For the last 10 days, Ed and I have explored the state of Victoria, Australia. Based in Melbourne, we have encountered an enormous variety of weather, topography, wildlife, and beverage!

First, the Weather

We left Ketchum, Idaho in the middle of a blizzard. Luckily we left town before the roads were closed — and we traveled smoothly on recently plowed roads. We also missed a major storm coming over the Sierras and decided to drive the 800-mile journey to SF in one day. SF was a bit chilly as well, but made it to SFO without any problems, except for a bit of rain and lots of Tahoe traffic. It was quite the shock to our systems to encounter a Melbourne Heat Wave!  The locals said it had been the hottest summer/early fall on record. The temperature easily reached 100 degrees F. This was a 100-degree difference from Ketchum!

Dealing with the Heat Wave

The goal was to wear the least amount of clothes possible while remaining respectable, since Melbourne is a major City. Our Airbnb was lovely but did not have A/C. So, we turned on the supplied fans and slept under only a sheet. The apartment was in a charmingly restored old municipal building which was not designed for heat. The City was broiling. On our Free City Tour (tips only), the cheerful guides supplied bulk sunscreen and pointed out the free spots where everyone could refill their water bottles. We all obliged. The city was beautiful — very hip and urban, and we loved it when we tucked into the hidden lanes or historic arcades. We donned our Aussie hats and tried to keep cool.  Jan even forgot to remove her hat while she was finishing up the Stanford projects that we didn’t get to before leaving SF.

We were happy to learn that the recently restored Princess Theater now includes A/C! We were lucky to score tickets to the new Harry Potter two-part play and enjoyed every minute. This is the third venue, outside of London and New York where the play is being staged.

We left Melbourne to find ourselves in a cold rainstorm — with lots of wind. 

Luckily we were able to keep dry by dashing to and from our rental car. Our recently purchased “puffer” down parkas came in handy on Phillip Island. (These coats felt ridiculous only a few days back.)

We’ll see what the weather holds over the next two weeks. 

Topography

The scenery — both man-made and natural — is breathtaking. We loved the Victorian “beach boxes” at Brighton Beach near Melbourne. These cute “changing stations” have not changed very much in the last 150 years. But, the people who lease them keep them brightly colored and well painted. 

Since it was so scenic, we had to “assume the position”.

We loved the setting of this industrial smoke stack in the middle of the “Melbourne Central” mall in the the Central Business District (CBD). This mall is over the central train station and was bustling with shoppers.

All the trams in the CBD are free, which truly encourages the use of public transportation — even when the trams advertise Vegemite!

The sun came out as we explored the Great Ocean Road, with the monumental “Twelve Apostles”. 

This is a major tourist attraction — especially among Chinese tourists, who were there in droves.

With the onslaught of Chinese tourists, the Great Ocean Road parks have to deal with the cultural differences. We were surprised to note these tips in the local bathroom stall:

Everywhere we looked we saw beautiful vistas and seascapes. Even though this is a popular attraction, it’s possible to avoid the throngs of tourists and enjoy the setting.

Birds and Animals — Both Tame and Wild

On Phillip Island, we visited the “world famous” Penguin Parade. Yes, you read it right. Every night at dusk, members of this colony of 32,000 little penguins–the smallest penguins in the world–leave the ocean and head up to their beach dwellings–little holes in the sand. As a way to raise funds to preserve their habitat, this National Park charges admission to watch them walk by. We purchased the “Penguin Plus” package … which allowed for more up close and personal viewing. It was quite the scene. The Penguins march by in groups to protect themselves from predators. While we were there, it was “molting season”, so many penguins were quite fat with extra feathers to get ready for the upcoming winter. (Cameras are not allowed–which challenged many of the enthusiastic tourists; the photos below are captured from a postcard.)

On Phillip Island, we stayed at a cool farm. To increase their income, the Bimbadeen family built three pre-fab units on their property to rent to overnight guests. Our unit was well designed and very comfortable.

Outside our kitchen window, lived this darling llama couple.

The farm hosts 300 cattle. At 9:30 am one morning, Jan was tapped to bottle-feed Wellington–a calf who was born a twin; the mum could only cope with one calf. At 9:20 am Wellington was definitely ready for breakfast and made quite a racket until the bottle appeared, and Jan held it in position.

Since we’re in Australia, we also saw kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas. The wallabies are well camouflaged.

And, the koalas, who usually sleep 20 hours per day–as their diet does not provide much fuel for energy–were quite active during our visit to their reserve.

The joke is that the “city bird” of Melbourne is actually the crane, since one visitor who we met recently counted 40 or more cranes lording over the skyline.

Beverages

Wineries abound in Victoria. Many specialize in chardonnay and pinot noir — our favorites!  But, since it has been so hot, many vistas are dry. We’re glad to report that the wine is delicious.

One aspect of Australian life that is more constant than ever-changing is the coffee. The Aussies love their “flat white,” so this is what we ordered on a daily basis. No matter which roadside stop or cafe we patronized, the flat whites were the same–and always delicious.

So, here’s to a “cuppa”. The Aussies are incredibly friendly and generous while the scenery is vibrant and varied. This makes traveling in Victoria a treat. Our next destination is Tasmania.