The Last Post

After 8 years and much consideration, I'm ending this blog. This "little" project did not turn out exactly like I expected, but in some ways, it has become even more than I expected. I have referred to it countless times to see "when did we do ______". I've also had 4 volumes of the blog bound into books as tangible pieces of our family's history. Whatever the format, I would encourage everyone to record the big events as well as the everyday moments that make up life. As for me, I'm not sure what the next chapter holds, but I will find another outlet for my memories. Thanks for reading! 

Taronga Zoo

After a great visit with Josh, Amanda, and the kids, it was time to start the LONG trip home. I'm so thankful for their hospitality and the opportunity to share even just a little bit of their Australian adventure. My first flight was 4 hours overnight from Perth to Sydney followed by an 8 hour layover. Since I didn't see too much Aussie wildlife actually in the wild, I spent the morning at the Taronga Zoo. It is a short ferry ride from Sydney CBD and overlooks the city skyline. 

Since I only had a few hours left in Sydney, I focused my zoo time on the "Australian Walkabout". My first stop was to see the platypus. The sign said they were shy and often hide, but this little guy got right in front of me and waved. (I think he was just scratching, but he was definitely not shy.)

Clock-wise from top left: echidna, Aussie possum, wombat, and wallaby

Koalas! It was not koala feeding time while I was there, so this is as close as I got. I heard they smell bad anyway. :)

I didn't spend too much time looking at the "regular" zoo animals, but the giraffes have the best view of the skyline so I paid them a visit. 

After that, I made one last trek by the harbor and bid Australia farewell! The flight home was rough. I couldn't sleep on the PER-SYD leg, so I had already been awake about 30 hours when I boarded the SYD-DFW plane. Most normal people would have crashed on the nearly 16 hour flight, but I was not so lucky. I think I slept about 2 1/2! One more quick flight from DFW-LIT wrapped up my trip to the other side of the globe where I was picked up by my favorite people on the planet. 

The Wild, Wild West

One of my favorite days in Australia was when we packed up the cars and made a trip down the coast. The diversity in the landscape was unbelievable! Our first stop was the Pinnacles -- a desert with these crazy limestone formations.

 

The next stop was Kangaroo Point on the Indian Ocean. It was the coldest, windiest day of my trip, but these Floridian kids couldn't resist getting in the water. I dipped my toes in and that was enough for me. :)

We passed these incredible sand dunes on the way to the beach and had to make a quick stop on the way back to explore them before a rain shower ended our fun. My pictures don't do justice to the size of these massive dunes that Mikayla dubbed the Mashed Potato Mountains.

We made a few more stops on the way back before watching the sunset over the Indian Ocean.

 

Northam, Toodyay, and York

The town of Northam where the Stacys are living actually considered a "super town" by Western Australia standards. They have a couple of grocery stores, library, pool, lots of car dealerships, and the tiniest Target you've ever seen. It is known for hot air ballooning and the Avon River. That's about it. Amanda says they roll up the sidewalks at 4 pm and nothing is open on Sundays. Fortunately, I was there on a Sunday, so I got to go to church with them. The church was small, and the people were friendly. They seemed very welcoming to Josh and Amanda, and there are lots of little kids around AJ and Izzy's ages. 

We also got a chance to visit a couple of small towns in the area -- Toodyay and York -- that had a Mountain View-feel to them. 

Kangaroo Crossing

It took a week, but I finally saw some kangaroos in Australia! On our way back from Perth today, we went to a national park where we saw some that, while technically wild, are pretty used to human interaction. You can feed and pet most of them, but they would run off if they felt threatened or the feed ran out. The joeys were of course adorable when their heads where sticking out, but it looked pretty weird to see a random foot protruding from the pouch. 

There are also truly wild kangaroos in the area. One crossed the road in front of  us (pic on my camera that I'll have too upload later), and we even saw a roadkill kangaroo on the way back home. Amanda said they are like deer. (Of course, she said that about the gators in Florida too. I still beg to differ on that one!) But I think she's right about the kangaroo; they are cute but can be a nuisance to cars. I haven't eaten any yet, but it is on the menu later this week.

Kangaroo Selfie

These two practically posed for me

This brave mom let AJ pet her joey

Kings Park and Botanic Gardens

Last Day in Sydney

It took 4 days, but Where-the-Heck-are-We-a and I finally got lost in Sydney. We knew exactly where we wanted to go (Harbour Bridge Pylon), but actually getting there was nearly impossible! So many stairs, not enough signs, so many different levels! The most frustrating part is that we could see where we wanted to go but just couldn't get there. Sydney is very hilly and has lots of non-connecting walkways, so you can easily be really close to something but oh-so-far away. We finally made it and walked all the way across. We took some pics then caught the ferry back. I wish I had worn a pedometer this week to clock our steps. Oh. So. Many.

I'm currently sitting in the airport waiting to catch my flight to Perth. Amanda's flight is not until later tonight, so she was headed back to the beach on her own this afternoon. I'm pretty confident she can navigate her way back to the hotel. We had such a great time in Sydney! We crammed a lot into a few days, but I'm so glad we had the time together.