When In Wagga Wagga

I’ve been to the beautiful beaches of Queensland, the Opera House in Sydney, the Great Ocean Road, and even frolicked with kangaroos and wallabies. There’s still a lot of Australia that I haven’t explored but I feel that I’ve had a well rounded tour of the Aussie highlights. However, there was one final item that my Dad added to my to-do list. It wasn’t snorkeling or camping in the bush. No, my Dad wanted me to pet a sheep. More broadly he wanted me to experience an Aussie farm which is exactly what I did this past weekend.

The Outback of Wagga

The Well’s family farm is in Uranquinty, New South Wales which is about a 5hr train ride from Melbourne. I made the trip late Friday evening and arrived in the closest main town, WaggaWagga in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday. Eliza’s lovely father, Gary, was kind enough to fetch me at the train station and take me back to the farm which is 50 kilometers from the main town.

I awoke early on Saturday morning to accompany Gary to collect Eliza from the Wagga Wagga airport. It was by far the smallest airport I’ve ever seen. There is absolutely no security. All you need is a boarding pass to get on the plane. No metal detector, no bag scan, no ID! As soon as Eliza had arrived and picked up her bag we hopped in the car and headed to the middle of nowhere. 80 kilometers from Wagga is Osborne, a town whose only attraction is an Aussie rules football oval and netball court. Over 100 years ago someone had the crazy idea to start a football club away from all civilization and succeeded. Eliza’s little brother Zack is a member of the club so we made the long trek for his match. I was surprised at the number of people who filled the muddy field.

Wildlife Rescue

After the Osborne Tigers’ victory the family headed back to the farm. We took a detour through some of the small surrounding towns such as “The Rock.” On one of the back roads Eliza spotted an injured bird. She couldn’t let it become road kill so we turned around for some wildlife rescue. I was astonished when Eliza picked up the bird, wrapped it in a hoodie and held it the entire way home.  When I left the bird was still recovering in a cage at the farm but I’m sure that with the Wells family’s TLC he will be back in the air soon. Later that afternoon we loaded in the 4x4 for a drive through some of the farm’s paddocks. One paddock includes Coffin Rock. Coffin Rock is more like a collection of bizarre rock formations built on a hill that has breathtaking views of the rolling hills around Wagga Wagga. Eliza’s parents had their wedding ceremony in front of one of the most unique formations and had 180 guests lining the hill above.

In keeping with the outdoor spirit, Eliza and Zack encouraged me to try riding a quad and a dirt bike. I’d driven a quad before but the dirt bike was a whole different animal. It was invigorating once I figured out the clutch/accelerator balance. Unfortunately I had a little incident involving a brand new fence. I was fine, but the poor fence might need some cosmetic touch-ups. After my hit and run I was happy to trade the dirt bike for the quad and retreat to the house for dinner.

Earlier in the day Zack got out a riffle in hopes of unleashing my inner farm girl. We did a little target practice on some rotten fruit and I was pleasantly surprised at my accuracy. After dinner Zack reminded me of how good I was a target practice to convince me to do some “spotlighting” aka rabbit hunting with him. I conceded and before I knew it I was in the back of a pick-up truck in the bitter cold searching for rabbits. I’ve always thought as rabbits as furry cuddly pets, but on a farm they are pests that destroy crops. With this distinction in mind I agreed to try my luck with the rifle. I won’t go into details, but I will say that my new name is Dead Eye Dick.

Eliza, Dead Eye Dick, and Zack geared up for spotlighting

After the busy Saturday we’d had, we decided to take it easy on Sunday. There were only a few more farm tasks I needed to experience before heading back to the city. Task one was a bonfire. Gary and Zack had already cleared some trees and bushes and piled them in a field. With the help of some newspaper, they lit the biggest fire I’d ever seen. We left the considerable warmth of the fire to have lunch with Lizzy, Eliza’s grandmother. After our filling lunch and a “cuppa” Eliza and I got tractor operation instructions from Gary. I rode in the cab with Eliza as she practiced operating the front loader. The rain set in so we sought shelter in the house for the rest of the day.

