It's been a week since I returned from one of the most AMAZING places on Earth ~ Australia!
I've always wanted to go there, and since one of my very best friends moved there in January, it was the perfect opportunity for an excuse to go. Of course, I didn't think my trip would be this soon until my sweet husband gave me the best surprise and birthday gift ever...
a trip to the land down under!
I don't even know where to begin! Australia is such a diverse, beautiful place...on my trip I got to experience the most gorgeous ocean coastlines and beaches, breathtaking scenery and natural wonders, green tropical rain forests, the incredible Great Barrier Reef, amazingly beautiful rolling green hills and farmland, spectacular wildlife found no where else on earth, and an awesome big city full of culture and fun!
I loved it there!
This is what I looked like basically the whole trip...
(And those of you who know me
well are probably not surprised! :) )
...so it's not surprising that I have "heaps" (as the Aussies say) of pictures to go through!
Since everyone keeps saying they want to see my pictures and hear all about my trip, I figured I'd better get started blogging about it - one day at a time so it's not too overwhelming.
So, here goes!
Phillip Island
My first weekend there we drove to Phillip Island, about an hour and a half outside of Melbourne. The drive was pretty, but it was crazy to be driving on the left side of the road and sitting as a passenger on the left side of the car!
Our first stop was an awesome surf beach, Woolamai Beach. It was pretty overcast outside, but it was still fun to be on the beach. We didn't bring our suits but had fun running from the waves and watching the surfers.
Koalas and Wallabies
Next, we went to the Koala Preserve, which was one of my favorite places we went. The koalas are SO cute...I just wanted to grab one and take it home with me!
It was fun to see them up close and in their natural habitat. We saw tons of them!
Koalas sleep 18-20 hours a day, so most of the time they are sleeping, but they're still so cute to watch all cuddled up in a little ball. It was especially fun when we got to see them awake...
one eating:
one just looking around:
this one was stretching and shaking his head...I like this picture because it actually shows that we saw some movement from the koalas!
The wallabies (small kangaroos) were hopping all over the place, so we got to see them up close and personal, too. They were really fun to watch and Ellie loved chasing them. She wanted to catch one to take home, but they were just too fast!
These trees were all over and I loved them. Aren't they beautiful with the yellow tips? (although the pictures don't do them justice--they were much prettier in person)
lovely tree-lined road...notice the cars driving on the opposite sides of the street!
The Nobbies
After grabbing lunch and walking through the little town, we headed to The Nobbies--cliff formations at the tip of the island. When it's clear out you can supposedly see lots of seals out on the rocks, but we didn't see any. We did see some cute little fairy penguins, though.
These little cuties are the main attraction of the island. (See end of post)
The views were spectacular! I couldn't get over how green it was!
the blowhole:
The Penguin Parade
Last but not least, the main attraction of Phillip Island--the Little Penguins!
Every night at sunset hundreds of cute Little Penguins swim onto shore from the sea and waddle across the beach, hillside, and paths to their sand dune burrows for the night. What a sight!
They were SO cute, waddling along in big groups!
You aren't allowed to take pictures since the flashes in the dark can make the penguins sick, so I had to settle for a postcard. :) The penguins are only 16 inches tall and oh so cute!
It was fun to watch them stop and "talk" to each other, shake off their feathers, and then follow them along the paths to their burrows. They were pretty loud, squawking at each other in the darkness. Definitely a highlight and something I wouldn't be able to do anywhere else!
It was a fabulous and fun-filled day!
~Keep checking back for more updates on my trip!~
a trip to the land down under!
I don't even know where to begin! Australia is such a diverse, beautiful place...on my trip I got to experience the most gorgeous ocean coastlines and beaches, breathtaking scenery and natural wonders, green tropical rain forests, the incredible Great Barrier Reef, amazingly beautiful rolling green hills and farmland, spectacular wildlife found no where else on earth, and an awesome big city full of culture and fun!
I loved it there!
