Weekend Update

It's been a busy few days. First, I got a lovely reminder last week how much Japanese influence there is in Melbourne:









Shannon started playing in a touch rugby league this past week, which was pretty fun to watch. I'm amazed how easy the rugby balls are to catch. I guess it's the texture. I think it was actually easier to figure out the goal of rugby in the touch version, so now it should be easier to understand when I'm watching the real version. Touch seems like a really good way to get involved, way smarter than full on rugby (Agsten, let's see if you read this).

We spent the weekend trying to check out some of the Victorian countryside. Saturday we decided to go to Phillip Island to see the Little Penguin Parade, where these masses of Little Penguins return from a long day of fishing, cross the beach, and go into their burrows in the dunes.

On the way, we stopped off at the beach...









got a coffee in what seemed to be a bit of a backwater town (Koo Wee Rup, Vic)...









and at a winery in the hills.









Sadly, you can't take pictures of the penguins, I'm sure because people wouldn't turn off flashes, but it was really amazing. It was crazy how many there were, and how far into the dunes they burrowed.

Sunday, we drove northeast to the Yarra Ranges National Park. We were expecting to have to pay to get in, and find some sort of information booth when we got there. Neither were the case. The road we entered in went through a narrow part of the park, so technically, we were in and out in about twenty minutes. It was really beautiful, but there weren't even turn offs in this part of the park.









However, we did find Marysville, Vic, and made our way to Stevenson's Falls, which were really cool, and it would seem, functional.









There were a number of tracks around the falls that went up to overlooks. We hiked to two of them, then drove around to another on the way out of town. Great views, even for a cloudy day.









Also, the weekend gave me the opportunity to spend a few hours driving on the other side of the road. It was a pretty interesting experience, and much harder than riding on the other side. But, eventually, I got more comfortable with it. And at least you get to see some cool signs.