Bye Bye Oz

The last few days in Melbourne were busy ones - packing, cleaning, parties, and saying goodbye to some of the great people we've gotten to know here. We can't believe how quickly the last 6 months have gone. It's been fantastic, but we're excited to move on to the next part of the journey. Despite looking forward to NZ, moving is chaos no matter how you cut it. I also felt a bit sad selling some of Georgia's things and packing up her little world to move on. This, despite the fact that she seems pretty content to be anywhere her family is right now.

A pic of Scott with the guys he worked with in Melbourne at his goodbye party

Our last breakfast at Jerry's - the milk bar (aka coffee shop) around the corner from where we lived

Scott had a busy final few days of work, so we were very thankful to have mom and dad here to help out with the little lady while we got some last minute packing done. K and S had one final Oz adventure - a day on Phillip Island where they visited a koala conservation centre and watched the famous nightly march of the penguins.

Mom and Dad at the Koala Conservation Centre on Philip Island

Georgie's last slide in the park

On Canada Day, we loaded our gear and made our way to the airport. As you can see from the pics, we did not travel lightly so had to order a 'Maxi Taxi' (a large van big enough for lots of gear and several passengers) to get us there. Getting through check in and customs to get to the gate was a fiasco, and would require a blog post of its own to do the story justice, but I'll sum it up by saying that today I am mailing several strongly worded letters that Scott has written (his manifesto, as I call it) to the top executives at Virgin Blue Airlines expressing our "displeasure" with the experience we had. Those of you who know Scott well will appreciate that he enjoys writing a good letter of complaint. I'll keep you posted on what comes of his efforts...

The pack mules with some of our gear in the Melbourne airport

Tropical Queensland

Destination: gorgeous Port Douglas. This is where we spent our second last week in Australia. It is a beautiful part of Oz, and the warm weather was a nice change from the 'winter' temps we've been experiencing in Melbourne (it should be noted that a 'dreadfully cold winter day' in southern Australia means low-mid teen temps...really not that bad by our hearty Canadian standards).

Georgie getting ready to rack up some more frequent flyer miles

The big draw for the five of us was the incredible diversity that can be found on land and at sea in this area. Our goals for this trip were to explore the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest. The amazing thing about this area is that both of these World Heritage listed natural environments meet side by side at Cape Tribulation in the middle of the Daintree rainforest.

Georgie thought the reef was ok, but her fav part of the trip was splashing in the pool at the hotel

Our trip to the Reef was the highlight for me. We (all 5 of us) left early in the morning to board our diving boat. Georgie was the youngest on the boat by a significant margin, but did incredibly well all day. We visited 3 sites on the outer reef. Mom and dad snorkelled at all three, while Scott and I snorkelled at 2 sites and did a dive at the third. It was an incredible experience, and I think it got me hooked on diving. Among other sea creatures, we saw a turtle, giant clam, massive sea slug, and more varieties of fish and coral than I could begin to count. Scott's highlight (besides the dive) was snorkelling with dad who randomly decided that he would go after a shark they saw. Not often you hear about a human attempting to attack a shark! Luckily both Scotts and the shark made it through the encounter unscathed.

Scott and I meeting a turtle on the reef

The Millers getting ready to dive in

Each couple had a day to explore the Daintree rainforest on a guided tour, while the other pair stayed back to hang out with the little lady. The trip involved a guided hike in the rainforest and boat ride on the Daintree River - we were really hoping to see the interesting (and sometimes vicious) Cassowary bird, but the little (errr, or big) devils stayed true to their nature of being elusive and hard to spot. Nevertheless, there was plenty of interesting flora and fauna to see - BIG spiders, pythons, salt water crocodiles, reptiles, huge bats, etc. etc.

Scott taking a dip in the rainforest

As per usual, the food during our stay was a definite highlight. We were recommended by several Aussies to eat at Nautilus, an open air restaurant in the middle of the rainforest. The food was to die, and the atmosphere even more impressive. No kids allowed here, so Scott and I went on one evening and mom and dad on another. Scott and I splurged and ordered the chef's tasting menu with wine pairing. Truly one of the best dining experiences we've ever had.

