Flinders

Otherwise known as...that time Will and I accidentally wore too much matching clothing.

The weekend after Christmas was spent in a charming little beach cottage with some of the extended family. There was a lot of eating and drinking and general good times. 

And of course, lots of time on the beaches. Operation TAN is going amazingly well for me thanks to summer Christmas!

Ever the animal lover, I was tasked with "dealing with" a tiny bat that was found in the cottage. After googling bat rescue options in the Mornington Peninsula, I discerned that this was a mircrobat common to the area, and I should just let it go. 

I am hoping that it is happily living its life now and was not eaten by a seagull. 

I really enjoyed seeing a new part of Victoria, as there is really so much to see in the Melbourne area. These gorgeous beaches (AND manyyyy wineries) were just a little over an hour away from us. I'll take any excuse to escape to the sea side! 

Around Hamilton Island...and that time I cuddled a koala

When we weren't cruising out to white sand beaches or snorkeling in waters I was sure I'd be attacked by a shark in, we spent lots of time just exploring the island.

There was even a nice hike up to a lookout point that provided 360 degree views of the island.

Aaaand then I fulfilled my dream of cuddling a koala. 

Her name was Lola, and she was a sweet 18 month old tiny girl. Her sleepy little face was just the cutest!

I wish this moment had lasted more than 30 seconds, but alas there was a line of other people after the same experience.

Shortly after this picture was taken, I proceeded to pick up pretty much every shell on the beach. Apologies for the lack of shells, Hamilton Island.

Whitehaven Beach

Australian beaches are kind of awesome. I mean, it IS Australia after all.

Whitehaven Beach was no exception. 

The sand was out of this word. Not only was it pristinely white, it was also very soft and squeaky! The silica content makes it this way, and I had never encountered anything like it.

Located on Whitsunday Island, the beach was about a 45 minute boat ride away from Hamilton Island. Best part of the boat ride: seeing Humpback Whales!

Once there, we had time to lay out, take naps, and perfect jumping pictures.

This is definitely a place I need to come back to.

The bay that I misjudged

So a friend informed me that the bay Melbourne is on is actually really huge and pretty, but I just happened to go to a dodgy bit of it on my first try. 

I hereby take back what I said about the bay!

Will and I took a nice drive south of the city to what is called the Mornington Peninsula, which has lots of cute beach towns and very pretty beaches. The weather has been nice [though now it's spitting rain], so it was the perfect day for beach strolls and fish & chips!

That's the city wayyy back there.