Australia

Melbourne January 19 - January 29, 2018

In January 2018 I spent time in Australia; Melbourne for a week and Sydney for two and a half weeks. Australia had always been high on my list of countries to visit, but I could never work it into my schedule. I finally got to spend a good amount of time in Australia and it definitely didn't disappoint. I flew from Mauritius to Melbourne just in time to catch a few days of the Australian Open Tennis Tournament.

There seems to be a great rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney and people have consistently asked me which I preferred. I honestly liked them both! Melbourne, to me, seemed more laid back and reminded me of San Diego quite a bit. It's a bit more funky and edgy than what I experienced in Sydney. Of course, everyone's experience will be somewhat different. The highlight of Melbourne was definitely going to the Australian Open and seeing Novak Djokovic play. It was a great match, but unfortunately Djokovic lost to Hyeon Chung from South Korea. I found the Australian Open to be much more festive than Wimbledon.

During my time in Melbourne, I also rented a car and drove out to the 12 Apostles, which was a whole day trip in which I didn't get the car back in time, so I ended up keeping it an extra day to do some exploring outside of Melbourne the next day. It was nice to get out of the city and see some of the countryside alone the way.

Yarra River going through Melbourne

Melbourne street view

TT walking along the Yarra River in Melbourne

Angel the Mosaic Sculpture, by artist Mark Elshout, located on the north bank of the Yarra River, central Melbourne, Australia

Mosaic sculpture Ophelia created by Melbourne artist Deborah Halpern.

Flinders Street railway station

Australian Open!!

TT at the entrance of the Australian Open

The grounds at the Australian Open

TT enjoying a pre-match beer

The grounds at the Australian Open

Novak Djokovic from Serbia vs Hyeon Chung from South Korea

Pre match build up!

Rod Laver Arena

Walking back to my hotel after the match

Melbourne street view

Tad and Mel having some lunch

Dog Boy and Rabbit Girl in St. Kilda (Melbourne)

St. Kilda area of Melbourne

TT's rental Vauxhall Astra

TT getting ready to head out. After many road trips and driving on the left for the past year I feel completely comfortable driving on the left.

Lots to pay attention to when driving in Australia

A cute coffee shop I stopped at in Torquay on the the way to the 12 Apostles

Road trip from Melbourne to the 12 Apostles

Around the area of the 12 Apostles

The remainder of the 12 Apostles

My friend Anthony Bannon was also in Melbourne at the same time I was. Hadn't seen him in years!

Boat cruise on the harbor

Sydney January 29 - February 6, 2018

After a week in Melbourne I made my way to Sydney for a week and a half. I like it so much that I returned a few weeks later to meet up with friends that were in Sydney for Mardi Gras. While I was in Sydney I was able to meet up with my former colleague, Marie Palmer, that transferred from San Diego to Sydney as well as had many adventures in and around Sydney. The beaches, the Taronga Zoo, the Opera House, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Blue Mountains were just a few of the highlights of the trip.