'Tis the Season in Sydney.

Sometimes promises have to be broken for something bigger; something more close to home. Sometimes you don't have a choice in agreeing to a promise. Sometimes when you hesitantly make a promise, you know in your heart of heart it's not going to happen. It wasn't feasible, possible, logistical, rational, defensible or even financially-responsible to stay in Australia for a promise. I couldn't bear to break it, I felt terrible, but I knew that I had to do it. Sometimes you have to make your own decisions, hopefully with good intentions, even if they hurt people knowing absolutely that that part is not part of the main objective. Even when it appears to be selfish, there's always another side to the story that might not be regarded, that could be for the greater good if you take the time to consider it. 

As it turned out, I wasn't flying out of Brisbane. When flying out of Brisbane I had to connect in Sydney anyways. And as it turned out, both my parents and I thought I would be returning to Sydney for Christmas so I had left a bag of things there I didn't need for traveling and they had mailed some Christmas presents for me. So, I had to go back no matter what. Because of my broken promise, I booked to spend two nights in Sydney to make up for it. But I don't think it was enough. Things were miscommunicated, plans were not met, and words were said. Instead, I spent most of my time wandering around Sydney as I had wanted to explore it on my own, with one last goodbye, and one last attempt of Christmas shopping before it would become Duty Free. All I could think of was going home, getting on the plane as fast as possible, seeing my parents and surprising Jess. As much as I didn't want to leave Australia, or say goodbye to the friends I had met, I just wanted to be home. 

Dear Australia,

I really like you. I like you a lot.

Love, Shauna

It all happened so fast. At one point while in Mission Beach, alone and far away, an idea sprouted and I planted it in Dad's head, but displaced it in the back of my mind to slowly germinate. I felt a bit lost, broke, and exhausted from traveling. I was at a point, again, where I wasn't sure which direction of life I was heading towards and any decision could waver the compass' arrow.* I just had a little over a month left in sunny Australia before my visa was up and I thought about just giving in and going home. All the decisions and options of what to do with the remainder of my time could easily be dissipated and solved if I just left them all behind and went home. Home, you may ask, is where? My flight back was booked on miles and Dad checked to see if they could be changed. The only options he could find were to fly either on Christmas back to America, when my family would be in Ireland, or on the 8th of January which wouldn't make any sense to leave just a week early. So, the idea to leave evaporated into the humid heat of northern Queensland and I continued making plans to get back to Brisbane and find a job. 
After dismissing all regional work, finally deciding I didn't want to spend the rest of my time here working towards a second year that I wasn't even sure I wanted to return for, I was set on finding a holiday job. I was flying out of Brisbane, I had friends that were there, it was close to the Gold Coast...it just made sense to go to Brisbane. The only hitch was that I had promised to be in Sydney for Christmas and had made plans for New Years Eve there too. So, technically I had two weeks to work in Brisbane, a week in Sydney, then another 2 weeks of work in Brisbane. Who would hire me for that amount of time - even if I lied about how much time I had there? Sydney was too expensive that I barely gave two thoughts about looking for a place to stay and a job there. 

I didn't think it would be hard to find a job, given most places usually hire extra staff around the holiday season, but I couldn't find any job. I didn't even get any responses back. There were no appropriate jobs posted on seek or indeed or gumtree. I blindly wrote to places of interest, in hopes that they might like my resume or just need some extra help. I wrote to all the Irish pubs in the city - just to confuse them with my wonky accent. I printed out my resume and went around to all the hostels to ask if they were hiring. Everyone said, come back in the new year. I had a place to stay for free (I paid rent with tree-building beer cans) but I couldn't justify staying in Australia for a month, just for the sake of seeing out the rest of my visa, if I wasn't working and I was done with traveling. So the idea that was already planted in Dad's head and buried in the back of my head, began to flourish. It was hard to cancel New Years Eve plans and to think about not only leaving my friends, but the sunshine warmth of summer and to finally leave behind the entire year that was my Australian Adventure. But, once the idea developed into a realisation that I could spend Christmas with my family in Ireland, I was all set and started to check out. The fact that I could pull of a surprise and not tell Jess I was coming made it all the more exciting. Once I realised all this, I went back to happy holiday mode and decided to just enjoy and take advantage of the rest of my time in Australia, trying not to spend the dim remainder of my money, and to soak up as much sun as possible. I think also the fact that I was going to Donegal rather than flying back to America made leaving somewhat more ok. It wouldn't be easy to leave, but I was actually really really excited. 

* I think I should buy a Magic 8 ball as my indecisive compass. 

