Phillip Island

We are now visiting Phillip Island for the third time! We came in 2015 with two other families and made great memories together. Then when our oldest daughter came for a visit, we brought her to see it all, too. Now that Henry is older it is time for him to enjoy it. This is the last of our excursions around the Melbourne area. 

By this time we'd figured out Henry isn't much into beautiful scenery. He likes beaches, fish'n'chips, interesting animals and rocks to climb on. Phillip Island has it all. 

 

One of the first places we went to on Phillip Island was Shelly Beach! There are actually a lot of beaches dotting Australia that are named Shelley Beach, but this one is actually spelled like my name. I expected it to be covered in shells, but Seven Mile Beach in Tasmania actually had more. (And there was a sunbather on the beach that could have used a couple of those large shells to cover her topless sunbathing!) This beach is so named because the sand is still pretty chunky and you can spot the pieces of shells that are still in process of breaking down to become finer sand. I gathered a handful for my young nieces. I thought maybe a handful of Aunt Shelly sand would be something to meditatively stare at while they look for different colors and pieces of shells. I could stare at it for hours. There is even some stiff sea plants in it. Or maybe they are animals. The beach is also marked with black volcanic rock. It was hot and felt good to walk on the rocks and let the waves splash up on my feet. Henry gained a bit more confidence walking on them and trusting that the waves would not overcome him. 

 

The sand is chunky enough to actually squeak a bit, so it saved us a 3 hour drive to see Squeaky Beach further to the south. We went there 7 years ago but it was cold and rainy so we just ran in and out. 

The airbnb is so perfect and clean and charming. there is a huge palm tree just outside the door covering the entry with a relaxing canopy that doubles for a bit of privacy. It's so clean I don't want to mess anything up. Kookaburras fill the tree next door and make that awesome laughing sound. (You can hear them at 3:05 in the video at the end of this post.) And it's close to Red Rock Beach. Giant red boulders just pop up at the end of it for what seems like no reason whatsoever. But they are the perfect spot to watch the red sun set over the water. Henry had a great time climbing them, and I thought it was crazy that in just a 24 hour period, he'd climbed three different kinds of rock--the speckled huge rock pillars on Mt. Wellington in Tasmania, the black rocks of Shelly Beach, and now Red Rock Beach. 

 

 

 

 

We were trying to decide what to do with our one full day here. Turns out we had less to choose from than we thought. I didn't know I needed to book the Grand Prix Go Karts in advance, so that was a big disappointment. And the Penguin Parade was sold out (I didn't want to do that anyway), so we went to the Koala Reserve before the afternoon rain was supposed to arrive. 

 

It turns out koalas and humans are not all that different.

Along the way there, I saw a sign for Phillip Island Wildlife Park and was curious. I looked it up online while we drove and decided I'd rather go there, but felt like getting the boys back in the car and skipping the koala reserve was too annoying of a request. We saw four koalas, one wallaby, and some signs in the visitor center. Then I convinced them to go to the wildlife park too. It was amazing. Really. Henry forgot all about the go kart disappointment and can't stop talking about it. 

 

He got to feed kangaroos. A lot. We spent an hour feeding them. They hopped right up to him. Big ones, little ones, grey ones, and red ones. (see video at the end of this post!) And emus. Emus are assertive. They grabbed the bag of food right out of his hand. For the rest of his life, he'll hate emus. But he made life long friends with the kangaroos. There were also lizards, Tasmanian Devils, kookaburras, parakeet, buzzards, and wallabies. And koalas. He so excited to narrate an Australian animals video to share with his schoolmates in Utah (below). 

We headed to the small city centre to get him some lunch. He's not interested in fancy cuisine—or sandwiches—so when we need something warm for his belly, we resort to fish'n'chips. Mostly just the chips. I had to walk the Main Street a bit to find one. It was a 20 minute wait but they came out looking charming wrapped in newsprint. And they tasted perfect with the chicken salt. 

 

We wore Henry out with the two animal parks. His newfound maturity and resilience told him it was time to rest and stay at the Airbnb while Allen and I went to see Pyramid Rock. 

 

It was more wind than I wanted. You have to walk a long way out to the point where you can see a large rock formation off the coast that looks like...a pyramid, but not like the ones in Egypt, or geometry class. It's just pointy. Ish. There is now a boardwalk built to keep the humans from wandering all over and damaging the plant life—or falling off a cliff—but I couldn't help but wonder about the first humans in the area dthat happened on upon it. I wondered if the teenage kids from the cattle farming family nearby would walk out to the point to have their alone time and dream of their future--or life without parents. I personally only wanted about 10 minutes of it because the wind was so fierce, but if I were an angsty teen that wind would be the perfect manifestation of my big feelings. 

We got back and stopped at the grocery store to get more pasta sauce for the spaghetti we had left over. I put Allen and Henry in charge of picking that pasta and they chose "tubular spaghetti." It's so thick and chunky. Like fat yarn. It has a mind of it's own and doesn't like to stay wound on your fork. You can't really scoop it either because it doesn't bend over the edge of the fork. It's comical to eat it. Last time for that pasta. 

