Funny Name for Animal Reserve!

Blackbutt Reserve

Off we go to meet some more Australian animals at our local reserve. Blackbutt is the name of one of Australia's eucalyptus trees, and not a rude word although Kieran and Sean think it is and laugh every time they hear it. 












We arrived in time to meet some brightly coloured parrots, a little shy rock wallaby, a sleeping wombat and the huge flightless Emus. 

Highlight of the afternoon was getting to meet the Koala, whose closest living relative is the wombat and whose name is an Aboriginal word meaning " without water". 





Koalas never drink, typically inhabit open eucalyptus woodlands, where the leaves of these trees make up most of their diet. They live for around 12 years and spend much of their day sleeping in a fork in a eucalyptus tree. 

Being marsupials, koalas give birth to underdeveloped young that crawl into their mothers pouches, where they stay for the first six to seven months of their lives. 


These young koalas are called joeys. 

See the caves at Caves Beach New South Wales

Wow did we have fun exploring the caves at the southern end of this wonderful beach. 

To get there, the boys and Mr Darcy (aunt Mary's dog) walked along the edge of the water running and jumping over the waves which constantly threatened to drench everyone. 



The surf was wild and we watched the wind blow the water from the top of the waves back into the ocean. At one point we had to wait for the waves to recede to run across the sand to get to the rocks where we stood watching the waves pounding into the caves. 

We think we need to come back another day when the waves are not so wild and the tide is much lower. 

G'Day Pelicans

Today we drove to a place called "The Entrance" to help feed Australia's largest water bird, the large black and white pelicans who come every day to be fed and checked by wildlife volunteers. 

Pelicans can weigh up to 10 kilos and can fly for 24 hours at a time. The Pelican's pouch is extremely soft and elastic yet tough. A pelican will scoop its pouch through water trapping fish, and after forcing the water out, a slight tilt of its head will send the fish head first down its throat. One pelican had swallowed a fish hook and we saw him being held while the hook and bait were removed from his throat. He was happy to have that horrible hook removed and was given extra fish to eat for being so good. 

Both Sean and Kieran were able to feed the pelicans fish pieces. Kieran even managed to get close enough to pat one of the birds while mum and aunt Mary got hit on the head by the wings of pelicans who were trying to get closer to the food!! 






One bird had a twisted beak and was called Twister while another had only one wing after a car accident 28 years before. Guess what his name is??? Both boys donated to the Pelican Fund which helps feed and look after these beautiful birds. In return they were given two little toy Pelicans. 

Getting to Know the Neighbours: Toronto NSW

The boys Aunt Mary's house is in a place called Toronto which is just outside Newcastle, New south Wales. This is about 1.5 hrs drive north of Sydney. Can you believe there’s a place called Toronto in Australia!

First thing we need to do is explore the garden, where Kieran and Sean discovered many different types of flowers and plants. The garden has lots of paths but it can be hard to see the boys hiding in the tropical garden where plants grow very high. Look carefully and you might see Sean and Kieran peeking out from behind a tree. We now are trying to press some of the flowers for Kieran and Sean to take home to Canada. 

Back at the house we have early morning visitors: Mrs Butcherbird and her family arrive for breakfast. Kieran can now imitate their call and they fly onto the deck rail to eat the food he leaves for them. The next family to arrive are the noisy Kookaburras. They watch from nearby tree branches and when the boys have placed some meat on the rail they swoop down to have a feast. 

Stay tuned for our next blog on the adventure with Pelican birds

Boogie Boarding and Snorkeling

We were all feeling much better now after a long nights sleep, so we decided to head for the beach to try our luck boogie boarding.

The idea is to swim out into the surf to catch a
wave back to shore, similar to surfing but instead of standing up you just lay on the board. We thought the kids would have more  
luck doing this first before trying surfing.

We quickly loaded up the car with boogie boards, snorkels, flippers and snacks, then set off to Boat Harbour. This is a beach on the other side of the bay from Cronulla where you drive your 4 wheel drive vehicle right on the beach. Luckily Uncle Chris has a 4 wheel drive so there was no worry of getting stuck.

