Maverick is a very lucky boy; his mother (me) is Australian, and a dream, for most, became a reality for him at four months when we went to Australia. Before Maverick was born, my husband Ryan (fiance at the time) was supposed to come with me to visit my entire family in 2020. So, that didn’t happen. But this time, husband and baby in tow, the baby was much more the star of the show.
However, I didn’t want to just visit my family. I wanted to mark off the list of the remaining states I hadn’t visited. As we planned our trip, we ensured that it made sense for time with an infant in each place. We gave ourselves an understanding that even if we did one thing a day, that was enough. So our plan looked like this:
Vancouver > Fiji > Gold Coast > Melbourne > Hobart > Adelaide > Darwin
Yes, I am insane and I took Maverick and Ryan on this crazy adventure for six weeks, to the other side of the world.
Fiji
Although we left in August from a rather unusually hot Whitehorse, it was no preparation for the molten death of heat that was Fiji. At 5:20 a.m. we thought we had entered a sauna after getting off the plane. To boot, our Airbnb’s air conditioner broke the day we arrived, so we literally suffered after a 12-hour flight from Vancouver. (We hated our lives and wondered why we decided to do this trip.) However, once the air conditioner was back on and we got some sleep, the heat wasn’t as bad. We ventured around the area. First, we spent the day visiting an island off the coast. This was Maverick’s first time swimming in the Pacific Ocean. It was so beautiful and the water was crystal-blue. Paradise.
The amazing thing about Fiji isn’t its beauty or its delicious food. It’s the people. They are obsessed with babies. Everytime we ate at a restaurant, the servers would come to take the baby—literally. Free babysitting! It was amazing. We actually got to eat together, like a real date.
Our next day we visited a multicoloured, famous temple and the Sleeping Giant orchids—followed by a mud-pit visit.
We somehow managed this with a baby. Thinking about it now, I really don’t know how we did it. A stroller fan helped, for sure, and we kept activities that were short and were in the mornings.
Australia
The Gold Coast. Home. I hadn’t been back to the Gold Coast in 12 years, and it was a new city and my family had grown. I hadn’t met my nieces or nephew since they were born, and my family had not only grown, but it had grown up. It was amazing to be back home. My mum was so excited to meet her grandson, Maverick, as well as all of his family. She met us at the airport with tears in her eyes.
We even met Maverick’s great-grandparents, one who turned 100 years old while we were on the Gold Coast!
Mostly, it was seeing and being with family while getting to do some fun things. We went to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary where we got to pet koalas and kangaroos and see the Australian flora and fauna. We visited a nearby mountain and Ryan and I actually got a whole evening away. (Thanks, Nana!)
Melbourne
This was a great little stopover for Ryan, as his best friend from University lived there. We visited the Victorian wineries, which is one of the many reasons I put on six kilograms of weight during our trip.
Hobart
Our very short stop in Melbourne was met with a trip to Hobart, Tasmania. We rented a car, which was a great idea in order to have the freedom and flexibility to visit around the island. First, we went to an island off the island from a bigger island (yes, that should all make sense). We went to Bruny Island, famous for its ferry penguins. Unfortunately, that either requires you to be there at dawn or at dusk. With a baby in tow, this was not a possibility. Instead, we enjoyed the beauty of the landscape, the food and the wine—as well as seeing native wallabies from our cabin.
After a couple of days on this little island, we went back to the somewhat-bigger island of Tasmania and went to see Port Arthur. This was Ryan’s favourite part, looking at old convict buildings in the rain. But, after getting wet and noticing that the area was not stroller friendly, I sat inside with a glass of wine by the fireplace at 10 a.m. (Hey, when you’re on holiday, why not!) We explored some spectacular natural landmarks that made it seem like you were at the end of the Earth. We wished we had more time to explore more of Tasmania, but it was time for our road trip.
Melbourne to Adelaide (and the Great Ocean Road trip)
When you say the words road trip and four-month-old baby, I think the reaction would be like, Are you nuts?! Probably. But one of my bucket-list items was to drive the Great Ocean Road. This spectacular drive features sheer cliffs, crashing waves, tiny towns and a fabulous road trip.
Our favourite highlight was Maverick’s first helicopter ride over the 12 Apostles, the rock formations by the cliffs at the ends of Australia.
Over the couple of days that we stayed, Maverick was amazing. We would get out and have his “bouncy” to stretch his legs and ensure that our driving time was kept short.
Adelaide
Eventually we made it to Adelaide, which in South Australia was one of the states of Australia that I had yet to visit (so … check!).
Adelaide is like Kelowna, with wineries everywhere! If you visit Adelaide, make sure to have a car to drive on its windy roads to some spectacular locations, and eat and drink to your heart’s content.
Of note was a Salvador Dali art winery, which had actual Dali work and inspired architecture. The wines were also not bad. Just the weirdness is worth the visit.
Darwin City
Our final destination before heading back to the Gold Coast. When we landed, it was 34 C and the air was so thick with humidity that it feels like you are showering. (Why would anyone want to live there?) This was still considered the dry season. I couldn’t imagine the wet season. Darwin is located in the Northern Territory, which was my last state/territory to visit in Australia. It was heavily collaborative with Aboriginal lands and we enjoyed art, food and lots and lots of crocodiles! Maverick even got to pat one!
The dirt is red, and the air is thick and hot. I would take Maverick on walks at dawn (the only time it was pleasant enough to be outside) while Ryan slept.
Of note was getting to “swim” with the crocodiles in the Cage of Death (in the crocodile reserve at Crocosaurus Cove). My fear of claustrophobia was definitely gone when those crocodiles snapped their jaws!
