We are in Australia! Which means we have returned to some "Canadian-esque" comforts: wide, walkable streets, rules, said rules being abided by, credit card use, drinkable tap water, and so on. And shortly after arriving, a taxi pulled up beside us at a red light, and didn't even ask if we wanted it!! It is sometimes wonderful to be blissfully ignored. :) We are relishing feeling invisible again.

Melbourne has apparently been voted several times as the "World's Most Liveable City", and after only a few hours there, it is just so easy to see its appeal. It does actually feel like you could move there tomorrow, and just slide right into this pleasant, laid-back city. Incredibly walkable (yay, grid system!), but still has a FREE central tram system that is fun to use. We are not sure if it is due to the probable vitamin D supply floating around here, but it has to be said that Australians so far are so happy, friendly, curious, generous, and welcoming. People strike up conversations with you in a very casual, and non-intrusive way, and you just feel like you are always walking around with a big smile on your face! They do life well here! You get the feeling that it is good, and that people enjoy it and are appreciative of it.

Let's not get carried away though - this city is...expensive. Very. Especially for food. Luckily, we had an included breakfast buffet at our hotel (with Weetabix! And peanut butter!), and discovered all the yumminess of the Queen Victoria Market for lunchtime. Although we didn't feel it was a city of several "must-see" sights, it feels so comfortable that you just want to keep hanging out and soaking in the vibe.

We stayed 6 nights so we could devote 2 days to some very important items on our Australian agenda: 1. The Great Ocean Road, and 2. Phillip Island. Very luckily, we had our own personal guide and chauffeur for #1 courtesy of Clare's friend, Vanessa, who lives a couple hours from Melbourne, and came down to the city to stay for 2 nights. She drove us along the coast through ever changing skies of sun, cloud, wind, and rain (apparently this is a Melbourne thing), and we were treated to the wild and magnificent beaches and cliffs along the Southern Ocean. It's really an area that needs to be explored in greater depth with more time, but we were fortunate to be able to squeeze a great deal of the route into our day tour. Unexpectedly, and amazingly, we saw several wild koalas along our driving route. Exhibiting famous koala behaviours! As in, sleeping, climbing a tree, and munching on eucalyptus leaves! Thank you, sweet cuddly ones for coming out to see us!

Adding to the theme of animal squealing was the day trip to Phillip Island, which we did on a bus tour. Since the main attraction was scheduled for sunset, the tour stopped at Maru Koala and Animal Park along the way where we saw some more koalas, a Tasmanian devil, emus, and hand fed some grey kangaroos. This was as cute as you would expect it to be, with their little paws resting on your hands as they chewed their special grass. Watching them bounce away on their powerful hind legs, it was incredible to see how much ground they can cover so quickly. Vanessa promises we will see them in the wild too! But this was all the warm up to the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island, which is a site where the Little Penguins arrive from the sea at sunset to waddle onto land and head to their burrows for the night. We waited excitedly huddled together at the shoreline in the dark with hundreds of other tourists, when suddenly out of nowhere, some soft squeaking materialized followed by dozens of penguins all of a sudden magically standing at the water's edge! You gasp, and stand with your jaw dropped as over an hour, hundreds of penguins arrive in groups, and slowly waddle and dawdle up into the hills to their homes. No photos or videos allowed at this specific time as the light can blind them, but it is really an experience that is best left to be fully experienced in every breathtaking second. We felt so humbled to experience such an intimate routine from these birds. It really did almost feel like you were encroaching on their space, despite the barriers and very organized process. Luckily most people were very respectful, and we all left buzzing about having witnessed something so incredible.

Also - it is Autumn in Australia! Which means we are being treated to crisp, clear skies, comfortable temperatures, and some lovely Fall colours. Even better - this is our second Fall experience in the last 6 months (after Japan in October), and we didn't even have to go through "Winter" to get a second one. (Extra bonus - we get to leave Australia before their Winter starts too.) So blessed!