Melbourne - at last I have been somewhere!

 We flew to Melbourne right when the Royal Wedding was on so we watched on Mitch's iPhone at the airport!

 Me, my Mum and our eldest daughter, Lauren

 This is in Geelong, 1 hour from Melbourne. These decorative structures line Corio Bay. It was a beautiful day.

Outside the Melbourne Crown Casino. We were all winners! (just a little bit each)

Another glorious weekend.

 Mr Sali having a surf lesson on the beach at Currumbin Alley.

 Putting it to the test and succeeding... massive swell ...Ha! Ha!

 The water was crystal clear and delightful to swim in.

A Pandanas Palm on the foreshore at Currumbin.

Local sights

 Looking up the Q1 building. It is one of the highest residential buildings in the world.

 These pelican sculptures are made with heaps of junkyard bits and pieces and watch over Currumbin Creek.

 Going for a paddle board on a hot Saturday afternoon. We first tried this on Kalamalka Lake in Kelowna. No wet suits needed here.

Australians all let us rejoice...

 See the Aussie flag? That's our unit.

 Australia Day swim...water temp 26 degrees.

 Looking towards Surfers Paradise. Today it was paradise!!

Embracing the joys of being Australian, father and son.

It's back to school for Mrs Sali

 My school, taken at 6pm after I spent a day unpacking boxes and setting up my room.

 The entrance to the school office.

 My Prep (Kindy) classroom, all is quiet before the 25 new kiddies arrive.

The Prep playground, with the oval (field) in the background. A new 3 million dollar hall is nearly ready.

Life on the Gold Coast

 Despite the grey windy weather I am still finding time for a morning beach walk. I have just 9 days of holidays left.

 Many Aussie kids join 'Nippers' to learn about surf safety and to develop skills to allow them to compete in competitions in the surf and on the beach.

 We all have to read the safety warnings before swimming to check on conditions. Today was a bit wild and reminded me of Tofino (except for the water temperature.)

The high tides and rough weather have caused lots of beach erosion close to this beautiful home near us.

Happy New Year G.E.S!

 So long, farewell...we filled the whole luggage bay!

 On board the plane with my Canadian Hello magazine - thanks Kurt!

 Adjusting to the time zone meant I saw the early sunrise over the Pacific Ocean from my deck.

We had 2 beautiful days before the rain set in. This is looking north to Surfers Paradise.