Mosi'ing Around the World

Hello again - We've been back home for over 2 months now but I have some unfinished business... the last blog! Prepare yourselves... it's quite the long one. After leaving Perth (and unfortunately the quokkas) we flew north to Exmouth - a small town on the edge of the desert. More importantly it is the gateway to the Ningaloo, Australia's largest fringing coral reef and the only large reef in the world close to land. So close you can swim to it from shore at certain points. Flying from Perth over the red desert to Exmouth was our first glimpse of the true outback. Can confirm there isn't a lot in between Perth and Exmouth... and they are 12 hours apart by car. Once we got closer to Exmouth seeing the contrast of the red dirt meeting the crystal blue waters was quite a site to behold.

We've now been to five of the seven states in Australia! When we decided to do this second down under trip we knew we had to get to Western Australia. From the insanely gorgeous beach pictures on instagram, to the quokkas on Rottnest Island, swimming with whale sharks in the Ningaloo, and the famed sunsets... there's a lot to be seen out here. Opposite side of the world

I originally intended to write one blog for our Western Australia adventures, but the quokkas got a little out of hand :) So I present to you a post dedicated to the world's happiest animal. The quokka can be found in a handful of places in Australia, but the majority of the population lives on an island off the coast of Perth called Rottnest. The name actually means "rats nest" as the quokkas were originally mistaken as rats. They are definitely not rats! They are dubbed the world's happiest animal as their mouths actually do form a smile and they just seem so cheery. We loved the quokkas and the island so much we had to go twice! Hello!

After saying goodbye to Melbourne, we rented a car and headed south, this time passing the Mornington Peninsula. We stayed on Phillip Island for one night on our way to the Prom, Wilson's Prom that is :) Both places are home to lots of wildlife, beaches, and a relaxed state of mind compared to being in the city. Morning views in Cowes, Phillip Island

On our trip two years ago we stayed in Melbourne for 5 days, which with working along with exploring it just wasn't enough. I knew there was more to Melbourne than what we had managed to see, and I'm so glad we chose to return this time around for over a month. Melbourne is so different from the rest of what we've seen of Australia. I've read that it is more European, but as I haven't been there it's hard for me to compare. There's definitely more of a melting pot of cultures in Melbourne, I think over 60% of Melbournians are from other countries. And don't get me started, I'm not getting into the whole Sydney versus Melbourne debate... it's annoying that is even a thing as both cities are truly amazing depending on your personality. Though I am now forever a Sydney girl at heart :) The famous trams

Heading south from Sydney an easy 2.5 hour coastal drive will take you to the gorgeous region of Jervis Bay. It was a surprisingly welcome break from the city and we fell right into the more relaxed pace of life in Vincentia where we stayed. This would definitely be a regular weekend spot if we were locals in Sydney 😉 On this road trip we spent three nights in Jervis Bay and one night in Australia's Capital Territory of Canberra for the sole purpose of seeing some wombats! More on that later in the post. Hyams Beach in Jervis Bay

Our time in Sydney continued through early February, and our love for the city by the sea only grew stronger. We are so happy we decided to stay for a while and settle in more as a local (at least we like to think that). We discovered the more "regular" things we like to do in the city, but were still able to explore a lot of new stuff this month. Where the city meets the sea...  

Is it possible to fall in love with a city? That may sound strange but I think it can happen. We returned to Sydney wondering if that first feeling would still be there, and we can confirm it's definitely only growing stronger. Sometimes you get to a place and it just feels... right. We may be a bit jaded as we've only known Sydney for about 2 months combined with our last trip, but isn't that how all relationships begin? Maybe that's taking the analogy too far ;) Let's just say Sydney seems to be the full package for us... drop dead gorgeous beaches, amazing coastal hikes, a huge park with running trails, great public transportation, and more. View from our airbnb Zoom in and that's the Opera House!!

Happy New Year! We're back in Oz! We spent our first 2 weeks in Australia in a place we loved last time, the Gold Coast. It felt so weirdly familiar to be back and driving on the left side of the road. I will admit I was a little nervous at first and may have hit the windshield wipers several times that first drive :) We chose Palm Beach this time for our airbnb and loved how close we were to shops and cafes... and really you can't beat being one block from the beach! And what a beach! My favorite color palette