Eliza needed to head back to Sydney on Monday so she departed early that morning. Her sister Tamsin flew home  for her study period just an hour before Eliza left. Gary and Tamsin took it upon themselves to be my tour guides in Eliza’s absence. Until my train departed at 2 they showed me sights of Wagga Wagga. In the aboriginal language, Wagga means crow, so it follows that Wagga Wagga means land of many crows. Luckily the crows are not found in the main town. It was a very sleepy town and the tour of the town’s highlights was quick. We toured the rural uni, the riverfront and the shopping district (which was one street). After a pub lunch it was time for me to say see-ya see-y a to Wagga Wagga and make the journey back to good ol Melbourne.

…And soon I’ll be saying goodbye to Melbourne as well. My time in Australia has just about come to close. It’s now exam time so I have no more exciting excursions planned. I will still enjoy all of my last days here though since I’ll get to spend them in the company of some wonderful new Aussie (and American) friends.

All the best,

Elisabeth

First Class Friends and Second Class Celebrities

The countdown has now begun. I leave less than one month from today. It’s amazing how time has flown by.  I was lucky to squeeze in one last Nottingham reunion before I leave. Amy and Eliza flew in from Brisbane and Sydney to meet Steph and I in Melbourne. Our adventure started Saturday morning. Amy and Eliza had arrived late on Friday night and stayed with Steph. The girls met me at res and I showed the girls around my unit. We all agreed that the facilities are much nicer than in England! We were dropped off in the city at the botanical gardens. On the way into the city we saw a few Collingwood football players which got Steph very excited since she is a die-hard Collingwood fan. This was our first “celebrity” sighting of the day. We recounted our sighting to Steph’s mum later that day and she just laughed. Apparently only Collingwood fans think the players are celebrities. Collingwood has the strongest fan base out of any of the AFL teams. If you’re not one of these fans it’s likely that you have some choice words about the team (which I won’t repeat here). If you don’t love Collingwood, you hate them.

View from the steps of the Shrine of Rememberance

Adjacent to the botanical gardens is the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance. It is a beautiful war memorial that looks out over the city. We climbed to the top and looked over the gardens and Melbourne skyline. Unfortunately one of the busiest streets in Melbourne is currently undergoing tram track replacement so we took a long scenic walk across the Yarra river to Bourke street. This walk afforded us with our second celebrity sighting. Outside of Flinders Street Station was Mark Occhilupo. He’s a world champion surfer who’s currently on Dancing with Stars in Australia. If I hadn’t been in Australia I would have no idea who he was but I was still star struck!

We continued our tour of downtown Melbourne and did a little dress shopping for Amy’s 21^st birthday party. 21^st birthdays are even bigger in Australia than they are in the states. Though there are no new privileges to celebrate, it’s a rite of passage for a 21 year old to invite all their friends and family for elaborate parties. The highlight of these parties is the speech in which a close friend recalls funny stories about the birthday boy or girl (often ones that kid doesn’t want their parents to know about).

On Lygon street we stopped for lunch at an Italian restaurant. From there we headed to Madame Brussels for afternoon cocktails. The bar occupied the top floor of a building so the terrace looked over the entire city. It was a beautiful clear day so the view was spectactular. After a few beverages we took the train back to Steph’s house to relax before heading out again that night.

We hit the town all dolled up and made our first stop at the rooftop bar. Like Madame Brussels, the bar occupied the entire top floor and roof of a building and gave breathtaking views of the river and city all lit up. The only downside was that there were no elevators so we had to trek up countless flights of stairs. Our final celeb sighting of the day was another unknown to me. His name was Xavier and he was one of the regulars on the soap “Home and Away.” Australia only has two running soaps. They occupy prime time spots and for many are indispensible parts of the evening. Xavier seemed like a normal guy to me but the girls were giggly with excitement after our spotting. It got chilly quickly so we left Xavier and headed for the shelter of another bar called Toff on the Town. This bar was decorated in the swanky Moulin Rouge style. We all tired early and headed back to Steph’s for some veggiemite on toast (even me!) and a warm bed.

