Flordhy and Geoffrey do Oz!

Flordhy and Geoffrey landed in Sydney while I was working so they made their way to the AirBnB and I counted down the minutes until I could leave work. It was so exciting to go and see them in their cosy little studio apartment! We went straight out for a drink in our local, the Steyne Hotel! Annoyingly, Matt was working until 8pm every night that week so he could only join us for the meal. We headed to the Jellyfish that night and managed to be the last table in there as they cleaned up around us! I gave Flordhy and Geoffrey a strict meeting time for the next morning (Matt said I was a bit bossy) and we parted ways for the night.
In the morning I picked them up from their apartment and we walked to the ferry wharf in Manly. We watched the ferry come in and when we got on we

made a bee line for the outdoor seats at the front of the ferry. This is the best way to see Sydney for the first time. After about 15 minutes, you come round the headland and the bridge and opera house appear and you cruise into the harbour with one icon on either side. Once we arrived, we went for a wander around the botanical gardens and then I delivered them to The Sydney Tower for their 3-course lunch in the revolving restaurant (our Christmas present for them). We reconvened in the evening for drinks by the wharf followed by tapas for dinner.
The next day we got back on the ferry over to circular quay where Flordhy and I dropped Geoffrey off to do his Bridge Climb. Because the whole experience takes 3 hours, we got on another ferry to the North Sydney Olympic Pool where were cooled off with a swim and then soaked up the sun looking up at the harbour bridge and wondering which of the tiny ant people could be Goeffrey. We met him afterwards sporting his jazzy new bridge climb cap and shared a couple of pizzas while we watched the ferries coming and going from circular quay. After this, we headed back to Manly. That evening, we went to a restaurant called Ripples right next to the water and below the harbour bridge.
On Saturday I left Flordhy and Geoffrey to their own devices while I went to work. They decided to spend a few hours on Shelly beach but were slightly put off swimming by the nasty Blue Bottle Jellyfish – not deadly but very painful

stingers. Later on in the afternoon they walked all the way down Manly beach to our crib in Queenscliff. I showed them around and we had drinks in our little garden. Flordhy and Geoffrey tried out our ‘chillazy’ chairs and the reviews were outstanding! In the evening we had a meal in Manly which Matt joined us for when he finished work.
On Sunday morning we set off to the airport to catch a flight to Melbourne. When we arrived in Melbourne the first thing on the agenda was lunch and I remembered one of the laneways Matt and I had been to that was packed with cafes. So we got the free city tram, which runs around the edge of the city, found a great café where we could sit outside to have our lunch and then checked out Federation Square before heading back to the hotel for a swim in their pool! That evening (Valentines Day) we went down to the Southbank and had a lovely, romantic meal for 3.
In the morning, we decided to check out the park just by our hotel so we had a walk around the gardens and came across the Melbourne Museum. We went in to investigate and found out that over 60s can get in for free which was a win! After an educational wander around the museum we decided to head back into the city and found a lunch spot just by the river. Using the old city tram, we made our way back to the hotel for an afternoon swim and chill. In the evening, we met up with Jo Mitton for dinner in the meatball and wine bar – my favourite place!! Flordhy and I shared a couple of dishes while Geoff and Jo did the same so we ended up having almost every option on the menu!
The next morning it was time to begin the next chapter in Flordhy and

Geoffrey’s Oz extravaganza – the motorhome! Soon to be named Jake. So we turned up at the depot to pick up our home for the next 4 nights and I tried really hard to learn how it all works but inevitably I concentrated too much on looking like I was listening to actually take much of it in. Anyway, we set off hoping for the best and came across our first challenge when we had to actually park it at a Coles supermarket. Turns out Jake swallows up at least 2 car parking spaces. We then hit the road again in the direction of Philip Island with the excitement of seeing penguins that evening. When we arrived at the nature reserve, we met our guide for the evening and were kitted up with headphones and none other than… a chillazy! He told us all kinds of information about these penguins as we walked down to the edge of the beach. We then sat on a platform (this is where the chillazy really comes into its own) and waited for the penguins to appear. I didn’t know quite what to expect but what followed exceeded my expectations by far. As we watched the waves rolling in we would see some ripples on the water and then suddenly a group of penguins would start popping up to the surface. They got washed into the beach and then waddled up the rocks to find their ways to their burrows for the night. Some of the groups had as many as 70-80 penguins. After about 15 minutes of watching them pop up from the sea and waddle onto the sand, our guide took us to “penguin highway”. This is one of the most common paths

