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

seymour.

Back in 2014, we did a lot of traveling to small towns around Victoria. Mostly for work - Ben's job took him all around the state for a few weeks at a time, and I was able to follow him around, exploring and documenting. We stayed in places like Shepparton, Donald, Portland, Penshurst, Metung, Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale, and Geelong, and on the weekends we were able to visit amazing areas like Cape Bridgewater, Mount Gambier, the Buchan Caves, Raymond Island, and Grampians National Park. Some of these locations were more picturesque than others, but all in all - I love exploring small Australian towns.

This month, Ben was scheduled to spend a week in Seymour - about a 1.5 hour drive from Melbourne. It was actually his suggestion that we come along. Arden has a lot of trouble settling to sleep without her Dada (a welcome change from the first year of her life, when it was mostly Mama doing the night-settling!), and he didn't want to leave her for a full week. "Plus, I'd miss you guys too much," he insisted. I swear I'm not making this up.

visiting Dada at work

Our hotel! Just kidding. It's an old jail, preserved for historical purposes.

I really enjoyed our time in Seymour. It's located on the banks of the Goulburn river, a beautiful spot. Along the river is an easy trail that spans 4.5 km, which was perfect for my morning runs with Arden in her stroller.

Trail jogging.

Arden is 100% walking now, so it's really fun to take her to children's parks - which Seymour had plenty of. There were a few small ones scattered throughout town, a fun park by the old black vintage train near the Seymour train station, and a really cool one at the Goulburn River Tourist Park that had lots of fun play equipment including a baby climbing wall. Of course, Arden had no interest in most of it. Her current favourite park activity is grabbing a bunch of woodchips and throwing them up in the air. But it makes her very happy!

Sprinkled around Seymour are tanks and a helicopter on display, mostly as part of a Vietnam war memorial, and also due to its location near a large Australian army base. The Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk is a curved wall of names and photographs, and is reportedly the only one of its kind in Australia dedicated to Vietnam veterans. I really appreciate and enjoy visiting all of the war memorials found in Australia's towns, and this one was especially creative and powerful.

the Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk

Seymour has a few quaint art galleries, which I enjoyed walking through during one of Arden's naps. The gallery at the old post office features works from Australian artists, most of them for sale. Across the street is the Seymour Art Society, a gallery located in an old courthouse.

Pioneer Park is an old cemetery, featuring large headstones from long, long ago. It's located in a quiet and peaceful area, with a dirt path meandering around clusters of graves and memorial stones.

this headstone caught my attention - a three-year old boy, memorialised by his grieving parents in the 1800's.

a memorial dedicated to the pioneers of Seymour

I also happened to pass by Victoria's Tidiest Street in 1997 and 1998. This alone made the trip to Seymour worth it.

Agriculture is big in Seymour, and we saw a few farm animals in peoples' yards - mostly sheep, and one adorable little horse. I pointed them out to Arden, who is beginning to enjoy animals that aren't puppies or seagulls. We also saw many cockatoos, and heard even more of them - particularly at 6am on the dot every morning as they gathered above our hotel room. It would have been a terrible wake-up call (cockatoos are very loud), except Arden was very much awake (yet sleep-deprived) by 6am, so it made no difference to us.

Around the main city area are various metal sculptures to accompany a few landmarks (a judge by the courthouse, a policeman by the police station, etc.). My favourite was this koala and cockatoo by the Goulburn River walk.

One of my Australian friends highly recommended Gaffney's Pie Kitchen to me, and I wasn't disappointed. (These aren't dessert pies though - meat pies are an iconic Australian cuisine.) During our visit I had two vegetarian pies here and they were pretty amazing. Ben enjoyed a few of the meat pies as well. And Arden's review after a few bites of mine? "YUMMYYY. YUMMYYY."

