Monthly Archives: February 2017

School’s out for the Summer!

25 Saturday Feb 2017

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It’s the end of December and school is finished for the year. Alexis has completed her first year of school here in Australia and is moving on to grade 1 in February. But first, it’s time for 6 weeks of summer holidays! This summer holidays, we spent most of our time in Torquay. Having the beach at our doorstep, it seemed logical to stay here for the summer and enjoy every minute of it!

We did take a one short holiday away, a few days in Warrnambool with Shane, while he worked at his shop there. Alexis and Reid have watched the movie ‘Oddball’ several times and love it. This movie takes place in Warrnambool and is based on a true story about a Maremma dog who protects the fairy penguins that live on Middle Island from hungry foxes. While we were in Warrnambool for a few days, we had the opportunity to meet the next generation of Maremma dogs, Eudi and Tula, who are the current guard dogs working on Middle Island. The two people who care for the dogs and work on the penguin project, took us on a tour to Middle Island so we could see where the dogs work and what they do. We were hoping to see some fairy penguins as well but because we were there at midday, most of the penguins would have been out at sea.

To get to the island, we wore life jackets and hiked up our pants as we had to walk through a little bit of water to get there. At low tide, it is possible to walk to Middle Island in water about ankle deep. The tide wasn’t quite at its lowest when we walked over to Middle Island and Reid and Alexis ended up waist-deep in water.

Eudi and Tula, the guard dogs, spend 5 out of 7 days a week on the island, wandering back and forth on the boardwalk that has been built for them. The dogs stay on the boardwalk so they do not disturb the hundreds of burrows and nests that have been built by the penguins and birds on the island. The dogs spend their days off on a farm just outside of Warrnambool.

Since the dogs have been introduced to the island, there have been no penguins attacks by foxes. The program has been a tremendous success and the number of penguins has gone from 10 at its lowest point, to over 150 penguins today. The project is training up the next generation of Maremma dogs, a boy and a girl, to be ready to take over for Eudi and Tula when they retire.

On our second day in Warrnambool, we visited Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve. Tower Hill’s location boasts of an ancient crater and other volcanic features with an abundance of wildlife. There are five self-guided walks there, each with a different theme. We decided to tackle two of the five walks; the Peak Climb, a 30 minute steep hike to the top of Tower Hill with stunning views of the surrounding area and the Lava Tongue Boardwalk, a 30 minute hike along a boardwalk through the wetlands to admire the wildlife living there.

As we were making our way back to the carpark, we spotted a koala in a tree. We watched it for a while and to our surprise, the koala climbed down the tree and wandered off to find a new tree to climb. We followed the koala, from a safe distance of course, and watched him move from one tree to another and then go to sleep again!

After Warrnambool, the excitement of Christmas came and went and we started to look forward to some of the other activities we had planned for the summer holidays. During the first and second weeks of January, a group of teenagers made their way to Torquay to run a camp called Beach Mission, a free, Christian-based camp for kids age prep to year 9. Alexis and Reid were excited to be involved this year and attended everyday. Reid was hesitant to participate on his own, but after 5 days, he forgot I was even there! This was a major break through for him. He even stood front and centre on stage when the Beach Mission group led the songs at church on Sunday!

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Later in January, Alexis and Reid both enrolled in VicSwim, an open water swimming program where they learned some important skills and knowledge about water safety in and around the ocean. Although the weather wasn’t great, Alexis still enjoyed her lessons. Reid, on the other hand, required an enormous amount of encouragement to participate.

Playing at the beach for the remainder of the morning after the lessons, was more fun than the lessons themselves!

Summer by the Sea is program offered to kids all over the Surfcoast and Bellarine area, focusing on learning about our beautiful beaches, the creatures that live there and how to care for them. Reid and Alexis joined a Beach Detectives session where they had to solve a murder case. A penguin had died and they needed to figure out how and why. The lesson to learn was to pick up your own rubbish as well as take three pieces with you every time you go to the beach, it can save the lives of many marine animals.

