The Great Ocean Road

Posted on by robandlinds
We caught an 8:00 am flight to Melbourne to head to the Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road is supposed to be the most senic drive in Australia. It follows the southern coast from Melbourne to Adelaide. Lindsey wasn’t able to join us, unfortunately. She text me at around 7am asking if Eggers had fallen asleep on the airport floor. Sure enough, I sent her the above picture.
Quick catch along the Great Ocean Road

The highlight of the Great Ocean Road is the 12 Apostles. A few have fallen over the last few years and there are only 8 standing now.

We stopped at Bimbi Park where we saw several koala bears

The New Apartment

Posted on by robandlinds
We finally moved into a one-bedder, after 3 months in our studio apartment.
Neutral Bay, NSW Australia
 
Rob claims that we have a view of the ocean from our patio
 
Found a good spot for the hoop!


 

 

EJ and Sarah Arrive!

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Hunter Valley Wine Festival
@ Balmoral Beach

It was Erik and Sarah’s first day in Sydney.  They were pretty tired, but we dragged them along to a wine festival near our apartment in Neutral Bay.

Towards the end of our wine tasting, it started pouring rain.
We grabbed the closed thing we could find, a cardboard box…
Didn’t work out as great as we would’ve liked.
            

Lindsey is FULLY employed!!

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I just finished my first week of working full time and it was exhausting!!  I realized just how much I enjoyed my afternoon nap in the sun, right after my big brekky…

I‘m working at Genesys Wealth Advisers — which is owned by AXA Australia — which is now owned by AMP.  AXA and AMP are two big financial planning firms and just this year AMP bought out AXA Australia.  Technically, I am employed by AXA, but I really work under the Genesys platform (http://www.genesyswealth.com.au/).

I will be working on the Investment Research Team as an “Investment Specialist.”  We will be deciding the model portfolio, along with the funds on the Approved Product List (“APL”) – a list of ~100 funds that are approved for the financial adviser(s) to recommend to their clients.

My first full day on the job, I was required to attend a behavioural course put on by HR.  Long, story short we learned about each other and how to communicate with others.  We spent 3 hours going through various exercises (think “catch-the-person-who-is-falling-backwards” type exercises).  It was great!  I was partnered an Aussie native who has never left Australia and thinks everyone in America is like the guys on Jersey Shore (he even looks like “The Situation” – http://www.nextlevellifestyles.com/how-to-attract-girls/).  In fact, one of his first questions was, “How close is Colorado to Las Vegas?”

A few days later, we left the office at 10 AM to go down to Circular Quay and watch some of our ‘mates’ repel down the AXA building for charity.  We were there for the majority of the afternoon, then left around 4 PM to celebrate… the weekend…

It really was a great way to get to know my co-workers.  Unlike Rob’s co-workers, I am the only American on our floor of about 100 people.

Genesys/AXA/AMP employees repelling down the building on a beautiful Friday afternoon in Sydney


The first thing Rob said to me when I told him the story…

“Welcome to the Australian culture!”

[I could certainly get used to this!]

Knuspriger Schweinebauch

Posted on by robandlinds
Knuspriger Schweinebauch is German for Crackling Roast Pork Belly with Löwenbräu Bier Sauce, Sautéed Potatoes and Slow-Braised Red Cabbage.  (Rob’s dinner order)
If you want pork belly, pork knuckles and meat loaf with a side of Sauerkraut and a heart attack, you’ll want to visit the German restaurant, Löwenbräu.
Linds ordered her first Stein (which is 1 liter or 33 oz)
 Later, we made our way to Star City – the casino in Sydney.  It was surprisingly very nice!  It was a different vibe than the Vegas casinos.  People actually went there to socialize and eat quality food or have a cup of coffee.

Lynne was dominating on the Roulette Tables, winning more than 20 times in a row!

(Sounds a lot like Lori!!!).

Rob started with $120 and left with over $350 playing black jack! The only reason he walked away a winner is b.c I kept the $25 chips he’d win, so he wouldn’t continue to play — then eventually lose everything.

International Food Festival in Sydney

Posted on by robandlinds

October 10-14 and 17-21, 2011
5 – 9pm weeknights (free entry)
The Night Noodle Markets are here!

Hyde Park North is transformed into an authentic Asian hawker-style market – for noodles, dumplings, desserts and more.

This major highlight of Crave Sydney International Food Festival brings together dozens of fabulous food stalls, three bars and nightly entertainment (including the much-loved Chinese lions).

