Botanical Beauty, Nature Reserves, Sports and the Arts: Australian Blog Post No. 4: February 17-22, 2024

We filled a very busy schedule during our third full week in Australia. Activities that we chose to take on ranged from exploring stunning botanical gardens and nature sanctuaries, to investigating the vibrant arts and sports scene in Australia’s Victoria State. 

We are discovering some of Melbourne area’s most closely guarded secrets in our own back yard. Trevor runs every morning in the Gardiner Creek Reserve which is located beside the Deakin University Campus. We spent a lovely Saturday afternoon having a picnic lunch and walking around the lake at the Blackburn Lake Reserve which is only a 10-minute drive from our apartment in Burwood. 

Glenda and Geoff highly recommended the Blue Lotus Water Garden to us, and we were not let down at all. The tropical-themed gardens span 14 acres of territory. The garden management claims that the displays of waterlilies and lotus flowers planted in the 40 lakes and ponds are the biggest in the southern hemisphere. We believe them totally. We were extremely impressed and stunned by the extraordinary beauty that we found in these gardens.

 

We were really pleased to reconnect with our long-time friend, Alan Boughton during this week. Alan, who lives in the Wollongong area south of Sydney, brought his family to Canada in 1998 on a teacher exchange. During his exchange, he taught technical studies at Dr. Denison Secondary School where Trevor was teaching music. We’ve stayed in touch with Alan, and have connected with him on both of our previous trips to Australia. Alan drove to Melbourne to visit us on this current trip, and we took a guided tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground with him. The huge, 104,000-seat stadium which is one of Australia’s major sports venues, was built for the 1956 Olympic Games. Coincidentally, Taylor Swift performed 3 concerts at the MCG just a few days prior to our 70-minute tour of the facility. The MCG staff were still clearing up after the TS concerts as we toured the grounds.

As musical arts lovers, we were excited to have the opportunity to take in a couple of top-notch performances during our time in Melbourne. Lorraine noticed ads for the musical Groundhog Day on the billboards around the city when we first came into town, and we decided to purchase tickets for a performance. Geoff and Glenda attended the show with us. This hilarious musical is based on the Bill Murray comedy movie, Groundhog Day and features original music written by Australian composer Tim Minchin, who also wrote the music for Matilda, the Musical. 

On February 21^st, we also took in a Melbourne Symphony concert at the Sidney Myer Bowl, an outdoor amphitheatre  that is located in the Domain parkland area of the city. Musical experts consider the Melbourne Symphony to be Australia’s top symphony orchestra, and Andrew Davis of Toronto Symphony fame served as the chief conductor of the orchestra from 2012-2019. Benjamin Northey conducted the concert which was broadcast live by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Natalie Aroyan, soprano and the brilliant tenor Paul O’Neill sang the solos in an all-Puccini program. You may be interested to check out this performance at this YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24TN78lLIXw&t=13s

 

Finally, a trip to the State of Victoria would not be complete without travelling to Phillip Island, one of the most renowned wildlife ecosystems in the world. It took us 2 hours to drive from Melbourne to Phillip Island, and shortly after we crossed the bridge onto the island, we stopped at the Nobbies Visitors Centre. There, we walked along the boardwalk and enjoyed spectacular views of the coastline. We also saw wallabies, penguins in their burrows, and lots of Cape Barren Geese that were easily as big as turkeys. The Nobbies (large rock formations out on the water) are renowned for hosting a large seal colony, but we did not see any seals while we were there. After eating our supper at a costal lookout near the Nobbies, we moved on to the Penguin Parade Visitor Centre. At this site, penguins return nightly in large groups after days of fishing at sea to feed their young. As sunset fell at 8:30 pm, we witnessed the penguins landing on the beach, and we also viewed many, many penguins in their natural habitat as we returned to the visitor centre along the boardwalk. 

 

Following the Penguin Parade, we arrived back home in Melbourne precisely at midnight, to rest up for our next set of Australian adventures.