No summer is complete without an evening at the Nightjar festival, a vibrant, colourful and eclectic mix of a night market, music festival, food stalls and showcase for local artists. In the month of January, the Nightjar went on every Thursday night in Torquay.

img_6444.jpgFinally, a summer would not be complete without a trip to the strawberry farm. We went to Tuckerberry Hill Farm to pick our own strawberries and blueberries. After a very successful harvest, and a costly one, we had plenty of strawberries to eat and make jam with as well as loads of blueberries to enjoy.

 

 

 

Christmas at the Beach

25 Saturday Feb 2017

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This was our second Christmas in Torquay so we knew what to expect this year. It still did not feel like Christmas because of the long hot summer days but we enjoyed the time nonetheless. This year, Alexis was in school right up until a couple of days before Christmas so we didn’t participate in as many Christmas activities as we did last year.

We began our Christmas celebrations with Oma, Opa and Allison when they were here in the beginning of December. We went to Carols by the Bay in Geelong to enjoy some traditional and non-traditional Christmas carols. We also had our BBQ Christmas dinner with them, complete with all the fixings, Christmas crackers, decorations and Christmas apparel too!

Similar to last year, Alexis and Reid entered into the gingerbread house competition at the RACV. With the help of Oma and Allison, they made two beautiful houses, decorated with all kinds of yummy chocolates and lollies.

This year, Alexis was part of the choir at her school. This gave her the opportunity to sing at Carols by the Sea in Torquay. She was really excited to be a part of the show and did an excellent job singing!

This year, Alexis and Reid seemed to have an ever-changing, always-growing wish list for Santa. When we visited him at the Geelong carrousel this year, Reid asked for a boy baby doll and a basketball and Alexis asked for a telescope and a camera. Both Alexis and Reid were quite happy to sit with Santa and have a chat with him this year, a big change from years past.

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On Christmas Eve, Santa made his way around Torquay with the Fire Brigade to visit the children one last time before his trek around the world.  While here in Australia, it has become custom for us to have finger food and open presents on Christmas eve, very slowly in an attempt to make it last as long as possible. And finally, we left out some cookies and milk for Santa along with a note from Alexis.

Christmas morning, Santa came with a sack full of presents and a stocking full of goodies for both Alexis and Reid.

After the presents had been opened and a special breakfast was enjoyed, we went to church to celebrate the real reason for Christmas, the birth of Christ. For the afternoon, we went to the beach and enjoyed the beautiful blue sunny skies with a refreshing swim in the ocean. What a great way to spend Christmas together as a family here in Australia.

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The Pursuit of the Tassie Devil

22 Wednesday Feb 2017

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Tasmania, an island off Australia’s south coast, is known for its rugged wilderness, great food and wine, small cities, charming towns and clean air. With only a limited amount of time, we decided to explore the east coast of Tasmania, anticipating the historic Port Arthur, the unique wildlife on Maria Island, the breathtaking Wineglass Bay, the stunning coast of Bay of Fires and the vibrant cities of Launceston and Hobart.
We picked up our rental van from the airport in Hobart and began our six day road trip. We planned to drive the Great Eastern Drive, a journey that stretches along the east coast of Tasmania from Port Arthur in the south to St. Helen’s in the north.

Our first stop was Port Arthur, about 100km from Hobart. Port Arthur is a place where Tasmania’s rich history comes alive. It is known as a former prison or penal colony, however, it was much more than just a prison. Back in the day, it was a complete community, home to military personnel and free settlers, in addition to the prisoners. The convicts worked in farming and industries, producing a large range of resources and materials. It was a place where parties were had, beautiful gardens were created to be enjoyed and where children played and attended school.

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The Port Arthur penal station was established in 1830 as a timber-gathering camp, using convicts from England as labourers. In 1833, it was used as a punishment station for repeat offenders. Later on, it changed into a place where men could be reformed through discipline and punishment, religious and moral instruction, classification and separation, and training and education. By 1840, more than 2000 convicts, soldiers and civilians lived at Port Arthur which was a major industrial settlement at this time, producing everything from stone and bricks to furniture and clothing, boats and ships.

A short ferry ride from the site brought us to Isle of the Dead cemetery where deceased prisoners were buried and the site of the prison for the boys, where the boys were separated from the men prisoners to ensure their safety and proper treatment.