Mmmmmmmm...K. Miller's fresh sea trout at Nautilus

The flight home was almost as eventful as our activities that week. There was a medical emergency on the plane, so Scott and I offered to help out, but soon realized there really isn't a whole lot anyone can do without medical equipment. And let's be honest, an orthopod and palliative care doc aren't the ideal pair you might hope to be assisting you when you're passing out mid flight! The lady's condition required we divert the plane to land in Brisbane, so what was supposed to be a 3 hour flight turned into a 6 hour + fiasco. It goes without saying we were glad to arrive home that night. Our excitement, however, quickly faded when we realized the temp inside the apartment was lower than outside, and the toilet wasn't working! Ahhhh, 1/4 Hood Street- we are so ready to bid you adieu.

Welcome Nan and Pop!

I've had to abort my weekly blogging since early June, because our internet service has been downgraded by the owner of our apartment (unbeknownst to us...seriously, could he get any more cheap?!) in preparation for our departure from Melbourne. We're now suffering with a dial-up speed connection....PAINFUL! I figured I would try to knock one entry off today while we are packing up - I can leave the computer on for the hours it will take to upload the pics and get some packing done in the meantime.

The Millers looking no worse for the wear after their 24 hour journey.

It's been a great couple of weeks since I wrote last. My parents arrived on Saturday, June 12 - a great birthday gift for me. We were again amazed that Georgia didn't miss a beat with them...no shyness at all and immediately held out her arms for them to hold her. I'm certain we have Skype to thank for this.

Brighton Beach Houses

We spent the first week showing them around St. Kilda and Melbourne. It was fun to re-visit some of the 'must do' places here for Scott and I, because it will be our last time doing these things, at least for 2010. We have visited the penguins at St. Kilda Pier, taken the token beach pics at the Brighton Beach bathing boxes, experienced the footy craze at the MCG (Collingwood vs. Melbourne), enjoyed the free city bus tour, created an Aussie menu (lamb as the main, ofcourse) and shopped for the ingredients at the Queen Victoria Market.

The Peach - now 8 months old, weighing in at a dainty 16 lbs, and FULL of action

On the days where we haven't been out and about, mom and dad have been soaking up their time with G (walks, park trips, swimming pool excursions, general spoiling/attention giving) allowing Scott and I some time to get things organized for our impending move and go on a few 'dates'. The Millers also enjoyed some day trips on their own to explore the surrounding areas: Great Ocean Road, shopping in the city, and march of the penguins on Phillip Island.

K and S at London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road

Footy...finally

Scott's been to 2 footy matches since we arrived, but this weekend marked my first foray into the huge footy culture in Melbourne. Our friend, Kaye, invited me to attend a match on Sunday night - Collingwood (Kaye's a die-hard Magpies fan) vs. the Western Bulldogs. The crowd of 50,000 was enthusiastic to say the least, and the game is fast-paced and very fun to watch. There were a lot of f-bombs dropped (errr, make that screamed) by the dedicated (aka crazed) fans, and I think we came close to witnessing a fight break out. Kaye was a fantastic host and a lot of fun to watch at the game...she knows her footy and feels pretty passionately about it. It was a close game, but Collingwood got their win.

Kaye and I cheering on the Collingwood Magpies at Etihad Stadium

(An aside: I wrote about Kaye back in February, saying that she had special ties to PEI. She is an Australian who has visited PEI 4 times in the past 15 years. She loves it and considers it her second home. The circumstances that introduced her to the province are pretty amazing. Over 15 years ago, one of her daughters, was diagnosed with what was thought to be terminal cancer. Her doctors advised the family to organize her children's wish, anticipating that she had a short time left to live. Her daughter had 3 wishes: Visit Disney World, New York City, and PEI (to see where Anne of Green Gables lived...what else?!). They fell in love with PEI and have gotten to know several people there really well. I'm happy to report, that all these years later, Kaye's daughter is alive, working fulltime and was recently married! I hereby give them both the official designation of IBCs (Islander By Choice).)

Kaye decorating her car in celebration of the big win

On the other end of the cultural spectrum - we visited the Melbourne Museum this weekend to check out the Titanic exhibition. It was well laid out and showcased many artifacts that have been salvaged from the wreck. Despite seeing the movie multiple times and reading about the accident, you don't get a true sense of the tragedy until seeing the personal artifacts and hearing the stories of individuals on the ship. Georgia had a good time banging on the glass cases, with the occasional lunge towards the person standing in front of her. Fortunately she was not escorted out of the exhibit.

Scott and the Peach at the Melbourne Museum

Next up - We're looking forward to K and S Miller (Nana and Papa) arriving on June 12!

