The Full GOR-y details...(GOR - Great Ocean Road)

TARAGO INAUGURAL VOGAGE A SUCCESS. Okay, so I know we already wrote a blog about the GOR, however we didn't really see the GOR last time, so I will change the title of that blog and I promise not to write about it again...not even when I go with my parents, my brother, Jeff's brother, Caty, etc...

So, I mentioned that Jeff's dad rented a motorcycle. The main reason for doing this (other than to impress our neighbours and our kids) was so that he could ride the GOR. He was pumped. For the entire week leading up to our trip he checked the weather (a few times daily) and then discovered that with the google maps satellite feature he could track the entire road and even see the whitecaps on the swells hitting the beach. It kept raining in Melbourne but Kevin assured me that it could not rain like this for much longer - it just couldn't. Luckily for all of us, he was right this time!


Jeff took Friday off and we all piled into the Tarago, all of us except Kevin, who put on his biker gear, donned his "tough guy" black helmet with the tinted visor and we hit the road. I managed not to lose Kevin (or get him killed) as we left Melbourne. Now remember the last time we attempted this trip - just as we arrived in Lorne (120 km from Melbourne) Maddy yacked all over her clothes, her carseat and left our rental van reaking for the remainder of our journey. This time I was prepared. We had a pot lined with plastic bags, all of her clothes were easily removable if puke-stained, extra clothes for everyone, febreeze in the car, I even had a short sleeve shirt on so I could hold her without getting covered in puke, I was ready! Thankfully there was no puke at all on the holiday.

Friday we drove to Torquay, played in the amazing adventure playground close to the beach, ate a quick lunch at the golden arches - Maddy now claps and says "Donalds- park - nuggets" when she spots one - a sad feeling as a parent. We then got back in the car and drove all of the way to Apollo Bay, where we were staying the night. It rained as we were leaving Melbourne (enough that Kevin wanted his rain suit for the bike) but held off for most of the drive. Apollo Bay is less trendy than Lorne but it is more of a half-way point between Melbourne and Warrnambool (the end of the GOR). Our 3-bdrm apt, was really a 2-bdrm with bunk beds in the living room - not the most favourable set-up for our family but it was sufficient for one night. There was a good park but we eventually decided that the beach was the place to be and we were graced with a beautiful double rainbow. Eating in a restaurant with kids that have been cooped up in the car all day is NEVER the best idea, but we tried to have a nice dinner in a bistro on the main strip. Unfortunately for us, most "nice" restaurants have only 1 highchair. This makes eating with our kids MUCH less enjoyable. The food was fine, service was less than hospitable, and we made it back to the hotel to watch some tv. We thought maybe we could just let Wyatt fall asleep naturally (since he didn't really have a room) but at about 9:30, after a few hours of the Simpons (no kids channel here) we decided we might need to take some serious action and so Jeff went to bed with him in the same room as the twins, while I took the bunk in the living room. We knew this was not the end of our night, and I was roused by the distinctive cries of both Cooper and Maddy at about 11. I chose Cooper to sleep with me out on the bunk - a big mistake as he has my grandfathers snore and was unable to really rest in my company. Another rough night, Jeff and his folks took the kids to a cafe for breakfast while I showered so as to feel human again.

On the road again, we traveled to the most photographed stretch of road in Australia (if not the world), the stretch from Apollo Bay to Port Campbell National park is littered with scenic lookouts and amazing sights. We hit the 12 Apostles (as you might imagine, Wyatt, Cooper and Maddy didn't appreciate the stunning peacefulness of the landscape), the blowhole, London Bridge, the Grotto and then had a quick lunch in Port Campbell.

We did the last stretch to Warrnambool without stopping and enjoyed an early evening at Lake Pertrobe (a wonderful spot for kids with at least 4 different playgrounds, a maze, boat rides, pelicans, ponds, tires, etc...) and then learned from the previous night, checked into the StoneCutters Inn, our 3 bdrm-loft apt (beautiful! and well set up, 2 bdrms upstairs with a bathroom, and one downstairs with a gas fireplace, no bathtub but oh, well...) and we ordered some pizza and ate in. This went so well, we also picked up some cereal and milk and had brekkie in the apt. then went and played at the park in the morning. Forgot to mention that we went whale watching from a platform near the "Whale Nursery", a bay where the right whales are known no calve their young. Very cool to be able to see whales without having to get on a boat and go searching for them. Notice in the pic that a surfer is getting quite close to the whales...this is not permitted.

