The Plunge Down Under

A Snapshot of our Family on the Last Day of January

Tomorrow marks not only the beginning of a new month, it is also the official end of the summer holidays for our family as the girls begin the new school year in the morning.  The atmosphere at the dinner table tonight was enthusiastic overall, with only one child of the four not intensely looking forward to the first day.  It was a big change from last year, when there was a great deal of anxiety over the unknown mixed in with the anticipation.  

As I looked around at each child tonight, enjoying the banter and the back and forth wondering about new teachers, new classes, and new and old friends, I could not help but reflect over how each one has grown and developed.  

James:  Where did this self-confident five-year-old come from?  One year ago he refused to look at other children his age.  Today I watched him climb trees, play tag, and race across the monkey bars with several boys who will be in his prep class beginning on Friday.  He told me later about each one, assuring me all the while that Gus is still his best friend.  I was amused when he requested an 89 gigabyte ipod for his next birthday at the dinner table, and somewhat annoyed when he kept singing the chipmunk version of "Party in the House Tonight."  One of his older siblings has shown him the youtube video one too many times.  As for school, he cannot believe the first day has been so long in coming.  I loved seeing his eyes light up tonight when I told him it was only two more sleeps until the big day.

Sophie:  Today was a long one for our younger daughter.  She wanted to stay home so that she would not encounter any school kids already wearing uniforms and thus obviously back to school before her first day.  Her supplies have been packed in her back pack for several days now, and she has a new haircut in preparation for the new school year.  We found out today that she has the teacher she was hoping for, which is great, but she remarked that she will miss last year's teacher very much.  

Cameron:  You probably guessed that he is the one least enthused about going back to school.  He has spent the past few days reminding me of the advantages of home schooling, and wishing that Wednesday would last forever (he starts back on Thursday).  Lately he has become even more enthused over cricket, enjoying both playing and watching it on television.  Fortunately for him, school in Australia affords lots of opportunities to participate in sport, so he has that to look forward to. He will be the big man on campus this year, a year 6 student in a primary school, and he is hoping for a leadership role.

Katie:  Our eldest would gladly have started back to school last week, or even the week before that.  She has been organizing her books since they arrived from the post office last Friday, and for several days now she has been madly searching for last year's Latin book, which had gone missing, so that she could revise.  This morning, to her delight, she found it in her P.E. bag, just in time for some review before the first day.  I never would have guessed that Latin would be her favourite subject, but I am of course not at all displeased.

Ross:  Unfortunately he is in Florida this week.  January has been a tough month for him as preparation for this trip has required long hours from him.  He will spend less than twenty-four hours in Pittsburgh before he returns on Saturday.

Christie:  At the moment I feel both overwhelmed and excited about the weeks ahead.  I prefer routine, and I love school and classes and seeing my kids participate in them, but I also remember from last year that the next few days and weeks will require some adjustments and perhaps a difficult morning or two (or three).  Hopefully tomorrow won't be one of them!

How Many Are Your Works, O Lord

At some point during our trip to Phillip Island, or perhaps it was just before we left, Amy said that she was running out of adjectives to describe the many wonders of this beautiful country.  I was sympathetic.  Quite frequently  I pause before composing a new post to consider which one I should use this time.  Fabulous? Spectacular? Amazing?  All three and more could be used to describe our last two days.  

The fun began with the twelve o'clock Austalian Pelican feeding at San Remo on Wednesday, where a dozen or so massive manta rays stole the show, and ended with possibly our best wildlife experience in Australia to date, a trip to Seal Rocks.  We were giddy with excitement by the time our boat pulled away from the rocks, astounded and overwhelmed with the experience of witnessing thousands upon thousands of the graceful creatures leaping about, swimming, diving, plunging, rolling, barking, and jumping back up onto rocks which were pounded and pummeled time and again by giant waves.  We laughed, we pointed, and we squealed over and over again.

Following are only a handful of the hundreds of photos we snapped during these two wonderful days.  After narrowing down my pictures using my normal process in preparation for a blog post, I was still left with two hundred, forcing me to edit them down even further.  It was a good problem to have, however.  I hope you enjoy them.

The Australian Pelican:

Fishing enthusiasts from San Remo have been feeding the pelicans for twenty years.  Local manta rays have also discovered this wonderful opportunity. Watching the giant rays glide through the water using their large wings was a wonderful bonus.

Lunch for the pelicans and the manta rays:

Later that afternoon, we checked into our bed and breakfast, and then, at the kids' request, spent one last afternoon swimming at the beach.

Before the penguin parade in the evening, we squeezed in a gorgeous coastal drive and a bushwalk in which we encountered dozens of wallabies.