I was very impressed by all the sweet treats :)

Our Sunday started with a late brunch prepared by Steph’s family. We then loaded into the car and headed to St. Kilda for an afternoon stroll along Acland Street. Pastry shops line this street and it was no surprise that we ended up in one of them soon after arriving. Adjacent to Acland Street is Luna park – Melbourne’s homage to Coney Island. After the trip to the bakery we were all happy to bypass the roller coaster and walk along the pier instead. The weather has cooled down considerably (though it is still warm by Northwest winter standards) so the beach was basically deserted. Steph informed me that the beach draws massive crowds in the summer thought. The afternoon flew by and before long it was time to head to the airport to send Eliza and Amy back home. I was happy to wave goodbye to the girls and the airport as I journeyed home on solid ground. Yet, I will be returning to the airport soon, happy, and with a smile on my face because I’ll be flying home.

Xx

Elisabeth

A Short and Sweet Trip to Sydney

It’s been pouring in Melbourne which is a little unusual for autumn. I’ve been told that rain is expected, but the torrential downpours and hail storms we’ve seen recently are out of the ordinary. This being said, I was not sad at all to leave Melbourne for a weekend in very sunny Sydney.

                My traveling partner for this trip was Mandy, an American friend who lives on res with me. We departed Melbourne Saturday afternoon and after a quick hour flight we arrived in Sydney. My Aussie friend Eliza met us at the airport and we made the 11 minute trip back to her flat. After a freshen-up we headed to the Opera Bar. The bar wraps around the Opera House and has stunning views of the Harbor Bridge and city skyline. Everything looked beautiful lit up at night. The crowd at the bar was a mix of posh opera goers and casually dressed tourists. We only stayed for a short while since the bar is primarily outdoors and it was chilly along the water. Back in the suburbs we met Eliza’s lovely family for dinner at a Thai restaurant. I’ve never had better (or more) Thai food in my life. We had duck, calamari, tofu, chicken, beef and pork! It was a delicious tour of the menu.

The Opera House and the Manly Ferry

            Mandy I ventured out by ourselves on Sunday morning and headed to Circular Quay which is the heart of the harbor. From here you can see all the iconic Sydney sights. We took one of the many ferries to Manly beach which was about a 30 minute trip. Manly is a tourist hub and a surfers paradise. There are lots of sidewalk cafés and shop-lined streets. Mandy and I completed a short “nature” walk from Manly to Shelly Beach. From the look-outs at Shelly you could see nothing but crystal clear turquoise ocean. We met one of Mandy’s from home for lunch then caught the ferry back to the city. It was the rockiest ferry I have ever been on. I certainly felt sea sick and was very happy when we reached solid ground.

                Mandy I and headed back to Kensington where we rendezvoused with Eliza before jetting off to the famous Bondi Beach. In summer there can be more than 100,000 people on the beach at one time. Due to a combination of factors (autumn, chilly, Sunday night) there were significantly less people. After strolling along the water we warmed up with the most delicious hot chocolate I have ever had. I think it was pure chocolate just melted into a cup. Yumm! To top it off Eliza insisted we have hot chips which is apparently a Bondi tradition. We capped the night off back at El’s with Indian take-out and a good movie.

Darling Harbor

Bondi before sunset

                Poor Mandy caught a bug Sunday night and was out of commission on Monday. Luckily Eliza had the day off uni so she was able to be my tour guide/companion. We started at the Queen Victoria Building. It’s a stunning old shopping arcade which caters to the very wealthy. Even though I couldn’t afford anything inside, it was marvelous to admire the architecture. We hit another old arcade called The Strand for Australia’s best chocolate. I restrained myself and only bought a little chocolate teddy bear. From the CBD we made the long walk to Darling harbor, the maritime hub of Sydney. We circled all the way around the harbor and ended back at “The Rocks.” I didn’t actually see any rocks?! The Rocks turned out to be an antiquated shopping district with cobblestone streets and a world famous pancake parlor. Of course we had to stop there J We then circled round to the Botanical Gardens and spent the rest of our afternoon strolling the expansive park.

                Don’t tell Melbourne but I think Sydney might be my new favorite city!

                One month to go….now it’s exam cram time. Yikes!

                Xx

                Elisabeth

               

Easter in Autumn?

