Australia is the Greatest Place.

 G'day to everyone out there who are now joining us! Ok Sports Fans, we're broadcasting live from Australia with our very special host CAPTAIN KANGAAAAAAAAAAROOOOOOO!

They thought this wouldn't start off with Kangaroos. 

So where we last left off it was celebrating the New Year and getting hyped about going Down Under. Since then, I've been to Melbourne, Tasmania, the Outback, and now I've finished my first leg of Australia in Sydney.

Fantastic Sydney. Though Melbourne best city.

And how's it been so far? 

Well....

Let's say you have high expectations for something.

High, high expectations.

Add a bit of a life's worth of anticipation.

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER...nope, not going down that road.

And then you arrive and everything is BETTER THAN EXPECTED.

It's been really fun.

I started Australia in Melbourne, where I was greeted by my way awesome Australian cousins The Branchflowers. To make a long story that would make ancestry.com jealous short, back in the 1800s some of my family tree decided that the Australian Gold Rush sounded like a great plan, and headed off to Australia from America to find their fortune.

I envy their decisions.

They liked it so much they stayed.

Envy, envy those decisions.

Fast forward to modern times, my dad's family traced this line to Australia, where our families have kept correspondence over the years. I always knew about the 'cousins from Australia' and  finally getting to meet them was just as cool as saying that is.

Australian cousins!!!!!!!!!!!

Having just left Mom in Dubai, I was missing having family around.  When I arrived to Melbourne, I was warmly welcomed into their home and over five days showed all of Melbourne's highlights. 

Like seeing Downtown Melbourne:

Penguin parade at Philip's Island (this one was for you Mom): a nightly march of penguins up from the ocean onto their land burrows:

Two of the best Zoos in Australia, Healesville Sanctuary and Melbourne Zoo: (Way to rock, Victoria!)

And of course Sovereign Hill, a replica Australian Mining town that really brought the family history to life:

The Delorean's in the back.

I couldn't ask for more kinder, welcoming, and fun family members. I felt right at home. It was tough to say good-bye, but after a fond farewell, it was time to trek to Tasmania:

Also known as National Geographic Australia.

Tasmania's in the very south of Australia, which would imply it's super warm, right?

LIES.

Tasmania is the closest landmass this side of the world to Antarctica. The water is nuclear cold. Crazily enough people swim in it.

Madness.

But don't be too terrified of the cold. Tasmania is like Wyoming: If you don't like the weather, as they say, wait five minutes. It'll change. 

To get around the island, I went on a backpacker-bus tour called Jump Tours, and had a great time. It hit the highlights of Tasmania:

Prison!!

Nature!!

and

Animals!!

There was a lot of hiking involved to get to most of these epic landscapes, but it was clearly worth the effort looking back at these photos.

Of course that's not all inclusive of every little bit I did, but I did a six-day tour, and if you want, click here: it breaks it down.

But an awesome occurrence was befriending a really cool gal during the tour. A like-minded traveler and quite adventurous photographer from the UK, Jen!

Watering a dehydrated a wallaby. 

 We had so much fun on our tour that upon departure from Tassie our plans extended to hanging out in Sydney.

Yeah!!!

It's always fun to meet people on the road. You meet your like-minded folks (because most everyone's got travel on the brain), but even so, clicking personality-wise is even more fulfilling.

After Tas, I headed into Sydney for a brief stop. I got to do my tourist-thing while I was there, and saw a good bit of the major must-sees of Sydney:

But it was only a brief-introduction, as the next day I had a flight to Ayers Rock, known as Uluru to the traditional owners, the Anangu tribe. Uluru is one of those places that you see in pictures, but actually being there and seeing it in person is a whole different experience. I think it should be on everyone's bucket list. It is incredible.

Staying for several days was even better, and I feel I hit a good glimpse in the four days I was there. I went through Wayoutback's 4 day outback tour, which I thought was very good in the run-time,and the amount we accomplished in said time. Another day would have been nice to explore a bit more in our brief stop in Alice Springs, but I had an extra day at Uluru's Rock Resort which I maximized doing research on upcoming trips, checking in for flights, and watching camel stagecoaches.

What.

Afterwards, it was back to Sydney for a bit more exploring. My first nights in Sydney en-route to the Outback was spent in a cheaper hostel, and as they saying goes, you get what you pay for, as I was directly above a nightclub for two whole nights. So this go around I wasn't going anywhere near that place with a ten-foot pole, so I ended up in Sydney's Rocks Harbor Hostel. A hostel with skyline views of the Harbor and the Opera House?

Well, views of the Opera when a freakin' cruise ship isn't in the way. DAMN YOU.

Aside from some admin work, like, visiting the Russian Consulate and getting a Russian Visa.

Now you're curious.

 I was able to mostly relax and explore a bit more off-the-must-do-tracks, as I had done the big highlights several days prior:

Local Markets:

Ferry Rides:

Beaches!

and

more Beaches!

Sydney's to sum's a city of water and skyscrapers. While I vote Melbourne as best Australian city overall, (well, excluding Perth and Darwin, since, y'know, never been.) Sydney is a close runner-up. Lots to see, lots to do, and of course, a chill environment that anyone visiting will pick up on within hours of arrival.

I forgot Canberra as a city. oops.

So finally, you may have noticed in recent pictures of me, (if you're not following my facebook page, I update it (almost) daily!:) there's this, ah, hat.

This one.

Anybody remember the very first post for Internationally Natalie?

Being a world traveler and running around in a fedora is highly appealing to me. Just like Indiana Jones. So I have decided my current occupation is Indiana Jones.
Just say Internationally Natalie... except say it like you would say Indiana Jones.

This is because I can't fill out world traveler as an occupation on my customs arrival card.

Now for the next two week's I'll be in Middle Earth New Zealand, to see what all the fuss is about.

What is this place and where am I going.

And hopefully not be kidnapped by Orcs.

A dragon is fine, though.

Or the trip to New Zealand that was littered with  Lord of the Rings references, like no one's heard that one before.

So uh, as they say in Elvish, Le cenithon ned lû thent!

What!?!