they take to their burrows. So from less than a metre away, we watched a constant flow of penguins waddling along this path towards their burrows. Some were so fat from all the fish they had caught that they kept falling over onto their bellies. It was incredible being so close to them in their natural habitat and experiencing their daily routine. I desperately wanted to take one home, but I settled for a soft toy from the gift shop.
The next day we started our road trip for real and spent a good 5 hours driving to what the guide book described as ‘bustling Bairnsdale’. All I can say is that we did not witness any bustle. On the way here, we took a detour into Wilsons Promontory where we got out to investigate one of the beaches called Whisky Bay. It was amazing scenery and we were lucky enough to have the entire place almost to ourselves. Safe to say that we were all very much content. When we did arrive in Bairnsdale, we decided to go out for some food because we were all quite tired from the journey and of course we were under the impression that it was going to be bustling. So we went to a Chinese restaurant recommended by the receptionist at our holiday park. No bustle to be found here as we were the only table in the whole place for the majority of our meal!
In the morning we set off in search of Eden, our next destination. Our first

stop off was an amazing look out at ‘Lakes Entrance’. Well worth getting out of the car for, the view blew our minds. We then continued on our road trip and took a scenic coastal route via a place called Marlo. Here, we sat on the veranda of a pub eating lunch and admiring the serene view of Snowy river meeting the sea. Once again we felt completely content. After this, we stopped at a few more points on our way to Eden. One highlight was seeing two giant goannas cruising around a picnic sight where some French travellers were trying to enjoy a picnic lunch. They asked if we knew whether they were dangerous or not – at this point I wasn’t sure but their sheer size and menacing swagger was enough to make me feel very nervous. A few minutes later, a ranger from the national park happened to come by so we thought she would reassure us. I think her exact words were “You should be alright… unless they run straight at you”. What an absurd response – what if they do run at you?! So we showed them a healthy respect and observed them at a safe distance making sure that the car was unlocked in case we needed to make a run for it! Buzzing from this wildlife sighting, we continued on our journey and finally made it to Eden – our most luxurious night where we had our own private toilet and shower next to Jake!
On Saturday we continued up the coast passing through some amazingly tiny villages, such as tilba tilba – so good they named it twice. We came to a place called Batemans Bay where we shared a couple of pizzas and enjoyed the view – this time of a man sleeping on the end of a pier (not even awoken by a ferry arriving) and a group of about 6 pelicans showing off their ridiculously massive beaks. After this we made our way to Jervis Bay, one of may favourite places in Australia. We went to Murray’s beach first, one of the more beautiful spots in Booderee National Park. The beach was looking incredible but the highlights were seeing a snake on the side of the path and the back end of an echidna scurrying into the bushes. Then we decided to find our campsite which was trickier than expected – it was a bit more rough and ready than the holiday parks we had been staying at. Luckily, a friendly park ranger helped us find our spot, just as it began to pour with rain. Staying in a National Park was incredibly cool, although we were slightly nervous of spiders and snakes every time we went to the loo!
In the morning we went for a walk along Hyams beach – a beautiful stretch of white sand and turquoise sea. We then set off on our last road trip day back to Sydney. We decided to take a scenic route again which looked like just a slight detour on the map. As it turned out we had to tackle hairpin bends on a steep climb up into the mountains. Not easy for Jake, the size of a bus. But we made it up to the top and stopped for some lunch by an amazing waterfall. After his uphill struggle, he managed to take us all the way back to Sydney. We then turned up to Flordhy and Geoffrey’s very posh hotel looking just a little bit scruffy from our road trip. I think we got away with it though. After a quick wash and brush up (in a bathroom so smart it had a heated loo seat) we went out for a lovely Italian meal with Kim. It was great to catch up over this side of the globe.
Matt and I both had the next 2 days off work so the four of us made the most of Sydney in the glorious sunshine. We took the ferry to Watsons Bay, where we swam in the calm, clear waters. We then had lunch there with a bucket of coronas! Then we got the bus to Bondi Beach where we each had a mandatory gelati and then spent the rest of the afternoon lazing on the beach (well 3 of us lazed while Matt rented a surf board to show off his new skills). We had a bite to eat at Bondi Icebergs with Mandy and Barry and then took our chillazy chairs to the outdoor cinema overlooking

the beach where we watched ‘The Big Short’. On Tuesday we took the ferry to Taronga Zoo, where we saw the giraffes with their luxury view of the harbour bridge and a surprisingly good seal show.
Wednesday was their last day in Sydney so in the morning we all went to Balmoral Beach, another chilled spot with crystal clear water to swim in. We grabbed a quick lunch before I had to head off to work for the afternoon. Left to their own devices, Flordhy and Geoffrey went to the Opera house for a tour and then spent all of their remaining dollars in the gift shop. We had a fantastic last evening together at the Opera Bar before waving goodbye from the ferry as we made our way back to Manly and they went back to their hotel for their last night of luxury. ‘Parents in Oz’ rocked the most.