in 2015-16 Dad took a sabbatical to Australia. The rest of us got to tag along making it Seven on Sabbatical. In 2023, just three of us returned for a 6 month stay. So we are dusting off this blog to record more experiences in this country that we love.
The exchange rate from American dollars to Australian dollars appears to be in our favor. It only takes 67 US cents to buy $1 worth of goods in Australia. So when we walk into a store, we mentally take 33% off all the prices to get an idea of what it will cost in American dollars.
$100AU = $67US (this rate fluctuates all the time but has hovered around this number while we've been here.)
But it is actually a little better than that. The price displayed in Australian stores *includes* the tax. In the US, we'd have to add about 8% for sales tax at the register.
Something that is labeled as $100US actually costs $108US or $161.19AU.
So if I account for the sales tax I *don't* have to pay here, I can actually shave off another 8%(almost) from the labeled price.
$100AU / 1.08 to find the pre-taxed amount of = $92.59AU = ~$62US
So compared to how I evaluate prices in the US, I can actually estimate .62 times the labeled price in Australian dollars.
That makes it pretty fun to spend money here.
But should I be so thrilled? It depends on what I'm buying.
I've heard Aussies moan (winge) about how off balance the exchange rate is. They actually think it isn't a good time to make a trip to the US and have to spend their money there. It can be deceiving because they are both the same denomination of "dollar." So let's look at the actual price of items here versus there for an accurate evaluation.
Apples $5.90AU/kg = $2.68AU/lb = $1.66US/lb
Loaf of bread $4.30AU = $2.67US
Chicken breast $11AU/kg = $5AU/lb = $3.10US/lb
Dozen egg $7.00AU = $4.34US (I used to pay $1/dozen, but prices have changed to be similar, but still less)
Ben and Jerry's pint $14.50AU = $8.99US (double the cost in the US!)
KFC crispy chicken sandwich $5.95AU = $3.69US
McDonald's soda drink $2AU = $1.24US
600mL/20 oz. soda at the store ~$4AU = $2.48US (this is probably double the cost of the US)
Petrol/gas is $1.80AU/liter = $6.80AU/gallon = $4.59US/gallon (I didn't adjust for tax here because prices in the US also include taxes in the labeled price)
Movie ticket $26AU = $17.42US (also, not adjusted for tax. Utah theater is about $13-14.)
Organix Shampoo 385mL, $23 = $14.26US (more expensive than US)
All of the above is pretty much what the cost is in the US(except where noted). So there isn't really any benefit to having US dollars here, and some items are more expensive.
But Tim Tams! They are marked at $4.50AU but can often be on sale for $2.25AU = $1.39US. That is definitely less than the $5 I pay in the US! But it's an imported good. That's to be expected.
Fish and Chips are an entity unto themselves. I can get a large basket of thick chips (fries) for ~$6-8AU = $3.72-4.96US. This is not an order of "large fries" like in the US. It is 3-4x as much food. You could actually make a meal of it. TWO people can make a meal of it.
And we have. Too often.
Clothing is cheaper, at least in the stores like Target and Kmart. I wonder if it's because most things are made in Asian countries and Australia is just closer to them so shipping costs are lower.
I bought a nice calf-length cardigan for only $15AU! That's $9.30US!
I also found a dress I like for $30AU = $18.60US. And it has sleeves! No pockets, though.
Other household items you'd buy at Target or Kmart are cheaper here. I bought a nice store brand pressure cooker here for $62AU = $39.44US, and I'm quite certain it is the same as the Cuisinart I bought in the US for $89US. But if I actually bought the Cuisinart brand here it would be in the $169AU ($105US)price range.
Costco is interesting. I can find familiar items there, and they tend to cost less than items in the grocery store, but are still more than what I pay in the US and aren't really worth the long drive to get them.
Chocolate chips at Costco here are $19.99AU = $12.39US. I can usually get them for $8.99US in Utah.
A bag of tortilla chips are $9.99AU = $6.19US, but the bag is about half the size of the one I'd get in the US.
Hotel prices and plane flights already vary widely, but are consistent in price when traveling between countries so those things are not impacted by an exchange rate. Clothing and household goods at Target may cost more in the US, but those are not things you're really buying when you go on vacation. You'll be buying food and venue entries, and some of those things are considerably cheaper in the US.
So Aussies don't need to worry about the exchange rate. It only appears imbalanced because our countries use the same denomination of dollars, but the actual cost is consistent between the two countries.