When I took the next picture, Amy, Laney, and Cameron were making their way down to the bleachers to wait for the arrival of the penguins.  They witnessed one hundred or so Little Penguins swim into shore and clamber onto the beach before making their way to their burrows.  

We were blessed with perfect weather over these two days.  After a delicious breakfast complete with eggs, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, homemade preserves, coffee, and hot chocolate for the kids, we drove to Cape Woolamai, home to a world-famous surfing beach. Once there we made our way down the beach to the walking trails, passing on the way a couple of dozen members of the life saving club, many decked out in honor of Australia Day.

"Swim between the flags" is the oft-repeated mantra on Australia's beaches.  This must have been particularly dangerous surf as there were about twenty life guards for a tiny stretch of sea.

James was very much in what I call his "Alexander" mood on this trip, unwilling to cooperate with anything the rest of us wanted to do.  For this reason, Amy and Katie completed the full 6km of the hike around Cape Woolamai, while I did a much shorter version with the remainder of the children.  We ignored the many protests from James, and instead gazed at the soaring short-tailed shearwaters, scolded the crows and magpies who were attempting to rob their nests, and soaked up a few rays on the gorgeous beach while waiting for Amy and Katie to return.

The irony of the next picture, one of my all-time favorites, is that I was attempting to capture James sitting obstinately on the trail looking the wrong direction while he made one of his "I am not walking one more step" statements.  He must have realized my intentions, because he jumped up, whipped his little body around, and smiled as hard as he could, all in a desperate attempt to thwart my purpose and to continue to communicate his frustration.  I was about to scold him when I had a second look at the display screen and decided I was happy with what he gave me.

 

Amy took this picture of Katie:

From Cape Woolamai, we drove back to Cowes for the two hour seal watching cruise.  We were not prepared for just how rough the open sea would be, and when the boat started to pitch and roll, we were so thankful we had all taken anti-seasickness pills half an hour before boarding.  At times we felt like we were riding a roller coaster.

The water around Seal Rocks was teeming with life.  Pups were learning to swim, and many seemed to perform purposely in front of us as if they were begging for food.   I cannot begin to convey the experience through photos, but I will include a few anyway.  As many as there were on the rocks, there seemed to be even more in the water.  How they manage to maintain their positions with the waves crashing over them was a mystery to us.

Throughout the cruise and the remainder of the day, phrases of one of my favorite psalms ran through my mind.  I had to look it up, and I'll close with a few of them:

"How many are your works, O Lord!  In wisdom you made them all;  the earth is full of your creatures.  There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large and small.  There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there . . .

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works---I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live."  Psalm 104: 24-26; 31, 33

From City to Seaside to Mountain and Back Again

In the few days between the Great Ocean Road and Puffing Billy adventures described in my last two posts, we have managed to fit in several more excursions with our appreciative and enthusiastic visitors from Virginia.  Amy and Elena not only love everywhere we take them, and delight in all that we suggest doing, they have also generously given their time to help conquer the numerous domestic chores involved in feeding, clothing, and keeping respectable a houseful of children and their parents.  Whether it is hanging out the laundry, loading and unloading the dishwasher, playing card games with Katie and Cameron, or helping Sophie with her piano music, Amy knows just what is needed most.  I cannot adequately convey my gratitude, but I will say that it is in large part because of her help that we have been able to accomplish much during their time thus far.  Following you will find some highlights of the past few days.

Last Friday we headed into Melbourne's CBD (Central Business District).  First stop was the Little Cupcake Shop, followed by a brief tour of a few Melbourne's arcades and laneways before we tackled the cavernous Queen Vic Market.

Cloudy skies led to the decision to visit the Old Melbourne Gaol rather than the Eureka Skydeck.  Amy found the history of the prisoners incarcerated here in the 1800s fascinating, while the children enjoyed trying on a scaled down version of Ned Kelly's infamous homemade armor.

On the streets in Melbourne:

Home again on Tram 5:

James wanted nothing to do with Amy's camera.

Cameron is bowling in the picture below during his Friday night cricket match, one thing that (unfortunately) continues over the school holidays.  

Saturday morning breakfast, an outing that Amy and I enjoyed while Ross cooked brekky at home for the children.

After breakfast, Amy, Laney, Sophie and I drove to Frankston to see the sand sculptures.  This year's theme was Toytopia.

After allowing the girls some time to explore Frankston's playground, we pointed the car toward Arthurs Seat, and then a most favorite spot near our house, Cape Schanck.

We always stand in awe at Cape Schanck.  This visit was no exception.