 Photos from Phillip Island

The Nobbies

  Boardwalk at the Nobbies

Penguins on the Rocks at the Nobbies

Penguin Under the Boardwalk at the Nobbies

Young Penguin in Its Burrow at the Nobbies

Young Wallaby With Its Mother On Phillip Island

           The Penguin Parade Beach Viewing Area, Phillip Island

From the Healesville Sanctuary to the Great Ocean Road: Australia Blog Post No. 3: February 12th-16th, 2024

 

We’re relieved that Lorraine has recovered so well following our car accident, and we have returned to a busy touring schedule.

 

No trip to Australia would be complete without a trip to a wildlife sanctuary, and we travelled to the Healesville Sanctuary to seek out some of Australia’s finest. It took us just over an hour to drive out to Healesville, and we enjoyed the relaxing drive through the beautiful countryside scenery en route to the sanctuary. Healesville is located in the Yarra Valley outside of Melbourne, and is renowned for its vineyards, orchards and farming communities. The temperature reached 35 degrees on the day that we were exploring the sanctuary. Although we were able to witness a spectacular wild bird of prey demonstration earlier in the day, we found that a lot of the animals (kangaroos included) were hiding in the shade to escape the heat. The koala pictured above was enjoying a leisurely afternoon nap on the tree as they and their animal friends were sprayed occasionally by mist machines located strategically throughout the sanctuary.

 

On pancake Tuesday (February 13^th) temperatures soared even higher to 38 degrees, and we were invited to lunch at cousin Glenda and Geoff’s place in Ringwood. We were challenged to a game of scrabble, and as we played, a massive thunderstorm broke out. Darren, Glenda’s son, walked over to the corner store while we were playing scrabble (prior to the storm), but returned completely soaked from the rain. When we returned to our apartment in Burwood the power was out so, unfortunately, we were unable to cook our pancakes as we normally do on pancake Tuesday (we had to wait until Thursday). Luckily, we carry emergency lighting with us when we travel because the power did not come on again until 5:30 the next morning.

 

When we travelled up to Yarra Junction and the village of Noojee (also in the Yarra Valley) the following day, we learned that the power was still out in those communities. In fact, it took over a week for the people in those communities to regain their electricity. Ouch! A trip to the Sanders apple orchard and a picnic lunch in the quaint village of Noojee were highlights that we experienced on our second trip to the Yarra Valley.

 

Australia is renowned for its beaches and most of the people of Australia live within easy driving distance of a beach. In the city of Melbourne, St. Kilda’s beach is a favourite spot frequented by the locals. We enjoyed exploring the esplanade running beside St. Kilda beach, but we did not appreciate the crazy rush hour traffic that we encountered on our trip back home to our apartment.

 

The Great Ocean Road is a route that we included on our “must do” list for our trip to the Melbourne area. The road from Torquay to Port Campbell features breathtaking scenery as millions of tourists (and a multitude of tour busses and vans) follow this popular route. The drive reminds us very much of the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island, because the road winds directly beside the ocean with many sharp curves and steep cliffs. The road also passes through a heavily forested region of Ottway National Park. One could easily spend an entire week exploring the area surrounding the Great Ocean Road, but we chose to travel the road in one day. We left our apartment at 9:00 in the morning and did not return until 10:30 that evening. Fortunately, we were blessed with fabulous weather for the entire drive, and were able to take lots of photos. 

 

Time continues to pass very quickly for us on this trip, and we look forward to experiencing as much of the rural and urban highlights of the Melbourne region before we travel to Queensland next month.

Photos: 

1. Surgical Team Operates on a Bunny at the Healesville Sanctuary

2. The Great Scrabble Challenge With Glenda and Geoff

3. & 4  Exploring Noojee Park

5. The Boardwalk at St. Kilda Beach, Melbourne

No. 6-10: The Great Ocean Road

6. Near the Village of Lorne

7. Typical Panoramic View Along the Great Ocean Road

8. Our Lunch Spot in Apollo Bay

9. Lorraine at the 12 Apostles Near Port Campbell

10. Selfie at The Twelve Apostles 

 

 

 

 

 

An Unfortunate Incident and Miraculous Recovery: Australia Blog Post No. 2: February 6-11, 2024

                                   

 

Our second week in Australia started off fairly well as we made a few shopping expeditions, and also paid a visit to the Melbourne Sea Life Aquarium. Things took a REALLY BAD turn for us in the midweek though, when we were involved in a car accident. Our car was hit on the passenger side by a truck as we were making a left turn at a traffic light on the way to the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. The events unfolded very quickly, and in our minds, we are still trying to put together exactly what transpired. The passenger window (left side of the car in Australia since they drive on the left side of the road) shattered completely on impact. We carefully brushed off the glass that we found all over the car seats and panels to avoid getting cut. Before the car was towed away, we saw that the front and rear doors were both damaged where the truck struck our car; not at all a pretty picture.