All my Aussie friends need to come for a visit! You don't even need to worry about the price of a hotel. I have a spare room you can stay in for FREE!
Henry’s school held an ANZAC memorial service today since yesterday was the public holiday.
As the students walked to the assembly, a man was playing the bagpipes.
The principal started the service with only brief remarks, and then had two students read the history of the events of April 25, 1915. Their version was more complete than the one I heard at the city service yesterday and they did an excellent job.
As the Reveille was played on trumpet, two students reverently walked together to place a wreath at the bottom of the flagpole. Then we had a moment of silence. And then as the Reveille was played again, the flag was raised from half-mast to full height.
Henry was able to lay a flower on the wreath at the flagpole.
Each child was invited to bring a flower to place at the base of the flagpole to show respect.
The thing that struck me is that the children from kindergarten to grade 6 were 100% quiet and respectful. The entire time! There was absolutely no whispering or disruptions. None. At all. The respect and attention was very touching and impressive.
I noticed the same thing yesterday at the adult service. There were a LOT of people in the park. More than I expected at 5:45am. And they were all quiet. The reverent mood persisted as everyone left smoothly. They were giving out coffee and ANZAC biscuits afterward and there was no surge or press to hurry up and get the free food. And there wasn't even a big sign thanking some business for donating the food. It was just there for the purpose of the people, not advertising promotion.
Today is ANZAC Day in Australia. We attended the predawn memorial service in the city park. I was very impressed how many people came at such an early hour to show respect for those who have died or suffered in any way in their service to defend freedom.
The speaker told the story of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps harrowing experience on the cliffs at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915. Then, before he read a poem that has become the traditional words of ANZAC Day, he wanted everyone to stand. Instead of “will the audience please rise?” or “please stand,” he said, “let us all be upstanding.”
It struck me as a request that can apply long after we assemble here today. We should honor their sacrifice and be upstanding by the way we live our lives. We should be upstanding in the way we treat our neighbors. We should be upstanding in the way we engage--and even debate--in the free government they fought to defend.
For the Fallen
(fourth stanza)
by Laurence Binyon
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Before we even came to Australia, I was trying to decide if a trip to Esperance was really that important. It's an 8 hour drive from our house in Mullaloo. Not everyone goes. I even have a friend in Utah whose brother lives in Albany, only 5 hours to the west. I asked if he felt it was really that worth it, and he said he'd never even been there!
But Henry really wanted to go. I'm a sucker for seizing the opportunities "while we are here." And I'm a sucker for Henry.
By the way, it's pronounced, "ES-prunce."
We decided to rent a car. Our car is fine but it's 14 years old, and even though I pay a whopping $7 extra per month for road side assistance, I didn't want to spend any of our time sitting on the side of the road waiting for that assistance and miss the limited time we'd have to soak in the natural beauty.
It was a good idea. Someone else can clean that up.
DAY ONE:
I'm worn out with trip planning. So it wasn't until we had already left for Esperance that I decided to consult my list of day trip ideas. I calculated that it would only be 45 minutes out of the way to catch Wave Rock, in Hyden, on the way. Because I've never been, I don't know if it's worth it. But I suppose that's part of the adventure. And we're in a "now or never" state of living, and if we were to do it on a separate trip it would be 4 hours east. GPS makes it easy to redirect so we decided to go. We got a little nervous when we left the two lane road for single track.
Single track isn't really a problem because there are NO other cars out here. But it really got uncomfortable when we left the asphalt for just plain red dirt. That was *only* 13 miles or so, but we didn't know when it would end.
Renting a car was a very good idea.
Surprisingly, as soon as we got there, we found there were about 100 cars in the parking lot. I have no idea where they came from.
There was a sign explaining that this geologic beauty formed something like 45 million years ago.
It turns out it was a good idea to redirect. Henry loved it and it broke up the monotony of the long drive.
We had over 4 hours to go to Esperance. We knew there would be minimal civilization between here and there. We were hoping to find a petrol station soon because most businesses in the city shut down after 5pm, but here we are in the middle of nowhere. And it's a Sunday. Fortunately we did find a ghost station. There are no pay at the pump stations in Australia. You always have to go inside to pay. In this case, we had to prepay, but it came as close as possible to a pay at the pump as I've seen, and it was in the middle of nowhere! It had a little hut 30 yards away where we chose a maximum amount to charge our card, and then we were free to pump.
