Adventures in Australia (part 1)

I was terrified. This trip would be quite a few firsts for me. First flight since I was 12 (which was only 2 hours), first international flight, first time on a double-decker airplane, first time in another country, first time officially meeting Mitch's family, and many other firsts that I didn't quite know of yet.

Here I was, headed all the way across the world. We had to catch 3 different flights, and after a dreadful 23 hours in the air, we touched down in Perth, Australia. I was so exhausted from all the flying that most of the nerves I stepped onto the plane with had died down. The first night was nice and laid back. Mitch's family and friends came over for a braai (Afrikaans for "barbeque") and I got to know quite a few people from the start.
The first week was spent sight-seeing, then the weekend called for beach camping! This was my first time camping right in the sand with the ocean next to us. Mitch and I enjoyed the sunset before starting a fire, which took quite a few tries. The views were incredible from the top of the dunes. In the morning, I walked down and washed my hair right there in the water like a real mermaid! It was a great way to kick off the trip!

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The next week was my first visit to one of my now favorite little beach towns, Fremantle. Freo is a major port city in Western Australia that was settled in 1829. It's like a mix of Santa Monica and New Orleans. Gorgeous beaches, great food and shopping, and the buildings are historic.

But the highlight of the week was Caversham Wildlife Park - A MUST for every tourist. It's an adorable little zoo with all kinds of Aussie birds and reptiles. They even have penguins and some Quokkas (which are only found on Rottnest Island). But the best part, FREE ROAMING ROOS! I got to feed the adorable little joeys and even pet a koala and wombat. I learned a few things that day: 1. I'm afraid of kangaroos 2. Albino roos exist 3. Wombats are super fat and squishy 4. Koalas are adorbale but stinky.

Weekend #2 was one to remember.
We headed out to go camping on a huge bit of property that belongs to family friends of Mitchell's. This would be his last bit of excitement for a while before undergoing a second Tommy John surgery, so we made the most of it. The plan was for us to go set up camp, wait for his good friend, Alex, to get off work later in the evening and make the drive, and the next day family would join. This evening was pretty interesting! First, I fell off a log into a muddy stream, and then Mitch tried to lift me over a barbed wire fence and I ended up getting caught and fell again. The scrapes and cuts couldn't beat our laughter, though! I also caught a quick little lizard who's name I can't remember (oops).

The sun had gone down and it was getting pretty late when a random car pulled up and someone got out and started walking towards us. It was too dark to make out who it was, so we were a bit on edge. As the person walked closer, the car pulled out and left. It was Alex! He was VERY frazzled. He had taken the wrong turn, got lost in the dark and his car got stuck on a ledge. He walked to the nearest porch light he could see (remember we are in the middle of nowhere) and knocked on the door hoping to find a nice, understanding person. Lucky for him, a very nice person it was, and they even knew exactly which farm he was trying to get to! Mitch and I couldn't help but break out in laughter!

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Over the next few days, we caught crayfish (Aussie crawdads), shot some guns, ate some amazing food, and went for lots of hikes. I got to see my first echidna. Echidnas are like sweet little porcupines, or "spiky anteaters". Along with the platypus, they are the only living mammals to lay eggs.


It was also wildflower season which is absolutely beautiful in Western Australia. The flowers covered the hills for miles and miles (or kilometers) and stood almost as tall as me.

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One night we set out to go rabbit hunting. I was spotlighting from the passenger seat while Alex and Mitch sat on the bonnet (hood) and Mitch's dad drove. We had one rabbit so far when suddenly the whole vehicle slammed to a halt. Mitch and Alex went flying! We were stuck in some deep, deep mud. The boys were digging and digging for what seemed like hours! They were completely covered in thick, clay-like mud.

The car wasn't budging, and they eventually had to find their way back to camp in the dark and get Mitch's car, in hopes of pulling us out! It was a mess, but makes for a great story!

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On our last day, we went to feed some goats and I fell in love with a sweet, few day old kid. He was so precious I wanted to bring him home.

After an interesting yet exciting weekend of camping, we set out for a long drive home.

Until next time,
Tay

Taylor Thompson & Mitch Neunborn

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