When convict transportation to Tasmania ended in 1853, Port Arthur became an institution for aging and physically and mentally ill convicts. In 1877, the penal settlement closed and later became a historic site.

Our first night in Tasmania, we stayed in Orford in a beautiful cottage on the river, about 100km north of Port Arthur and just south of Triabunna, which would be our jumping off point for Maria Island.

The next morning, we drove the short distance to Triabunna to catch a passenger boat to Maria Island.  While waiting for the boat, we had decided to get groceries for breakfast and lunch for the day as there is no place on the island to purchase food. We quickly learned that the stores and restaurants in these small, charming towns do not open until at least 9am and are closed by 5pm. We found a coffee truck that served breakfast and waited for the grocery store to open before we could buy our lunch for the day. The food truck also served as the weather forecasting station. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Maria Island is a natural wildlife sanctuary with sweeping bays, dramatic cliffs as well as  ruins of a convict probation station at Darlington. Darlington was a convict punishment station in 1825 and lasted for 7 years. From 1843 to 1850, it became a convict probation station where the focus was on reform through hard labour, religious instruction and education. In the end, Darlington was an unsuccessful penal station due to the ease at which convicts were able to escape by swimming away from the island to the mainland.

We walked the Fossil Cliffs circuit, which was 4.1km hike, to view the dramatic cliffs and stunning coastline as well as the fossils of shells embedded into the rock face.

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The Painted Cliffs circuit, 4.3km hike, was the second walk we tackled. The Painted Cliffs, at the end of Hopground Beach, are stunning cliffs with beautifully exposed patterns. The ground water percolating through the sandstone, leaving traces of iron oxides, has stained the rock formation to create these gorgeous cliffs, along with the mineral-rich water and wind, which has given it its shape.

One of the main reasons we went to Maria Island, was to see some of Australia’s native animals in their natural habitat. Before we arrived on the island, Alexis had a list of animals that live there, animals such as kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian devils and the rare and unique Cape Barren goose. We found many of these animals but much to Reid’s disappointment, we did not see a Tassie devil (‘Tassie double,’ as Reid calls it).

After a day at Maria Island, we drove to Coles Bay, 100km north of Triabunna. Coles Bay is a quiet seaside village on the edge of Freycinet National Park. The drive was stressful as we drove on winding, narrow roads through remote bush at dusk. The fear of hitting an animal was real as there were signs posted everywhere. We later learned that more animals are killed per km of road in Tasmania than anywhere else in the world, with an estimate of up to 500,000 animals killed a year.img_5687-copy
Freycinet National Park is known for its rugged, pink-hued, granite peaks called the Hazards and is home to the world famous Wineglass Bay, a bay with sugar-white sand and beautiful turquoise-blue water. Our first full day in Coles Bay, we hiked the 2.5km return up the Hazards to the Wineglass Bay lookout to admire the spectacular view and the beauty of Wineglass Bay.

The hike took us twice as long as the sign suggested it should! Too many Tim Tam breaks!

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After the equally challenging hike down from Wineglass Bay lookout, we drove out to the Cape Tourville Lighthouse lookout where Opa saw a whale in the far off distance.

We drove back to our cottage in Coles Bay for lunch and a rest before heading out for dinner. We went to Tombolo Freycinet that evening and enjoyed delicious pizza with a spectacular view of the mighty, pink Hazards behind us.img_5753

We learned by this point that if we did not get to a grocery store by 5pm, it would be too late and we would have to wait until at least 9am the next morning. Tasmania’s east coast is dotted with very small, charming, country towns which proved meals to be a challenge. We needed to be organized and think ahead to be prepared.

Later that evening, we drove to Bicheno from Coles Bay to view the fairy penguins. Just outside of Bicheno, there is a penguin rookery where the public can only access with a tour. Our guide took us down to the beach just after sunset to watch these beautiful creatures waddle out of the water and up to their burrows. We were lucky enough to see baby penguins in some burrows, waiting for their parents to come back. One baby even waddled out its burrow and between Oma’s feet!