One week was enough time to get a good taste of Seymour and experience many of the town's highlights. It's a fun area - I especially loved the gorgeous walking trails, and the art (both gallery works and public sculptures). I'm glad Ben asked me to come along on the trip, as I've missed my little small-town Australian adventures. Exploring (and traveling in general) is a bit different with a toddler in tow, but it's still manageable. Arden has always loved being out and about in her baby carrier, so she enjoyed the change of scenery as well as seeing the various animals, parks and beautiful views.

Thanks for a great time, Seymour! Perhaps we'll be back soon to see more... ;)

CK

Perth!

Perth skyline

When the company I was working for in Seattle merged with a company based in Australia in 2010, I immediately dreamed about the opportunity to travel to Australia for work. I had always wanted to visit, but the thought of going for a longer trip (and having my company pay for it) was a very appealing proposition. Just over 5 years ago work offered to send me to Australia for a month and I finally got my chance to travel to the number one destination all visitors to Australia long to go… Perth (considered by some to be the most isolated capital city in the world)! Seriously though, my time in Perth was filled with so many great memories and being my first introduction to Australia, it was a place I longed to visit again and experience with Candice so she could understand why I decided to move us out here in the first place.

my first trip to Perth in 2011!

After three years in Melbourne and travelling to a few other places like Adelaide and Sydney, we finally decided to use the time I have off over the holidays to visit Perth. I planned a lot of our trip beforehand to ensure we would see all the places I loved visiting during my first trip, but since we had a whole week there it allowed us time to explore some new places as well. One of the places I missed during my first trip (though I have no idea how) was Kings Park, which is a massive area of parkland, native bushland and botanic gardens. Situated on Mount Eliza with stunning views of the Swan River and CBD, we spent most of the day exploring and taking in the views from the war memorial and the awesome glass elevated walkway. Kings Park is by far the best botanic garden we have visited in Australia, and a must-see for any visitors to Perth.

glass bridge (official name: Lotterywest Federation Walkway) in Kings Park

Another new area we visited was South Perth and the Perth Zoo, to take advantage of our free entry for being Melbourne Zoo members. It also allowed us to take in the sights of the city from the river, as we had to take a ferry to get to the zoo. The zoo itself is really nice, and has a cool layout which makes it feel more natural and less like a zoo. The animals were very active while we were there, which always helps too. The last new area we visited was East Perth, specifically Claisebrook Cove, which is a little area of fancy houses/apartments and hip/trendy restaurants and bars.

The area I spent most of my time during my last trip to Perth was the town of Fremantle, located about a 30-minute train ride south of the city. It has a really cool artsy/hipster vibe with a lot of old historic buildings and the Fremantle Markets, which are a tiny version of the Queen Victoria Markets we have in Melbourne. It’s also right on the water, so has great views of the ocean and surrounding islands. It wasn’t quite as lively as I remember, or perhaps my memory is tainted after living in Melbourne, but we still had a great time visiting the markets, getting lunch with my co-worker at Little Creatures Brewery and walking by the water.

on the train to Fremantle!

iconic Dingo Flour sign

Elizabeth Quay, located on the Swan River and south edge of the CBD, has changed a lot in 5 years. There is an entirely new man-made cove with restaurants and a cool footbridge, and it made the area a lot more appealing to visit. The Bell Tower is now partially obscured by new high rise apartments being built in the area, which is a real shame, as it’s such an iconic symbol of the Perth skyline I remember.

the bell tower in 2011...

...and the bell tower in 2017!

I also took Candice and Arden to Cottesloe Beach, which has a nice boardwalk along the ocean and lots of beautiful sandy beaches. One thing about Melbourne, the beaches near the city aren’t great. Sure they’re better than the Washington State beaches, but that isn’t saying much. Western Australia is known for its beaches and while Cottesloe is touristy and not as nice as the beaches farther out from the city, it is still an excellent beach with white sand and warm water. We didn’t swim since we aren’t huge fans of sharks, but it was great to walk around and soak up some sunshine.

