Newcastle, Rosebud and Melbourne

We made it to Australia! Were we going to immediately be bitten by a venomous spider or eaten by a crocodile? Well, Australia turned out to be way more welcoming than we anticipated! Instead, we enjoyed sausage rolls, Tim Tams, caramel slices and the best coffee we’ve ever had.

Newcastle

After a brief stop in Sydney, we took the train up to Newcastle to visit some friends of the family. We had a great time at Black Butt (local nature preserve), the local farmers market, visiting vineyards in the Hunter Valley and seeing kangaroos in the wild. We loved getting to know our great hosts, their inviting kids and grandkids. Thank you Chris and Jerry for your generosity and hospitality! Thank you also for introducing us to the Stockton Bite Cafe. We loved the beautiful coffee art and the milkshakes.

Rosebud

Why Rosebud? We’d planned to travel up north to Queensland next, but had to make a change when we found out the schools were on break so everywhere up north was booked. Chris and Jerry suggested going south to the Mornington Peninsula, so we found Rosebud. We traveled by train back down to Sydney and stayed in a hostel for one night before picking up a rental car to drive down to Rosebud. Mom and Dad haven’t driven on the left side of the road in over 20 years, so it took some getting used to and a few close calls! (By the way, toothpaste works to remove mild paint scratches from rental cars).

Rosebud is a cute vacation town with lots of cafes, coffeeshops and fish ‘n’ chips restaurants. Although we loved the many that we visited, our favorite coffee shop was The Holy Bean Cafe. We recommend the toasted banana bread and “brekkie” burrito.

It was a treat to stay somewhere so long. H and I rented bikes which we rode around the boardwalk. C had the opportunity to do some baking!

It took some time to get used to the chillier weather of Victoria. We went to the Peninsula Hot Springs to warm up. The hot springs were beautiful, we had to walk quite a bit between each pool, but the natural surroundings and beautiful views made-up for it. (We ended up going there twice!) We recommend going while school is in session for a discount.

The three younger kids and mom went out for a day to see the gondola ride and mazes on the Mornington Peninsula.

We booked a Philip Island Nature Parks package which included three different activities. We started at Churchill Island Heritage Farm where we saw several demonstrations including sheep shearing, whip cracking and a working dog show.

Next, we had a nice walk through the Koala Conservation Center and got to see many sleepy koalas dozing in the trees.

Third, we saw the Little Penguins at the Philip Island Penguin Parade. To protect the penguins, we weren’t allowed to take any photos because the light disturbs them. We had a great time watching the blue-feathered penguins waddle out of the water and up to their nests.

One of our favorite activities was the Moonlit Sanctuary tour. We walked around with staff members to view and interact with nocturnal animals at the Moonlit Sanctuary. The staff was wonderful, we learned so much! We fed huge kangaroos, little wallabies (some with joeys), and adorable yellow bellied gliders and squirrel gliders.

Mom, H and I went on a hike to a fort at Point Nepean National Park. The view was beautiful.

On the way out of Rosebud we stopped at Back Beach near Sorrento down near the tip of the peninsula during low tide (see photo below on left). Earlier that week we went during high tide (see photo below on right); we spent hours building sandcastles and burying H in the sand. During low tide, however, we explored the tide pools, climbed into caves and on top of rock formations.

Melbourne

We spent just a few days in Melbourne–we wish we had stayed longer!! The multitude of coffeeshops, beautiful street art and friendly people left us wanting more!

During our stay in Australia we were always a day behind of the royal family (Harry and Meghan), who were touring the area at the time.

We took a tour at the Royal Gardens, which was beautiful! We learned a lot about the vegetation and its medicinal uses. We also learned about the languages and customs of the indigenous tribes of Australia over a cup of lemon myrtle tea.

Lastly, we went to to the Science Works Museum. We went to the lightning room to see a presentation about how lightning is formed and an exciting live demonstration behind the safety of a Faraday cage. We highly recommend this museum; we spent several hours there. There are so many interactive displays for all ages.

I took an amazing street art class from Hands-On Street Art Experience (via Airbnb) where I learned about the different types of street art, the culture of it, and basic spray painting techniques. I loved every minute of it. It was an unforgettable experience. (I definitely recommend this class to anyone–even if you don’t consider yourself artistic).

While I was spray painting, the rest of the family visited the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. It was a free and had a really interesting history of cinema with an emphasis on Australian TV and movies. It’s a great way to entertain all ages.

After these first couple weeks in Australia, we realized that Australia is too big for us to see it all in just one month. We’ll have to come back again another year!

Coming soon…Australia part 2 including the Sydney Opera House and Great Barrier Reef