The next day, we left Coles Bay and headed north to Nature World. Nature World is a wildlife sanctuary that offers a close up and interactive experience to learn about the unique Tasmanian animals.

The main reason for our visit was to see the greatly anticipated Tasmanian devil. We had no luck spotting one in the wild, so the wildlife sanctuary was the next best option. We were able to watch the keeper feed the devils, which was quite a show as two of them fought over one piece of meat for a long time.

Nature World is a place that focuses on the conservation of unique Tasmanian animals, such as the Tasmanian devil, as well as rescuing animals that have been injured or orphaned. We learned a lot about the devils and the wombats in particular, and also enjoyed viewing the beautiful birds as well as feeding the friendly kangaroos.

Baby wombats are very cuddly and friendly until they are about 2 yrs old. This baby wombat was brought to the sanctuary because he was an orphan and was happy to have a cuddle and a back scratch.

There is evidence of Tasmania’s convict past no matter where you go. Over 70,000 men, women and children were transported to Van Diemen’s Land in the early 1800s as convicts. It’s a story of crime, punishment, hardship and survival set in some of the most beautiful places on earth. For example, the Spiky Bridge, built by convicts in 1843, is made from field stones laid vertically, giving the bridge a spiky appearance. It is claimed that it was designed this way to prevent the cattle from falling over the edge, but no one really knows if this is true.

We continued driving north towards the Elephant Pass, a stunning drive inland and up a mountain to reach St. Mary’s. We stopped at the top to eat at the famous Mount Elephant Pancake Barn. We enjoyed delicious pancakes with ice cream and chocolate. However, we nearly had to do the dishes to pay for it as we discovered they only accept cash. Luckily, they have a system, where they give you an addressed envelope and when you drive through to St. Mary’s, you can take out money, put it in the envelope and post it to the Pancake Barn from there.img_5826
After lunch, we drove back down the mountain, back towards the coast and north to the Bay of Fires. This extraordinary part of Tasmania’s east coast may be the most beautiful coastline in the world. With miles of unspoilt, sugar-white sandy beaches with impossibly clear water, dotted with massive, brilliant orange-coloured granite boulders, it felt as if we were the only people around. This area was given the name Bay of Fires in 1773 by Captain Tobias Furneaux who saw the fires from the Aboriginal people on the beaches. We spent only a few hours exploring this coast but could have spent days there! img_5846-copy

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After having a play on the beach, climbing over the boulders and running from the waves, we carried on towards Launceston. We stayed two nights in Launceston, in a beautiful heritage property turned into a hotel. img_5876

The highlight in Launceston for us was exploring the Cataract Gorge. The magnificent Cataract Gorge is a river gorge just a 10 minute wander from the city centre, however, the bushland, the cliffs and the ice-cold South Esk River here felt a million miles from town. img_5918

We hiked the Cataract Walk from King’s Bridge up to First Basin. The walk was beautiful as it hugged the cliffs on one side and plunged to the mighty South Esk River on the other. To cross over the river at the First Basin, we took a chairlift. This chairlift travelled at a slow and leisurely pace so we could fully appreciate the stunning views. We then carried on to the Alexandra Suspension Bridge to cross back over the river and return to the Cataract Walk. What a beautiful place!

The next day, we drove to Hobart, the final destination of our Tassie road trip. That evening, we decided to venture into Hobart’s city centre. After a very stressful drive from the hotel to a downtown carpark (we had been driving through small country towns with no traffic for far too long), we wandered around the waterfront in search of Tasmanian fish and chips. We found ourselves in the famous Salamanca Square where we ended up at a brewery that served fish and chips as well as burgers, which kept everyone happy.

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Sadly, our trip had come to an end. We enjoyed Tasmania, its beauty, the charming small towns, the unique wildlife and the fascinating history. The only thing we regret is that we didn’t have more time to explore and enjoy this naturally beautiful, laid-back treasure. img_5934

Being a Preppie

04 Saturday Feb 2017

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Alexis had the opportunity to start school in Australia as a ‘Preppie’. The Prep year is the first year in school and most students are 5 years old. We enrolled Alexis into Torquay College, the local primary school within walking distance of our house. After we moved to Torquay, Alexis had six months before school started. We spent that time getting settled into our new life and meeting new friends. When Alexis started prep, she was ready and excited. There were no tears and she confidently walked into her classroom and got to work. Alexis met and made friends quickly and enjoyed her new teacher, Mr. Brown. It was definitely a much better experience than her first year at school in Canada!