When it Rains, it Pours.

Carly and I tried desperately to go Christmas shopping in Brisbane. Desperately I mean because we bought nothing and because it was in the pouring rain, but we persevered. We walked for about half an hour in the rain until we got into the centre of the city, completely drenched, but unwavered. We wandered in and out of the shops before we decided we would be better off purchasing a drink. So we got out of the rain and sat down with the workers, who weren't working because it was raining (!??!) and enjoyed ourselves. Just as we were leaving, even though the sky was bright, it was heavily downpouring. We sighed and said, you know what happens when it rains? You get wet. 

Bar artwork.

It's really hard to feel like it's Christmas or get in the holiday spirit when it is sunny, 30 degrees CELCIUS, and feels like you are on a summer holiday. The tourist shops offering Australia memorabilia are filled with crap no one really wants. Most of the stores in the shopping arcades are over priced and the rest of them can be found at home. There aren't any Australian trends or anything particularly "Australian" to bring back as gifts. I found it incredibly difficult to not only to get in the mood but to find any motivation for buying worthwhile gifts. I sent some knick-knacks to Ireland to say, I'm thinking of you, wish I was there, I have some more time to buy you some proper gifts ie in the after-Christmas sales, but that mentality soon changed. I always thought that I didn't care where I was for Christmas as long as I was on the beach with a cocktail. But after traveling up the coast for a month and seeing beach after beach, I was over the beach idea. I wanted to go home. Home? I don't know where home is. I wanted to be with my family. 

It Took Me Only 2 Hours to Fly From Cairns Back Down The Coast It Took Me 28 Days To Get Up To.

Leaving Cairns, I am really happy. It's just a 2 hour plane ride back to where I (kinda) started a month ago. I'm absolutely delighted with the trip I've just had up the coast, as with the entire past eleven months in Australia.  I honestly can't believe it, but it feels a bit as though my time in this country is done, even though I still have a little over a month left here. Although I don't want to leave, especially leave the down-under weather, I feel as though the year can be completed whole-heartedly contently. I know I said before that if I could do it again, I would have done everything differently, but regret none of it. Knowing that now is all part of the traveling adventure and self enlightenment.

I have experienced a tremendous amount; I have seen iconic and stunning places; I have endured and persevered, emotionally and physically; I have grown up; I have made necessary sacrifices and worthy splurges; I have been blessed with the utmost kindest generosity and welcoming hospitableness; I have more confidence and am not only more comfortable with myself, but proud of what I've done to get there; I am still as indecisive but maybe a bit wiser; I have learnt things about myself, other people, other places and cultures and how to travel; I have seen places I have wanted to check off an invisible list of places to see, but realised that it is all about the people you are with who make the memories you will remember about the place; I have eternally grateful, appreciative, and indebted for having all these opportunities; I have met so many incredibly wonderful people that I truly feel grateful to have in my life and make me want to continue to travel - not only for the thrill of meeting new friends, but to travel to where these new friends are now to meet up again; and most importantly, I have fulfilled my 3rd grade dream. All of this with no plan except a one way ticket. The year at UNISG might still be my favourite, but this past year has been solidly the best one for me personally. It makes me excited and want to travel more, to see more of the world, to meet new people and visit friends around the world, and test more of myself in new situations to see how it will mould me into who I am supposed to be.

Since I know my time is coming to an end here with just a few weeks to enjoy the warmth of summer and spend the remaining time with my friends, I think I have nearly checked-out. When you know something is within your grasp, even if you don't want to leave, you start to look towards the future, to what's next, and get excited to go home to bask in the little things that have become luxuries to the backpacker. Despite everything I just mentioned from the last year here that I am going to honestly miss, and even though I still don't know where home is, I cannot wait to see my family.

So, as I fly over the Great Barrier Reef again (not as cool as my Whitsunday trip, but still really amazing to see from so high up) with my window seat overlooking the same coast I just traveled by ground up, it feels like the perfect ending.

a cultural day around melbourne.

One of my two jobs had training once a week on Wednesday mornings. Attendance was encouraged, but not mandatory. The hour long sessions would often be tastings of new dishes on the menu if seasons changed, wine tastings of worldly regions, or have producers of the wagyu meat they serve come in to talk to us about their farm and production processes. One day, we were invited to a guided tour of the state library's exhibition: Gusto! A culinary history of Victoria. I had already been - clearly - but was interested enough to go back for the guided version. Ok, I didn't really learn too much more, but the morning sparked my interest to continue my day of Victorian culture by heading to the National Gallery of Victoria. 

