 | Bill and Kimberly with Australian
southern coast in background |
|  | Melbourne architecture from
river boat cruise |
|  | Family photo with penguins
at Phillips Island |
|  | Whale tail during whale
watching expedition |
|  | Bill and Kimberly with Sydney
Opera House in background |
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 In October 2006 we took a family vacation to Australia. This trip was in conjunction with a PwC Partners Conference in Coolum Australia (just north of Brisbane) which families were invited. We arrived a week earlier and drove from Melbourne to Sydney. Read about our travels below. |
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Melbourne Visit |  Our first stop was to Melbourne where we spent 2 days. On our first day we primarily did a city tour including a river boat cruise. On our second day we drove along the famous Great Ocean Road which you can read about below and view some photos. Overall we really enjoyed our time in Melbourne and hope to return again soon.
View a photo slideshow of our Melbourne visit below.
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Great Ocean Road |  On our second day in Melbourne we spent the entire day taking a scenic drive along the famous Great Ocean Road. the Great Ocean Road follows the stunning coastline of Victoria's south-west. Stretching 243 kilometres from Torquay, just south of Geelong, to Allansford, just east of Warrnambool, the road winds along cliff tops, up to breathtaking headlands, down onto the edge of beaches, across river estuaries and through lush rainforests offering panoramic views of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean at every turn. The drive was very worthwhile and we would recommend to anyone visiting Melbourne.
View a photo slideshow of our Great Ocean Road drive below.
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Phillips Island Visit |  After leaving Melbourne we drove to Phillips Island which was a short couple hour drive. The Island is connected to the mainland via a causeway so its easily accessible. The highlight of our trip to Phillips Island was seeing the Penguin Parade. As the sun fades in the sky, the little penguins waddle up the beach to the safety of their homes in the sand dunes. While there we also visited the interconnected Churchill Island which included a historical homestead which is a working farm with Highland cattle, sheep, ducks, chickens and Clydesdale horses. Ranger talks, machinery demonstrations and festivals bring the island to life throughout the year. Finally, we also visited a Koala bear sanctuary. Our visit to Phillips Island was fantastic and we would recommend anyone visiting Victoria Australia to consider a visit.
See photo slideshows of our Phillips Island and Koala Bear Sanctuary visits below.
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Koala Bear Sanctuary |  View a photo slideshow of our visit to the Koala Bear Sanctuary below:
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Whale Watching - Port of Eden |  Our next stop after Phillips Island was the Port of Eden which was almost a full day drive, however, this was mostly a casual drive along the coast which offered spectacular views. Our primary purpose for stopping in the Port of Eden was whale watching. We went on the Cat Balou boat and saw quite a few whales and dolphins. We really enjoyed our time in Eden seeing the whales and visiting this quaint and charming city.
See a photo slideshow of our whale watching expedition below.
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Sydney Visit |  After whale watching in the Port of Eden we drove to Sydney which was the better part of a day north of the Port of Eden. We spent a few days sightseeing in Sydney. We took a Sydney Harbor boat tour including a sunset cruise. In addition, Bill and Kim took a jet boat ride which was exhilarating and fun. Bill and Anette had visited Sydney before but this was Kim's first visit so we did the typical sightseeing to the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Aquarium, Sydney Harbor boat cruise, etc. We really enjoyed our time in Sydney and hope to return again soon.
View a photo slideshow of our Sydney visit below.
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The final part of our Australia visit included a few days at the Coolum Hyatt Regency Beach resort (just north of Brisbane) where the PwC partners had an annual conference. Although there were a couple of days of meetings for Bill to attend there was still plenty of activities for the entire family to enjoy.
Overall a very enjoyable trip for the entire family.
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 | | Kids being stoked at the conference |
|  | | Kangaroos outside our room |
|  | | Bill on the bongo drums at the conference |
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