Reid and I (especially Reid) missed Alexis everyday while she was at school but because we were at home, we had the opportunity to be involved in her school life as much as possible. I joined the Parent and Carer group, I volunteered in her classroom and read with the students, I went on excursions with her class-and when I say ‘I’, I actually mean Reid and I because we always come as a pair these days! We also joined in the special events that went on around the school.

Being awarded Student of the Week:

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Be a character from a book day:

Olympics day (her class represented Canada!):

Preppie dance:

Diorama presentation day (it’s a butterfly):

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Alexis’ class ran the weekly assembly this week:

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Crazy hair day:

Prep athletics day (Alexis won the 50m dash!):

Choir performance at Carols by the Sea:

Last day of school and break up class party:

It has been an incredible year of excitement, learning and personal growth for Alexis. We have missed having her with us but I am so thrilled and excited to have watched her grow and become more confident in herself. She has gone from a little girl who would speak to no one, clinging to my leg to a young school girl who helps her classmates, volunteers to speak at assemblies, organizes games at recess time and enjoys being a leader amongst her peers. What an incredible priviledge for me to be able to be involved in her school life this year. What an amazing year she has had and wonderful experiences she has endured this year!

Hiking the Grampians

03 Friday Feb 2017

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The Grampians National Park seems to be a popular place for Victorians to visit, vacation, camp and hike. We decided to see for ourselves what the Grampians are all about. We had spent some time in a town called Hamilton because we had tagged along with Shane for work. From Hamilton, we drove to a small tourist village called Halls Gap, situated in the heart of The Grampians National Park. As we were driving towards our destination, it was impossible to miss this majestic island of mountain and forest rising out of the flat farmland all around it. The Grampians are home to a vast array of native animals and plants as well as a rich Aboriginal history. It is said that the Aboriginal people have been connected to this place for over 22,000 years.

With limited time, we decided to head for Halls Gap as a base to explore and admire the awe-inspiring landscapes. While in the Grampians, Victorians, first of all, camp and from there, there are endless treks to tackle, treks along rugged cliffs and cascading waterfalls. There is plenty of fishing and canoeing on the lakes amongst the mountains as well as getting up close to the inquisitive native animals such as koalas, kangaroos and emus.

The first trek we decided to tackle was a fairly short and easy one, Mackenzie Falls. Mackenzie Falls is one of Victoria’s largest waterfalls and flows year round. The trek was more of an easy stroll through the bush where we saw the effects of a major forest fire from several years ago. It was amazing to see how life has been rebuilt in the forest and how green it is amongst the blackened tree trunks. The waterfall was beautiful and because of the rain in the past few days, it was full and fast flowing.

The second trek we attempted was one that reached The Pinnacle. The Pinnacle is one of the best vantage points in the Grampians for fantastic scenic views that stretch over a vast expanse of the park and surrounding country. This trek was considered to be more strenuous than the previous one. It was a 4.2km return walk that included some small water crossings and rock-hopping as well as some slippery boulders to climb over. We left the carpark feeling very optimistic and excited to enjoy the view of The Grampians from the spectacular vantage point of The Pinnacle. However, part way through the trek, it began to get slippery because of the rainy mist we had been having throughout the day. The rock-hopping proved challenging not only for the kids, but for Shane and I as well. Alexis and Reid were troopers and made it all the way to The Pinnacle. When we reached the top, it was so windy and rainy that it was difficult to even look out to admire the view. Bound and determined to make it, we only took a few photos at the top as we feared that we may blow off the cliff top! To our surprise and absolute delight, a rainbow appeared as we were standing there. It made the trek worth every bit of effort it took. The way back down to the car was more challenging as the kids knew the obstacles that lay ahead. The backup pack of M&Ms in my pocket was the motivation we needed to get back to the carpark.