Weekend Home

We spent this weekend past around Melbourne. We invited our new Canadian pals - Jill, her husband Allister, and their 10 month old Lochlin out for dinner on Saturday night. We went to a local spot that caters to young families in the early evening (unlike most restaurants, they open at 5pm). It was lots of fun, if not pretty chaotic, with the 2 munchkins there. By the time we left, Georgia has pretty much destroyed the place (Lochlin sat quietly for most of the evening reading his books and snacking...G on the other hand, kept Scott and I both busy for the entire 2 hours)...I think we're going to have our hands full for the foreseeable future! They are great people, so we're looking forward to getting to know them during the next month.

G and I with Lochlin and Jill

On Sunday we hit the big mall in Melbourne. Chadstone's is huge and has every store imaginable in it. While I usually hate shopping in these monstrous buildings, I have to say it's pretty convenient for a one stop shop. As usual, G came home with the biggest haul.

Georgie wanting everything in the toy store

Later that afternoon, we hit our gym for a swim in the pool. Scott works on the days when G and I have swimming lessons, so he was excited to see her in action. She didn't disappoint...she spent 45 minutes splashing and yelling with excitement. Lots of fun!

Little Swimmer

Weekend Away

We had an impromptu long weekend away. One of the misters (surgeons here are called misters, which I think is hilarious. Also begs the question, what do they call their female surgeons - Gladys...can you comment?) Scott is working with offered for us to use his beach house in the Mornington Peninsula, so we took up on it and headed there on Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful place, and a definite step up (or several) from where we are staying in Melbourne. While we certainly enjoyed the gorgeous country surroundings, I have to say the comfy couches, well stocked kitchen, and lovely bathroom were definite highlights.

I like to call this one "Mister Scott getting reacquainted with a kitchen" in light of his recent work schedule. This was taken in the beach house this weekend.

We were planning to stay just one night, but the owner contacted us on Sunday to say he had cleared Scott's schedule for Monday morning and insisted we stay another night. Gotta love a surprise long weekend (we don't celebrate the Queen's B-day here until June 14th). The Peninsula is only an hour from Melbourne and is a popular summering spot for Melbournians looking to escape the city. It is also a wine region, known for producing some great cooler climate wines like chardonnay and pinot noir. So, after a morning walk on the beach, we stopped off at a couple of wineries and had a fantastic picnic style lunch at Montalto.

The Peach and I getting ready to chow down at Montalto winery

After lunch, we drove to a popular hiking area along the coast to stretch our legs and spot some kangaroos in the wild. We weren't disappointed - there were several big guys hopping along a fence next to our hiking path. It's definitely the closest wild encounter we've had with them, and they are truly impressive animals. Check out how ripped this guys is.

On another note, Georgie and I are just back from playgroup, where we met a new member to the group. Jill, her husband, and their 9 month old boy just arrived from Canada for a 7 month work stint in the city. Great to chat it up with a fellow Canuck. Couldn't help thinking on my way out though, where have you been for the past 5 months of my life, Jill?! Nevertheless, it will be fun to hang out with them for the next few weeks and show them the ropes of St. Kilda before we leave.

Beautiful fall foliage

Week in Review

It's been a pretty low key week for us, and I have to say, the change of pace has been nice. It gave Georgie and I the opportunity to get back into swimming lessons and playgroup. We hadn't seen her little mates for about a month, so it was fun to catch up with everyone again. What a difference a few weeks makes at this age - Georgie sat on her own for over an hour at playgroup, and was chatting away (ie. high-pitched yelling) to the other kids who would then respond back. So cute. It was the first time we really saw them interact and 'play' with each other.

Sitting solo

We had some errands to run on the weekend, so we made the trek to our local Costco. I decided it would be a great place to hang out if I ever start feeling homesick - the Costco here is almost identical to the one in London, Toronto, Halifax, Moncton (Saturday afternoon chaos, and all)...you get the picture. Otherwise, we enjoyed getting out for a couple of runs, catching up with family and friends via Skype, dinner on Acland Street, and a few strolls around our fun neighbourhood.

Skyping with Swatty and Sassy (kind of sounds like the title of a new daytime talkshow)

The big news story of the weekend in Oz was the return home of a 16 year old Australian girl, Jessica Watson, who sailed solo around the world, unassisted and without touching land once. The journey took over 7 months. She sailed into Sydney Harbour on Saturday, where she was greeted with the applause of the 50,000+ who were there to celebrate with her. An unbelievable accomplishment. Check out her story at: http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/solo-sailor-jessica-watson-returns-to-australia/story-e6frfq80-1225867097824

Georgie, all smiles

PS. We're thinking a lot about our very good friends these days.