Albany, Australia

Well...all I can say is I've been keeping myself VERY busy over the past few weeks and my time here is going by faster than I could have imagined. I've been meeting so many people and my days fly by so that before I know it, it's already the weekend! Work is still going well, the weather is still incredible and the community is as great as ever. But what made this past week stand out so much was a trip I took down south to Albany, Australia this past weekend.

The Millner family- who I've written about before, were planning a trip to Albany and the cabin they rented had an extra bed so they invited me to come along. I was so excited about the invitation because it's hard traveling alone- especially without a car and it was so great to join them. The timing worked out perfectly because this past Monday was "Australia Day" so I had the day off work. I'm not sure what the purpose of the holiday is or why it was established, but basically it's a time for everyone to enjoy the day and there are fantastic fireworks around the country. I took off work on Friday and Tuesday as well so I was able to take a 5 day vacation, which was a lot of time to see some of the amazing sights. 

We drove down to Albany on Friday- it took about 6 hours and then settled into the cabin and had a really nice Shabbat dinner. The funny part was that the place we were staying at was a Baptist youth camp that the camping group was renting for the week. (The Millners are part of an organization called The Australian Bush Walkers Society that meets annually with a group of families to do hikes etc in the area.) Saturday was very relaxed and we spent a lot of time on the beach. Since I couldn't take pictures, you'll have to trust me that it was one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen! There were grassy cliffs surrounding the beach and the water was so blue! There were islands spotting the whole coast and some really unique rock formations along the coastline. It was such a relaxing day and was the perfect way to start the vacation. On Sunday, we took a day trip to the "Valley of the Giants" to see the HUGE tingle trees. This was one of the main reasons I had wanted to go to Albany so I was excited that we made it there. After an hour and a half drive, we arrived at the trees and I couldn't believe how big they were! Apparently they are about 20 meters around and a couple hundred meters tall. To put that into perspective, a few of the bases of the trunks and been burned in fires and were hollowed out and the inside was easily big enough to be a large bedroom! There were hundreds of these trees and we were able to go on the "Treetop walk" which is set up on these metal ramps that go up to the canopy of the trees. It is actually kind of  scary going up as the wind is blowing and shaking the whole structure, but it was such an incredible experience to look down at the ground below at such a height and get a perspective of just how tall the trees really are. The Millners' kids were a little nervous on the walk, but I was so impressed with them when they made it to the top and we all realized just how high up we were. 

The next day was probably the most full of the entire trip and everything was so worthwhile and memorable. We woke up early and Judd and Yona (who is 5) and I all got into the Millner's 4-wheel drive car to do some "4 wheel driving". I'd never done anything like this and had no idea what to expect. We ended up going to a place called Cape Howe National Park and it is completely inaccessible to almost anyone unless you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle. And even then, it's SUCH a bumpy and curvy drive it was hard to manage. By the time we made it to the beach, I couldn't believe what was in front of me. I've never seen waves so big in my entire life and the sheer power of the water crashing against the sand was absolutely amazing! We stayed on the beach for a short while, but we were slightly concerned about making it back to the camp since the entire drive back was uphill and the first part was on really soft sand. It turned out to be a good thing we left when we did because we had no idea just how hard it would be to get back up that first hill. My adrenaline was racing as we tried to make it up the sand, but even when we released some of the air in our tires and had a huge amount of momentum, we found ourselves reaching about halfway up the hill before the car lost momentum and fell back down. This must have happened at least 5 times and we were nervous about making it back home, but luckily there were some locals who had just come to the beach and they helped us out. There were some other cars ahead of us and it was crazy that they were also getting stuck just like us and we were all struggling to make it up to the top. By the time we finally made it, our adrenaline was going pumping and we still couldn't believe we did it. We were feeling really daring by then and we passed a big mud "puddle" that we somehow thought we could drive through. Instead of the alternate road right next to it, we drove straight through the mud and of course got bogged in. We were completely stuck, but at that point it was just so ridiculous that we couldn't help but laugh. A car behind us came and pulled us out with a snatch strap, but not before Yona decided to jump in the mud and get completely covered. We were all cracking up and joked that he looked like an aboriginal since he was so completely covered. 

After all that, by the time we got back to the cabin, it was only 1:30 and we still had the whole day ahead of us. We drove to a place called Torndirrup National Park which is famous for the "blow holes" on the cliffs edge. When we pulled up to the parking lot, already there was a spectacular view. The ocean was again amazing and the waves were even bigger than the last time. The blow holes are at the southern most tip of Western Australia which is why the waves were so powerful. Over time, the water formed these tunnels through the cliff edge so that when really powerful waves hit the cliff, huge rushes of water are pushed through the holes so that ocean spray bursts up into the air. It's so cool to wait for a big wave to come and then hear the crashing sound as it hits the cliff and a few seconds later water comes shooting out in front of you. In the same area, just further along the coastline was a space called "The Gap" where again, the water had carved these huge features out of the rock. There was this inlet created by the water and we stood at the top looking hundreds of meters down at the water. There was a natural made bridge of rocks in the inlet which had also been carved from the water. Each of these features were so individually unique, but because they were both together in the condensed space, they were all the more impressive!

Anyway, by the time we got home that evening I was absolutely exhausted. I had to fight to keep my eyes open and before long, I was sound asleep. The next morning I woke up early to catch the bus back to Perth. The Millner's were staying on until the end of the week, but I had to get back to work. After all the adventures, the bus ride was pretty uneventful, but was a great opportunity to catch up on my sleep and take a "vacation from my vacation." I had such an amazing time and I'm so glad I was able to go with the Millner's on the trip. I feel like one of the main reason I wanted to come to Australia was to explore and the sights that are so different from the U.S. While the touring with Joel was spectacular, I'm glad I was also able to see some of Western Australia as well and I really feel that I am making the most of my trip here. 

I still can't believe I'm almost halfway done with my stay in Australia and time just flies by everyday. I've been looking at some other exciting places in Western Australia and I hope to visit them before I go. I'll keep you updated on my adventures!! 

Even after all this is written, there's so much more to say, but I will keep it short. Today was my birthday and even though I am far away from my friends at home, it's been such a nice day and I'm just so happy to be here. 

Anyway, that's all for now, but I plan on going sandboarding (like snowboarding, but in the sand) next Sunday so I'm sure I'll have much more to tell you about in the coming weeks. Hope you are all doing well and as always, I miss you so much!

Can't wait to hear how you're doing!

Tamar