“Easter break, not spring break. Easter break, not spring break.” I had to keep repeating this to myself because even after 2 months in Australia I still cannot come to terms with the fact that while in my lovely home state of Washington my favorite tulips are blooming, yet here in Australia the leaves are turning color. It’s not spring in Melbourne, its autumn. It’s also not fall because as the Aussies have informed me “fall” is a verb, not a name for a season.  Though I was repeatedly corrected by my friends, I still managed to slip up and cause utter confusion when questioning people about their spring break plans.

My Easter break began on Good Friday and continued for the whole week after Easter. Even those not on uni holidays got an extra long vacation this year. Anzac Day fell on Easter Monday which extended the Easter weekend to a 5 day long vacation. Anzac day celebrates the union between the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and commemorates the members lost in Turkey during WWI. There are parades, candlelight vigils, and memorial services held around the country.

I expected business as usual during the Easter weekend and attempted to do some grocery shopping on Good Friday. Oddly enough, most shops are open on Saturday and even Easter, but EVERYTHING was shut on Good Friday! In the short few hours the shops were open on Saturday I was able to stock the kitchen with supplies for Easter brunch. Most of the Australians had packed and gone by Thursday night so the only few left on res were Americans. Together the remaining few of us prepared a hearty Easter brunch consisting of blueberry stuffed French toast, orange poppy seed pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs, and fruit salad. It was a delicious and successful Easter.

My friend Jordan and I left Deakin at 4:50 am on Monday and made our way to the tram which took us to the main train/coach station in the city. We caught a shuttle to the airport and made it through the check-in and security process with lots of time to spare. Autumn in Melbourne means fog and on Monday there was lots of it. Arriving flights couldn’t land and had to circle until the fog cleared. This in turn delayed other flights so we didn’t depart for Canberra until 2 hours after our scheduled departure time.

Biringe Point

It was a quick flight to the nation’s capital, only 42 minutes long. Canberra was only a stop-off on our way to our final destination, Moruya. Eliza, an Aussie friend from my time in Nottingham and her sister met Jordan and I up at the airport. We headed south along the curvy coastal roads for about 2 hours before we reached Moruya and Eliza’s beach house. The town of Moruya is a gateway to the southern coast’s gorgeous beaches and parks. Eliza’s beach house is situated steps away from the beach in a national park. It was remote and isolated, but these qualities made the week even more peaceful and relaxing.

Hundreds of Wild 'Roos Everywhere!

The first day that Jordan and I visited Eliza’s family was still at the beach house concluding their Easter holidays. They left early Tuesday afternoon so for the majority of the trip it was just Eliza, Jordan and I. There was no car, no internet, and no cell-phone reception. Without these modern conveniences, our daily activities were limited, but enjoyable. We walked on the practically private beaches, collected shells, completed two 1,000 piece puzzles, ate way too many cookies, and read by the massive open fireplace. It was a perfectly rejuvenating vacation. The fresh and well rested feeling quickly disappeared after the trip back to Melbourne. Jordan and I determined that it would be more convenient and less expensive to take a bus back to Melbourne than to drive all the way back to Canberra and fly. I hate to fly so I was a huge fan of staying on solid ground. However, the convenience came with a price and the currency we paid with was time. Our bus departed Moruya at 9:30 on Thursday night. Eleven delusional hours later we arrived in Melbourne. I might be a proponent of air travel after all...

The View From Pirates Cove To Biringe Point

The first item on the agenda back at school was sleep since I think I had a maximum of 3 hours on the bus. Even with my power nap I still felt like a walking zombie but I had to stay up for the royal wedding! I expected that the Aussies would be keen to watch the royal wedding since they have a direct affiliation with the monarchy. However, it was estimated that the most viewers worldwide were actually Americans, even though the wedding was broadcasted in the wee hours of the morning in the US. Lucky for me, the wedding fell in the evening here. The festivities commenced around 7 with food and champagne. My friend from South Carolina hosted a wedding party and cooked her idea of the most appropriate wedding food: sausage and grits casserole. I’m not sure if the Queen would have approved, but it was certainly delicious. Jordan and I made it through the “I wills” but couldn’t keep our eyes open long enough for the balcony kiss. We grabbed some cake and headed for bed to dream of our wonderful Easter break and maybe even our own Prince Charmings.

