Toronto to Melbourne: Meet Me Where the Sky Touches the Sea

When I left Toronto on the first of August with a one-way ticket to Heathrow (and then onward to Singapore before finally, finally Melbourne) I was acutely aware of what I was leaving behind: a city I love, and the best friends and family a girl could ask for. Standing in terminal 3 of Toronto Pearson International Airport I hugged my parent’s goodbye, with vague notions (and hopes!) I would see them again soon.

I think anyone who knows my family would agree with me when I say that I didn’t get my travel gene from my Mom and Dad. I got a lot of awesome things from my parents: my love of reading, a passion for running, and a solid appreciation of Dave Matthews Band and The Tragically Hip… but the desire to see the world, that came from just me.

My Dad hates flying, and my Mom hates flying with my Dad, so back in August when we said goodbye, the dream of getting them to Australia felt like a long shot. We traded travel itineraries, airline reviews, and hotel recommendations back and forth over email so endlessly, it almost felt like planning the trip would eclipse the trip itself. But, after 24 hours of travel including stopovers in Vancouver and Auckland, my family touched down on Aussie soil last week. Where the sky touches the sea, we were reunited once again.

It’s been great having my Mom, Dad, my brother Peter, and his girlfriend Sara, in Melbourne these past ten days. I’ve enjoyed showing them all my favourite and frequent spots (Chapel Street, the Fifth Province on Fitzroy Street, South Wharf, etc.) and it’s been fun to watch them explore Melbourne on their own.

Last weekend we escaped the city in favour of the Great Ocean Road, a stretch of highway along the south-eastern coast of Australia that is deemed a national heritage site. The windy single lane highway that runs along the bottom lip of the continent gave-way to gorgeous coastal views, revealing some of the best beaches in the world.

Despite the windy weather, we enjoyed two days on the beach before I had to return to Melbourne for work on Monday. My family continued on to Barwon Heads, a golf resort just south of Geelong, where they took advantage of some much needed R+R after a busy few days in Melbourne.

We are all back in Melbourne now, and are trying to get into the Christmas spirit, with plans to cook and bake some holiday treats in the coming days.

Until then,

Heather