Australia Report 6: Wrapping Up the Trip

The last few days have been fun, and we're slowly winding down in preparation for the trip back home. On Sunday night we celebrated my sister's birthday at the local TGIF restaurant. It felt like we were back int he States! It was also my other sister's fiance's birthday so it was a nice little party. I forced myself to eat a a salad through as I have been eating nothing but junk since coming over here. (I REALLY need to get back on the bike when I get back!!!)

We have taken a few small road trips with the kids and Dad. A couple of days ago we went to the Organ Pipes National Park, which is a hiking ground that leads hikers to some very interesting rock formations caused by local volcanic activity some few thousand years ago. Pictured to the left is the main formation from which the park gets its name. We actually spotted a rock wallaby slowly wandering around and tending to itself just above the formation. The kids had a blast wandering through the park with us, but the uphill climb at the end was not appreciated!


Yesterday the weather was beautiful (for winter!) 15C and sunny! Dad and I took the kids to a local beach area called Mordialloc. It's a great little bayside suburb with a small canal and nice fish and chip shops. The kids let off some steam and I got to enjoy a nice view of the bay for one last time before heading home. Man, I miss the beach.

Last night we held a small "farewell bash" for family and friends. It was nice to see everyone together for one last time, which included some old school pals. The obvious question came up ("When are you coming back to live for a while?") a fair bit, for which I had no answer, but would someday hope to find an answer for. It's hard to believe I have been gone for ten years now. Anyway, a nice night with lots of joking around and good conversation.

We head back to the US tomorrow. The flights are bound to be a barrel of laughs given the heightened security in effect right now due to the events in the UK. But, we will spend today packing and tonight eating and drinking with the family. All-in-all it's been a good visit and hopefully we'll be back next year.