Look! It’s a Kangaroo! No, it’s a Wallaby!

Today was our first full day in Tasmania, or “Tassie” as the locals call it. We started early in the morning with a stroll through quaint Launceston and then through Cataract Gorge, a lovely trail along the Tamar River.

The gorge is right on the city’s edge, and it’s a wonderfully preserved natural area. While there, we came upon what we thought was a kangaroo and excitedly snapped several photos to show people like you. So you can imagine our disappointment when some locals brushed it off with, “Ah, it’s just a wallaby.”

A what? A quick visit to Wikipedia says wallabies are smaller versions of kangaroos. In some parts of Australia, they’re considered pests. Regardless, it’s not something we see every day in Newbury Park ... and besides, check out her little Joey in the pouch.

We then headed for the Tamar Valley wine region, a journey that was capped with a delightful chat with Shane Holloway, the owner and winemaker at Dalemere Winery. Too bad it’s so cost prohibitive to ship wine home from here ... or we’d be sending pallets.

We’re now relaxing in our home for the night on at Platypus Park Country Retreat, on a farm in Bridport on the north coast. Our hostess Gina Scott has been warm and wonderful.

A few other pix from the day ...

The Cataract Gorge on the edge of Launceston

The view outside Jansz Winery

The view inside Jansz Winery

Bad News ... Good News

The bad news: Our fish and chips tonight cost $36.

The good news: It was the best fish and chips we've had. Ever. In our lives.

And topping it all off was the fact we had the corner table overlooking the Tamar and Esk rivers in Launceston, Tasmania. It was at dusk as the lights on the nearby hill were coming on. In short, it was a memorable Thanksgiving meal.

We've seen some great sights the past couple of days ... here are a few of them.

The longest jetty we've ever seen ... it's in Beachport

A beacon for hikers at Shipwreck Beach ... it's the biggest cairn we've ever seen

The view from the highest canopy walk in the world

Giant ferns on the rainforest floor, taken from the canopy walk

Can you tell we're having a good time?

A close call

For Your Bucket List: The Great Ocean Road

It's called the Great Ocean Road ... and it should be on your Bucket List.

No further commentary.

 

From the Barossa Valley to the South Coast ... and a Kangaroo in Between

We started today with an early bicycle ride in the Barossa Valley ... from Tununda to Nariupta and back again ... with stops for breakfast and tastings at Penfolds and Langmeil.

Then we beelined it to Robe on the south coast, just in time for sunset and a lobster dinner.

Here are the high points:

Eat your hearts out, wine lovers!

She can smile and ride at the same time

The Barossa Valley ... no traffic, no tasting fees, no worries

Our first wild kangaroo siting ... but the li'l feller wouldn't hop for us

There was no one else on our beach in Robe

Tomorrow is the photo-rich Great Ocean Road ... hope you check back.

Our First Day in Australia's Wine Country

We're so thankful for the little graces that are bestowed upon on us from time to time. (OK, always bestowed upon us.)

Like the kind lady at the Wine Institute in Adelaide who said a trip to the local wine region  would not be complete without a visit to the Clare Valley.

So we now have some new favorite wines. Particularly the local rieslings.

Here are some pix. (The light rains we encountered may have dampened some of the colors ... but you'll get the idea).

Our first stop ... at Crabtree Winery ... there's that smile again

 

  

Second stop ... at Kilikinoon

The perfect lunch

The view from Paulet Winery's patio

Impressions of Sydney

While the sights and sounds of Sydney are certainly incredible, it's the friendly and outgoing people who really make it sparkle.

Like Annette and Nick. They didn't know us, but they opened their beautiful home to us and let us swim in their ocean, eat at their wonderful restaurants and simply enjoy their sweet corner of Paradise.

On the patio overlooking Freshwater Beach: Karen and Annette

After leaving Annette and Nick's, we ferried back to Sydney for a day of fun. Instead of writing about it, here are some pix.

We climbed the girders all the way up to the flags. At night. REALLY!

We were like this. Only at dusk

The Southern Hemisphere's largest seafood market

 

Did we tell you we climbed it? This is from our hotel rooftop in The Rocks.

Mesmerizing

 

This was after a glass of wine at the Wine Odyssey

Did we tell you we climbed it?

Leaving our hotel on the way to Adelaide and the Clare and Barossa valleys

Helloooooooooo Sydney!

Well, for not doing very much planning, things sure are starting off great.

We arrived in Sydney, trained to the harbor, ferried to Manly (past the Opera House), strolled the delightful town, and then were picked up by one of Karen's Roots and Shoots colleagues and taken to her home overlooking Freshwater Bay.

Only one word can describe our accommodations: Wow.

We're on a cliff, only a five-minute walk to the spectacular beach. Of course we took the stroll and partook of a dip in the Pacific. The very warm Pacific.

One of the benefits of traveling to the Southern Hemisphere is going back on Daylight Savings Time ... the sun comes up at 5:30 a.m. and stays up until after 8 p.m.

Instead of boring you with words, here are some pix from the day.

This is us on Manly Beach

Self explanatory

Another one of those smiles

 They must've heard Brad was coming

 

On the stroll back from dinner ... 45 minutes along the ocean

The view at sunrise from our patio

  

 More to come.

Whenever we're at the Tom Bradley Terminal, we know good stuff is happening

Nothing beats hanging around an airport for three hours ... but at least it's Karen's most favorite terminal on Earth: the Tom Bradley Terminal at LAX. Whenever she walks into it, she knows she's going to get some new stamps in her passport. And whenever she has to pass it on the way to a dingy ol' domestic terminal, she pouts that she's not going on a "real" adventure.


Actually, there was a little of bit of excitment in the security area tonight. There was a sea of a couple hundred people lined up for the X-ray machines, when all of a sudden a TSA officer yelled at the top of her lungs something that sounded like "Holler!"

Then all the officers told everyone to stand perfectly still. Anyone who moved was reminded to keep still. After a couple minutes of a couple officers walking around, there came the "all clear" signal.

We have a ritual of taking a photo in an airport lounge of Karen drinking tea or hot chocolate before the Big Adventure begins. This time, it's a glass of ice water. The smile says it all.

We're poking fun at ourselves for the fact that we have done even less planning for this trip than usual (we're famous for making a hotel reservation for the first night only, then filling in the itinerary as we go). little actual planning for this trip. But last night we made plans for Thursday night: walking to the top of Sydney Harbour Bridge at dusk while wearing jumpsuits  tethered to the girders.... we should have some good photos to share with you in just a couple of days.

Cheers.