I cut some sweet potatoes in long wedges and put them on the grill while I worked on the animals video for Henry. They were so perfectly baked and caramelized in no time. I sliced a lebanese cucumber to finish off dinner and was happy. 

The next day we went to go watch the Pelican feeding at San Remo on our way off the island. 

This was a very cool sculpture that has a catch for throwing in your plastic bottle lids. It is meant to call attention to the hazards of plastic waste in the oceans. Pelicans swallow their food whole so sometimes they get a bag of plastic and think it's a fish. Then it just stays in their stomach undigested. You can imagine this is devastating for a bird that needs to use its stomach to nourish itself. 

 

Henry had just seen Maverick, so he thought this was cool. 

There was another beach called "Shelley Beach" not far from there so I wanted to check it out. It was a little ambiguous on the GPS so I started from a remote parking area at the end of a gravel road. Hmmm. But I was willing to head down this path to see where it would lead. 

 

It turns out it wasn't the right spot. We finally found it here. It had very interesting volcanic rock formations. Henry had a great time climbing them. 

And you can see why it is called Shelley Beach! These were just in piles all over. I could grab handfuls. And I did!

We've seen so many animals, Henry made a video to show them all:

Tasmania

On our marathon stay in Melbourne, we took advantage of the ability to get cheap tickets from Melbourne to pretty much anywhere in Australia. It's not far to Tasmania, Henry didn't get to go last time, and it's not a long flight, so we went for a 36 hour trip. 

Our first stop was 7 Mile Beach. I think it's interesting that if a beach is named for it's length, it's always in miles, not kilometers. I suppose "miles" rolls off the tongue easier than "11.3 Kill-o-meter Beach."

Pretty snazzy entry, right?

The show was pretty good too.

The beach is covered in large shells. Loads of them.
I brought back more than I should but...I can't help it. My name is Shelly. 

We found out these are the egg sacks of moon snails.
Moon snails have tongues that are rough enough to drill holes in shells of other animals.
They get a grip on them and bore a hole to kill them.
And eat them. 

So if you've ever seen a shell with a perfectly shaped hole in it, blame the moon snail. 

I love the colorful rooftops you can see as you descend into the city. 

I just think it's so adorable. 

Trying to get a good photo at 100km/hour is stupid but I still do it. 

(Allen was driving, not me.)

We headed straight for the Botanical Gardens. They are so beautifully maintained and I love basking in the uniqueness of the Australian flora and fauna. Every state has them. And they are always free. We learned that 84% of the plants here are endemic to Australia, meaning they aren't found anywhere else. So that settles it, I'm just going to have to move here. 

   

 

Spiral Aloe. I want a start of it so bad. 

This is called Ox Tongue, which describes the rather ugly boring plant underneath this amazing canopy of blooms. 

And this one is called, "Old Man Cactus." Botanical name: Cephalocereus Senilis. 

Senilis. Ba ha ha. 

The trees are special to me. I can't explain it. But I just love each individual one. 

This Young's Weeping Birch made me cry a little. I know "weeping" refers to the drooping shape of the leaves, but the plaque made it feel like it was more like a sorrowful kind of weeping:

"A moment in time, Remembering loved ones, Past and Present, Precious Memories." 

Maybe trees really do represent a bit of our family connections. When you step under the canopy of a tree, you have roots beneath you stretching deep into the ground and sprawling wide, stabilizing the ground under you, but you have no idea they are there. Kind of like our ancestors. And the branches above capture your attention and reach high in every direction, finding their own way. Kind of like our children.

In our temples, there is a room called a sealing room where marriages and family are sealed for eternity. Large mirrors face each other on each side. When you look into them, the reflections bounce off each other so you see what looks like infinity in both directions, symbolizing your heritage and your posterity. 

It's fine. But I like the tree better. 

And when I stepped under the canopy of this tree, I truly felt different. I felt a calming reverence, like the rest of the world didn't exist outside its shelter. It felt so protective and safe. Quiet. Like our temples.  Forest bathing is a thing. Maybe connecting to our eternal heritage is why.  

Henry wasn't feeling awesome. (Later, when I also came down sick we figured it was probably Covid. But we'd gotten a booster just 4 weeks before so I suppose it made it *less* bad for him. And supposedly me. I was only sick for 3 days but it was a rough 3 days. Poor Henry.) But he was really interested in seeing the Antarctic Plant House, which promised a respite from the heat. But when we made it over there we found it was closed. Oof. So I mercifully walked through the amazing greenhouse rather swiftly while he soaked in the disappointment.

 

 

But I was glad he found some interesting things, including the Monet Garden. 

I took this same photo 7 years ago and never thought I'd be here again! 

Okay, Tasmania was all about the natural beauty. So our next stop was Fern Glade Walk. It's a rainforest hike that has lush green ferns and tall trees. I could forest bathe there all day. 

The thing that caught my attention the most was the amazing evidence of continuous decomposition. It's actually so beautiful! The fallen trees are covered in lush moss and fungi. You can see the trees breaking down to produce rich nourishment for the soil. 