I couldn't, or didn't want to, afford the entrance fee to the Napoleon exhibition, but instead wandered around looking at all the art, sculpture, and artefacts. I racked my brain to remember some art history knowledge from my uni minor, knowing very well not one of the classes mentioned a thing about Australian art or art history.

It's very soothing to go into an art museum on your own. It's very quiet, reflective. You feel cultural just being there. I often feigned interest stopping to look at certain pieces while blatantly walked past others. Multitudes of school groups from fidgety children to bored teenagers filled the different rooms and I slowly walked past, interested to hear what the guide had to say but obviously not blending into the group well enough to linger without getting dirty, greedy looks from the guide or creepy, stranger-danger looks from the teachers. I walked around, desperately wanting my mum to be there as I know she would have liked it. Maybe not necessarily the art, but me being in a museum!  

My favourite room was The Salon Room, which had paintings packed up and down the length and width of the walls in the style they used to hang them  in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in Europe. The artist/work lost a bit of their individual attention when being the only focal point on a bare wall, but I liked the look of them all together.

The painting below is titled Anguish. It caught my attention.

This one reminded me of Ted being blown over by the waves on the Great Ocean Road. 

Then afterwards, to continue my cultural day off, I sauntered back to the state library to look at their food and nutrition books, somehow inspired to want to study more. Learn more. Then I got hungry and went to buy $2 sushi rolls, the cheapest and most favourite Melbourne snack.  And Then I went for a run in the park! What a rewarding day! 

“A mother's love is a blessing

No matter where you roam.

Keep her while you have her,

You'll miss her when she's gone"

-- Angela's Ashes.

Mum left Australia's winter to go to Ireland's summer. I cried when she arrived, I cried when she was here, I cried when she left.* For whatever reason she claims to have come here for, whether it was because she missed me (duh), was worried about me (perhaps), was scared about my spider bite incident (I'm ok), wanted to go on a vacation across the world (you know Sheelagh!), was craving a meal of native kangaroo and Australian shiraz (obviously), or just came to bring me out of Perth (most likely), I am grateful for all of the above and for the opportunity we had to experience Australia together. Maybe it wasn't on the cross-country train like I had imagine my Western Australia departure to be, and maybe it wasn't as touristy as it could have been and more about finding a new home for me (re: the 'most likely' reason above), I hope that she thinks it was as worthwhile as I appreciated and enjoyed her visit. Although I wish mum could have seen more of Australia, we did see a lot and the country is so unbelievably huge that it would have been impossible to see and do it all. I don't think she'll be back to see the life I've created in Melbourne (it's still in the works...) like she did in Perth, but who knows where this "australian adventure" will take me to.

Love you and thank you. 

*i may or may not be crying right now.

Who's coming to visit me next???!!!! 

Brighton Beach

 Not too far along the tram from the CBD of Melbourne you can reach the beach. Even if it's technically winter and the sky is overcast with clouds, it's still a nice walk to get your daily dose of crisp fresh sea air without crowded bathers taking up the sand and sun.

Or just gaze at the enormously nice looking houses along the coast. 

Melbourne Sky Line. 

The bathing boxes, or beach houses, along the coast are not only iconic but highly prized and sought-after. Brighton itself resides some of the most expensive residential properties in Melbourne. Even with the ginormous neighbouring homes, these little boxes are only owned by local residents and cost anywhere upwards from $200,000. They are literally just a wooden box, all the same size, with a door, maybe a window, and no running amenities like water or electricity.

Mum in front of one of the little boxes, but take note of the multi-million mansions behind her.

Apparently Eric Bana lives in Brighton...

Although there are bathing boxes along the Port Philip Bay, there are only 82 in Brighton, the closest to Melbourne's CBD, and unique to their kind.

QSLD -> VIC: MELBOURNE

It was goodbye Brisbane, goodbye Queensland hello Melbourne, hello Victoria. Well, it was supposed to be hello Sydney, hello New South Wales, but mum had already been to Sydney and didn't need to spend her time revisiting places she had already seen, and I had decided I didn't want to live in Brisbane or Sydney, but instead in Melbourne, so it would be another part of Australia for mum to see before she left and hopefully I could find a new home there. 

Everyone kept telling me how much I would love Melbourne, how it's very European, highly cultural, a big foodie scene with lots of restaurants and hip cafes but that the weather just sucked compared to the rest of Australia. Everyone kept telling me to wait until November or December when the weather was better to go, but compared to Perth's "winter" I couldn't imagine how cold it could possibly be. Nothing compared to a Donegal or New England winter. And plus, if I arrived before everyone else said to go, I would be beating the rest of the crowds listening to everyone else and have a better chance of scoring a job and a home without the summertime competitiveness. So, hello sweaters, hello rain coats, hello shoes with socks, hello umbrella, hello jeans. 

