Tassie

Many of the people we've met in Oz told us it was a must-do, so we planned our 5 day Tasmanian excursion for this past weekend while Dick and Debbie were here visiting. We're so glad we did. After flying into Launceston, we started the drive to the east coast and stopped for lunch in Campbell Town. It, like most of Tasmania, has an interesting history rooted in the mass transfer of convicts to Australia, many of whom ended up in Tasmania. Lining the sidewalks of the the main street in this quaint town were bricks with the names of convicts who were sent from Britain to serve their sentence. The punishments given were harsh for seemingly trivial offences. One example is described on the brick below. Life sentences were handed out for something as relatively benign as stealing one sheep.

We spent the first 2 nights staying at a great cottage in the Freycinet National Park. Granna and Zaidie were game for a hike to see the famous Wineglass Bay. It was spectacular. We had no wildlife sightings on the hike itself, but there were wallabies waiting (for a food donation) in the parking lot when we got back. On Sunday, we were off to Hobart for the second half of our trip, but not before a stop at Kate's Berry Farm for some yummy treats. In fact, yummy treats were plentiful throughout our stay - Tasmania is trying to revamp it's dark history (criminals, devils, etc.), by becoming a premiere wine and food destination - based on what we tasted, they are succeeding.

Wineglass Bay

In keeping with the convict theme, we spent a day exploring Port Arthur Historic Site on the Tasmanian Peninsula. It is the most visited historic site in Australia, and it was easy to see why. Much of the original prison and surrounding buildings are still standing, there is an island just off the coast that you can visit this site where several hundred convicts are buried (and ghosts still occupy?), and it is well organized with ferry and walking tours so you can soak up much of the info it has to offer.

Port Arthur

No Taz trip would be complete without seeing some Tasmanian Devils, so on our way home from Port Arthur, we stopped at a devil conservation centre and made it just in time to watch feeding time. Yikes - they are mangy and vicious little guys. Georgia didn't seemed bothered by them at all (despite the hissing, growling, and bearing of teeth), but did not want to be anywhere near the cute talking parrot in the park...

Tasmanian devil

Our little devil

Another place checked off our 'to visit' list and a great way to cap off our visit with Granna and Zaidie. Next up: Sydney, here we come.

Welcome Granna and Zaidie!

It's been a busy but great week+ since I wrote last. Gladys popped down to Melbourne again last weekend. We spent a lazy Sunday on Brunswick Street, enjoying another great Melbourne brekki and then meandering through some of the neat shops that line the street.

On Monday, we were very happy to welcome Granna and Zaidie for their 3 week visit down under! Although Georgie is the main attraction, we spent the week showing them some of our favourite haunts around the city. It was chillllllly last week, but the weather picked up this weekend, making for some beautiful fall days. We're really enjoying our visit (and some parenting relief!) and Georgie is loving lots of extra attention. So much so, in fact, that her fake cough which developed 2 weeks ago, has mysteriously disappeared. Thanks to our great babysitters, yesterday Scott and I had our first date since we left Canada. We spent the day on an Epicurean wine tour in the Yarra Valley and enjoyed dinner out last night on vibrant Acland Street.

In other news, Georgie had her first swimming lesson this week. Although the youngest in the class by a few months, she kicked and splashed with the best of them.

In these pics: Granna, Zaidie and Georgie at Brighton Beach, G sporting her swimwear pre-class, and Scott and I in the Yarra Valley sans baby.

Bunny in Barossa

We took advantage of the long Easter weekend to explore the Barossa Valley, about an hour's drive north of Adelaide. We did the 45 minute flight from Melbourne to Adelaide on Friday (flying with G at 6 months was very different than at 3 months...I'm already having anxiety attacks about our transpacific flight back to Canada when she is 15 months!) and stayed three nights at a neat motel in Lyndoch. The place was quaint and very much what you might expect from a wine country accommodation - the atmosphere was casual and laid back and the people (owners and guests) were passionate about great food and wine. A good bonus was that they offered to walk our meals across the grounds to our room each evening so we could eat their delish cuisine on our deck, allowing G to sleep soundly (in her pack-n-play which we strategically placed in the bathroom).
We spent the weekend exploring the beautiful countryside and tasting some great wines. Barossa is the largest and most recognized wine region in Australia, best known for producing some punchy Shiraz. It has an interesting history - many of the people living here are descendants of immigrants from Prussia, so it has a very European (and specifically German) feel about it. There are some big name producers here, Jacob's Creek, Wolf Blass, and Penfolds to name a few. They are fun to visit because of how recognizable they are, but we most enjoyed the smaller producers. Our favourite stops: The Willows (a winery started by a physician who also built and ran the first private hospital on the same property) - loved the Bonesetter shiraz here, and Torbreck.
The Easter Bunny tracked Georgie down in the hotel room and left her a couple of gifts, but no chocolate this year. I, however, ate enough chocolate for the three of us. After all of the goodies this weekend (wine, chocolate, and more wine), I turned over a new leaf when we touched down in Melbourne. Here's hoping it lasts...
In these pics: Scott sampling the famous (and very pricey) Penfolds Grange, Georgia cleansing her pallet, picturesque Barossa