Lots of love to everyone!
xx
Elisabeth

Kangaroos and Wallabies and Penguins..oh my!

Melbourne is a vibrant city full of world class restaurants, museums, theaters and gardens. Any tourist, and resident for that matter, could easily lose themselves in all that the city has to offer. Even with its multicultural charm, Melbourne is seriously lacking one key Australian ingredient…penguins! I know what you are thinking. Penguins in Australia? Yes, in addition to the expected kangaroos and wallabies, the southern coast is home to the “little penguins.”

Last Saturday I went in search of Australia’s unlikely residents. Just an hour and half south east of Melbourne is Phillip Island. The island itself has only 7,000 residents, yet attracts 3.5 million visitors each year. My travel mates, Kaleigh, Mandy, Lauren and I arrived early in the afternoon and checked into our hostel, called the chill house which was located in the islands largest town, Cowes.



Awwww



Our first stop in town was the tourist information center to purchase our tickets for the nightly Penguin Parade. From there we headed to the island’s second most popular destination, the wildlife park. Upon entry, each guest gets a bag of feed for all the grass eating animals in the park. I was expecting to feed a few animals through a fence. Boy was I wrong. Wallabies, emu, and kangaroos have free range of the vast park. I’ve fed goats and llamas at petting zoos but I never thought I would be roaming the scrub brush to feed kangaroos. There was hardly ever a need to offer food to the kangaroos or wallabies – they would hop right to you, put their paws on the bag and chow down. The emus were especially aggressive and I made sure to steer clear of them. The park also had a range of less people-friendly animals like the wombat, koala, Tasmanian devil, and pre-historic looking cassowary (think dinosaur mixed with ostrich). My friends and I agreed that we could have stayed at the park all day, but Mother Nature had other plans. Heavy rain forced us to bid the kangaroos farewell and seek shelter in our hostel.



Well hello Mr. Wallaby



Can you believe these are considered pests?

The little penguins only make their appearance at dusk when they head from the sea to their burrows on land. The very clever tourism office on Phillip Island has capitalized on the penguins as a tourist curiosity and built stadium style seating all along the shore. During peak time in the summer, up to 2,000 people can pay to watch the swarms of penguins waddle in. The night I visited was less busy, mostly due to the rain that never ceased to soak everyone. Nothing but an ankle length poncho could have protected me from the rain that night. Nevertheless, the penguins were adorable and well worth getting soaked. From the bleachers it was difficult to see the little guys since they are no more than a foot tall, but the boardwalk back to the main visitor’s center runs right along the burrows so you can see them up close. So adorable!

The Nobbies

After one day on Phillip Island we’d seen most of what the island had to offer. We checked out of our hostel and made our final stop at The Nobbies – a collection of seal covered rocks and tidepools. It was a short visit since the warm summer temperatures are long gone. We had coffee and muffins in the café to warm up then embarked on the quick drive back to the city. What a fun weekend it was!

All the best,

Elisabeth

A Quick Trip to Queensland

I was very fortunate to make some  dear Australian friends while I was in England. Not only do I have Steph, who lives only 10 minutes away, but friends in Sydney and Brisbane. For our first “Nottingham Reunion” I met 5 friends in Brisbane for a weekend at the beach. My flight was scheduled to leave early Friday afternoon but ended up being delayed 2 hrs. I flew the budget (not budget by my standards) airline – Tiger which is notorious for being late. The Australians have a much higher standard for their airlines so the ones who can afford it never fly Tiger. My friends Dad couldn’t believe that I didn’t get served a meal on a two hour flight. Most Americans have come to expect that lack of food. Though some food would have been nice, I flew the most basic airlines in Europe so I was happy to even get a seat assignment.

When I left Melbourne it was in the low 50s and raining so I dressed accordingly. 2 hours later in Brisbane I was melting in the nearly 90 degree heat and humidity. My friend Amy’s mother picked Steph and up from the airport in her wonderful air-conditioned car. She gave us a quick tour of the city and pointed out many of the spots that had been damaged by the flooding. Everywhere in Australia has had abnormal weather this year. Darwin has been sweltering and dry, Queensland had cyclones and flooding, and the south had more rain than many of my uni friends have seen in their lives. It’s remarkable how the city has cleaned up after the flooding, but it’s still sad to see empty boarded up houses.

