Victorious in Victoria!

Happy September!

As most of you cringe at the thought of summer ending or heading back to school, things are really heating up here in Sydney. The shorts and surfboards are certainly out and the sun freckles are suddenly appearing!

My good friend and old room mate from DC Shari is here visiting and she is really doing Australia right! Last week we did the whole Sydney kit 'n kaboodle and on Wednesday headed west for our Victorian adventure starting in the cultural capital of Melbourne.

Thursday morning was spent perusing good old Queen Victoria Market where we were able to buy everything from cashmere peacoats to boomerang gifts and gluten free gourmet pizza. Following our spree, we explored the rest of the central business district and the famed Federation Square. Everytime I go to Melbourne I find myself in complete amazement of the modern architecture and the trendy folks. After eating lunch in a hidden gem of an alleyway full of paninis and soups, we bravely rented our car and hit the (Great Ocean) Road.

Shari was the first of us to attempt driving on the left and she was a pro! Once we got on the freeway it was smooth sailing. Our 3 day adventure out west consisted of the following highlights:

-driving on the Great Ocean Road of Victoria. Possibly one of the most scenic roads in the world, you have the ocean on your left with lush mountains and wild koalas on your right.
-stumbling upon some grazing kangaroos on a golfcourse in the town of Anglesea, population 400.
-finding the incredible Erskine Waterfalls
-hiking through the Maits Head rainforest
-cuddling by the fire in our AMAZING hostel in Apollo Bay. Seriously though- best hostel I've stayed in!!
-the pinnacle of the trip: witnessing the Twelve Apostles. They are amazing limestone rock formations in the middle of the ocean that exist due to thousands (millions??) of years of erosion from the arctic winds and waters.
-the drive back to Melbourne was great too! We passed hundreds of sheep and wineries and even stopped at a few!

Our most recent adventure was a day trip out to the World Heritage listed Blue Mountains in New South Wales, just 90 minutes outside of Sydney. These mountains go on FOREVER! (really over one million hectares) They are called the Blue Mountains due to the fine mist of oil exuded by the eucalyptus leaves that inhabit the valleys and gorges. Just like the postcards, we got great views of the famed "Three Sisters" rock formations and Wentworth water falls. After an hour or so of hiking through, we took the steepest railway ride in the world (52 degree incline) down to the rain forest section and then promptly took the cable car option back up and slowly made our way home to Sydney.

I had such a great time with my second visitor and feel so honoured that these friends are choosing to spend their vacation days (and money) with me in this charmed country!

Cheers,
Aviva

Far North Queensland Holiday!

Hey Readers!

Can you believe we are almost in the throws of mid August? As your summer is winding down, I can feel spring is just around the corner here. The seasonal change still does not get old!

July was a fantastic month overall. Mostly thanks to the visit of my great friend Naomi from DC! We did EVERYTHING in Sydney plus 2 domestic excursions. For a long weekend we jetted up to Queensland to experience the Great Barrier Reef in the coastal towns of both Cairns and Port Douglas. The reef is one of the 7 wonders of the natural world, and boy they aren't kidding! It is larger than the Great Wall of China and is the only living thing that is visible from outer space! It is the most delicate and diverse ecosystem in the world and it was an absolute phenomenon to view.

Naomi and I took a cruise out to two reef sites to snorkel and SCUBA dive. It was our first time diving and I would say overall it went well! Though I don't think I need to do it again, it was the best way to see the reef. I found myself squealing with joy everytime I "found" Nemo or swam into a massive turtle. The colours of the reef are just so bright and vivid- I felt like I was on the set of Avatar! If you ever make it to this side of the world, seeing the reef is a must!

Other highlights of our holiday (vacation) include:
-walking through the Daintree Rainforest
-cruising on the Daintree river, spotting quite a few crocs
-relaxing on 4 mile Beach in Port Douglas
-holding a koala in the rainforest habitat (!!!)
-drinking in the restaurant Nautilus, an incredible restaurant set in the rain forest


We returned back to Sydney tanned and rested and ready to see more sites! I showed Naomi the Opera House, Watson's Bay, the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk, and more. We took a day trip to the Hunter Valley wine region in New South Wales which included 5 wineries and 2 cheese shops!

After 2 weeks spent together I definitely miss her and her companionship!

On our last day I ran the famed City2Surf 14 kilometre race from downtown to Bondi beach. With a record-breaking 80,000 runners, it is the worlds largest fun run. It was such a varied route with glorious weather and excited runners, spectators, and volunteers. EVERYONE runs the race. I saw everyting from strollers to wheelchairs to guys in gorilla suits. We ended the run with brunch on the beach and then moved to the popular Beach Road Hotel for beers at 11am with all the other stinky runners.

Only 2 weeks til my next guests come: Tali & Shari! We're doing all the fun Sydney sites plus Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road trip. Stay tuned!!