Despite the bad rep Melbourne gets for it's weather compared to the rest of the Australia, it is a must-see on anyone's trip. It's way bigger than Perth so I still feel a bit lost and overwhelmed, but it is made up of so many different neighbourhoods, or precincts, each with their own quirky personality. Immediately after mum left, I got a mild anxiety attack wanting to scream, "you have to come back! we haven't seen the half of it! you'll love it even more! come explore with me!" Unfortunately, a pending trip to Donegal and a 28 hour trip would not make that happen anytime soon.

There's Fitzroy and Collingwood, destinations for Gertrude Street running east-west and the perpendicular Brunswick Street crossing north-south. International restaurants, brunch hot spots, wine bars, hipster hangouts, dive bars, hole-in-the-walls, and artsy designer shops from knitted home goods, unique clothing, recycleables, second hand stores, vintage boutiques, one dollar stores, to antique markets. You name it, it makes you want to eat it, wear it, and be cool. 

Melbourne CBD is laid out basically in a rectangular grid system with the river front Flinders Street followed by Little Flinders Street, then Collin Street followed by Little Collin Street then Bourke Street followed by Little Bourke Street and...you get it. Vertically off of these streets are little alley ways with apparent secret local gems to find. Even though there is a Chinatown comprising of about two blocks, the abundance of Asian foods dominate the city: Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Nepalese (does that count?), Malaysian. It almost feels as though you could be in Asia sometimes. 

The South Bank across the Yarra River (to the left in the picture above) seems a bit more upscale and touristy in the sense that it's a place to be to be seen and people watch. Although in saying upscale, there is a Wagamama on the second story with fantastic views over looking the river and city skyline :) Diners can sit outside (warm or cold) and watch the action along the promenade: the energetic street performers, the loud school groups, the photographing visitors, the hot shot business suits, the fit runners on their way to the adjacent park, and the prosperous/unfortunate ones coming to/from the glorious complex that is the Crown Casino. 

You can even have a drink in the middle of the river.

The CBD has its own collection of restaurants, hotels, cafes, shops, department stores, bars, university buildings and public institutions that are all easily accessible by Melbourne's tram system. Along with the pretty efficient tram system, there is a circle line tram that borders the city for riders to hop on and off for free. There's also buses, taxis, trains, cars, and pedestrian walk ways to get around Melbourne, but they all give way to the trams. For example, if a car wants to turn right onto a street, (mind you, Americans they are driving on the opposite side of the road) the car must go into a special lane all the way on the left hand side - the furthest away from where it wants to go - in order to wait until its able to turn right. This is so passing trams can still go through, continuing its transporting flow of traffic, and will not get held up behind waiting blinking cars. This is called a Hook Turn.

To the east of Melbourne, there are funky neighbourhoods such as Prahran, Toorak, South Yarra, and St Kilda which are not only home to some of the most abundant shopping on Chapel Street and popular nightlife, but also the most impressive homes. Melbourne in general I find astonishingly architecturally-stimulating: so many little attentions to detail blow my mind away. I can't even describe it, but I am constantly in awe of the artistic elements, the shapes of the buildings, the covers over the windows that can block or attract sunlight, the ornamental add-on's that seem to prove no functional purpose let alone be obviously aesthetically pleasing, or the thoughts that went through the architect's head that said "yes, this is peculiarly distinct and obscure, it's perfect." It's an eccentric city with so many international flares and edifying elements that although it makes me feel overwhelmed in the sense that I can't get a grip on it, it all somehow comes together to create what is Melbourne. One day, I'll get it. Until then, I'll keep walking around with my head tilted and my jaw dropped. 

nice lil' photo of mummy dearest.

We passed through the Carlton Gardens, home to the Melbourne Museum, IMAX, and the Royal Exhibition Building, a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it is the only 19thC great hall that is still mostly intact.

Queen Victoria Market.

This place will have to have it's own post once I have more pictures of it, but so far, it may be one of my favourite, if not definitely the most visited places of mine in Melbourne. It's not open on Mondays or Wednesdays which cause bouts of panic in case you're starving and Have to go to Coles or Woolie's (ok there's so many restaurants I doubt that would be the case) but because of the market, the only reason you would have to go there would be to get some kitchen staples. The market has everything else. It has a food court for those who cannot wait to eat; delicatessens selling cheeses galore, dips and crackers, marinated seafood and vegetables; a wine stall selling local wines with daily tastings; fresh pasta; more cured meat than you've ever seen (unless you are a UNISG alumni); butchers ranging from organic only, African dried specialties, and specialties in poultry; a baker's dozen selling fresh breads, baguettes, bagels, and sandwiches....