The last day, Kevin decided to go back the way we had come so he could see the GOR in both directions, while we took the more direct highway route in order to get back to Melbourne quicker and spare the kids more car time.

This drive covers some stunning ground. From cliffs and ocean views to dense forest hills and amazing farm pastures. Jeff and I are interested to see what the drive is like in the summer in full tourist season...maybe we'll even write another blog about it....

Inlaws in Melbourne...

Julia and Zak left us as we welcomed Jeff's parents for our first official "visit from home". As Jeff mentioned, Wyatt was speechless upon seeing Grampy. The twins quickly grew attached to Grammy and Grampy and were excited to show their new attendants all of their favorite parks and playgrounds, introduce them to their Aussie friends and take them to the Melbourne Museum, the Aquarium, Healesville Animal Sanctuary and more. In addition to that, Kevin and Deborah made short work of seeing everything there was to see in Melbourne (more than we have even seen), be it by train, tram, trolley, bus, or by foot. Even the greater Metlink transit system was not enough for them and Kevin rented a motorcycle (which Maddy still asks for "Grampy's cycle - where are you?"). They came, they brought mostly rain and cold weather with them, but they could not be stopped. I hope that I will have that kind of energy once I don't have children to slow me down! We were sad to see them go but I am sure they will appreciate the peace and quiet of Port Credit, far from the sleepless antipodean toddlers and their cranky mother. Thanks for putting up with me!

Meet the Tarago !

We are now the proud owners of a 1999 Toyota Tarago !

Buying a used car here is very easy. Liability insurance is purchased as part of the registratoin of a vehicle. The registration is specific to the vehicle and transfers to the new owner, therefore insurance is not mandatory here. You can then purchase comprehensive insurance on top of that.

You have two weeks from the sale to have the registration officially transfered over. Also, you don't need an Australian driver's license to have the registration in your name.

I spent an hour or so last night installing the car seats so it was ready to roll this morning.

Weekend in review

We had quite a busy weekend here.

Saturday my parents, myself, and the kids headed downtown to the Aquarium. We spent the moring there showing Grampy and Grammy all the fish and turtles. This trip the kids were much more into it then the first time we went which was shortly after we arrived. Highlight was definitely the large room at the end where you are surrounded on all sides by floor to ceiling glass and you are circled by the sharks and rays.

Next we headed to the Victoria Market to check that out. While my dad went off to collect his motorbike my mom and I treated the kids to lunch at a MacDonalds...sad I know...but the always have two high chairs and you can be in and out quickly. Key things for having a successful lunch. The market is basically a huge huge farmer's market and flea market all under one giant roof. The market itself is then surrounded by a cirlce of permenant shops. My parents bought a few souvenirs but other than that we managed to fight off the alure of 5 dollar watches and 2o dollar jeans.

Sunday I had bigger plans !

We piled into the van and headed for the Healesville Sanctuary. It's basically a zoo but with a functioning animal sanctuary/hospital on the premises.

The drive out there was great once we got out of the city...which took at least 40 minutes ! This is the wine growing area known as the Yarra Valley. Picture bright green pastures and small vineyards surrounded by small mountains on all sides. Very pretty !

Eventually we got to the zoo. In the end we liked it as much if not more then the Melbourne Zoo. We managed to see all the big Australian animals that you would expect..Kangaroos, Wallabees, Koalas, Dingos, Echidnas, Platapus etc. Not only did we see them but you were pretty close and they seemed interested in all the attention. It's clean, very well laid out, and pretty big.

We then had lunch back in Healesville at a nice cafe and headed for Marysville which was through the Yarra Ranges National Park. We hadn't been up that way before and it turned out to be far better than we expected. The road wound and climbed and dropped as we crossed over the Yarra ranges. The trees here were about 100 feet tall and the road was almost never straight. A good practice run for the great ocean road next weekend.

Once we made it out we thought about going home a different way and doing a circle but decided the risk of getting lost was too high. Since we enjoyed the drive out so much we were all content to turn around and go back the way we had come.

Bad blogger ! Bad !

Sorry for going dark on everyone like that.

