an introduction to Australian road signs

 

 

rainbow lorikeet

 

A rainbow lorikeet perched on our friends' house, and an actual rainbow extending from the lorikeets' nest. It was difficult to get a better photos.

Southern Hemisphere Scrabble

Our first Scrabble game in the Southern Hemisphere.

driving along Port Phillip Bay

 

Norfolk Island pines, old hotels, and our first glimpse of the beach boxes.

Portsea Hotel

 

Down near the end of the Mornington Peninsula is the Portsea Hotel, a delightful place to stop for a bite or a drink.

Port Phillip Bay

 

Port Phillip Bay seen from Murrays Lookout on the Mornington Pensinsula. The road winds down to the beach and passes this funicular. Pleasant enough on a cloudy day, no doubt spectacular on a sunny one.

Monterey cypresses down under

Another thing that struck me... No one ever told me how many Monterey cypresses there are in Australia. There are a LOT; they use them as windbreaks. I guess it was an exchange - our cypresses for their gum trees (Eucalyptus), which I have seen used as windbreaks in California. But when you tell this to an Australian, they correctly point out that it makes no sense to use gum trees for windbreaks.

Seaford Beach Cafe

The Seaford Beach Cafe was a great place to have lunch, and confirmed my impression that the state of architecture and design in Australia is very good.

Seaford Beach

 

A nice beach on the Mornington Peninsula, but on a windy, overcast day.

Australian supermarkets

...and the types of things you might see in them.

Australian magpie

 

One of the first observations I made is that Australia is a land of birds, and to some extent birdwatchers... Perhaps the most common one, this magpie, was still striking to a newcomer like me.

Australia

Sometimes you get the opportunity to travel to Australia, and although the flight is very long and at times uncomfortable, there is a Holiday Inn waiting for you at the other end where you can decompress.