Today we are moving into our apartment! I can pick up the keys at 4pm, but we had to be out of our hotel at 10 this morning, so I had some time to kill. I decided to check out St. Kilda Beach for a couple of reasons. 1) it's a beach. 2) it's a nice day today, which is a departure from the many days of rain we have had since we got here. Apparently winter is the wet season. Usually it only rains for an hour or so though, so it's bearable. 3) I was reading some blogs last night and apparently penguins gather around St. Kilda pier from time to time. Let's face it: penguins are one of the top 5 coolest animals ever. So I just had to see for myself.
Unfortunately, I didn't see any penguins.
I did see this large bird. $100 to anyone who can identify it.
The sign indicated that the penguins are mainly spotted at sun set, so I will absolutely be back one of these nights. However, I'll probably bring Peter because even though St. Kilda seems to be a nice beach suburb, I've heard from a few people that it's "sketchy" at night. I take that with a grain of salt since I've seen very few people I would deem "sketchy" since I've been here and Melbourne is extraordinarily safe for a city of 4.5 million. In fact, if someone is shot and/or murdered anywhere in Australia it's all over the news. That said, I'll probably still take Peter. Plus, he probably wants to see the penguins anyway :).
So, if I didn't see penguins, what did I see? This:
In the summer, people hang out at St. Kilda beach and I can see why! Even though Melbournians seem to scoff at it and make sure to tell you it's not a NICE beach by Australian standards (you have to travel further out of the city for those, understandably) it looks quite nice to me! I can't wait till the weather warms up and we can spend some weekends here!
The water is very calm since we are in a bay. No surfing here! However, one of the best surfing beaches in Australia is about an hour south of Melbourne, which we will be sure to check out. Also, I just made a new rule that anyone who visits us has to take a surfing lesson in the spirit of all things Australian, so prepare yourselves!
I'm not sure what that other animal is...
Standing on the end of the pier looking back at St. Kilda
The Melbourne skyline from the end of the pier
Beach
The pier from the shore
Edge of the water.
Not quite warm enough for flip flops.
Flat top trees! I'm not sure what they're really called, but I refer to them as Safari trees.
Beautiful day in the park across from the beach.
I'm now posted up in Bon Bons, a bakery right around the corner from our apartment, waiting for the keys to our place. I'm not quite sure what I will do once I get in...we have no furniture and Peter won't bring our luggage over until he's done with work around 9. I hear there is a Bed, Bath, and Beyond-like store somewhere around here that I may check out. We are going to need towels for showers tomorrow, at the very least!
My goal this weekend is to see a kangaroo! We might visit a wildlife sanctuary in the city, which is sort of cheating in my opinion, but still cool! It will have to do for now if we don't have time to rent a car and drive out of the city, though. Apparently kangaroos don't hop through the city or surrounding suburbs. Go figure. If we do get a chance to rent a car, we will definitely check out the Great Ocean Road that follows the coastline and is supposed to be beautiful! Alright, off to get the keys!
Is that bird a rakali?? Beautiful pictures, lots of fun to look at.... I like their signs - no dogs beyond this point.
ReplyDeleteKeep them coming. Lots of fun for us homebodies...
Let me know if you see a kangaroo! Did you get your suitcases and towels for a shower?
ReplyDeleteI would classify that as a black swan that hasn't reached full maturity... Hope you're having fun in Australia :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha whatever it was, it wasn't cute! But the penguins were :) come visit with KK!!
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