I had planned to cook dinner for ourselves when we arrived because (1) it is Sunday and I try to avoid going to businesses if possible, (2) I knew we'd be arriving late and can't depend on businesses being open past 5pm, especially on a Sunday. And (3) Henry doesn't really like much restaurant cuisine besides fish and chips. I honestly didn't even see the sign that asked us not to cook with our own appliances. I plugged in my pressure cooker, threw in the frozen chicken breast and the jar of salsa I had brought. When it was done we enjoyed burritos with the tortillas, tomatoes, and lettuce I'd brought. Henry was delighted.
Day TWO:
We could easily spend 5 days visiting all of the "essential" sites in Esperance. We decided to focus on a short list and enjoy those things, rather than rush through a longer list. We weren't interested in the Stonehenge replica, the history museum, and the fish leather shop.
We went to Twilight Beach where we knew there were rocks that Henry could jump off. We accidentally went to Picnic Beach on the other side of the car park for an hour. Fortunately Allen discovered the good jumping rocks before we drove off. The sun was out and the water color was amazing. The water was freezing, so I was perfectly content to be in charge of taking photos.
I witnessed two boys nearby trying to catch a pufferfish. I really didn't think they'd succeed but they did! It was really interesting, and they were happy to give us a demonstration of the pour thing's nervous reaction to being a "fish out of water."
We went just 10 minutes up the road to see 10 Mile Beach. I notice that even though they measure distance with the metric system, they lean to imperial measures on beaches because “Sixteen Kilometer Beach” doesn’t really roll off the tongue.
That photo looks filtered but I promise it’s exactly as I saw it.
We headed back to town to get some lunch before heading off to Lucky Bay. We had already picked out Aurelia's Ice Creamery and Cafe. Allen and Henry picked out chips and "Southern Fried Chicken." I was pretty sure the "Southern" wasn't referring to the South Coast of Australia. I couldn't find anything for my dietary preferences, but eventually I considered asking them to adapt their chicken and "salad" wrap. "Salad" is their word for just lettuce. I told them I wanted no meat or dairy or mayo, and suggested tomatoes, roasted pumpkin, and avos (avocados). She happily said, "leave it with me," and went back to create something. It was a wrap with pumpkin, sweet potato, sun dried tomatoes, avocado, "salad," and sunflower seeds. It was perfect. And twice as big as I needed so I saved half for tomorrow's lunch.
After scouting out the park and playground scene, we headed off for the one hour drive to Lucky Bay. As *luck* would have it, we drove right past the fake Stonehenge along the way, and didn't feel bad about giving it a pass and saving the entry fee.
In 1802, Captain Matthew Flinders found his ship surrounded with rocky islands and reef. As evening approached, he turned inland hoping to find safe harbor for the night. Under the do or die circumstances, he named the beautiful bay with soft white sand "Lucky Bay."
Most beaches have quartz sand but also include "calcareous material," such as pieces of crushed sea shells which separate the quartz particles from each other. This sand is only the quartz. It is so clean is squeaks when you walk on it. It originally came from the surrounding granite cliffs. It has microscopic rough edges that make it appear white. In fact, it has officially been named the whitest sand in Australia. Perhaps it is the heavy granite nature that causes it to sink quickly in the waves, keeping the water very clear. The white color gives the water a bright canvas to shine a bright turquoise color.
We were hoping to find some kangaroos on this beach. Signs nearby make it clear you should only observe them, keep a respectful distance, and not try to feed or touch them. Unfortunately, some other visitors disregarded all of those requests and the roos soon retreated into the trees.
Oh well, the beach was beautiful and we had fun making it squeak. We enjoyed the sunset on the way back to the hotel, where we had round two on the chicken burritos.
Day THREE:
We had already seen the most essential sights, and with the weather being a little too cool for beaches, we decided to check out the parks and shopping in town. There was a park and playground on the bay, a cute mini lighthouse, and a slooooow train. The wind was whipping through the ropes of the sailboats in the marina making a high whistling sound.
At the end of this long jetty was a lower level.
These are vertebrae bones of whales.
This crane was giving off strong "Thomas the Tank Engine" vibes.
This is a concrete feature in the playground. I want to figure a way to make a soft version for my living room.
We went to a couple of shops in town for souvenirs and a few gifts. The best thing was a photography book featuring photos by Dan Paris. I was afraid if I looked at it I'd feel compelled to add more locations to my "essential" list, but it actually featured lots of places that were too distant anyway and this gave me a way to still see them.
