto our next adventure. It really has been a rigorous exercise to stay present and enjoy our remaining time down south with so much uncertainty on the horizon. Currently, we’re in a hot debate over whether we want to move winter to winter and head back to Colorado in September or wait out the winter months with a cheeky long stopover in Hawaii on our way home. If you have an argument one way or the other we’d love to hear it.