Steph and I had a relaxing rest of the afternoon exploring the Brisbane suburb of Sherwood. The tropical climate meant that there was a whole new array of flowers and trees that chilly Melbourne can’t support. Unfortunately there were also geckos, opossums, lizards, and HUGE spiders everywhere – including inside Amy’s house. I was not sad to leave those behind when we headed further north the next morning.

Main street in Noosa

It was an hour and half drive to the Sunshine Coast where Amy’s family has a holiday house. Her house was in the town of Noosa Heads – a town with lots of touristy shops and cafés and a large public beach. We spent the first few hours in Noosa on the beach. It was another hot day though so no one protested to having an early lunch and finding shade. The rest of Saturday was spent shopping and relaxing at the house. It was great to catch up with everyone.

The tanning fans in the group (not me) wanted to make an early start to the beach on Sunday to catch a few rays before heading back to Brisbane. The weather had other plans though. It poured on and off for most of the morning so we retreated to the town to have hearty breakfast and do some souvenir shopping. Then it was another drive back to Brisbane to collect our things before heading to the airport again. Whereas in the States, they recommend 2 hours of time to check-in and go through security at the airport, Aussies need about 10 minutes. You don’t have to have ID or a boarding pass to go through security and there is no need to remove your belt, jacket, or even shoes. Oh I miss those days!

I could have stayed in Queensland much longer, but I was certainly happy to return to Melbourne where the humidity is bearable and there is no need to check for spiders before hopping into bed!

Happy April Everyone!

-Elisabeth

Life in the Village

Of the 17,000 students attending Deakin’s Burwood campus, only 200 are able to call the Student Village home for the year (or trimester). Students living off campus have to commute for hours on the tram or fight for one of the limited parking spaces every day. It takes me less than 10 minutes to walk to class and the path is through a lovely nature reserve. Lucky me J  The majority of students living in the village are first year students who are “country kids” from places with amusing names like Wagga Wagga or Yarragundry. There are also about 25 international students from France, the US, Italy, Austria and Korea.

A family atmosphere is strongly encouraged in each unit. From 6-7 every night we have “family time” in the unit where everyone who is around gets together to have dinner or just have a chat. Of course, everybody has busy schedules, but there’s never been a time when I’ve eaten any meal alone. Unit sport starts tonight so the athletically keen members of my unit (E3) and my sister unit (C1) challenge another pair of units in netball. Netball is a similar to basketball, but there is no backboard behind the net and it’s a female dominated sport. I’m sure the guys will be joining in tonight J. As a whole, Aussies are very into sports. It’s not just the males. The girls are just as big into footie and cricket as the guys. The footie season has officially started and so has the betting in my unit. I think I’ll have to enlist an Aussie to help me make my bets since I can’t distinguish between the Geelong Cats, Gold Coast Suns, or Adelaide Crows.

Family dinner with my unit mates

Every other week is unit dinner. A pair of people cook dinner for the 8 other members of the unit. I expected that the freshman boys who cooked our first meal would prepare top ramen, but I was pleasantly surprised by the delicious risotto we were fed. My turn is next week and my partner and I will be cooking my homemade pizza and an Australian dessert called chocolate ripple cake.

There has only been one downside to living in the village and that was the Resi Rumble. As tradition dictates, all the incoming students were awoken at 5:00 am by screaming RAs who were banging pots and pans. Covered head to toe in camo gear our “drill sergeant” RAs smudged vegemite on our faces, made us wear garbage bags as dresses and smash tinned spaghetti on our hair. Then it was off to the city for a bizarre scavenger hunt that included rapping for strangers and jumping on moving trams. Though the cross-city sprint was a great way to see all the sights of the city like the parliament building, library, cricket/footie stadium, and the town square, I would have preferred it to be after the sun had risen and when I was not wearing a garbage bag!

Dirty dishes may pile up in the kitchen and beer bottles may spill out of the recycle bin, but it’s a small price to pay for the wonderful friends I’ve made on res.