My parents ( aka Grampy and Grammy ) arrived here Saturday night and things have been pretty hectic ever since. They got here around 9 pm our time and I met them at the airport with Wyatt who was wired and rendered speechless by their arrival. Something that doesnt happen very often.

Sunday we let them relax a bit as they had been on a whirl wind tour of Hawaii on the way over. We took them to an indoor playground in the morning and then a walk around the neighbourhood in the afternoon. We capped it off with a steak and shrimp BBQ with some Australian beer. This dinner served three purposes, welcome to Australia for them, a second birthday dinner for Wyatt, and a goodbye dinner for Zak and Julia who were to leave us on the following Tuesday.

Monday I was back to work but Mel took them to the Melbourne Museum for the day and gave them a driving tour of the major sights of the city. In the afternoon my parents took Wyatt to a bike store and bought him a very nice Tricycle. We had bought him a cheap one for his birthday but Wyatt and the twins proved too much for it and it had to be returned when it started to fall apart on day two. We had a pizza dinner as a last goodbye to Zak and Julia.

Tuesday morning Mel drove Zak and Julia to the airport for thier flight to Sydney and then Fiji. They will be missed ! I don't think we will truly know how much help they were until my parents leave and we are all alone here for the first time !

My parents took the kids to the local park for the morning and went for another walk in the afternoon.

Wednesday my parents decided to go off on thier own and take a couple of trams to make thier own way to St. Kilda and then the CBD ( downtown ). The walked all over downtown and my dad rented a motorbike from this Saterday until next Sunday. He plans to do some exploring on that in the afternoons next week and then we will do a big Great Ocean Road trip on the weekend.

I'm in the process of purchasing a used Toyota Tarrago mini van and hope to close the deal on Friday so hopefully we will christen the van with the trip next weekend. Buying a car here is very different from in Canada ! I'll delve more into that in a future post.

Trampoline Time

Jeff is truly Superdad. With very little help from me, he assembled the trampoline by the light of the moon so that it would be ready for the kids in the morning. Wyatt was very excited to see the giant blue structure in the backyard, but managed to contain his need to bounce until after breakfast. We did not heed the warnings on the box (not suitable for children under 3, only one jumper at a time) and instead, we adopted the Aussie attitude on child safety, and we put all 3 kids on the trampoline at once. Wyatt was instantly a pro, having enjoyed gymnastic classes back home. Maddy enjoys the rush and likes to run around in circles saying "Circle, circle, circle." while Cooper was a bit shy of the trampoline until he realized that it bounces better than his crib mattress at which point he pulled out his favorite move - a big jump with a bum landing. So far it seems to be a good investment - it is in our backyard so there is NO transit time, no batteries are required, jumping tires the kids out, there is no fighting over who "has" the trampoline and they haven't taken to WWF moves just yet. The only down side is that it will not be returning to Canada with us so Fern Avenue may lose some "cool" points in the kids eyes.

On Turning 3…

Learn from our mistakes and NEVER attempt to get a 3 year old worked up about their birthday BEFORE the day of…

Wyatt has a book called “How Many Sleeps?” about a young mouse that keeps track of how many sleeps there are until his next birthday. Somehow we started down this path with Wyatt a few days before his actual birthday, this got old very quickly. For the past week, every morning he would call my name and as I peaked into his room he would ask “Is my birthday here yet?”, then when I answered “Not yet honey” he would get out of bed crestfallen. In an effort to speed things up, he cleverly decided that naps should be included in his sum total of sleeps and he started asking the dreaded question after waking from his naps “Is my birthday here yet?”. Then this morning, he called out. I was excited to tell him his birthday was here. “Mommy, is my birthday here yet?” he asked, with his head still on the pillow. “Yes honey it is.” “Yeah” he said, “Can I have my birthday cake now?”…I just can’t win!

About a week ago, I asked him what kind of toys he wanted for his birthday. He answered that he did not want toys for his birthday, instead, all he wanted was some vanilla-chocolate birthday cake and his friends over for a party. I was thrilled. Maybe we had raised him right after all…maybe despite the plethora of cars and toys we had purchased for him over the years, we had managed to instill in him the value of friendship and family. Then two days ago he seemed upset. He touched my arm and said “For my birthday I want some birthday cake, my friends over for a party and some toys, Mommy. I want some Hot Wheels and 2 monster trucks and a monster truck for Maddy and one for Cooper.” Oh well, at least he wants to share.