 

 Lorraine was experiencing great difficulty with her breathing immediately following the collision, and we were very concerned that she may have been injured badly. We also noticed fresh blood on her lips. She later figured out that she had probably bitten her tongue when our car was hit. In a dramatic move, the firemen that attended the accident scene cut the door off the car to remove Lorraine from the car. She was taken to the Alfred Health Centre in downtown Melbourne by ambulance where the doctors ordered a complete range of X-Rays and tests, including a CT-Scan. Fortunately, the tests results all came back negative, Lorraine had not broken any bones and no internal bleeding was found. The physicians (there were several), however, decided to keep Lorraine in the hospital overnight in the Short Term Stay Unit (SSU)to ensure that her condition did not get worse and that she did not display any residual effects following the collision. In the SSU section of the Emergency Department at the Alfred Health Centre, patients are provided with a hospital bed in a cubicle equipped with a sliding door and curtains. A free television set is provided to help patients pass the time. What a concept!

 

 Miraculously, Lorraine is now on the “mend,” and we have been able to resume our tourist activities, even though she still feels some persistent soreness. Primarily, she still feels pain in the area where the car seatbelt grabbed her as Trevor hit the car brakes. Thankfully, the seatbelt probably saved her life, and she could have been much more severely injured. Trevor, very luckily, sustained no injuries.

 

Throughout this unfortunate experience, we have been extremely impressed with the consistent positive attitude and work ethic displayed by the first responders, and with the high quality of care that Lorraine received at the Alfred Health Centre. The police, paramedics, and the firemen all coordinated their efforts with extreme efficiency, yet they were also very caring, friendly and extremely laid back. At the hospital, Lorraine was seen immediately by a doctor and the tests were completed right away. Nurses at the hospital were also efficient, caring, friendly and constantly joking around in their Australian accents. Doctors introduced themselves by their first names, and always explained things clearly and concisely to us. Prior to Lorraine’s release, the patient liaison officer paid us a visit, and we learned that it would not be necessary to use our travel insurance to pay the hospital bill. The officer told us that in the State of Victoria, Australia, anyone that is injured in a car accident receives free medical treatment paid for by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC). All licenced drivers in the state pay into a fund that covers medical treatment, support services, income support, return to work etc. if they are involved in an accident. Fortunately for us, the TAC also covers all medical expenses for international visitors. 

 

We have now been set up with a new rental car (another Toyota Camry hybrid). Fortunately, Goway Tours, the travel company that booked our car reservation included full collision (Max Cover) from Hertz Car Rental in our package when we booked our trip. An agent from Hertz at the Melbourne airport handled our claim with outstanding efficiency, and was extremely understanding about our situation. In fact, we were told that quite a few of the cars rented out by Hertz were involved in worse accidents over the last week, and our case was fairly minor compared to some of the others.

 

Since Lorraine has returned “home” to our apartment, we hosted cousin Glenda and Geoff for dinner. We were also able to take a drive in the new car to visit Dandenong Ranges National Park outside of Melbourne where we walked along part of the Kokoda Memorial Walk, so named in honour of the Australian veterans who fought on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea. We also made our way to the observatory deck at the summit of Mount Dandenong where we were treated to an amazing aerial view of the city of Melbourne. On Sunday, we travelled across Melbourne’s Westgate Bridge to explore the quaint town and beaches of Williamstown and Altona, as well as the Cherry Lake Nature Reserve. 

 

Weather has been in the 30s for the last few days and we look forward to continuing with more adventurous expeditions as Lorraine fully recovers. 

