I just returned from a girls weekend in Healesville, Victoria with two colleagues from work and 3 others. We stayed in a cottage in the woods about 10 km from the nearest town, where the term "town" is somewhat of an overstatement. As we were driving on the windy roads through the woods where the bright headlights were required and the little bars on my cell phone slowly disappeared, scenes from various horror movies flashed through my mind. We finally arrived and made it through the night unscathed. Whew! Good times :)
Being in the middle of nowhere was really amazing. Away from the city, we could see stars!! The night sky is different in the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere. I spotted the famed Southern Cross constellation!
After spending Saturday morning puttering around the shops in Healesville (I found Junior Mints and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups!!!!), we visited a couple of wineries in the area. We attended free tastings at the Yerring Station and Chandon wineries. The area was BEAUTIFUL!!! I kept a lookout for kangaroos bounding around, but apparently they only come out at dawn and dusk.
Just in case you were wondering, kangaroos and koalas are real!!! I learned about these strange marsupials in early elementary school and have always wanted to see one. Having not seen a single member of either species after 7 weeks in the land Down Under, I was beginning to lose faith that they even existed. My faith was restored upon a visit to the Healesville Animal Sanctuary :) The people I was with laughed at me and said I was like a kid in an amusement park bouncing as fast as I could toward to koalas. MY GOODNESS KOALAS ARE ADORABLE! Definitely my new favorite animal. They're nocturnal, so people mostly only see them sleep all day, but a couple were awake and crawling (slowly) around the trees looking for more eucalyptus leaves to munch. They look all cute and cuddly but I hear they're pretty vicious.
Kangaroos are quite possibly the strangest looking animal I have ever seen.
Other fun animals included wombats, flying foxes, and large birds of prey.
On our way home, we stopped at a little cafe in Yarra Glen and I had the best BLT sandwich I've ever had.
I had my first crumpet this weekend. And yes, I had it with tea.
Next weekend: SYDNEY!!!!!!
Interesting Australia fact of the day: Australia is the only country that is allowed to eat their national animal - the kangaroo. They're also allowed to eat the emu, which accompanies the kangaroo on the Australian coat of arms. I think I feel a kangaroo steak coming on....
Listening to: Nickel Creek
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