His presents were set up on the table in his playroom and I managed to get a snuggle with him on the couch before he noticed them. I allowed him to open his monster trucks first (before Jeff came down from his shower) and he was quite pleased. Then, he patiently waited for his dad to come down before opening his other treasures. The Hot Wheels were acknowledged, the craft kit containing stamps (of facial features with different expressions) and ink pads was dismissed and then came the Lightning McQueen Figure 8 track (from Grandma and Grandad). We had wrapped it before reading if it needed batteries (then looked it up on the internet where it said that it did NOT require any). Wyatt eagerly unwrapped this present and we were all very excited until we realised that it did need batteries (of which we had none). He was GREAT in the face of disappointment – helped by the fact that we pulled out the “piece de resistance” which we had agreed to withhold until Grammy and Grampy arrived this Saturday – a tricycle. We were nervous he would not like it as he never gravitated towards the beautiful trike Jeff’s dad gave him…preferring ride-on toys he could push. But we lucked in and he was very proud of his BIG BOY BIKE and he learned to pedal quite efficiently in less than 5 minutes.

Then I stressed over last minute preparations until his friends arrived. Zak made a few trips to the grocery store over the course of the morning, for batteries, more batteries and then some flour for the pizza dough I had planned to make.
Kerri arrived with a WONDERFUL car themed cake – an intersection with cars made of “fondant” driving on the left side of the road.
Much better than anything I could have come up with. Loic gave Wyatt a remote control car and Lisa arrived with Declan who was very excited to give Wyatt a copy of his favorite toy – a remote control demonic looking teardrop riding a skateboard. Wyatt loves this toy but it took Cooper and Maddy the full day to get over their fear. We also gave Wyatt this Winnie the Pooh game, it shoots leaves/butterflies out the top of a long plastic tube and the kids have to catch as many as they can in their nets. The game is a hit with the kids but parents be warned - the fun lasts approximately 20 seconds and then needs to be reset. Not a great payout. It was amazing that we had 3 kids around 3 years of age, the twins coming in at 19 months and Tea and Shawn just over a year old and no fights broke out for over 3 hours!!! A proud moment for all of us moms. After Loic, Tea and Kerri left, Wyatt went out front to say good bye and the boys started splashing in the birdbath. Next thing I know, all 5 kids are running around the front yard at least topless. We teased Zak about how Wyatt was much luckier than he was to have a topless birthday party but then we realized most of his guests were male so I don’t think Zak was too jealous in the end.

Jeff and I also bought Wyatt a 10ft. round trampoline that arrived while he was napping. His biggest meltdown of the day occurred when he realised that I could not put the trampoline together in 2 minutes and that he was going to have to wait for Dad to come home to set up that present. A quick ride to the park on his new bike got his mind off of the trampoline (until the bike pedal kept falling off…you get what you pay for) and we enjoyed his favorite dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. Jeff has his work cut out for him as Wyatt expects him to assemble the trampoline in record time, in the dark, with no tools. Wish him luck!

Just before going up to bed Wyatt looked at me with the sweetest look he could muster and asked “Mommy, can I have another birthday?”. I guess you could say the day was a success and the transition from being 2 to being 3 has been a pleasant one.

Commuting by Train

I've been doing the commute to work by train so far and have had varied experiences. One day it can be as smooth as possible with a short walk to the nearest station arriving just in time to get on an express train that has be downtown in a matter of minutes. Other times it can be a nightmare of waiting 45 minutes for a train due to a broken train getting stuck right in front of the station, or more routinely hitting the station after work at peak times where the people are packed in so tight you can't even move your arms !

Anyway, for the most part it's pretty convenient. I buy a pass that is good for 10 trips of up to 3 hours each. As we live within Zone 1 I only need a Zone 1 ticket. This particular pass costs 28.00 so its a pretty good bargain compared with driving and paying for gas...I mean petrol...and parking.

As the daylight starts to last longer and the days start to get warmer I am hoping to abandon the trains in favour of riding my bike in very soon. I'm just trying to work out where I will shower and leave my bike. I could ride to the Accenture office which has a shower, but I don't know where I could leave my bike at that building, and it's a good 10 minute walk from there to the project office. My other option would be to get a gym membership at the gym around the corner from the project offce and just bring my bike into the office with me.

