Koala enjoying a nap
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Flight To Brisbane
We flew United from Phoenix to San Francisco. We used miles and money to upgrade to United Polaris class on the flight from San Francisco to Brisbane. It was a wonderful experience especially considering that it was a 14+ hour flight.
Mooloolaba
Mooloolaba is a coastal suburb of Maroochydore in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Mooloolaba had a population of 8,202 people. Mooloolaba is bounded on the east by the Coral Sea, on the south by the Mooloolah River, on the north by Alexandra Headland. Mooloolaba Harbour is the home of a large fleet of fishing vessels, as well as being the northern base for the pilot vessels that control shipping through Moreton Bay and the Port of Brisbane. Due to its sheltered location in the lee of Point Cartwright, it is an all-weather harbor favoured by recreational sailors.
Sea Life Sunshine Coast Aquarium
Situated at the Wharf in Mooloolaba, SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast is home to thousands of marine and freshwater animals – including sharks, seals, penguins, stingrays, tropical fish and more.Text about the aquarium. A very nice aquarium with crystal clear displays.
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia’s largest inland city, and the eighth-largest Australian city by population. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory. As of June 2024, Canberra’s estimated population was 473,855. As the seat of the Government of Australia, Canberra is home to many important institutions of the federal government, national monuments and museums. These include Parliament House, Government House, the High Court building and the headquarters of numerous government agencies. It is the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance such as the Australian War Memorial, the Australian National University, the Royal Australian Mint, the Australian Institute of Sport, the National Gallery, the National Museum and the National Library. The city is home to many important institutions of the Australian Defence Force including the Royal Military College Duntroon and the Australian Defence Force Academy.
Parliament Canberra
Parliament House is the meeting place of the Parliament of Australia, the legislative body of Australia’s federal level of government. The building also houses the core of the executive (the Australian Government), containing the Cabinet room and offices of the Prime Minister and other federal ministers. It was designed by the Philadelphia-based architectural firm of Mitchell/Giurgola.
War Memorial Canberra
The Australian War Memorial is a national war memorial, museum and archive dedicated to all Australians who died as a result of war, including peacekeeping duties. The grounds include five buildings and a sculpture garden. Most of the museum galleries and commemorative areas are contained in the Memorial Building.
The Last Post ceremony is a tradition that began in 2013 and occurs each day 16:45 AEDT. The ceremony begins with the singing of the Australian National Anthem, followed by a piper descending from the Hall of Memory. Visitors are then invited to lay wreaths and floral tributes beside the reflecting pool. A story about an individual on the memorial’s Roll of Honour is then read aloud by a volunteer from the Australian Defence Force. The ceremony then concludes with the sounding of the Last Post.
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is a 21.0 sq mile protected area, on the fringe of Namadgi National Park. The nature reserve consists of a large valley floor. The sides of the valley are steep and relatively undisturbed. The lower slopes of the valley are partly cleared and have a significant history of Aboriginal and European use. Tidbinbilla Mountain is believed to have been used for Aboriginal initiation ceremonies. The word ‘Tidbinbilla’ is Aboriginal in origin and comes from the word Jedbinbilla – a place where boys become men.
NASA Deep Space Communications Complex
The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC) is a satellite communication station, part of the Deep Space Network of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), located at Tidbinbilla in the Australian Capital Territory. Opened in 1965, the complex was used for tracking the Apollo Lunar Module, and along with its two sister stations at Goldstone, California and Madrid, Spain is now used for tracking and communicating with NASA’s spacecraft, particularly interplanetary missions. Its DSS-43 antenna is the only antenna on Earth that can send commands to Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. It is managed in Australia by the CSIRO for NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city’s name generally refers to a 3,858 sq mile area, comprising an urban agglomeration of 31 local government areas. The name is also used to specifically refer to the local government area named City of Melbourne, whose area is centred on the Melbourne central business district (CBD) and some immediate surrounds.
Melbourne Aquarium
Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is a Southern Ocean and Antarctic aquarium in central Melbourne, Australia. It is located on the banks of the Yarra River beside and under the Flinders Street Viaduct and the King Street Bridge.Text about. It was Ok but the Sea Life Aquarium in Mooloolaba was much nicer.
Melbourne Immigration Museum
The architects of Customs House were Peter Kerr, with additional input by J.J. Clark and Arthur Ebden Johnson. Constructed between 1855 and 1876, its creation was a reflection of vastly expanded trade and soaring revenue from the goldrush, resulting in one of Melbourne’s grand buildings. The museum’s most important space, the Long Room, is a notable piece of Renaissance Revival architecture.
Phillip Island
Phillip Island is an Australian island about 78 mi south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria. The island is named after Governor Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, by explorer and seaman George Bass, who sailed in a whaleboat, arriving from Sydney on 5 January 1798. Phillip Island is formally recognised by UNESCO as part of the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve. The designation as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve highlights areas of exceptional natural significance where communities collaborate to promote sustainable living practices.
Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Center
Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park is a 25-acre biopark within the Pearcedale Conservation Park located at Pearcedale on the Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne, Australia. It aims to display the fauna that was found in the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve prior to European settlement as well as working towards the recovery of threatened Australian fauna.
Flight Home
We flew United from Melbourne to San Francisco. Again, we used miles and money to upgrade to United Polaris class. Another great flight with lay-flat beds for this 14+ hour flight.
