Our first real family trip, Sydney to Cairns, a rental car that smelled like sunscreen for three weeks, and a toddler who could say "kookaburra" before she could say her own name.
Australia is where the journal actually started. We flew out of Portland in May 2002 with one backpack too many, landed in Sydney at dawn, and did not sleep for the rest of the week. Everything was bigger than we expected it to be: the bridges, the birds, the distances between towns that looked short on the map and took a full day to drive.
We stayed for nearly a month. Cairns. A long boat out to the reef. Camping in a van that never quite stopped smelling like eucalyptus. A national park where the ranger told us, very calmly, that the snakes were not a problem if we just did not go off the marked path, and we took that advice with more seriousness than we ever have before or since.
It is still the trip we measure the others against.
~ somewhere on pacific's map ~
stories from Australia
Australia
Bowling for Columbine in Brisbane
Brisbane, Australia The last 4 days here have been very relaxing, quite like a vacation from travelling. And there was no particular reason why they should…
Australia
Box Wine Dreams
Coff's Harbour, Australia. We are getting ready to leave Coff's Harbour to head about 2 hours North to the small town of Ballina. We tried to find a place to…
Australia
New Year's in the Blue Mountains
Katoomba, New South Wales, Australia Happy New Year! New Year reached us about 37 minutes ago. We celebrated with a bottle of French bubbly (Oyster Bay's and…
Australia
Feeling at Home in Sydney
Sydney, Australia. Well, I am very happy to report that both Casey and I like Sydney a lot better than the rest of Australia. It's cleaner, has more…
Australia
Christmas in Adelaide
Adelaide, Australia. Merry Christmas! It's too warm for Christmas, even by California standards. We have the a/c cranked up in our apartment and have slipped…
Australia
Adelaide, Australia - Christmas in the Summer
Adelaide, Australia. Today is Christmas Eve and it sure doesn't feel like it. Aside from a mild rush at the stores and a few decorations, it just does not seem…
Australia
Adelaide; Food in Australia; Do New Zealanders Hate Salt?
Adelaide, Australia. Arrived in town this morning on the overnight train. The train ride was pleasant enough and we both got at least a few hours of sleep.…
Australia
A Plague of Flies in Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia. Sorry if this entry is a bit strange...I haven't had my morning coffee yet and I feel a little bit spacy. It's our second day in this…