Underwater World

We took Evan to Underwater World at the Sunshine Coast this weekend. We primarily had decided to go to Underwater World because all activities were indoors and it had been raining for 6 days straight. (Brisbane has been in a severe drought and we have been on Level 5 water restrictions since we arrived. Due to the 6-7 days of continual rain last week Level 6 water restrictions have now been delayed until November.) We had fun dashing from exhibit to exhibit (actually Evan was dashing and we were chasing him) to see the many different colorful fish, sharks, sting rays, Australian seals, otters, and more. Evan's favorite "spot" was the overhead aquarium. He stood on the travelator and just watched the fish around him.

Since Underwater World is located about one block from the beach of the Sunshine Coast we were able to go and watch some surfing. There were some huge waves and warnings against swimming due to the strong rips and tides. You'll see below a picture of your "typical" Australian lifeguard or surf guard. They all wear a yellow and red beanie/swim cap to help identify them.

Australian Education: Here is an interesting picture:

This is our postman. The mail carriers here ride scooters or mopeds with side bags to deliver your mail (packages are only delivered through Australia Post couriers.) They drive on the sidewalks, on the roads, and in your yard. Even though there is very little green grass (due to the drought) you still wouldn't be able to keep a very nice front lawn because the mail carriers make a distinct path in your yard from delivering mail each day. We thought they only delivered mail Monday-Friday here but yesterday (Sunday) when coming home we found a carrier delivering mail to us.

Watchin' Footy in AUS

Bryan was invited to attend his first AFL (Australian Football League) "footy" game this weekend to watch the Brisbane Lions play the Sydney Swans. We have been watching several different types of rugby and football games on Australian TV since arriving here and slowly learning and trying to understand the rules so Bryan enjoyed attending a "real" game and having the locals fully explain the in and outs of the sport. I'm going to let Bryan take over here for just a minute and share with you some of the facts of the game that he learned:

1. The clock counts up and is not conclusive. Even though the ball is dead when it goes out of bounds, the clock does not stop. While a quarter is supposed to be 20 minutes long, the final quarter ended with 29:21 on the clock...I'm not sure how the players know when the end of the game is really coming.

2. The game, based on Gaelic Football from Ireland (home of most of the football games...soccer, rugby, AFL, American football) is jokingly known as aerial ping pong and seems to be a cross between soccer and rugby. Passes to your teammates must be via a kick or "punching" the ball (not sure what they really call it.) When the ball is kicked, they kick the point of the ball and are amazingly accurate on the run. Oh, by the way, the oblong ball must be "dribbled" every 15 yards...surprising how well it bounces up for these guys on the run.

3. The field is typically also the cricket field and is shaped in an oval. Not all fields are the same size...this goes back in history a long time. 18 players are on the field at all times and 4 subs come on at any time. The coach sends out "messengers" in bright yellow clothes to communicate coaching changes while play is still going on.

4. There are 4 poles on the field. Kicking between the center poles is 6 points...hitting a pole and going through or going through one of the outer pairs of poles is worth 1 point.

5. Contact is hard to describe. There is a lot of childish like shoving that goes on and no unsportsmanlike penalties. Tackling takes place, but not nearly as vicious as rugby.

I have joked with some of the locals about why they don't play normal sports like football, basketball, and baseball. They quickly point out that the world is much more than the US and thus they question where the World Series gets its name since nobody outside North America is invited to compete...good question!

Here are a few pictures of the game.






Australian Education: As part of this weeks Australian education I thought I would share a few food items that are unique here. Here is a picture of three different items I found in our cupboard and wanted to explain further: cereal, ketchup, and pancake mix.
1) CEREAL - Sultana Bran: This is actually Raisin Bran but raisins are referred to as sultanas in Australia.
2) KETCHUP - We call it ketchup but in Austrlia it is called "tomato sauce". It does have a different taste than the ketchup we are used to in the US. I still can't remember to ask for tomato sauce packets when eating out though . . . I always ask for ketchup and sometimes get interesting looks.
3) PANCAKE MIX - No Bisquick in Australia! This bottle of pancake mix makes one batch of pancakes (8-10), so you if you are feeding several mouths you will need several bottles. A simple breakfast of pancakes can get quite expensive compared to a large box of Bisquick that lasts several breakfasts!

Back on Track

Sorry everyone, I have been slacking this week in getting our next post ready. We did travel out into the country south of Brisbane this weekend but our camera ran out of juice so we were unable to get alot of pictures. Bryan wanted to check out the countryside and see what the local farms and crops were like so we drove a lazy loop just to see what we could find (while Evan took a nap and would tolerate a long bout in the car.) We stopped in Boonah and watched some glider planes as they took off and landed in a grass airfield. Check out their website at www.boonahgliding.com.au. I know this is something that Bryan will go back and try - probably when he isn't dragging a pregnant wife and impatient kid around!

I have also included some additional pictures of interesting sites that we have seen and captured since we arrived . . . but just couldn't find a way to squeeze in . . . some you might find interesting, some you won't!

We are starting to slow down our weekend activities as I start to expand and move slower. This is probably the time when we should be running like mad to fit everything in but I have been starting to move slower and slower as the week goes on and weekends arrive. Only 8 weeks to go (or less) before the next Perry arrives!

Australian Education: Here is a picture of a common birthday and snack treat in Australia - FAIRY BREAD. Bread, butter, and yes - 100s and 1000s on top. Evan doesn't really like this treat yet!

We are all SMILES . . . almost!

We traveled to the Gold Coast this weekend . . . and it wasn't raining! It was still quite cool and windy, even though there were people in the ocean swimming. Evan still wasn't sure about the water and the waves. He seems to talk the talk all the way there wanting to see the ocean and the beach but once there doesn't want to touch the water. We think the sound of the waves somewhat frightens him right now. Eventually we got him to walk on the sand by himself . . . but only with his shoes on. We figure we'll travel to the beach alot this summer (December-January) so we'll have time to work on his reaction.

We celebrated Evan's birthday this weekend too. He was able to celebrate for two days . . . August 2nd in Australia and August 2nd in the US (Aug. 3rd here.) We had a cookie pizza at playgroup on his birthday and had a few friends over for a Thomas the Train party on Friday.



Australian Education: What we would call SPRINKLES . . . small "dots" or "sprinkles" that we might put on cupcakes, cakes, or cookies . . . are called "100s and 1000s" here. We encountered this when first moving here while attempting to order pancakes for Evan. The menu said that the pancakes had ice cream and 100s and 1000s on them. We had to ask the waitress what the "100s and 1000s" were. Another interesting term . . .