As the wet and wintery weather descends upon Melbourne once more, my feet start to itch and long for warmer climes. My merry time in the home country is yet again coming to an end, and the next time I write it will be from Indonesia- as I continue to kid myself that winter doesn't actually exist and I can indeed live in my bikini all the time.
The summer flew past in a hurricane of kite and stand up paddle lessons, late nights and early mornings, sunshine and wind sweet wind. One by one the other instructors have disappeared- most heeding the call of a northern hemisphere summer, with friends now scattered in Europe, Africa, Canada and the like. I, for once, am the last of the seasonal blow-ins to blow away again- I stuck around long enough to realise that I have absolutely nada when it comes to appropriate cold weather gear (while recently bemoaning my numb extremities, an outdoor-savvy friend looked me and my hippy pants up and down and said, well- you're not reallllly dressed for it, are you? ...Touche) and that I also have nada tolerance of aforementioned numb extremities. However, the reason and rhyme for my sticking around was well-worth the numbness- A visit from dearest Alison, of Hangdog-climbing-partner fame.
Three weeks of absolute shenanigans ensued- with the grateful lend of my littlest sister's wagon we had wheels and as such were unstoppable on our mission to witness the 'little bears' (koalas for those playing at home) in the wild, hike to the tops of things, climb over other things, and just generally explore and enjoy as much of my home state of Victoria as possible. We loaded the wagon with guitars, hommus, a tent, and shot off in search of adventure. (Though one thing we didn't load was fuel for my jetboil. Always. There is always something. Adios, hot beverages.)
Our first stop was Wilson's Promontory- a much-lauded national park south-east of Melbourne. The wildlife ran amuck, as did we- clambering up Mt Oberon to give the views in the first few pictures, having a cheeky boulder on Squeaky Beach (so named because as you walk on the white-as-white sand it squeaks beneath your toes), and of course finding time for food and music. Dusk saw me set off determinedly from our campsite with camera in hand, having heard about the wombats that roamed freely around that time of day. I was not disappointed, snapping several happy wombies as they trundled about the place. Luckily I had shoes on at this point, as while videoing one on the move (I am ultimate tourist) he amended his course to be running straight at me, and while I cooed at his approach he barrelled on up, bit my big toe, and proceeded to graze nearby. I'm putting it down as a lovebite, but sure am happy I was appropriately shod!
The wildlife adventures continued with the spotting of many a kookaburra and brightly coloured parrot, but not much can top the 'little bear' spotting of Cape Otway. Post Wilson's Prom (with an interlude in Melbourne for some live jazz and refuelling (read: purchasing more hommus)) we tripped off down the Great Ocean Road- gob-smackingly beautiful every time I see it, but made even more special by being with an American on her first journey down the twists and turns ("Oh my GOSH this is SO BEAUTIFUL"). We holed up in Apollo Bay for just under a week, taking on the Mariners Falls walk (despite signage suggesting it was closed due to trees being down... no deterrent for us hiking goddessi), wandering along the beach, and spending the one clear day down at the Twelve Apostles (timing win). The colours of the water and the rock were amazing, made even more so by the clear blue sky acting as backdrop- The hordes of Chinese tourists and ourselves were certainly suitably impressed. On the way back from this adventure we took a right turn onto Cape Otway road on which my mother had promised koalas would be seen. We were not disappointed, having a great time running from tree to tree to watch the 'little bears' in action (and yes, I know koalas are not bears at all, before someone throws down the biology gauntlet). It was really something special, made even more fun for me by being the only Aussie in a crowd of Germans, Chinese, Americans- all just as excited as each other by spotting these mysterious balls of fluff in the wild.
We managed to balance our outdoors-time with a decent amount of relaxing- as one of the typical cold fronts passed over the state in the middle of our trip we decided to wait our the rain and cold in a cottage on Phillip Island- another wildlife spotting paradise. We contented ourself with some small hikes and lots of movies though, with the penguin parade costing a fortune (pro tip- check them out at the end of the pier in St Kilda) and incessant rain forcing us to take some well-needed time out.
With a final night dancing in St Kilda we parted ways- Alison to Tasmania for a few days and myself to organise my departure from Melbourne and Australia for the next three months. I'll be in Bali for two of those months, then Malaysia for another, before heading to the Cocos Islands to work for six weeks.