Sunday we spent primarily in worship and rest, but in the evening we took advantage of the warm weather to head back to the beach for the sunset and penguin viewing at Brighton and St. Kilda.

It was nearly dark by the time we made it to the end of the pier at St. Kilda Beach, but we spotted a baby penguin waiting for its parents immediately upon arriving at the viewing area.  Within a minute or two of us pointing our cameras at the little guy, a crowd of fifty or so had gathered to ooh and ahh.

Monday we spent in the Dandenong Mountains, enjoying the scenery with the help of Puffing Billy, today held another visit to Melbourne's CBD, and tomorrow we plan to visit Phillip Island for a special overnight trip involving (we hope) lots of wildlife and also another swimming opportunity at the beach for the kids.  Busy times, wonderful memories, perfect weather, amazing scenery everywhere we turn, and special friends with whom to share it all . . . for this and so much more we are grateful.

Once again I borrowed liberally from Amy's camera card, one more thing for which I owe her thanks.

 

 

Something Old and Something New

Three guesses for regular readers should be more than sufficient to figure out where today's adventure took us.  We did add a novel element, however, by traveling to and from stations to which I have never been on the previous seven journeys.  The weather was nearly perfect as the heat made the forest breezes delightfully refreshing, and also helped to justify two separate stops for cool treats along the way.

When our conductor heard that I escort all of our overseas visitors for a ride on Melbourne's beloved steam train, he presented me with an award of appreciation.

 

. . . but you are allowed to sit and dangle various body parts!  Only in Australia . . . We nearly lost James here:

I'll end with two of the several hundred volunteers that delight in making the Puffing Billy a wonderful experience for tourists and locals alike.

Thanks to Amy Smith for several photos in today's post.

 

Great Times on Victoria's Great Road

From its rainforests to its animals to its magnificent coastline, the southern coast of Australia has riches that continue to amaze and thrill us.  We had the pleasure of introducing just a few of its treasures to our current guests and dear friends this week, Amy and daughter Elena.  Their enthusiasm and appreciation was a joy to witness, and this opportunity to share our love of Australia with friends and family is surely one of the many blessings of living here.

Within one hour of deciding to leave a day early for the Great Ocean Road on Monday morning, seven of us piled into a nearly bursting station wagon.  Mercifully the bickering amongst the Wilkin children that punctuated our trip to Healesville Sanctuary on Saturday was absent, making the trip a pleasant one filled with lots of reminiscing and sharing of stories between the grownups.  We made it to Lorne by lunchtime, watched the children swim in the afternoon, then drove to Apollo Bay on Tuesday, and finally, the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge on Wednesday.  As ever, we left wishing we could stay just a bit longer.  Following are a few highlights.

Laney on the Lorne Foreshore with her new favorite stuffed animal, a dingo:

My new favorite teenager:

Apollo Bay.

Love this boy and how he loves the water . . .

And this one too . . . He did a fabulous job helping me look after James on our short trip.  He also served as our wildlife spotter and resident naturalist.

The Maits Rest Rainforest Walk was the perfect way to spend our morning on Tuesday.  Although the temperature was a sticky ninety-five degrees everywhere else, we were cool and comfortable under the beautiful Mountain Ash, Myrtle Beech, and Soft Tree Ferns.

On the road to the Cape Otway Lighthouse, we came across a koala by the side of the road.  We could have reached out and pried him out of his perch, but instead spent several minutes returning his intense gaze.  I think this is my favorite koala photo thus far.

Unfortunately the walk to the Cape Otway Lighthouse was hot as blazes.  Several children felt that they might expire under the rays of the sun and the scorching northwest wind.  We persevered and climbed it anyway, and were most grateful when Amy treated us to cold drinks afterward.  Coke has never tasted better.

By 4pm we felt we could safely venture onto the beach without as much danger of sunburn.  When Amy and I waded in, we felt as if we were standing in ice water.  

Wednesday morning brought with it a most welcome drop in temperature.  It was so cool and misty we dug out the raincoats for our excursion to the Otway Treetop Fly.

The Superb Wrens entertained us on our way back to the car.

From the forest, back to the coast and the Twelve Apostles:

Final stop of this trip, Loch Ard Gorge, Amy's favorite place to date in Australia.  "Out of the movies" is how she described it.  She accompanied the older children into one of the caves where they found an abundance of stalactites and stalagmites.

James woke up in what I call his "Alexander" mood (as in the "horrible, terrible no good, very bad day").  In addition to general crankiness, he insisted on wearing his jacket when the rest of us were rather warm.  Later that night Ross noticed he was quite feverish, so we forgave him.  Here he is in a rare moment of happiness.