The highlight of the trip, and my return to Perth, was a trip out to Rottnest Island. Rotto (as the locals call it) is a 30-minute boat ride from Freemantle across one of the roughest seas in the world, and we got to experience the joys of that during our crossing. Thankfully I managed not to throw up. Similar to Mackinac Island in Michigan, Rottnest is an island where cars are mostly prohibited and everyone rides bikes around. For being relatively small, the island has a lot of variation in scenery, from tropical white sand beaches to rugged cliffs to dry salt plains. My last trip to Rottnest was all about riding to the far end of the island to see as much as I could see, but this time our schedule was a lot different since we had a baby to think about. That said, we still managed to put in a few kms on our bikes and I was able to show Candice a lot of the scenery the island has to offer. It was a bit freaky riding a bike with Arden on my back in her ergocarrier, and not at all comfortable, but it was worth it to experience the beauty of the island.

Rottnest is also one of the only places in Australia to see quokkas in the wild. Quokkas are adorable marsupials about the size of a house cat, and they are found all over Rottnest. Since Rottnest is such a tourist destination, and tourists love feeding wildlife, the quokkas are very friendly and will hop right up to you if you sit still. Sadly with the passing of the years and the popularity of the selfie stick, the quokka selfie has become a thing, which is just gross, but we managed to refrain from getting one. Arden loved seeing the quokkas, especially when they were hopping around, and I was really surprised when Candice didn’t sneak one home in our luggage.

not quite the quintessential quokka selfie... ;)

Looking back to my first trip to Perth five years ago, I recall how much of my previous trip was defined by long work days, going out after work with co-workers, and a lot of exploring on my own. I had some really gracious co-workers who invited me out with them on weekends so I was able to see so much and feel like I was part of a community for my short visit. When left on my own, I was constantly discovering new things and enjoying the excitement in that, but it was also pretty lonely at times. It was during this trip and those lonely times that Candice and I started discussing a possible move to Australia and spending our lives together, so we both feel a special connection with Perth as my time there brought us to where we are now.

I’m so thankful I was able to show Candice and Arden my first experience of Australia and all the things that make Perth a great place. From the beautiful beaches and constant sunshine to the friendly locals, Perth left a great impression on me and this was only strengthened through my time visiting again. Hopefully we’ll be able to visit again in another five years.

-BK
Perth - January 2017 from Candice Kortlever on Vimeo.

Sydney!

As Candice said in one of her posts: “Sydney. It’s pretty.” I can’t think of a better way to sum up our visit. Melbourne is beautiful, feels like home and we love it (and still think it’s the best city in Australia), but Sydney on the harbour is gorgeous. From the vibrant green water, the passenger ferries zipping around the harbour and the iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House, Sydney is a sight to behold.

Our hotel was a great location in Circular Quay with a view of the bridge and a short walk to the Opera House. We had dinners and brunch on the water overlooking either the bridge or Opera House, and thanks to the kindness of Candice’s mom were able to enjoy some quality date time while Arden napped and played with her Ahma.

We took advantage of our Melbourne Zoo membership to visit the Taronga Zoo, as we get free entry with our membership. To get to the zoo we hopped on one of the passenger ferries, which allowed us to take in the sights of the city and harbour from the water. The zoo itself is situated on a hill with stunning views of the city skyline. We took every advantage of the experience, watching the open air bird show and eating lunch at The View restaurant (where we were admiring a Kookaburra that kept flying onto the restaurant balcony, until it swooped Candice’s mom and stole some fries from our table). It was excellent and we highly recommend a visit, even if just for the views.

Other highlights from our trip included visiting the botanic gardens, walking across the Harbour Bridge, exploring a Sunday market in The Rocks neighbourhood and riding our first double decker train. Sadly, we passed on going up the Sydney Tower, a free standing tower similar to the Space Needle. Maybe next time.

Sydney is a beautiful city and we were so glad to be able to experience it with Candice’s mom. We had an excellent visit, great food and incredible scenery and look forward to our next opportunity to visit.

-BK

Sydney - December 2016 from Candice Kortlever on Vimeo.

my mother's third visit to Melbourne.