We decided to go back to Twilight Bay and jump the rocks some more. Allen decided he was going to jump in this time.
Because the sun sets early at this time of year, we decided the only thing to do in the evening (after having chicken burritos again) was to go to the Fenwick 3 and see the Super Mario Bros Movie. Henry was thrilled with that plan. And I was thrilled it was almost half the price of seeing it back in Joondalup.
Day FOUR:
After watching an enormous cargo ship enter the harbor, we took off for Albany, about 5 hours west. Along the way we stopped in Ravensthorpe, population 2,085. It had excellent chips for Henry's brunch, a beautiful blossom covered gum tree, and the best tasting "gourmet" Kit Kat I've tried so far.
We only had this one day to see Albany, so we headed straight to Misery Beach. It was cloudy, and started to sprinkle when we arrived. The cliff face is almost black and looks like a demon lives at the top.
It really did look kinda miserable. But then I saw rocks to climb. That always gets Henry interested. And then the sun came out.
It's about a mile long walk down from the car park that finally opens onto a huge rocky area overlooking the ocean. It feels like you could just fall right off the cliffs into the huge waves swelling below and never be seen again. The blowholes shoot out powerful gusts in rhythm with the waves. Because you can see the waves at 270° around you, and then see the blowholes, it felt like my body was moving with the rock. It was so relaxing and I could have stayed there a long time just listening and feeling it.
As we drove back to the town of Albany, we kept our eyes open for familiar scenery from the TV Show, "Itch," which was filmed here. We saw "Green Corp," and the high school.
We had another lovely little cottage to stay at for just one night. Fish and chips for dinner was just a short walk down the street. The bed was so comfy. The one at our Airbnb in Mullaloo is a little stiff and my left hip is not healthy from it. This place was extremely quiet. I woke during the night and noticed how completely dark and peaceful it was.
Day FIVE:
We got Henry breakfast at Macca's (McDonald's), of all fancy places. He still has good memories of a desperately needed pancake breakfast in the Melbourne airport and was happy for a repeat. While he ate, I walked down to Coles for driving snacks because the local Woolies is only open from 12-5pm. Really weird.
Back in January, we visited the Dave Evans Bicentennial tree. Allen's sister, Ashley, and I climbed to the top. Henry had decided to go only halfway, but now he wanted to go all the way to the top. Allen wasn't thrilled about his little boy climbing 213 feet up on widely spaced metal spikes, but was trying to not deny Henry's wishes. Fate was on Allen's side because rain was in the forecast. That makes the rungs slippery so we decided we would not do it and just drive straight home.
We stopped in Williams for petrol. I wanted to get something for Henry to eat but he didn't seem interested in anything there. His face lit up when he saw the "Fart Bombs," which made the cashier laugh. We went a block away and found Chatterbox Cafe was charming. While Henry looked at the menu the shop owner came out. I told her we were still looking to see if anything "fit the bill." She asked what the dietary restrictions are, and I said, "oh, just whatever he's in the mood for. He's 10." We laughed, and then Henry seemed happy with the ham and veggie quiche. It was warm and smelled tasty. We took it back to the car. He had one bite and decided he didn't want it.
Costco was on the way back so I was glad to stop in. It's a 30-45 minute drive from our house so it isn't worth making a trip just for a bag of chocolate chips and fruit bars. This will be our last time to go to this Costco because we leave for the US in just 8 weeks. (Fun fact: Costco is literally 60 seconds from our house in Utah. NOT FUN FACT: When we get back, there will also be a Macca's 55 seconds away and I'm not happy about it.)
Even though I'm kind of sick of sightseeing, it really was a perfect trip. Just the right length, and we didn't stress about trying to do *everything.* Henry is very satisfied now that he has seen Esperance.
Henry got a gift card for his birthday that can be used a number of different places. One of them was I door skydiving. We traded all the rest of his cards so he could do that. It was amazing!
One of the things I notice most here is the sound of the birds. Sometimes I just record their sounds so I'll be able to play it again when we have to leave hear here. Australia has more endemic bird species than any other country on earth. There are 21 species of robins, and 56 species of parrots! And lest you think the color colour pink is just for ladies, it's only the male Pink Robin that sports that awesome color.
Unless stated, I have taken all of these photos. Not that the photography is amazing, but I've actually seen all of these birds myself. At the end of this post is a video of most of these birds in action, and some of their sounds.