Goodbye to the Hayhoes and Hello to the Smiths

When we made the decision to move halfway around the world, we failed to anticipate an incredible number of things.  One of those was the sheer number of farewells we would make over the course of the entire experience.  The initial leavetaking, of course, was prominent in our minds, but not the subsequent ones, many of which have proved to be heart-wrenching, and some, especially of close family members, progressively more difficult.  In most cases, we cannot say with any degree of probability when we will next meet, and so we usually resort to the phrase, "See you soon."  I cannot imagine, and indeed do not wish to imagine too closely, how we will feel when we eventually move back.

The farewells, of course, are mixed with the pleasures of reunions, and this past week we have had the opportunity to say both good-bye and hello.  After traveling around Australia for ten days, our friends Rob and Beth and their children returned to our house for two days before flying back to Canada.  Melbourne gave them a taste of wintry weather on their last day, but we did not let it deter us, choosing to visit one of our favorite spots, Cape Schanck, in spite of the wicked wind.  The beach towels we had intended to use after playing in the surf served instead as shields.  The bright side is that I had no wet, sandy laundry to tackle when we returned home.

Beth has written eloquently about our experiences together, the pleasure of watching our children become acquainted, our husbands reconnect, and for ourselves, sharing our love of scenery, photography, and good books, as well as the trials and joys of motherhood.  Their visit was great fun, and we certainly hope that we will indeed see them again soon.  Rob sent the following picture he took on his blackberry.  As I recall, he wondered at the time whether we were actually enjoying our surroundings through any other medium than our respective camera lenses.

Exactly forty-eight hours after dropping Rob and Beth at the Melbourne International Airport, I was back again, this time to welcome my good friend Amy Smith and her daughter Elena all the way from Richmond, Virginia.  Somehow they survived the thirty-two hour journey, and since then we have been spending our time drinking coffee and catching up on our lives for the past two or three years since they moved away from Pittsburgh.  Yesterday we did manage to fit in a trip to the popular Healesville Sanctuary, the first place that our family visited when we moved here in July of 2010.  The animals did their best to impress our guests, and largely succeeded, I believe. I have just a few photos to share of our time there.

We had a good laugh over the male kangaroos lounging around very comfortably, with both arms and legs crossed.  The wombats, which reminded Amy of the "rodents of unusual size," were unusually active, as were the echidnas.

The reptiles were the unanimous favorite, however, this time around, as Laney is a big reptile fan.  The reptile show is a new one, and although not quite as popular as the birds of prey, very entertaining. The audience was permitted to walk up afterward and handle several of the lizards, much to the children's delight.

 

 

Sunset at St. Kilda

Like so many inhabitants of the city of Melbourne in January, summer has taken a leave of absence this week and gone on holiday.  Happily we took advantage of the last of the nice weather Monday evening to head to the St. Kilda Pier for the sunset and viewing of the parent penguins coming back into shore to feed their young.  The pier proved to be a popular spot that night, with a ratio of about fifty people to one penguin. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in spite of the crowds, however, and even appreciated the antics of the protected Rakali (water rats) who did their best to keep us entertained while we waited for the penguins.  They reminded me of otters with their playful acrobatics on the rocks and in the water.

Finally, we spotted a parent swimming into shore.  Going to see the penguins at St. Kilda offers several advantages over the official site on Phillip Island.  Aside from paying for parking, it is free.  You are permitted to bring flashlights, and even use the flash on cameras, provided they are covered with red cello wrap.  Best of all, it saves four hours of driving to and from Melbourne.

The parent above was bending down and feeding her chick, much to the delight of the humans present.  Beth fought the crowds to get a picture, but I did not.  We also had the pleasure of a full moon rising over the city, a splendid ending to the picture perfect evening.

 

 

Country Australia

Considering that 89% of Australians live in urban areas, it is perhaps not surprising that we have spent the majority of our time down under in large cities.  We hear frequently about "country Australia," however, which as far as I can tell is different from the bush or the outback.  It was on our recent trip to Tasmania that I began to understand a little bit about what that lifestyle looks like.   I have put together the following collection of images from the three days that we spent exploring the countryside, one of those at a country house outside of Launceston.

We stayed two nights in a small stone cottage on a farm in Paradise, Tasmania.  The setting could not have been prettier, and much to the delight of our children, there was a pony just outside the front door.

Views from the cottage front door:

Idyllic, pastoral, restorative . . . , although not very quiet, I must say.  The kookaburras had competition from both the sheep and the cattle when it came to creating a racket at nightfall.   I resorted to ear plugs in order to fall asleep, but slept deeply and woke feeling refreshed each morning.