This is what I looked like basically the whole trip...
(And those of you who know me
well are probably not surprised! :) )
...so it's not surprising that I have "heaps" (as the Aussies say) of pictures to go through!Since everyone keeps saying they want to see my pictures and hear all about my trip, I figured I'd better get started blogging about it - one day at a time so it's not too overwhelming.
So, here goes!
Phillip Island
My first weekend there we drove to Phillip Island, about an hour and a half outside of Melbourne. The drive was pretty, but it was crazy to be driving on the left side of the road and sitting as a passenger on the left side of the car!
Our first stop was an awesome surf beach, Woolamai Beach. It was pretty overcast outside, but it was still fun to be on the beach. We didn't bring our suits but had fun running from the waves and watching the surfers.
Koalas and Wallabies
Next, we went to the Koala Preserve, which was one of my favorite places we went. The koalas are SO cute...I just wanted to grab one and take it home with me!
It was fun to see them up close and in their natural habitat. We saw tons of them!
Koalas sleep 18-20 hours a day, so most of the time they are sleeping, but they're still so cute to watch all cuddled up in a little ball. It was especially fun when we got to see them awake...
one eating:
one just looking around:
this one was stretching and shaking his head...I like this picture because it actually shows that we saw some movement from the koalas!
The wallabies (small kangaroos) were hopping all over the place, so we got to see them up close and personal, too. They were really fun to watch and Ellie loved chasing them. She wanted to catch one to take home, but they were just too fast!
These trees were all over and I loved them. Aren't they beautiful with the yellow tips? (although the pictures don't do them justice--they were much prettier in person)
lovely tree-lined road...notice the cars driving on the opposite sides of the street!
The Nobbies
After grabbing lunch and walking through the little town, we headed to The Nobbies--cliff formations at the tip of the island. When it's clear out you can supposedly see lots of seals out on the rocks, but we didn't see any. We did see some cute little fairy penguins, though.
These little cuties are the main attraction of the island. (See end of post)
The views were spectacular! I couldn't get over how green it was!
the blowhole:
The Penguin Parade
Last but not least, the main attraction of Phillip Island--the Little Penguins!
Every night at sunset hundreds of cute Little Penguins swim onto shore from the sea and waddle across the beach, hillside, and paths to their sand dune burrows for the night. What a sight!
They were SO cute, waddling along in big groups!
You aren't allowed to take pictures since the flashes in the dark can make the penguins sick, so I had to settle for a postcard. :) The penguins are only 16 inches tall and oh so cute!It was fun to watch them stop and "talk" to each other, shake off their feathers, and then follow them along the paths to their burrows. They were pretty loud, squawking at each other in the darkness. Definitely a highlight and something I wouldn't be able to do anywhere else!
It was a fabulous and fun-filled day!
~Keep checking back for more updates on my trip!~
11 comments:
wow! i should have crawled in your suitcase and hitched a flight! incredible!
Whoa... GORGEOUS!!! Why didn't I realize why a beautiful place Australia is???! I would KILL to be on those beaches, lets not mention those TREES!! Perfection! So glad you had a great time, and I can't wait to see more!!!
that's awesome!! I love those koala pictures, too. then i saw the kangaroos and i was like, oh my gosh look at all the cool animals she saw! your trip looks great!
It looks like you had a lot of fun! That's so cool that you went to see Rachel!
WOW! Those pics are amazing. What a beautiful place. Can't wait to see more!
I've been so excited to see pictures of your trip! I'm sure you're sad it's over...I would be! So....I hope you're planning on going again with me in a year or two! I'll keep checking back for more updates...and I'll try not to be jealous!
So beautiful!
How FUN!! I love the pictures! That must have been weird driving on the other side of the road. I can't wait to see more pictures. It looks like you had a BLAST!!
I can't wait to hear all about all the days of your trip. Sounds like you had a great trip.
Jealous!
SO much fun. I am glad that you got to go, how wonderful!
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