It was advised we wear wet suits because the temps are getting a little cooler now - remember, Australia is now starting to head into winter and daytime temps are hovering around 20C. Wet suits, well that's a bit of an adventure getting into!

After some time and much struggle, we were now ready to hit the surf. Sean thought it would be best to stay close to shore while he watched Kieran attempt the big surf, so Dad, Uncle Chris and Kieran headed into
the ocean in search of the perfect wave. Kieran took to the ocean like a pro jumping at the first wave he could. Unfortunately he forgot to close his mouth and ended up swallowing what seemed like half the ocean. However, this wasn't going to stop his determination and he headed right back in, and before long he was riding them like a pro. Dad on the other hand didn't catch on as quickly!

           
                                                 
After a couple of hours and many waves conquered, we decided to head around the beach to a sheltered bay to try our luck at snorkeling. Kieran raced into the water to start his search for hidden treasures and tropical fish. Sean thought he had enough swimming by then and settled down to make a huge sand castle that included decorations of seaweed, shells and some unique native Australian flowers.

As you can imagine, we were all hungry by this time and thought it would be really neat to try a Teppanyaki restaurant.Teppanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine where they cook on an open griddle in front of your table. The kids loved watching the chef prepare their meal right before their eyes and were amazed with his skills cutting and dicing food.



Halfway through the dinner the chef tossed each person a small bowl in the air for them to catch. This is where it got interesting .... One by one he would toss a raw egg in the air using his spatula for each person to catch using their bowl. Remember, this is a skilled chef who can make this toss as difficult as he chooses, so everyone had their fingers crossed they weren't going to be the target of the evening. First it was mum's turn ... up in the air the raw egg flew and with her great skill she managed to catch the egg without a drop landing on her. Next was Aunt Mary then Sean, both managing this challenge without any mishaps. Kieran also did this without a mishap.

Over to Dad now. Up flew the egg high into the air with Dad manoeuvring his bowl in place for the perfect catch. Unfortunately Dad's judgement was off and the egg came splattering down on him covering his shirt and pants. Everyone was laughing so hard. This was one of the funnest restaurants we've been to and a great way to end a perfect day.











Tomorrow's plan is to visit the Sydney aquarium to see sharks and all kinds of other sea life.

Touchdown Sydney!

After a very long journey Kieran and Sean have now safely arrived in Australia.

The boys were fantastic during the flights taking advantage of all the amenities available ..... food, drink, movies and video games helped pass the time away. Here's a pic of Sean and Kieran settling into their seats for the flight from LA to Sydney. We were all greeted at Sydney's airport by Aunt Mary and Uncle Chris.

Kieran and Sean were so anxious to get the activities rolling, so after a quick visit to Uncle Chris' for a quick change, we were all off to the beach.

Sean just loved playing in the surf and building sand castles and Kieran is off to a great start on his sea shell collection.

After a few hours at the beach, we were off to explore the rock pools along the ocean shore on the other side of Cronulla beach.

The boys found starfish, crab, shell fish, seaweed, and other neat things.

By the end of the afternoon the jet-lag was starting to catch-up with everyone. The boys legs were so tired from running in the sand and climbing rocks that Dad and Uncle Chris had to carry them home on their shoulders.

Can't wait until tomorrow

11 More Sleeps

11 more sleeps until our big adventure begins. Can't wait.

Our mum and dad have been telling us all about Australia and how much fun we're going to have. Kieran is really excited to try the water sports in the ocean (surfing, swimming, under water photography!!). Sean is a little more cautious and will need some encouragement from his Uncle Chris before venturing into the surf.

Here's a picture of Cronulla in Sydney where Uncle Chris and Aunt Michele live. Can't wait to hit that Beach! Look out surf and sand, here we come!

Things we might see in Australia:

Kangaroo
Dingo
Beach
Kokaberra
Opera House
Sydney Harbour Bridge

Things we won't see in Australia:

SNOW

Stay tuned for more updates

Kieran and Sean