After our incredible 2 week adventure of Southern Australia and the Outback, our adventures didn't stop. We returned to Dubbo, only to be invited out almost every other day with the wonderful friends who have become my Aussie family. Mom and Dad visited school every couple of days, bringing Rice Krispie Squares or other treats, being good sports as the kids asked every possible question and more. Dad was a particular hit with the kids as he told stories of hunting, cougars, bears, etc. Remember, some of these kids are on properties and are kids who love the bush - piggin and roo shooting included. Many aren't bush kids but those ones that are, couldn't stop asking questions! Mom and Dad came to enjoy the kids, just as I have, and they were sad to leave and say goodbye to them. We've since Face Timed a couple of times so that the kids could say hi to Mom and Dad, and they could see their smiley faces!
No visit to Dubbo is complete without a visit to the Taronga Zoo. We had a beautiful day, but not too hot for Mom :) so we spent it touring around this incredible facility. We enjoyed the morning rhino talk and feed, the giraffes, the Aussie animals (wombat, echidna), tortoises and meerkats. The highlight was definitely the Siamang, probably the loudest of the ape/monkey family. The zoo has a male and female and now a baby. They didn't even know she was pregnant because they're so aggressive and territorial, that the keepers can't get close. On the day we were there, the keepers were feeding the Siamang, so they had taken their little boat out to one of their two islands, dropped the ropes so they couldn't get across, and then was leaving their feed for the day. The Siamang were not happy with this and so they were going off!! Their sounds can be heard almost 5 km away in town!
Dubbo is a great location for day trips! Orange and Mudgee have been my favorite - Orange for food and markets, Mudgee for food and wineries. Mom and Dad and I took a Sunday drive to Mudgee to enjoy a couple of wineries and lunch. The first winery was Robert Oatley which I had visited before and where I particularly enjoyed their Gewurtztraminer wine. They call it Traminer because it's easier to pronounce - ha ha! Dad of course enjoyed the reds here and enjoyed chatting with the lady about the many wines they had and asking many questions. There was no one else there so the lady was happy to chat and even told us about her recent trip to America.
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| http://www.robertoatley.com.au/home/ |
The next winery was di Lusso which was recommended for amazing wines, pizza, and atmosphere. We didn't actually have any wine because I was driving and Dad felt he had tried enough at the winery before. However, the pizza was amazing!! Wood fired pizza while sitting on this beautiful patio overlooking the beautiful Australian landscape - a perfect way to spend my last visit to Mudgee and a day with Mom and Dad.
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| http://www.dilusso.com.au/ |
On our drive home, Dad and I were of course on the lookout for critters. We drove around a lizard that was enjoying the heat of the road in the afternoon and then decided we should go back for some photos. As we started to back up, a vehicle came driving along and drove over the lizard. We saw him do a flip underneath the truck and thought he was a goner! Dad walked back to check on him, with the camera in hand, and somehow, that lizard was still alive!! This is a photo Dad took before shuffling him off the highway to the safety of the bush.
Mom and Dad also acted as supervisors on one of my class excursions. We were studying forms of communication and so did a walking tour of some communication providers in Dubbo. We visited one of our local papers, Photo News, where everybody got their own front page photo printed off for them. Mom, Dad and I got one of the three of us, with the headline "The Cardinals Take Dubbo By Storm". Then it was off to the radio station and the post office. The kids loved having them along and so did I :)
We spent a weekend away, visiting Bridget's family in Orange. We had a feast, as always, at George and Linda's and enjoyed a lovely night with new friends. The next day, we travelled through Bathurst to the Blue Mountains. Bathurst is known for Mount Panorama, the race car circuit. So, I had to take Mom and Dad for a drive around that before making our way into the "mountains".
Next, it was off to the Blue Mountains to see the Australian Three Sisters and the beautiful scenery that is the Blue Mountains National Park. Funny enough, the Blue Mountains aren't actually "mountains" as Dad found out. While Dad was reading up on the Blue Mountains, he learned that they are actually dissected sandstone plateaux with gorges of up to 760m. It is called the Blue Mountains because of the blue haze that the eucalypt trees emit. The Greater Blue Mountains areas were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Dad found a reference to the Grand Canyon with regards to the Blue Mountains, whether it was the size or the age... it's too late to call him and ask so next time you chat with him, make sure YOU ask him :)
We stayed in Katoomba which is where the Three Sisters are found. It is one of the most popular towns in the Blue Mountains for its spas, restaurants, breathtaking views and so much more. We decided to visit Scenic World which takes you into the canyon on the world's steepest railway, back up out of the canyon on a cableway, and across the canyon in a gondola. It was such a cool way to see the area and while it's totally touristy and every tour bus and tourist probably stops there, it was pretty cool!
I of course, was ecstatic to have Mom and Dad with me in Dubbo. I hadn't had company/roommates since Diana and I loved having someone else in the house. Mom would wave goodbye in the morning as Dad drove me to work, after she had made me breakfast and organized my lunch. I was totally spoiled and I loved it!! When I got home from school, I could debrief about my day and then Dad would make us drinks as we prepared dinner and talked about our busy schedule. I loved every minute of it.
Mom and Dad really enjoyed Dubbo! They loved meeting my friends and talking to people they met. Dad met all of the neighbours and even managed to get invited out to a neighbour's farm to check pig traps. He was Mr. Social Butterfly, which is ironic for those of you that know my mom :) They totally understood why I love Dubbo so much and they said that they were so happy that the exchange had taken me here because of the wonderful city it is. They too can now say, first hand, just how incredible country hospitality is!
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| We met the mayor of Dubbo, Clr Mathew Dickerson, and shared some gifts from Rocky Mountain House. |
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| Sam was getting ready for a petting zoo he was setting up for a special day at school. Mom and Dad got to feed them after their baths, as they were getting ready for the big day. Mom and Dad went to Sam's school for the special day also. |
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| That's Merino enjoying dinner! |
So, as you can see, it was a very full, very busy, absolutely amazing Aussie Adventure with Mom and Dad. I'm so grateful that they were able to come and that we had so much time together. I enjoy travelling with Mom and Dad and having them here, sharing this with them, meant the world to me.
Where to next?? I think Africa is in the books for the 3 of us.... but that's a few years off :)
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