Kari & Jen's Awesome Aussie Adventures: March 2009

Things continue to go well in the Land Down Under! Jen is now employed and has the easiest possible commute to work. She walks about 7 min to get to her job at a print shop where she has been working for a little over a week as a graphic designer. There's nothing like getting a paycheck!

We've been having fun adventures on the weekends including attending the Mardi Gras parade a few weeks ago, celebrating Kat's birthday last weekend, and visiting a wildlife center with lots of kangaroos, wallabies, emus, dingos, and wombats yesterday with our friend Adam who so graciously drove us over an hour north of Sydney.

We are planning a trip to the Blue Mountains in a few weeks for my birthday which we are very much looking forward to. And there is talk of a weekend getaway for Easter since it's a 4-day public holiday over here with offices closed on Good Friday as well as Easter Monday. It should be a fun-filled month!

I was finally able to upload the skydiving video from last month in Cairns, so enjoy!

Mardi Gras parade with Kat and Adam

Kat's b-day party required a costume so we came as birthday fairies!
(Another homemade costume.)

The ladies of the party.

Jen and a wallaroo. (A combo of a wallaby and a kangaroo.)

Me with a red kangaroo

A dingo that did not eat a baby

A wallaby with a baby in its pouch!

Jen and me on a big rock

An emu

A kangaroo with a joey in its pouch!

Jen and Adam inside a rock

We had an absolute blast w/ our visitors! As predicted, there was lots of laughter and LOTS of picture taking. All combined, there were well over 2,000 photos taken!!

We started off our adventures touring Sydney and taking advantage of the great weather. We checked out the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Botanical Gardens, Bondi Beach, and took a day trip to Hunter Valley, a wine region a few hours north.

We then flew to Cairns and went scuba diving, snorkeling, and enjoyed the day-long boating experience at the Great Barrier Reef. We then went skydiving (everyone jumped out of a plane except Hayley and her mom who went white water rafting instead) and got a great adrenaline rush. We then took a day trip to the rainforest where we saw lots of cool waterfalls, big, old trees, and a few wildlife creatures.

We then set off to Melbourne where we took yet another all-day trip, this time to check out the Great Ocean Road. It was gorgeous, as predicted! And the weather continued to stay great for us which is always a bonus for good photos! The following day we took it easy and walked around the city and enjoyed not being on a bus tour!

We eventually made it back to Sydney where we enjoyed our last night w/ Meredith, Hayley and her mom. Heidi and Heather stayed a few extra days so one day we went to the Rocks Markets and did some shopping before going to a wine tasting in Hyde Park. The next day we took a 3-4 mile coastal walk along the beach and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. On their last full day, Heidi and I did the Harbour Bridge Climb and had amazing views of the city from all angles. We then met Jen and Heather for a picnic in the Botanical Gardens and had a photo shoot in front of the bridge and then had another photo shoot later in the evening in the gingham room at the local pub in Paddington. So many pictures were taken in their last few hours!!

Here are just a few pictures to whet your appetite for Australia! And they don't even do it justice...

ATL Ladies