This tree was very thick in diameter, but you could tell there was a lot going on inside. The nutrients were literally dripping out in liquid form from the bottom. I'm a soil science geek.

 

And seriously, who could be uncheered by this fellow!

More footage of this rainforest in the video at the bottom of this post.

Further up the road is the peak of Mt. Wellington. It usually has an expansive view of Hobart, but today was cloudy. It was good for Henry's energy to have a break from the heat and just focus on climbing the interesting rocks.

 

But we managed to go back the next day when it was clear:

The people have made an effort to respect the Aboriginal names of the landmarks.

The Tasman Bridge was struck by a ship in 1975. Notice the headlights of two cars pointing down from the top. Twelve people died in this accident. The support pillars were not replaced when it was rebuilt so you can still see evidence of the incident today. 

Australia has my heart, but my mouth misses Mexican food. They just don't have much here. The boys found dinner at Nando's, which is a spicy chicken place. I was enchanted by a place called Zambrero's. It basically served up food like Cafe Rio. I was so hungry and excited. But the portion size was about 1/4 of Cafe Rio and it was way too spicy for me.  

Henry took a shower at the hotel. Afterward I found these drawings of kangaroos on the wall. Ha! I love how he loves Australia as much as I do. 

 

 

Ages ago a friend said he wanted to open a restaurant just for desserts and even 

chose this name. I sent him the photo and he said, "you must be in Hobart." 

Whoa. Freaked me out. He'd actually been here!

The next day we headed to Salamanca Market. The artisans there are top notch and so creative. I didn't take any pictures. Henry was not interested so I tried to keep my shopping to a minimum and find food for him.  

I come from a long line of women with Elizabeth as a middle name. I love them all. 

So this cute street sign caught my attention.

That little green planter box on the left side says, "Season's Greeting." 

I just love that they can display live flowers at Christmas time! 

Our flight was delayed over an hour and it's a very small airport so we actually got to see the plane we would be flying back on arrive out the window in front of us. 

We only visited a tiny part of Tasmania. As I walked around the town, I saw families with children. Teenagers hanging out together. I wondered what it would be like to call this home. Maybe some of them have never gotten on a plane to see the rest of Australia. Or the rest of the world. Tasmania is just normal life to them. It blows my mind every time to think some people get to bask in this all the time. 

When we finally made it back to Melbourne, it was late on New Year's Eve. We tried to catch a glimpse of the famous fireworks over Melbourne, but we were all exhausted. Henry was more concerned with having his traditional sip of apple cider. We had to find a store before everything closed at 10pm. I also realized the next day was Sunday so I had to hurry and buy something for dinner. 

And we'd be taking that dinner to Phillip Island!

Henry has been making informative videos (with help) for his classmates in Utah. Here is one about this trip to Tasmania. 

Playgrounds

Let’s talk about playgrounds in Australia. FIrst off, they have a playground about everything 3-4 blocks, so every child has access to a place to play. Secondly, they are all uniquely designed to not just be fun, but are artistically presented to look attractive. The landscape is even covered with flowering bushes and ornamentals. If you don’t look for it you won’t notice they went to the trouble to beautify the land and provide variety for wildlife. Third, it is apparent that outdoor recreation is not just important for children but for all ages. There are significant chunks of land set aside for walking, playing, sporting, and even just meditating. Most of the time there are also pavilions for eating and even barbecue grills powered by gas.

Because each park is so unique, Henry and I have been park hopping and I made a video to show you some of the variety. The granddaddy of them all is the pirate ship park in Point Cook. When we lived here before it burned down and the city council decided it was too expensive to rebuild. The *children* organized themselves together, collected support and signature from the community, presented their wishes to the council and WON. I’m happy to report that we got to play on the results today!

My second favorite park is the airport park. I love how they carry the airport theme all the way into the benches and pavilion. (Not shown are the benches shaped like suitcases.) Henry noticed today that on the side of the slide there is a slot for a hot wheels car to slide down! How unnecessarily fun!

Third place for me is the crocodile park. It is a great place to go on a hot day because it has water running through most of it. However in true Melbourne fashion, it went from blazing hot 97F/36C to 63F/18C in one day. But we still had a fun time reconnecting with it. The park is positioned right along a water way with lots of boardwalk paths for adults to take a stroll, and even has a spot with no railing so children can learn quickly how stupid it is to disregard their mums telling them not to go over the edge. You have to grow up with a healthy dose of caution and awareness if you’re going to survive the natural dangers of Australia!

As quickly as this area we are in is expanding, I’m constantly wondering who is making all these decisions about city planning. And who is designing every playground? What a fun job! Henry wants to do that. They are not just purchased from a playground company. Every one is a custom design and is different!

It will be an entirely separate discussion to explain the way they structure and view their work/life balance to allow them the time to actually recreate together. But suffice it to say Americans could learn a few things from them.

Christmas in Melbourne

It's magical to enjoy Christmas in warm weather.