Australia: December 29, 2019 – January 19, 2020
December 29, 2019 – January 3, 2020: We spent New Year’s Eve in Sydney, Australia!! We weren’t brave enough to face the crowds by Sydney Opera House, but we enjoyed the family fireworks from Darling Harbour. After the Darling Harbour fireworks, two more sets went off in different parts of the Harbour. It was the best fireworks display we’ve ever seen!
January 3 – 13: The last week and a half has been a bit nuts! We spent time catching up with friends in Melbourne, and we stayed a few days in the Yarra Valley and Koroit. The Healesville Sanctuary was a big hit with Maggie and CJ and the Tower Hill Reserve was a great place to go hiking and see koalas, kangaroos, and emus. Maggie even spotted an echidna waddling in the bush. To the kids horror, I tried kangaroo for lunch at Oakridge Winery. It was delicious!
January 14 – 18: We had 3 full days in Cairns, and we packed in as much as we could. After doing some research we opted for snorkelling on Frankland Islands and it was a great experience. We donned full stinger suits and dove in to see a myriad of fish, turtles, huge clams and coral. Day two took us to Kuranda where we enjoyed a variety of rainforest walking trails and a picnic by Barron River. The final full day was spent at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures , and Maggie and CJ got up close and personal with snakes, kangaroos, and cassowaries. We kept them away from the crocodiles.