Watch this space!
The summer flew past in a hurricane of kite and stand up paddle lessons, late nights and early mornings, sunshine and wind sweet wind. One by one the other instructors have disappeared- most heeding the call of a northern hemisphere summer, with friends now scattered in Europe, Africa, Canada and the like. I, for once, am the last of the seasonal blow-ins to blow away again- I stuck around long enough to realise that I have absolutely nada when it comes to appropriate cold weather gear (while recently bemoaning my numb extremities, an outdoor-savvy friend looked me and my hippy pants up and down and said, well- you're not reallllly dressed for it, are you? ...Touche) and that I also have nada tolerance of aforementioned numb extremities. However, the reason and rhyme for my sticking around was well-worth the numbness- A visit from dearest Alison, of Hangdog-climbing-partner fame.
Three weeks of absolute shenanigans ensued- with the grateful lend of my littlest sister's wagon we had wheels and as such were unstoppable on our mission to witness the 'little bears' (koalas for those playing at home) in the wild, hike to the tops of things, climb over other things, and just generally explore and enjoy as much of my home state of Victoria as possible. We loaded the wagon with guitars, hommus, a tent, and shot off in search of adventure. (Though one thing we didn't load was fuel for my jetboil. Always. There is always something. Adios, hot beverages.)
Our first stop was Wilson's Promontory- a much-lauded national park south-east of Melbourne. The wildlife ran amuck, as did we- clambering up Mt Oberon to give the views in the first few pictures, having a cheeky boulder on Squeaky Beach (so named because as you walk on the white-as-white sand it squeaks beneath your toes), and of course finding time for food and music. Dusk saw me set off determinedly from our campsite with camera in hand, having heard about the wombats that roamed freely around that time of day. I was not disappointed, snapping several happy wombies as they trundled about the place. Luckily I had shoes on at this point, as while videoing one on the move (I am ultimate tourist) he amended his course to be running straight at me, and while I cooed at his approach he barrelled on up, bit my big toe, and proceeded to graze nearby. I'm putting it down as a lovebite, but sure am happy I was appropriately shod!
The wildlife adventures continued with the spotting of many a kookaburra and brightly coloured parrot, but not much can top the 'little bear' spotting of Cape Otway. Post Wilson's Prom (with an interlude in Melbourne for some live jazz and refuelling (read: purchasing more hommus)) we tripped off down the Great Ocean Road- gob-smackingly beautiful every time I see it, but made even more special by being with an American on her first journey down the twists and turns ("Oh my GOSH this is SO BEAUTIFUL"). We holed up in Apollo Bay for just under a week, taking on the Mariners Falls walk (despite signage suggesting it was closed due to trees being down... no deterrent for us hiking goddessi), wandering along the beach, and spending the one clear day down at the Twelve Apostles (timing win). The colours of the water and the rock were amazing, made even more so by the clear blue sky acting as backdrop- The hordes of Chinese tourists and ourselves were certainly suitably impressed. On the way back from this adventure we took a right turn onto Cape Otway road on which my mother had promised koalas would be seen. We were not disappointed, having a great time running from tree to tree to watch the 'little bears' in action (and yes, I know koalas are not bears at all, before someone throws down the biology gauntlet). It was really something special, made even more fun for me by being the only Aussie in a crowd of Germans, Chinese, Americans- all just as excited as each other by spotting these mysterious balls of fluff in the wild.
We managed to balance our outdoors-time with a decent amount of relaxing- as one of the typical cold fronts passed over the state in the middle of our trip we decided to wait our the rain and cold in a cottage on Phillip Island- another wildlife spotting paradise. We contented ourself with some small hikes and lots of movies though, with the penguin parade costing a fortune (pro tip- check them out at the end of the pier in St Kilda) and incessant rain forcing us to take some well-needed time out.
With a final night dancing in St Kilda we parted ways- Alison to Tasmania for a few days and myself to organise my departure from Melbourne and Australia for the next three months. I'll be in Bali for two of those months, then Malaysia for another, before heading to the Cocos Islands to work for six weeks.
Watch this space!
