11-2-99 Today is a big horse race in Australia - the Melbourne Cup. We're about 1,000 nautical miles north of Melbourne, but the entire country stops for the race, similar to the Kentucky Derby in the USA. A couple days ago, on Sunday we enjoyed a traditional Aussie barby (barbecue) in the park just outside the marina. The park is beautifully maintained, with picnic tables and gas grills. We grilled lamb, prawns, tuna, chicken and devoured them with salads, bread, and lots of cold beverages (translated: beer) to wash them down. Four boats (4 couples) that crossed to OZ from New Caledonia - Aussies, Kiwis and us Yanks. It was alot of fun. We are now hooked on Australian lamb - it is so tender and delicious. Australia seems to be a big meat-eating country, the meat sections in the supermarkets are endless! We are amazed, especially after eating so much seafood and fish for the past year on our voyage.
11-21-99 We've been in OZ 3 weeks now, and feel right at home. Everyone is super friendly, even though they do make fun of our Yank accents (we thought THEY were the ones with accents!). We're enjoying marina life and completing a few projects on the boat. Such as repairing sails, oiling teak, cleaning and waxing topsides, installing solar panel, etc. We've been slightly busy, but have taken some time to enjoy the area. We toured Brisbane for 2 days and loved it. It is located on the Brisbane River and has beautiful, tropical flora and fauna in the botanical gardens, endless shopping, restaurants, pubs, cafes, riverside walks, parks, rock climbing, outdoor concerts, and it's a very clean city and safe to walk. We hope to make another trip there in the next week or so. Thanksgiving (the American Holiday) is quickly approaching and we are planning a turkey feast here at the marina with other yachties. This year we're especially thankful for our successful Pacific crossing, our new friends we met along the way, and our family and friends at home (who don't quite understand our decision to "sail away" but support us anyway).
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