Anyway, before I start riding I figured I would give everyone an idea of what my daily commute looks like.

Exiting house onto Wilmot street and turn left...

At end of Wilmot turn left again this time on Howard...
Turn right onto Repton Street...
All the houses on Repton are tiny Victorian bungalows.
At the end of Repton turn left onto Ardrie. Can't wait to see this street in the summer.

Turn right and then left from Ardrie and arrive on Waverly. Lots of shops and restaurants along here...
Most popular gas station here is BP. Notice how green they are !
Waverly ends at the Princes Highway. Also known as Dandenong Road.

Monash University has a campus right at the junction of Waverly and Dandenong. They have a lot of very modern buildings on this site.

Cross the highway and cut through the University's parking garage...

and you arrive at Caulfield Station. It take about 20 minutes to walk here or 5 minutes on the Tram that runs down Waverly. This is a major station as 3 train lines split after this station. That means I have 3 times as many train options from this station compared to a normal station.

This is the board listing all the incoming trains. In the mornings everyone is trying to catch the City Loop - Limited Express. No one wants the City Loop - Stops all stations. Express makes 2 stops before the city. All stations is probably closer to 10. The hard part is that as the trains approach the station they can suddenly change platforms. So all the people standing on platform 1 will be told with 1 minute to go that the train is now departing from Platform 3. There is then a mad and futile dash out of the platform terminal and down into the tunnel under the station then up the stairs to platform 3, through the turnstyles only to see the train leaving. These people are usually cursing and throwing thier hats or papers just as the announcer lets everyone know that the next limited express is due back on platform 1 in 1 minute...I've learned my lesson and now when I am in a hurry I wait in the tunnel and watch the board until the last possible minute rather than waiting on the platform.

You can see the Caulfield Race Track ( horse racing ) off in the distance. This shot was taken from the train platform.
Waiting for the train...
A train...an older one actually...
Arriving at Parliament Station. It's actually one of the uglier stations on the city loop. Flinder's Street Station, Souther Cross Station and Melbourne Central are all worthy tourist attractions. Parliament is all business ! no sight seeing here. Once you get out of this tunnel you ride up about 3 stories on one of the steepest escalators I have ever seen. After that you still have to climb up three flights of stairs to get to street level.
View up Albert street after exiting from Parliament Station in the CBD. I work in the third building on the left. On the right side of the street is a park that connects to the Treasury Gardens. That is pretty much it. Door to door it's anwhere from 35 minutes to an hour depending on what train you catch and how long you wait for it.

I hope to go for a walk at lunch this week and start gathering some pics of the landmarks in the CBD.

Superboy Alive and Well in Melbourne

So, now that we have returned to the daily grind of exploring Melbourne, I have a few Wyatt stories to entertain all of you…

The other day we were at the park with Loic and fam and Loic has an interesting habit of roaring (and he has quite the scary roar for a 2 year old). Julia was chatting with the kids and had the following conversation with Wyatt (or something pretty close to this account):
“Wyatt, what scary animal do you want to be? Loic is a lion, Cooper is a crocodile and Maddy is a snake… What do you want to be?”
“I’m Superboy.”
“Okay, What do you do then?
“I help the world.”
“Okay, What are your superpowers?”
“I save all the girls and boys in trouble”
At this point in the conversation he runs over to a girl he doesn’t know and asks her if she is in trouble. She of course is not in trouble so he tries another girl and then returns to play with Loic.
I have used his Superboy persona to my advantage and have successfully got him to put away his shoes and jacket, to help find lost items, to clean up a mess of cars, etc…According to Wyatt, Maddy is Supergirl because she helps him with these tasks but Cooper has yet to earn his “Super wings”.

For those of you that know Jeff and I, we have always joked together than we should get our kids into horror movies. Jeff has always said that kids make a movie really creepy. So last night Julia, Zak and I thought we would put this plan into action. We coached Wyatt and when Jeff came through the door after a long day’s work, Wyatt ran up to him and said “I see dead people.” Unfortunately he didn’t whisper it as we had rehearsed, nor did he do his proper creepy eyes but we all had a great laugh.

Thought this might make a few of you giggle.