This is the kookaburra. They look pretty serious but make a distinct laughing sound that sort of sounds like a monkey. You can hear this call in the video.
We found this pelican swimming at Yanchep Lagoon when we went to explore.
(In the video, look for the bird we found dive bomb into the water for fish.)
One website I found described the call of the Sooty Owl as a "bomb whistle" and said, it is "easily one of the scariest sounds of the night." It will be one of the only evidences of its presence in the forest because it stays in the most dimly lit places.
Eight years ago, when we lived in Melbourne, we found this Southern Boobook staring at us in our backyard.
These are two different peacocks. The first one we found roaming around a charming roadside cafe in the middle of nowhere on the south coast of Australia. They had delicious ice cream, but this bird was looking for scraps of the chips.
This peacock was at Caversham Wildlife park, also freely roaming around greeting visitors.
We saw a third peacock at the Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Reserve, but didn't get a great photo.
Here's the widely available seagull, but Allen got a really good photo of one.
This poor seagull lost one of his feet somewhere.
I bet he has a story to tell!
I found these Cormorants enjoying some time on a rock at Trigg Beach. A local man saw me admiring them and came to tell me about them. He said "pied" means black and white, and the pied cormorants (on the right) don't get along with the all black cormorants (on the left). Weird.
This stork survived a crocodile attack as a child. He managed to get away by leaving his left wing with the crocodile. Clever bird! Now he will live a cushy life at Caversham Wildlife Park, who named him, "Lefty," with his meals delivered by staff--and two fences between him and the resident crocodile.
These stunning rainbow lorikeets hang out in large flocks in the park near Henry's school. I also found a lot of them in a tree across from the temple and got close enough to take a picture of one. They make a pleasant chirping sound, so many of them all together in one tree sounds intense!
The magpies make a sound like a dove coo that has been synthesized. Magpies are not adorable and dive or attack your head often in the spring during their nesting season. This guy came after me on a walk and was staring me down.
I think this Willy Wagtail is my favorite. He usually visits our backyard in the morning. And evening. Every time it lands it wiggles, or "wags," it's tail feathers once to each side. It seems to use that tail to fly eradicatally to catch bugs in midair. It makes a cute mechanical chirp that sounds like a toy being wound (that wakes me up in the morning).
I found a report of a rare white Willy Wagtail. That would be really fun to see!
The cockatoos make a very loud "squawk" but without the "squ-" or the "-k." They fly overhead in huge flocks in our neighborhood and settle in the park.
Henry and Allen made friends with the sulphur-crested cockatoos back at Christmastime.
This is a Red-tailed Black Cockatoo. They are a threatened species. They feed on banksia trees and nest in high hollow trees, but their habitats have been destroyed by humans for agricultural fields. The birds are desperate for food so they stay near the roadways where some of the only remaining trees are. Grain trucks also don't cover their loads and spill a bit on the roadsides that the birds will come down to eat. But this proximity to the roads means one of their leading causes of death is being hit by a car. Other birds get more desperate and feed on fruit orchards, so the farmers shoot them. The future doesn't look good for this lovely bird.
We visited a Black Cockatoo Reserve on Henry's birthday. This is him meeting a bird also named "Henry." We were able to get a certificate adopting the bird Henry for a year, starting on the human Henry's birthday.
We often see these galahs that have a nice grey and pink color. They are actually a type of cockatoo, as you can see this guy is able to poof his head feathers. "Galah" is pronounced, "guLAH."
Gang-gang Cockatoo
My least favorite bird is the raven. It sounds like an annoyed teenager who's been asked to come to family game night. It is like a crow call being played in reverse, and sometimes they draw it out very slow like they just can't believe you are still annoying them with your presence. The birds are actually tormentors of other birds. They've been known to pluck the tail feathers out of the endangered black cockatoos, which inhibits their ability to fly and get food. (Things are not going well for the Black Cockatoos) The ravens and the white cockatoos hangout in the same park and sometimes I hear some cockatoo freaking out in a tree across the street, like it's recounting its traumatic encounter with a raven.
This is a Crested Pigeon. The peak on his head and the iridescent feathers make him look really fancy. I took a picture in the park, but it doesn't look nearly as good as this one:
(By Benjamint444 - Own work, GFDL 1.2, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9522116)
My picture:
Black swans:
One of the cutest birds in Australia is the Splendid Fairy Wren, but getting a photo or video is very difficult because they are so small and move so quickly. But here is a photo I found online:
