Socceroos

Australia's national soccer team, the Socceroos, were in town on the 17th June to take on Japan. Although both teams had already qualified for the World Cup, this game would be the deciding factor in the rankings for going into the Cup so it was bound to be an exciting match. Maria joined us for the action and, after filling up on yummy pasta from Pellegrini's, we were off to the MCG for a night of action!
The game lived up to expectations with plenty of action and a goal to Japan in the first half. It took us quite a while to remember all the soccer rules, but we were ready when the second half started and cheered loudly with the home crowd as Tim Cahill led the team to a comeback victory in the second half!

Bula! Bula!

Before Carmen and Heidi left to return to the States, we had one more adventure to share. We had wanted to take them up to see the third Australian icon - the Great Barrier Reef - as they have seen Uluru and the Sydney Opera House. However, during our planning we found that it was quite pricey to organise a weekend up near the reef so instead we decided on a more economical and even more exotic destination - Fiji!

After work/school on Tuesday we had a lovely dinner at Isthmus of Kra, which is a Thai restaurant across the street from apartment that we've been meaning to try for ages (it was beautiful!), and then we were off to the airport for a red-eye flight to Nadi, Fiji. We had planned to sleep on the flight and wake up refreshed on a tropical island...little did we know that most parents of small children also feel that the overnight flight has better odds for having their child sleep through the flight. Unfortunately for us, with those odds we were bound to have at least one screamer, and screamed she did for a minimum of 30 minutes straight - it was miserable.

We finally arrived in Nadi at 6am to the sun rising and were wisked away by a taxi to our resort. Along the way it was fun to see the kids heading off to school and the local folks walking to work. We also noted the sugar cane was almost ready to harvest and our driver filled us in on the damage from the major floods that occurred late last year. Once at the resort we checked in, booked the tours we wanted to do during our stay, and then got right down to relaxing (after a tropical breakfast of course!)

We spent most of our first day in Fiji sleeping in the shade of palm trees, reading, and wading in the pool when we got a bit too warm - it was rough! Then that evening we got dressed up for a traditional Fijian dinner experience. Even though we did not get what we expected (we traveled over an hour by bus followed by an hour by boat to get to our destination, only to find out that we were at a backpackers hostel and the kava welcoming ceremony was more like a round of shots at the bar) it was a very interesting experience with wonderful food and dancing. The Fijians traditionally use a lovo or earth oven and that night they cooked us a few types of potatoes, spinach cooked with coconut milk, veggies, and meat. The food really was lovely and we decided it was better than the hangi we had in Rotorua and the luau we went to in Maui. Also, once they had removed all of the food from the oven they had fire walkers that danced on the coals! After dinner there was dancing, dancing, and more dancing. All beautiful and some so amazing - the fire dancers were especially awesome as they twirled firey batons through the air!

Day 2 in Fiji brought us an island adventure. We were up early to grab muffins and coffees before we were wisked away to the marina and we boarded a catamaran that took us out to Mana Island, where we spent a beautiful day. When we got there Josh and Kristi headed out diving while Carmen and Heidi took a ride on a sub-sea vessel to have a look around and then went snorkeling to get up close and personal. We met up for lunch and then Josh was off for a second round of diving while the girls did a beach photo-shoot and then went for another snorkel before relaxing with their books. On the catamaran ride back to the main island we sat on the top level and were treated with a most spectacular sunset, it was such a treat! After getting cleaned up we went to one of the restaurants at our resort and ate a wonderful meal while running our toes through the sand!

For our third and final day in Fiji we opted to hire a driver for the morning to take us to the sites in and around Nadi. It took our driver, Ali, a bit to warm up to us but by the time the tour was over we were great pals! We started out our day at a very colourful Hindu temple, the largest in the southern hemisphere. Then we admired Raymond Burr's magnificent orchid collection at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant. We visited the village of Viseisei, which is home to Fiji's current president and is said to be the first Fijian settlement. Apparently a Methodist Missionary and Naval Captain from Seattle, Washington is given credit for converting the native people from their warring and canabalistic ways. Still today Fijians in the villages are required to attend the Methodist church regularly, and we were told that the minister will seek out anyone who is absent. After leaving the village we spent time at a massive fruit and veg market in Lautoka. We only stuck out a *little bit* but it was facinating to see all of the fresh produce and watch the locals. Ali was great about helping us pick out the best fruits and trying to make sure we got the best deal. Before heading back to the resort, we took a side trip to one of Ali's friends sugarcane fields so we could try ripe sugarcane straight from the source, and then we picked up some local take-away for lunch. It was a great time and Ali really went above and beyond to be sure we had the best Fijian experience we could!

Our final afternoon in Fiji was spent picnicing, swimming, sunbathing and reading, having tropical drinks in the pool, fighting ants that found our sugarcane, watching the sunset - and overall enjoying being in the tropics as we knew we were headed back to Melbourne winter all too soon. That night we had an adventure trying all of the fruits and cakes we bought from the market, and in the end we headed out for a light dinner as there were definitely some things we bought that weren't our favourite ;) And one more dinner with our feet in the sand wouldn't hurt us!

Saturday morning we were up early and on the plane. We had to fly back to Melbourne via Sydney so it was a long day of travel and we finally made it home around 4pm. We put on our running shoes and were off for one last run with Heidi before dinner. It was so cold compared to Fiji that a hearty Greek meal at Stavros Tavern with it's cozy warm atmosphere was just the ticket for their last meal in Melbourne! After mad unpacking and repacking the morning came all too soon, and then we were back at the airport to send Carmen and Heidi back to the States. It was a whirl-wind adventure, but it was great fun!!!

God Save the Queen

In honour of the Queen's Birthday on 8th June (and the long weekend we receive because of that), and to continue travels with Carmen and Heidi, we made a last minute decision to spend a couple of days up in the Yarra Valley. We were fortunate to find a quaint accommodation still available in Healesville so we were right in the middle of wine country. Although we have taken various day trips up to the Yarra this was the first time we actually stayed there, and that allowed us to experience even more of what the area has to offer.

The weekend got off to a bit of a rocky start...Saturday morning we had our final long run before our upcoming marathon (3 hours, half of which Carmen and Heidi joined us for to help pass the time - THANK YOU!!!), but that only began after Josh finished up a conference call from 5am-9am. Following the run it took us a bit to get packed up and showered, and after some effort finally we had everything the flexicar and ready to go - only to find out the battery was flat! Josh waited an hour for RACV roadside assistance while the rest of the crew walked to breakfast at Cafe Gaia. The very late breakfast was lovely for the girls, but by the time Josh had the car sorted he was just ready to hit the road. Needless to say, by the time we arrived in Healesville there wasn't much daylight left so we did a bit of window shopping and then got ready for dinner.

After that rough day we were pleasantly surprised and thankful to be treated to an amazing dinner at Restaurant 3777 at Mt Rael Retreat. Upon our arrival we were greeted by attentive staff, a warm fire and a bottle of bubbley, and it only got better from there! The food and wine were absolutely delicious and it was an all-around great evening!

Sunday morning started with a (much shorter) run followed by a yummy breakfast (at breakfast time) at the Red Shed Cafe. Then we were ready for a full day of wine tasting! We went to some new spots and some old favourites, including - Warramate, Punt Road, Oakridge, Morgan's Dixons Creek Estate, and Kiltynane. We also took time for a break in the afternoon to go to Yarra Valley Dairy for a taste of cheese :) After some relaxing at our accommodation we headed to dinner at the highly regarded Healesville Hotel, which has won many awards in the past couple of years. It was a nice dinner...although all of us concluded we'd recommend Mt. Rael first.

Monday brought a grey and rainy day so we pottered around Healesville a bit, had some breakfast, and then headed back into Melbourne. We did justice shopping on Smith Street and then headed home to unpack, sort, and repack for our trip to Fiji (stories and pictures coming soon)!

Wilson's Prom Lighthouse Trek

The last weekend in May was the end of Ed and Myra's visit to Australia and the start of Carmen and Heidi's - so to commemorate the occasion we decided to get out of Melbourne and head for Wilson's Promontory, a nearby national park and host to some amazing bushwalking. We had been there before and scoped out the options, the key find being the Wilson's Prom Lighthouse where bunks and cooking facilities were provided so you didn't have to haul as much gear with you down the trail. We thought it was a perfect option and booked in for an overnight stay. We packed Heidi and Carmen into the car soon after they touched down in Melbourne and met Ed and Myra down at the park after they had toured country Victoria and New South Wales for a week. Everyone was fairly tired, but knew that a good nights sleep would help with the next days walk so it was off to bed.

Saturday morning brought some scattered clouds but no rain (luckily) and before long we were dividing up food, water and backpacks and hitting the trail. Wilson's Prom was hit with fires this past summer and walking down the trail there was not only a lot of blackened trees, but many with new growth and sprouts as the autumn has provided rejuvinating rain to the area. The traditional owners of the area have used fire for many thousands of years to manage the forest and grasslands, so the burn last summer was nothing that the area hadn't seen before. Many plants actually looked more green and vibrant as the fire provided lots of nutrients back into the earth and cleared away some of the competing plant species. We followed the old telegraph track most of the way to the lighthouse, with a stop near the 'Roaring Meg' stream for lunch among the gum trees. After lunch the group split as Ed and Myra chose to continue straight to the lighthouse while the rest of us couldn't pass up an opportunity to see the southern-most point of mainland Australia. At the time the additional 8k round-trip didn't seem too bad and the views were quite amazing; however, once we were back at Roaring Meg with another 7k to go until the lighthouse we weren't quite so sure. The final portion of the trail to the Lighthouse was amazing, coming from high on the mainland down a small jut of land near the water and then ascending up to the rocks around the lighthouse in a breathtakingly short amount of time. The end of the trail was all the more exciting in that we were racing the sunset and needed to get to the lighthouse before dark as we only had one headlamp between the four of us! Thankfully it didn't take long and we did beat the sunset (barely) and had quickly taken off boots and bags and huddled up by the fireplace to catch up with Ed and Myra and relax for the evening.

The following morning brought beautiful sunshine and blue skies for our walk back to the car. We had decided the night before that we were going to take an alternate route for the way back, mainly so that we could see some new sights and also as a way of avoiding some particularly challenging stretches of climbing that we'd enjoyed on the way in to the lighthouse. Ed and Myra set off to blaze the trail with the rest of us trailing behind to take pictures and finish last-minute packing. The return trip brought us through marvelous rainforest with many ferns and another older area of bushfire where the trees had mainly recovered. Our lunch stop was just off a gorgeous white sand beach before we turned inland to join with the telegraph line again.

For being just 3hrs away from Melbourne it was very peaceful and quiet - after leaving the lighthouse we didn't see anyone until we were back at the carpark 22 kilometers later! It was a very beautiful walk and it was fun to be able to spend such a large amount of quality time with family. There's nothing like walking 50 kilometers in two days to bring a family together. It was a great experience and we have plenty of pictures to prove it - folks wouldn't have been smiling as much if it wasn't a good time!