The Coopers sustainable beer garden is back – a lovely space in which to relax, eat noodles and enjoy the finest Australian ales.  A choice of three bars serves Brown Brothers wine, Coopers beer, S. Pellegrino and Acqua Panna mineral waters and sparkling fruit juices, as well as Chambord cocktails.

Rugby World Cup (South Africa vs Australia)

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We watched a big match up – Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals: South Africa vs Australia – on the famous Cockatoo Island.

Australia WON by a small margin.  The final score was 11 – 9.  Australia will be playing the “all blacks” (a.k.a. New Zealand) next Sunday in the semi-finals.

http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/home/fixtures/knockout.html

 

Uncle Joe would be excited to know that I’ve started figuring out a variety of ways to enhance the pictures I take on my camera.  The pictures above are enhanced with a pin hole and a sketch option.

Sunday Night Cook Off

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We had a rainy weekend here in Sydney, so our activities involved sitting on the couch watching College Football.  I took pleasure in buying Rob the fattiest, juiciest lunch I could find.  The only thing it’s missing is a nice cold Bud Light (and his best buds).

At one point, we were discussing the things we missed the most about the States, besides friends and family.
Rob turned to me and said,
“Honestly, since I’ve been here, I’ve realized that I don’t just like sports, watching sports actually makes me happy!”

On Sundays, we take turns trying brand new recipes (we were inspired by the Australian version of the MasterChef show).  Our goal is to ultimately learn how to cook for ourselves.  Tonight, Rob cooked a fabulous dish – BBQ Chicken and Veggies on the grill.

It was mmm mmm GOOD!

More Birthday Celebrations

Posted on by robandlinds

It seems that we have a birthday to celebrate almost every weekend.  I guess most of them are during the spring months – Sept, Oct, Nov and Dec.


Some of our friends, Megan and Innes, are from southern California.  Megan was the reason for our initial interest in moving to Sydney.  She was working with Rob on a client and mentioned an opening in the Sydney office.  Three months later, Rob was getting off the plane in Sydney’s International Airport.

We celebrated Innes’ 30th Birthday at the Oaks, a hotel turned into a pub back in the late 1970s. The Oaks is one block from our apartment and has become our favorite neighborhood bar. Rob’s favorite part: grilling your own steaks and potato.

The hotel rooms upstairs were turned into rooms that can be rented out for big groups or parties.

It was a surprise party, so Meg and I went early to decorate.
 
Far left: Tim with Innes and Megan 
Megan and Innes 

Group of Friends: Rob, Jack, Tom, Innes, Jack, Lynne, and Megan

“Hey, Rob!  Give me Your Best Face!”

Birthday Night Dinner

Posted on by robandlinds
Some of our other friends, Tom and Lynne, are from the UK.  Tom had a similar opportunity as Rob to come over to Sydney on a 457 Visa, sponsored by Intercall.  It was Lynne’s birthday on September 10th and we went out to a Mexican restaurant in Australia.  The tequila wasn’t cheaper than $25 per shot!!  It made me miss the $7 margs from the Rio…
Jack is from Chicago and is sponsed by Intercall on the 457 Visa
[He came over with Tim (aka “Party Time”) who is also from Chicago]…
Jack, Rob, and Frankie (a true Aussie – works at Intercall with Rob and Jack).
Lynne is on the far left along with Gray and Polly.  Gray and Polly are also from the UK.  They’re leaving to go back home in Nov.  They offered for us to take over their lease – along with all the furniture they purchased.  We still haven’t decided yet.

Blue Mountains

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The Blue Mountains are about 2 hours west of Sydney. We stayed at a bed and breakfast (minus the breakfast) in a town called Katoomba.

Lots of cliffs and waterfalls

This trail was for “experienced walkers only”

Took awhile to find a place to set the camera and set the automatic timer.

These are the Three Sisters, one of the biggest attractions at the Blue Mountains

Pulpit Rock

City2Surf Results

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There were 86,000 racers that signed up this year – which turned out to be the largest amount in the history of the City2Surf!  It’s also the biggest race in the world, yet they only had 4-5 waves!!

Race Results:

Rob Camp – Net Time (1hr:13min:22sec) finished in the top 73% of all male racers and 70% of all male racers between the ages of 20-29.

Lindsey Ralph – Net Time (1hr:13min:21sec) finished in the top 94% of all female racers and 94% of all female racers between the ages of 20-29.

