Well, we are officially in our new hometown… Newcastle… or Newy as the locals like to call it. We are learning that Australians abbreviate every word they can and although they speak English, it’s sometimes impossible to understand what they are saying : )
We decided to cancel our flights up here from Canberra on Saturday. The thought of getting back on a plane was not appealing at all and we wanted to see Australia, so we figured a little drive would be nice! The terrain changed a lot between the two cities… at some points it was farmland with tons of sheep and cows and at others lakes and forests. It was really neat to see. After 4 ½ hours of driving we finally arrived in Newcastle…
Newy (yeah, I am a local now) is beautiful! It’s a mix between California coastline, the Outer Banks at some points, and a little hint of Hawaii. The weather has been up and down since we got here… chilly and overcast the first day, warm and sunny yesterday, and windy and rainy today. I guess that’s spring for ya!
We have spent the past few days trying to get orientated, figuring out the mobile phones, internet and driver’s licenses. We will be happy when all of that is over and we can just enjoy the town. We did get a chance to go to Blackbutt Reserve on Sunday afternoon. It’s a cute little park with walking trails and native Australian wildlife. We got to see our first kangaroo (minus the road kill ‘roo we saw on the drive up here) and our first koalas… they are soooo cute! I can’t wait to go back so I can hold one of them… they don’t allow you to hold them on the weekends.
Charlie started work on Monday. His squadron just got back from being in Singapore for a month, so they were not really organized for his check-in. Hopefully it will all get sorted out in the next couple of days! While he’s at work I have been searching for houses, cars, etc. and that has been keeping me busy.
Today is Melbourne Cup Day which seems like a huge holiday. Melbourne Cup is a big horse race where everyone gets dressed-up, even if you are not in Melbourne, and parties… I guess it’s a bit like the Kentucky Derby, but on a Tuesday and celebrated all over the country. Needless to say, I do not have a cute little hat to wear, but I guess we will still go out and see what it’s all about.
That’s about it from here… we love and miss you all!
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=968481&l=1c7cf&id=838603900
1 comment:
nina! that's so exciting hat you're in your town! i was talking with some of my aussie friends here and they said how much fun newy is. keep the updates coming!
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