Phillip Island

1000 steps

Just on the outskirts of Melbourne there is a mountain range called the Dandenong mountain range. It has a few picnic areas and walks in and around it. One of them is the thousand steps. It is literally one thousands steps! We decided to walk up it to see what it is all about… It was not an easy walk but was fun none the less! 

There were many people that were using it as a training area – running up and down the steps a couple of time! Once you get to the top, there is an area where you can sit and take in the scenery. So peaceful amongst all the trees…  When we climbed down the steps we got out our esky (cooler box) and cooked some boerewors and the electric barbecues which they have in the picnic areas. We sat under the trees our lunch and read a book… Was a lovely afternoon!

Diving the Great Barrier Reef!

From Sydney we flew to Cairns to start our open water diving course! The first 2 days were spent learning the theory and getting familiar with the dive equipment in the pool. We had the best instructor that anyone could ask for – very knowledgeable, vibrant and always happy!

There were 14 people on the course which made it a very big group… On the third day we were taken to a day boat that takes people on day trips to the Great Barrier Reef and to the overnight boat. The trip out was quite bumpy and a few people were looking very green! We were transferred to the overnight boat, had lunch and waited patiently for our first open water dive in the afternoon. Sean and I had bought our own masks to dive with and this was the first time we would be using them… Sean was not very comfortable when he put his on – he was sure air was leaking in through somewhere. We then got into the water with our instructor and had to snorkel to the boats anker rope before we descended.

We started descending down the rope – Sean and I were the last 2 to descend. We started descending and when I looked around Sean was nowhere to be found… I was very worried and didn’t know whether to signal to the instructor or to go back up and find Sean – but the rules are stay with your buddy!

So back up I went to find Sean. He was on the surface holding a lens from his mask in his hand – his mask had broken! Sean was given a new mask thrown to him from someone on the boat and down we went again. It was a scary feeling at first but once you see what is down there the feeling disappears quickly!

We had to do 5 open water dives before we were certified – and this included many skills – taking your mask off and clearing the water from your mask, buddy breathing and how to retrieve your regulator once its been knocked out.

We decided to do the adventurer course too which includes a deep dive (30m), night dive and navigation dive.

It was an amazing experience to see the under water world! And cant wait to dive again!

Once back in Cairns we did a day trip to Kuranda on a scenic railway train. It was a very hot and humid day so we walked around Kuranda - which is filled with markets and small shops. We then headed back to Cairns with the Skyrail which is the highest skyrail in the world and it goes over a rainforest – very picturesque. 

Sydney...

We were up early to take the tram and bus to the airport. And at 7:45 we were up in the air on our way to Sydney to start our holiday! From the airport we took a train to our hotel, dropped our luggage off and went to see the sights of Sydney… First we took a walk through the botanical gardens where there were spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. We then walked to the Opera House and stopped for fish and chips at the Opera Bar – with lovely views of the Harbour Bridge. After lunch we caught a ferry to Manly – which is a popular area for its beaches. From the ferry there are, once again, wonderful views of the harbour bridge, Opera House and the Sydney itself.  That evening we went to see a philharmonic orchestra performance at the opera house. Being the first day of our holidays we weren’t aware of the weather and we ended up with some slight red faces that evening! Needless to say the next day we made sure we were covered in sunscreen and used our hats! 

The following day we joined a tour guide that does free walking tours around the Sydney sights.

We took a train to Bondi Beach which is one of the best beaches in Sydney apparently… We took a walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee which is about 6km. It was very scenic – but very hot too! We had salad for lunch in Coogee as it was just too hot for anything else!

As it was New years eve we were booked to go to a restaurant which has a rooftop terrace with views of the harbour bridge to see the midnight fireworks. People start queuing in the early hours of the morning to get good views to see the fireworks… In the afternoon we decided that paying $300 (R2400) each for our meal that evening was unjustifiable! So we cancelled our reservation, went to the liquor store and bought a bottle of wine and a bottle of champagne and booked a restaurant close to our hotel instead. We went to watch the 9pm fireworks at a lookout that was just down the road from our hotel – and had a great view! Then we went for dinner and at 11:30pm went to the same lookout where we watched the 9pm fireworks and got our same spot to watch the midnight fireworks. It was a great experience and the fireworks were quite spectacular!  We were so glad that we changed our minds about where to watch the fireworks from – we had a great time without the crowds and hustle and bustle, and best of all it took us only a few minutes to get back to the hotel!

Christmas with family!

On Christmas day we went to My Aunt and Uncles house in Melbourne. The
temperatures have been in the 30s so we decided to have a cold Christmas
lunch – my favourite! There was soo many nice things to eat! And Henrietta
made her banana salad which I remember from my younger days – very
very yummy!


There was a wide selection of cold meats a plenty of salads – it looked like
we didn’t even make a dent in the food after we had eaten! There was a
lovely lady from Holland that was there too – she works with Henrietta –
and she brought one of her famous desserts – reis allaman its called. It’s
an almod rice pudding. I don’t normally like rice pudding, but this one was
delicious! There was also trifle, brandy cups with fresh berries and ice-
cream and custard cream puffs… Of course we had to taste all of it so by
the time we left we had eaten far too much – but enjoyed the day and the
company!

On your bicycle!

In Melbourne there are many bicycle paths  - both dedicated and shared bike lanes. It is a wonderful way to see the city, and there are many paths that go along the Yarra river and the Port Philip Bay which are very scenic.

So we have ventured out a few times on our mountain bikes, and then decided we enjoy riding so we should get road bikes... So now both Sean and I have road bikes! What a difference it makes - you feel like you're flying on a road bike - and it is very easy to ride long distances on them.

Sean has been riding with a colleague of his, on Saturday mornings to a place called Black Rock and Mordialloc - which is about a 50km ride... It is just nice to do something other than running!

Changes in ones lifestyle...

So I haven't been blogging in ages! Since I started working to be exact... And yes I know that is no excuse!


Well since Sean and I have been working a few things around the house needed to change... No longer was there anyone at home to see to all the housework, and it is the last thing any of us want to do when we get home from work... So it means that all of this had to be done over the weekends. Luckily Sean and I have it all worked out that we each have different tasks to do, and we do them at the same time as each other so that the one isn't watching the other one "work" - it works well and the house is cleaned in no time!


Ironing is a bit of a pain - and not having a washing line to hang things on - means clothes get extra creased! We have now found that if we set the timer on the dryer to be finished just before we get home from work, the clothes are still warm and you can hang them up and they aren't as creased as they'd usually be... Yes its those small little things that make it a whole lot easier!


It has been quite a change having to do our own housework - but thankfully both of us pull our weight!