Chronicling our crazy yearlong worldwide family sabbatical
The final leg of our month in Australia took us north from Perth to the “Coral Coast.” As we drove through the arid landscape we were on the lookout for wildlife and spotted a couple of kangaroos. We made it to our AirBnb in Jurien Bay late in the afternoon and the kids were eager Read More …
The penultimate stop on our Australian adventure was Perth, the capital of Western Australia and hometown of Annette’s mother, Diane (and many cousins). During our stay we had a great time reuniting/meeting with family and friends. The fall weather was perfect and we enjoyed spending time outdoors in some of the wonderful parks around town. Read More …
Following our stay in Sydney, we set out towards Melbourne for the next leg of our Australian road trip. Along this stretch we traversed part of the Grand Pacific Drive before heading inland to visit Canberra. We spend a couple days in the capital city then returned to the coast, making overnight stops in the Read More …
Following our wonderful visit to Uluru, we returned to Sydney for a short stay. On our first morning in the city we set out for a walk to get our bearings, and we were joined by our friend Ann and her husband and son, who is about the same age as our youngest. We met Read More …
While planning our sabbatical we had a short list of places we definitely wanted to visit, and the famous red rock in the center of Australia was on that list. At one point in the planning process we entertained the notion of driving across Australia and stopping at Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock) on Read More …
During our road trip from Brisbane to Sydney we made a slight detour to Katoomba, a small town in the heart of the Blue Mountains. Katoomba is a great place to go for a hike; there are miles and miles of trails. Some run along ridge lines, providing sweeping views of the valleys below. Soon Read More …
After a our first week in Australia (split between Brisbane and Gold Coast), we set off towards Sydney. We broke up the 12 hour drive over the course of a week, with stays in Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, and Katoomba. The Big Banana Our first overnight stop was Coffs Harbour, a town on Australia’s “Banana Coast.” Read More …
Following a brilliant month in New Zealand, we hopped on a flight across the Tasman Sea to Gold Coast, Australia. Our plans called for five weeks on the continent, driving from Brisbane all the way to Melbourne (with a side trip to Uluru along the way), finishing with a hop over to the west coast Read More …
The final stop on our month long New Zealand tour was Queenstown, a scenic two hour drive from Te Anau. Along the way we stopped at all the scenic lookouts (as usual) including the “Devils Staircase,” a scenic mountain range along Lake Wakatipu. Ask any tourist who has been to the South Island what their Read More …
Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound are renowned for their beauty. While trying to decide which one to visit we asked New Zealanders and often got conflicting answers. So, we resolved to try to see them both. We made our way from the Catlins to the small town of Te Anau, which would be our base Read More …