This was a weekend of wonders in and around Melbourne. The waddling of little penguins to the miles upon miles of ocean coast left me gaping in awe once again of the mysteries and majesties of the beautiful, powerful, God created natural world.
On our first day in Melbourne we visited the Queen Victoria Markets. A fun atmosphere with the many different sights and smells, but to be honest, a bit over whelming. It actually reminded me much of the Chatuchak Market in Thailand.
Later that afternoon we went down along the coast of the peninsula south of Melbourne. We stopped and had lunch on a beach that was lined with brightly colored shed type buildings (I suppose which people keep their beach gear in). Quite a fascinating site. Then we headed off to Phillip Island where we would watch the Penguin Parade. Ends up we knew someone who knew someone and we got hooked up with the VIP tour for free. VIP tour meaning we had our own personal guide, we were given big jackets to wear (it was very cold on the island at night), little seats for sitting on the beach, headsets and binoculars. Anyway, so we went down to the beach and right at dusk groups of small penguins began to gather right at the waters edge before they made their scurry across the sand to their burrows along the hillside for the night. What an 
amazing opportunity to see this undisturbed pattern of nature. Each penguin follows the exact smae path every night to its home...interesting fact. This time of year is also their mating season so we were able to hear the males calling out to attract their mate and a more feisty call when protecting their burrow/territory from other males. These little penguins were adorable and as simple as this daily routine may seem, I'm so glad I was able to witness it.
On Sunday we hired (rented) a car and drove The Great Ocean Road. This was my first experience driving on the left side of the road and I am happy to report that all went well! The coast line, with its giant cliffs and turquoise blue water was gorgeous! Parts of the drive were through forests where we saw many koalas in the treetops. We also drove through beautiful green rolling hills where we saw kangaroos grazing. They are kind of like deer in Colorado. We stopped to see two of the famous sights along the drive, The Twelve Apostles (only seven of which are still standing) and The London Bridge. Now, if you have ever seen pictures of these I'm sure you thought, 'Yeah, that looks pretty cool.' But let me tell you, to see these enormous rock formations off the coast and jutting high out of the water, was absolutely amazing. truely breath taking. And then there's the giant waves crashing around the base of the rocks. I have never seen anything like it.
Now its back to work after a short but fabulous adventure. I will be working at the cafe for about two more weeks, then I will begin a month full of traveling around here before I head home. Wow, how time flies. First I am headed to Tasmania, then up along the east coast, and lastly over to New Zealand for a couple weeks. Hopefully my earnings over the past month or so will sustain me through all these travel plans! I hope you all are well. Know that you are often in my thoughts. My the grace and peace of Christ be continually yours.
