Being in Manly Beach meant that the fastest way for us to get into Sydney was to take a ferry. And I would put money on the fact that if you ask Jack what his favorite thing was about Sydney, he would not skip a beat before he shouted out, “The Manly Fast Ferry!” He … More Manly Fast Ferry
After we finished our time on the Great Ocean Road, we flew out of Melbourne to Sydney. We decided that we’d stay outside of the city, knowing that we would end up in Sydney anyway, so why not take the opportunity to explore another location. We’d heard great things about the Manly Beach neighborhood and, … More Manly Beach
As luck (or last minute poor planning!) would have it, we managed to perfectly miss several major sporting events in Melbourne during our time there. We arrived in Melbourne just after the Grand Final, which is the championship game for AFL (think Super Bowl for Australian rules football), and we left the day before the … More Melbourne Cup
So clearly we enjoyed our time on the Great Ocean Road. So much so, that all plans to make it to Adelaide went out the window and we decided to just slow down and enjoy the ride and take it all in. Basically after four days of driving, we finally made it to the city … More Highlights of the Great Ocean Road
We saw some amazing wildlife on the Great Ocean Road, but not all of it was in the great outdoors. The first town we stopped in on the Great Ocean Road was Lorne. We found a hotel room in a nice little spot that had a room available. Matt inquired about the room and found … More Wildlife of the Great Ocean Road
One thing that really stood out to me along the Great Ocean Road is that no matter how small the town was where we stayed, they had a SERIOUS playground at the center of town. Our usual routine would be that we’d decide on the town to stay in at the end of the day, … More Get Your Play On
One of our stops along the Great Ocean Road was the aptly named Wreck Beach, just outside of Lavers Hill. With the dramatic cliffs and amazing rock formations along the coast, it’s easy to see why the area has been the place of so many shipwrecks throughout history. If I remember correctly, the count was … More Wreck Beach
As parents, we often find ourselves giving Jack reminders about making good decisions. And as a 7-year-old, however, Jack often likes to test the limits despite our advice. Sometimes the best way for us to let him learn is to give him a reminder once and then just stand back, let him try what it … More Bad Decisions
One thing that I’ve loved during our time in Australia is how we’ve found such great experiences in the most unexpected places. Sometimes it’s the people that we’ve met, sometimes it’s a great hike that we never planned on taking or sometimes it’s just a hidden gem with amazing food. We stumbled on the aptly … More Wye River General Store
Our road trip on the Great Ocean Road was the first time we’d had a rental car during this adventure, which meant it was also the first time Matt was having to drive on the left hand side of the road. He’s done it in the past on other trips, but it’s been awhile (at … More Navigating the Great Ocean Road
The Detour Diary 