My mom easily wins our "most frequent visitor" award, after her third trip to Melbourne this past December! (Previous visits: July 2014, and a year ago when Arden was 2 months old.)

This pre-Christmas visit was a mixture of fun adventures (a weekend trip to Sydney, my Master's graduation, zoo visits, and even high tea - no easy feat with a one-year-old!) and some relaxing days at home, playing with Arden and enjoying some quality three-generation time.

Sydney selfie!

visiting koalas at the zoo.

high tea!

Ben and I were able to have some highly anticipated alone time: long walks, lunches, and even two movies ("Doctor Strange" and "Rogue One"). Last year I was so stressed out about trying to see "The Force Awakens" because Arden wasn't taking a bottle consistently, but this year the worry levels were much lower (Arden is still breastfeeding, but not nearly as frequently). Although we have amazing local friends who have watched Arden for us on multiple occasions, it's still a treat when my mom spends time with us - mostly because she really really wants us to leave Arden with her for some quality Ahma/granddaughter time. If I wasn't still breastfeeding Arden, I might have gone along with her suggestion of me going to Sydney with Ben while leaving her and Arden in Melbourne (!!) - but in hindsight I'm glad we all went together.

Mobility was the most significant difference from previous reunions. 13-month old Arden had just started walking at the beginning of the visit, taking two or three wobbly steps at a time. Two weeks later, she was able to walk from one end of the room to the other! Arden's newfound skill and overall independence meant that she didn't need or want to be held all the time, which was nice. However, toddler-Arden was much more attached to me and Ben, and not impartial like she was as a newborn. Ben and I perfected sneaking out before our date activities, and upon returning home, we were met by Arden frantically crawl/walking to the door, crying because she missed us so.

Sleep in general has been a huge issue for us. Aside from being carried for her naps, Arden takes hours to rock/feed to sleep in the evening and has difficulty settling back to bed after night feedings. But my mom helped a ton during her two-week visit, so we were able to catch up on our sleep and sanity. She carried Arden for almost all her naps, so I could do frivolous things like shower and drink (hot) coffee and jog and write. And there were a few mornings when Arden wouldn't settle back to sleep at 4am, and my mom insisted on rocking her until a more appropriate wake-up time of 8am. That's some intense grandma-dedication right there! (My mom actually wanted us to leave Arden's crib in the guest room so she could take care of her all night, but I drew the line there - it would have been wonderful, but the last thing I wanted was for Arden to develop yet another "sleep crutch" on someone who was only staying for a few weeks...)

I love that my mom is crazy about Arden. She cherishes every detail of my daughter's existence, from her rapidly-growing babble vocabulary (she likes to sing the "mah-na mah-na" song from Sesame Street!), intricate fine motor skills, baby-dance moves, the way Arden's face looks when she's sleeping on our chests. I like hearing about the similarities and differences between Arden and myself (and sometimes my brother) as a baby. My side of the family thinks Arden is a carbon copy of Ben (or, "Ben with a Chinese flavour" as they sometimes say). But there are certain characteristics that definitely come from me: our tiny baby feet, the total lack of putting objects into the mouth, and yes - apparently we share the same pooping face. Yay?

not quite my mini-me, but we're definitely related!

Even though my mom is a seasoned and savvy world traveler, the long journey from Michigan to Melbourne is no picnic. Planning these international trips (including our Hawaiian vacation last July) and making them happen takes a lot of work on her part, but because of this she's gotten to spend the most time with Arden out of our relatives. While we understand that most of our families aren't able to visit due to health issues and other travel priorities, we always appreciate the ones who have been able to make it to Melbourne (including Ben's sister and nephew, and most recently his cousin!).

I am beyond grateful; for all the successful events during the visit, for the effort my mom makes to see us and spend time with Arden, and for these precious multi-generational memories - so different yet so similar.

CK

Sydney - December 2016 from Candice Kortlever on Vimeo.