Then there's the produce section: stall after stall of fruits and vegetables all competing with prices and freshness for customers.

Then there's the meat section: all types of cuts of beef on offer that you've never heard of or don't even like the look of with marinades and leftovers saved for the dogs; seafood that you can smell before you see it; and the guys screaming deals to get you to come have a look.

In the back of the market, past the donut van that constantly has a line of at least 30 people in it, no joke, there's the other market that sells goods and crap from souvenir gimmicks, to leather jackets, UGG boots, and jewellery....Even though I could spend hours wandering up and down the rows of the market, bumping into people and eyeing which places have the best deals and freshest looking stuff, it is all a bit repetitive after awhile. 

for jess.

The tourist information centre in Federation Square is an informational hub with a plethora of brouchures, pamphlets, maps, walking tours, excursions, and souvenirs. I left with handfuls of to-do's and to-see's. 

it's not always cold....spring is coming!! There are lots of parks in Melbourne as well, keeping it a fresh and beautiful city but I have yet to explore those...I'm waiting for the wind to die down and the warmth to pick up. 

I suppose I should stop writing and go out and explore the rest of Melbourne, huh?

The Lone Koala Sanctuary: Part 2

Despite the name of the place, the koala's weren't alone at the Lone Koala Sanctuary. It was host and home to many other native Australian animals that tourists typically expect to see wandering the streets and are baffled when they don't see them running all over the place.

"I've been in Brisbane for three days already and I haven't seen ANY kangaroo's!" 

There were kookaburra's....
"kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
merry merry king of the bush is he
laugh kookaburra laugh kookaburra!
how gay your life must be."

There was a Tasmanian Devil. Sleeping in the sun and not running around like a wild one.

There was a possum.

After the koala's, my next favourite was the wombat, for a variety of reasons. 

 hi ted.

He's so cute and grumpy and was even messing around with his blankie. 

So cute, but watch out!! 

 Speaking of watching out, there is a perentie, the largest lizard in Australia and the fourth largest in the world. I dont know if you can see in the picture, but that is an entire bird in its mouth. Mum and I were walking by, about to skip the reptile until we were distracted by a loud flock of birds calling out and swooping down into the pen as they surrounded it from a nearby tree. We went around and saw this giant lizard munching down on a bird, bits of feathers protruding from his mouth as others fluttered to the ground. Apparently he jumped up and caught his lunch as they flew by and casually continued to eat it whole as the rest of the birds desperately and unsuccessfully to get their little bird friend back.

And if you can't see the victim being eaten, here's a video with commentary by a lady who saw it all happen.

my camera skills are tremendous.

I just noticed now, but I wonder if that lizard knows the crocodile is stealthily looking at him...One hungry chomp and the little lizard is gone in a swallow. A bit different from the scene above. People often get attacked by crocodiles but I wonder if a perentie lizard ever attacked someone, or if they prefer feathers. 

onwards away from the dangerous animals. There was a platypus in a tank, but Thank GOODNESS they didn't have a spider section. Had enough of that in my own room and in the vineyard thank you very much, Western Australia.

mum taking a picture of an emu, from a distance

a wallaby is kinda a smaller kangaroo. sorta.

these kangaroo's were definitely drugged. How they let anyone go near them and touch them and surround them and be photogenic all day I have no idea.

i feel creeeeeepy. but so cute and incredibly soft! please don't jump at me!

I don't know what anyone expects a pouch to look like, like a pocket right? but it definitely wouldn't be a giant slit in the mother's belly. 

I know it's supposed to be very natural and ooooh ahhhhh, but it doesn't look that comfortable, for either one. For the mother to have knobby legs coming at her in all directions and for the baby roo to be crouched in an orifice that looks so clammy and sweaty in there....

Along comes papa

There was a kangaroo rest area, where funnily enough, there were kangaroo's actually resting in there. I dont know how they know to go in there, or maybe they just want to escape the tourists, but it was quite clever, in a way...

The Lone Koala Sanctuary is a better experience than expected. It's still a zoo with captive animals, but for the exposure the visitor gets to these native animals which they expect to see in the country but might not get a chance to be out in the wild with them, let alone touch them, it's quite enjoyable by all....as shown by all the celebrities, royalties, pop stars, bands, and cool people that go there.