Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Melbourne Australia

Melbourne
October 12, 2017 & November , 2017

We visited Melbourne twice.  The first time, we stayed in the downtown area using the local bus services.  We bought a one day bus pass for $15 per person for unlimited one day use.  Big cities are not our thing.  We prefer to visit the neighborhoods and outer areas as opposed to be cement cities full of sky scrapers.

The nicest part of our day was the time we spent at their huge outdoor market.  It was a combination of vegetables, meats, seafood and crafts.  We enjoyed a lovely lunch and bought family souveniers.
Next we visited the parliament building and city parks.

Our second visit to Melbourne November 2017.  We booked a tour through http://escapediscoveryadventures.com.au/ 

Great Ocean Road Departure - From 7:00am Station Pier, Port Melbourne 

Return - approximately 8:30pm 

The Great Ocean Road first meets the ocean at the town of Anglesea which we traveled through.  We had a brief stop at the seaside holiday township of Lorne to an area full of Cockatoos and other friendly native birds including Crimson Rosellas and King parrots and Kookaburras.  

We enjoyed lunch at Apollo Bay.

Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Burnie Tasmania

We arranged a private tour with Robyn as our guide.  It was a private, intimate tour with just one other couple.  Robyn was just as warm and sweet in person as she was during our email conversations.  She met us in her van at the pier and gave us gift bags with some  local products inside.


Our first stop was the local Hellyers Whiskey Distillery for some whiskey tastings.  We tried 3 varieties of whiskeys followed by a creme variety.

 Next was a local park where we met some locals who introduced us to the platypus.  They provided us with background on the them, one even had one stuffed to show us.

Next, she drove us to a beautiful waterfall for photos and it was incredible and were surprised at how close it was to town........

We then drove out to view some local farms and were treated to iris fields and glorious tulip fields of every color imaginable.

We had a quick lunch at a local seaside diner before heading back to port.  One the way back to the port we spotted some kangaroos along the roadside.  It was the perfect end to a perfect day in Tasmania.

Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Hobart Tasmania

We ended up visiting the lovely Island of Tasmania on three occasions.  Our First stop was Hobart.  Although Hobart appeared to be a small city at first glance, we quickly realized it was actually has a bustling business distract along with farms and fishing villages that were spread out.

On this first visit to Hobart we spent the day exploring the city.  We are not fans of big cites, preferring to spent our time in the outdoors or smaller towns.  Downtown Hobart is every bit the big city, filled with huge skyscraper office buildings and streets filled with traffic.  We did enjoy the beautiful churches and loved the flowers everywhere and a lovely part area.

On our second visit to Hobart we booked a tour with eyeseetasmania.com.au to visit Port Arthur to visit the old penitentiary.  It was a very long, very boring 3 hour round trip by van to reach it and it is something I would not care to repeat. I don't know if it was the fault of the tour guide or just a boring area in general.  Once we arrived we reached the prison site, we were forced to spend hours walking around the area when we would have just been happy to be left to our own with the option to ask questions.  Perhaps if it were an historic fort we would have felt differently.  The tour was to include lunch of local produce which was basically dry tasteless sandwiches and water.  I would NOT recommend this tour company!

Afterwards we visited the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary which is a rescue center for various wildlife.  Our time at the Sanctuary was the highlight of our day and the only part of the tour that we found interesting.

 TIP:: take a cab to the sanctuary and buy your own ticket.

Aussie-New Zealand 2017 - Sydney Australia

Bondi Beach

Ferry to Manly Beach

MANLY BEACH

Our beautiful evening view on the Ferry leaving Manly Beach

Monterey Bay California 2017

Chilling at Monterey Bay 

“Being at ease with oneself put him at ease with the world.“- John Steinbeck, Cannery Row

Oregon Coast Road Fall 2017 ~ Redwoods National Park, Klamath California

As of today, We have driven all 344 miles of Oregon’s gorgeous Coastline from Astoria to the CA StateLine, it has been A-maz-ing.  

Our first stop entering California ~ exploring the majestic Redwoods

The drive through this beautiful forest is awe dropping .

Oregon Coast Road Fall 2017 ~ Bandon Oregon

South Beach, Newport Oregon

Hubby cannot resist chatting with the locals fishing/crabbing

Yesterday we drove another 122 miles of Oregon Coastline from Newport to Bandon. We are in LOVE 😍 with Oregon!!

Oregon Coast Road Trip Fall 2017 ~ Newport Oregon

After our morning walk, we headed South along Highway 101 toward our next hotel stop in Newport Oregon. 

Our first beach stop was picturesque Cannon Beach

The water was chilly but it was a beautiful walk along the beaches

Our next beach stop was Haystack Rock.  It was the most interesting of the two.  We climbed rocks and explored the many tunnels as the waves thrashed about.  It was so much fun!

Haystack Rock

SAY CHEESE!

No drive along the Oregon Coast would not be complete without a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory!  We arrived just in time for afternoon snack.  We tasted various cheese samples and left with some wonderful treats for later.

We checked into the Holiday Inn Express Newport after a wonderful day of sightseeing.  We were totally exhausted.