 

 

 

Port Arthur

Known for spectacular scenery, unspoilt landscape, and emphasis on good food, Tasmania has been on our must-see list for Australia since our arrival.  In the recent past, I am not sure I could have told you the difference between Tasmania and Tanzania, but like so many other things Australian, that all changed about two years ago.   Frequently referred to as "Tassie," this beautiful island state is separated from the southern tip of the mainland by the Bass Strait.  It has a population of approximately half-a-million, and close to 40% of its landmass is preserved in the form of national parks, reserves, and World Heritage sights.

We flew into Hobart, the capital city, on the morning of the 27th of December, and even before we landed, we were admiring the coastline.  Ross collected the (tiny) rental car while the three younger children and I waited for the luggage, and we were soon traveling south toward Port Arthur, the top tourist destination in Tassie.  I took quite a few pictures from the moving car, including the first one below.

The first recorded European sighting of Tasmania was by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1642.  He named it Van Dieman's Land after the supporter of his expedition, and so it was called until it was officially renamed in 1856.  We happened upon this sign while searching for a place to buy coffee.  To our dismay, the majority of cafes were still closed for the Christmas holiday period, but we, along with everyone else traveling the road to Port Arthur, eventually found the one that was open.

Tasmania is also known for its Devils, of course, all of whom are unfortunately in danger due to facial tumors that have been spreading throughout the island since the late 1990s.  Other threats to their survival include the red fox and the automobile, and in fact, we saw numerous lifeless devils by the side of the road during our four days in Tasmania. 

We did not attempt to find any in the wild, mostly because exhaustion set in every afternoon around 4pm, prime wildlife viewing time, and also because the Tasmanian devil is the only extant carnivorous marsupial, and can be rather vicious when feeding.  We had no desire to come into any kind of contact with its fierce jaws.  While it does hunt prey, it also feeds on carrion, making it a less attractive animal in my way of thinking than the other marsupials we have admired.  Not nearly so cute as the eucalyptus-munching koala, for example.

In spite of our post-Christmas fatigue, we managed to see quite a few things en route.  I have discovered that making sure each child has a camera to use increases their enthusiasm for sight-seeing.  Thankfully James received one for Christmas, and spent his time happily clicking away.  Never mind that most of his several hundred photos were of the backseat of the car.  He was happy, and so were we to have him thus occupied. 

Left and below:  Pirate's Bay.

By late afternoon, we finally made it to Port Arthur.  Due to my almost total lack of planning for this trip, which I believe I have mentioned before once or twice, we had little idea what was in store for us.  We had envisioned a few crumbling buildings spread throughout a village, but instead came upon a theme park that requires several hours of in order to explore it properly.  We bought tickets anyway, and were grateful when the guide suggested that we start off with a cruise of the harbor to learn more about the place.

The kids were all given identity cards, and were soon caught up in discovering the "criminal" they were meant to investigate.  Of the 13,000 convicts sent to the camp at Port Arthur during its 47 year history, quite a few of them were children aged from eleven to seventeen, some transported for what we would consider rather minor acts of theft. 

Port Arthur is one of the best-preserved of all the convict sites in Australia.  It is notorious for its harsh conditions, but we learned that it was not as severe as some of the other penal camps in Australia.  In any case, 2,000 convicts died while living here, the majority through work accidents and lung illnesses.  They were buried on the Isle of the Dead, below:

The beautiful, serene setting of Port Arthur belies the suffering and inhuman tyranny that we read about as we walked the grounds.  We happened to visit on a warm, sunny day, and so it was hard to imagine the cold, wet conditions endured most of the time by the convicts, but we did try, and we all left somewhat sobered by the afternoon's history lesson.

Loving Lorne

It's one hundred degrees in the shade today, a perfect time to stay in the relative cool of the indoors and finish organizing my photos from the past two weeks. Tasmania beckons, but I can't quite leave the Great Ocean Road behind without one more post including a few of my favorite pictures and memories.

Morning view from our deck:

What I saw when I looked up after trailing a kangaroo below our house.

Two family trek to Sheoak Falls

Dads trying to keep kids safe.

Seven children, four adults, changing weather, and daily trips to the beach required all of Beth's superior organizational skills.  She worked very hard to keep everything clean and in order.

Below: Cloudy day, perfect for exploring Lorne's foreshore.  The children constantly called me over to take pictures of their discoveries and treasures.  I was only too happy to oblige.

James loved to have Jason read to him.

Finally, a few sunset pictures.

Since I began this post, the temperature has mercifully dropped to 70F.  The windows are open again, and delightful breezes are making their way through the house.  We will never get completely used to the rapid fluctuations in Melbourne's weather, but this is one time the change couldn't happen quickly enough.