Starting Line: Hyde Park

They need to take the advice of those racers in Boulder.

 Pretty chilly morning…

 All the clothes were donated to Charity

We had to pee within the first 15 minutes of the race..
Not the best sign when there’s a line for the toliets at the first stop.

(They call restrooms or bathrooms, toliets. 
If you’re ever coming to visit and suddenly nature calls,
be sure to ask,
“Where is the toliet?“)

View of the city from Rose Bay

Rob Running up in infamous Heart Break Hill

Ended the race at Bondi Beach

Bondi to Coogee Walk

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Probably one of the prettiest walks, we’ve ever done on a winter day…

Okay, okay — besides the time we hiked up Mount Massive with all our friends (see picture below); with the snow blowing in our faces and the below 20 degree tempatures; the time when Rob wore shorts until we reached the top and it was Kevin Bachman’s first fourteen-er (and the first real activity he’d done since his ski accident); the time when there was about 10 false summits and the wind wouldn’t stop.

Besides that walk, this was by far the best walk we’ve ever done on a winter day.

It was surprising to see an ice-skating rink on the beach, while the surfers in the background were riding the waves all day. We were in shorts and a long sleeve on our walk and people were bundled up in scarfs and ear muffs!! Come on! It’s not that cold — then I realized that Colorado is different.  Boulder is known for walking around in flip flops when there’s snow on the ground.

Great Wonders of the World

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Port Douglas is about an hour north of Cairns in northern Queensland. We stayed 5 nights at the end of June and into July. Port Douglas is one of the closest towns to the Great Barrier Reef and is right next to the Daintree Rainforest, the oldest rainforest in the world.
We were there for my 28th birthday
View of 4 mile beach
Pool shark
The start of our Daintree Rainforest guided tour
Took a boat up the Daintree River and saw a few cocs and snakes
Interesting roots on this tree. Our guide told us that Aborigines used these roots to make boomerangs.
Place where we stopped for lunch in the middle of the rainforest
I cant remember what these roots were called, snorkel roots maybe? Pretty cool.
One of the bars in Port Douglas had Cane Toad races every Saturday night. 4 lucky members of the crowd get assigned a toad. They then get a kazoo to encourage their toad to jump. First toad to make it to the other end is the winner. Not sure if I’ll ever witness something like that again.
On the 4th day we did our Reef tour. A boat took us out to the outer reef from about 8:00 am to 5 pm. We went to three different sites to snorkel. We saw several sea turtles, tons of fish, and one shark.

North Head

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 Not a bad way to begin a sunny, winter day in Sydney. Rob and I grabbed a ‘hearty’ hike just south of Manly Beach.  We posed for a quick shot at Shelly Beach, a beach full of sea shells and sand, then worked our way out to North Head.
 View of downtown Sydney from North Head
 Here is a view of South Head.
 North Head and South Head create the only entrance into Sydney harbour. In the 1930s, North Head, South Head and Middle Head were used to set up military posts in case of attack. (http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/visit-our-sites/north-head-sanctuary/history/index.html).

We did some whale watching along our hike and were lucky enough to see a few! According to the Sydney Wildlife website: “Humpback Whales are most likely to be seen between the months of June (Winter) and October (Spring).

They are known to swim very close shore where they will swim into large bays and Harbour areas in order to rest and gain protection during times of rough seas. In Autumn, as the water temperatures fall resulting in ice forming on the surface of the ocean, the Whales will begin their northward migrations up the East and West Coasts of Australia. This mass migration takes them to more temperate, sub tropical waters where Whales will mate, and the female Whales will give birth to calves. The Whales will then begin the migrations back south down the East and West Coasts of Australia at the end of spring.


By summer, the whales are seen in the freezing waters of Antarctica where they feed on the enormous quantities of Krill (a prawn like species) that makes up their enormous diets.“

We did an entire loop and ended up back at Manly Beach.

Easter Weekend

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This was a trip we took when Lindsey was first here in April. We rented a car and drove about 3 hours north to Nelsons Bay. I had a bit of trouble getting used to driving on the other side of the road and got pulled over, hit the curb while getting pulled over and was asked to take a breathalyzer. Don’t worry, I passed. We didnt get a ticket and he even helped with directions.
Nice beaches here. We watched this guy reeling for about 20 minutes. He caught a sting ray. We stopped by Hunter Valley on the way home. Hunter Valley is wine country and about 2 hours north west of Sydney. Hit a few balls into the water driving range.