summer australian travels 2016.

So far, having a baby hasn't stopped us from taking some pretty big trips, both internationally and domestically. This summer (or winter, depending on where you are!) we got to cross two cities off our "Australian travel" list: Sydney in December, and Perth over the New Year holiday.

our little jet-setter at the airport.

For a more in-depth read about our travels, here are Ben's blog posts for Sydney and Perth. For a less well-thought-out perspective, read on:

Sydney

Sydney and Melbourne have one of those ongoing city rivalries (much like Seattle vs. Portland, I guess? or Boston vs. New York? Gotham vs. Metropolis?) and are always vying for the "Best Australian City" title. So, as a resident of Melbourne, I will choose my words carefully.

Sydney was pretty cool.

Granted, we were only there for a few days and did mostly touristy stuff near the harbour, but we had a wonderful time. I have a weakness for iconic skylines, and Sydney definitely has one of those. Between the opera house, harbour bridge, the tower, and beautiful water everywhere - there's a cool view to see in every direction.

cool view #1

cool view #2

cool view #3: from the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Both the Tauranga Zoo and the Royal Botanic Garden had much to offer in terms of animals and plants, and also had beautiful views of the city skyline. I'd definitely recommend those.

We were a bit spoiled during this trip, because my mom came with us and helped out a lot with Arden. She took her during the earlier mornings (adjoining hotel rooms for the win!) and babysat while Ben and I took some walks alone - once across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and an evening stroll to see the waterfront at night.

Sydney has a beautiful waterfront and iconic landmarks - I'm glad we made the trip, and would love to make another one in the future!

Perth

Fun fact: Perth is a big part of why we got married. Seriously.

We had been dating for around two years in 2011, when Ben's job sent him to the world's second most isolated city for a month. When he came back, we had this conversation:

Ben: "I had a great time in Perth! Australia is so cool. I really want to live there, maybe for a few years. And I really want you to come with me."
Candice: "Sounds good to me! But you know that won't fly with my ultra-conservative parents. They're going to want us to get married." (I later confirmed this with them.)
Ben: "..."

 And there you have it. Pretty romantic, right?

One of our daily Skype calls while Ben was in Perth in 2011. He was showing me the blue Australian sky. 

But hey, here we are - married and living abroad in Australia! Everyone wins, sort of.

Our week in Perth was enough time for us to see the touristy stuff, some not-as-touristy stuff, and I even got to spend a few hours by the pool while Ben gave the baby a nap.

the glass bridge in Kings Park

"but Perth, let me take a selfie" - haha I'M SO CLEVER. clever Kortlever. you don't get it? that's ok.

Highlights included Kings Park, Fremantle, and the Perth Zoo. Similar to Sydney's Tauranga Zoo, we arrived at this zoo via ferry ride, which is always a magical start to any visit. We loved the creative nature-y layout, and during our visit we saw a lot of awesome animals in awake and alert states - including a mother and twin baby pygmy marmosets. OH MY CUTENESS. I don't have a photo because I was too busy taking a video (which you can see here at 1:04).

We dedicated a day to visiting Rottnest Island, a prime destination for Perth tourists. Going to Rotto requires a really bumpy boat ride not for the faint of heart - on both trips, the crew person handing out barf bags mid-voyage kept falling on top of people seated near the aisle, so that was fun.

family photo on Rottnest

Anyway, Rottnest had beautiful views and adorable quokkas. We did some biking, which was a lot of fun (and it brought back fond memories of my childhood and how much I used to love biking until I kept falling and scraping my knees and tearing holes in my favourite pants). But for two days after our biking adventure, my thighs were on FIRE even though we didn't really do any massive hills. I'm getting older, I guess.

"is that fire I smell?"

Perth was a wonderful trip and a great way to start 2017. I can see why Ben loved his time there five years ago, but I'm glad his job ultimately brought him to Melbourne.

quintessential "LOOK AT ME I WANDERLUST" photo op

Travelling with a baby is a bit different than travelling without one, I'll just say that. There's the obvious: packing more food/books/diapers/plush friends; figuring out sleeping arrangements for a baby that hates all sleeping arrangements; having to be a lot more flexible with the daily itinerary in case of, well, everything. But for me, the biggest difference is that I don't enjoy myself as much during the trip - rather, I enjoy the fond memories afterwards, basking in accomplishment and relief at the end of the day.

Flying with Arden was challenging when she was an infant, but toddlers are a different thing altogether - mostly because they're more mobile and a lot louder and more opinionated. Arden had a few fantastic meltdowns during some of the flights, and has yet to be completely lured by the entertainment screens or bribery.

I really hope Arden is a better flyer in a few months, because she and I are going to Manila in May for my grandmother's 100th birthday, and I'll be flying alone with her on the way there! My mother is flying back to Melbourne with us (for her fourth visit... !), so we've got some more fun adventures to look forward to soon.

CK