Given that I have finally gotten caught up on our stay in New Caledonia, it is time to start talking about where we are currently - Australia. If you followed our posts as we were on passage from Noumea to Bundaberg, you know that we had a very, very calm passage (just the way Cindy wanted it). Upon arrival into Hervay Bay, we were greeted by a large humpback whale that put on a tremendous aerobatic performance for us. Our Clearance into the country was handled by both Customs (Border Force) and Bio-security with great professionalism, and was at the same time very relaxed. Because of the number of arriving boats our Timber Inspection took place about a week after we arrived, and we can report that every nook and cranny of the boat was looked at and that we have no signs of boring insects!

I thought I would share with you some of the introductions that we were given to Australia.

Yes, we have seen kangaroos - walking past them as we go to the supermarket! They seem to be everywhere - like deer are in Texas! We kept our distance, choosing not to “spook the herd”. That said, they are fun to watch once they all start moving! They bring traffic to a stop, since there is no telling what direction they might move.

We were introduced to the many animals in Australia that we should be on the look-out for. You can catch up on that list here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdihHnaOQsk

Yes, we have eaten a Vegemite Sandwich. No, neither Cindy nor I will be doing it again. We were told that it is good for putting on sand fly bites, though I won’t be doing that either. You might enjoy this clip of Americans trying some of the foods unique to Australia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru6wri23Ljk

And, we have found that like Texans, Aussies are very proud of their heritage, as shown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMdbVHPmCW0

And, we have been introduced to a number of iconic Australian movies (the ones you probably have never heard of), including:

1)Red Dog, True Blue
2)Red Dog
3)Tracks
4)The Castle
5)The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (not the American remake)
6)The Dish