 

 

Photos

1. Trevor in an Aquarium at Sea Life, Melbourne

2. Geoff and Glenda Join Us for Dinner at Our Apartment

3 & 4: Dandenong Ranges National Park: Kokoda Track

4 & 5: Observatory at the Top of Mount Dandenong Overlooking the City of Melbourne

6, 7 and 8: Cherry Lake Reserve, Altona Beach

Special Video: Tour of a Toilet at Cherry Lake Reserve

 

 

 

 

Return to Australia: Blog Post No. 1: February 1-6, 2024

We cannot believe that it has been 15 years since we travelled to Australia last. While we are relieved that some things have remained the same, we are really enjoying seeing how other things have changed. En route to Australia, we experienced a very smooth flight over the Pacific on the modern Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. This experience was a change from previous overseas flights on which we flew on Boeing 747's which have now been rendered obsolete. The flight to Australia from Los Angeles takes 15-1/2 hours, but we found that it went by fairly quickly since so many options were made available to us during the flight, including an impressive entertainment system, the serving of meals and snacks, and the time spent snoozing. 

 

On arrival in Melbourne, we loaded our luggage into our fuel-sipping Toyota Camry Hybrid and headed to the Burwood Serviced Apartments (BSA) out in the suburbs where we are staying until the end of February. We stayed at this location twice previously (in 2004 and in 2009). Although the building is under new management, much has stayed the same, however, the apartments have been renovated with new flooring, painting and lighting etc. We are even staying in the same room we stayed in previously. The BSA are conveniently located close to Trevor’s cousin Glenda’s and her husband Geoff’s place where we were invited for a welcome dinner on Saturday night along with a few of their South African friends. As it turns out, two of the ladies in the company (Rhonda and Heather) played field hockey with Trevor’s mother in South Africa many years ago. How incredible is it that we should bump into these two ladies from so far in the past in Melbourne, Australia?

 

We find that the weather in Melbourne can vary quite a bit from day to day. Early mornings can be cool (9 degrees to 15 degrees) and the daily highs at this time of year can range from around 19 degrees to temperatures in the 40’s. In fact, over a span of less than one week, we have experienced both cooler days very hot days. On the hot weekend, temperatures soared to 38 degrees in the city of Melbourne and we took advantage of the good weather to travel to the Mornington Peninsula southeast of Melbourne where we enjoyed temperatures that were a few degrees cooler than in the city, and a lovely breeze coming in over the water. 

 

Australians (or their governments) love their toll highways and for a large portion of our excursion to the Mornington Peninsula, we drove on toll roads. In fact, the same Australian company that controls the toll roads in the Melbourne area also purchased the 407 toll highway in Toronto. We have resigned to the fact that driving on toll roads is just part of the cost of travel and we just need to budget for tolls as we travel in this country. 

 

As we arrived at the Mornington Peninsula, we realized that the lovely hot weather also brings throngs of people out to the beaches. We encountered slow traffic at several places along our route as the “flocks” arrived to enjoy the sunshine. On the other hand, we enjoyed a much quieter environment without the beach crowds at Nepean Point National Park at the tip of the peninsula. In the park, we toured the buildings of the historic Quarantine Station which was established during the Australian Gold Rush of the 1800s. Gold miners that travelled on unsanitary, overcrowded ships often contracted nasty diseases such as typhus and scarlet fever and the Australian government established the quarantine station in order to contain various diseases.

 

Back in the city of Melbourne, we notice that many changes have occurred, that are very similar to the changes that are occurring in the Greater Toronto area.  We see several new skyscrapers in the downtown area, higher volumes of traffic, more multinational residents living in the city, higher gas prices, new supermarkets and shopping centres, higher food prices, faster internet, more cellphones, and the list goes on. Indeed though, it is a pleasure to be back to witness all the changes in the city first hand. 

 

Photos:

No. 1-2: Our Welcome Gathering at Cousin Glenda & Geoff's place in Ringwood

                                1.

                                         2.

No. 3-4: Hanging Out With Musical Statues at Deakin University during morning run

                                3.

                                          4.

No. 5-6: Point Nepean National Point on the Mornington Peninsula

                                 5.

                                            6.

No. 7: Learning How to Do "It" Properly in an Australian Toilet: