Greetings From Down Under
Well, it has been an amazing treat to be able to fulfill my first New Years’ monthly goal: January, for me, was all about connecting again with my husband and kids...and since we have been traveling and seeing adventures we wouldn’t normally fit into our schedule, I think I have succeeded. I told you I wasn’t going to make my New Year's goals hard.
I have to share some of the most amazing moments of my life with you. We have spent the last 3 weeks on the North Island of New Zealand and our fourth and final week has brought us to the Land of OZ as the locals call it; Australia for us Canadians. When we left Canada I took a photo to show our friends we had been experiencing -40 degree weather. When we landed in Melbourne on Friday, it was +45 degrees...steaming hot!
Our first two days in Phillip Island was the most amazing. We spent a morning at the Koala Conservation Centre, searching with our heads tilted far back and our eyes glued to the tree tops for any sight of Koalas. Our son, tired of walking, took to the “pram” and enjoyed the ride. After a bit of time, Lucas said, “I want to stop here!” I asked him why he wanted to stop, “To look at the Koala Bears!” he replied. Having not seen any yet, I asked him to show us; he got out of the pram and walked over to a tree and pointed, “Right here, Mom!” and there were the cutest Momma and Baby Koala Bears, right below eye level! Go figure.
Check out the photos and website at www. Penguins.org.au where you can check out the bushland we walked.
The afternoon was spent walking around the Nobbies centre and a very amazing interactive marine attraction. They have miles of boardwalks to roam and amongst the hills are baby penguins that are molting and not ready to go to the sea quite yet. And a coastline that is filled with seals, seagulls and a stunning blowhole. I had to share this baby with you and you can adopt your own penguin or become a penguin pal at www. Penguinfoundation.org.au
Following this we spent the night waiting with many others for what they call the “Penguin Parade” which I saw with my parents over 30 years ago. When darkness fell, the penguins come in from the ocean to their burrows and babies for the night; it is truly a sight to see and they have made the evening like going to a drive-in for the spectators. One thing they strictly enforce is "no photos"...so you just need to put it on your “must-see” in a lifetime list...take my word for it.
I got a chance to do something I never dreamed of doing, walking amongst hundreds of Kangaroos and hand-feeding those that hopped to us. We stopped at Phillip Island Wildlife Park and were astonished at the demeanor of the different species of Kangaroos and Wallabies that followed us, played and allowed us to feed and pet them. Even when a group would approach us, there was never an issue of pushing or shoving to get us to feed them...it was truly amazing and it will be on the all-time-favourites list for months to come. Check them out at www.piwildlifepark.com.au
We have a few days to go before returning to a routine and getting life back to normal, but I will have lots to share with you in the months to come. In the meantime we have found some of the greatest valentines gifts for your kids that you might want to check out on my website.
About the Author
Kimberly Schick-Puddicombe is the Founder and Publisher of Moms, Dads and Kids. & The Little Black Book for busy familiesTM. Her transition from full time marketer with a demanding career to full time mom with 2 fabulously active kids had her on a constant search for things to keep them occupied so she launched Alberta fun finder website http://www.momsdadsandkids.com
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