Another Quigley Down Under

I made a new friend the other day, his name is Neville.  At least I think we are friends.  He is a bit of an odd fellow, kind of the quite type and a little difficult to read at times.  He knows what he likes and he definitely doesn't like to be told what to do.  Generally he will go with the flow but when he makes up his mind its hard to get him to change but I think overall we make a pretty good team. Heaven knows I wouldn't have been able to keep up with everyone else without his help.

I felt kind of bad for Neville, he seemed like he wanted to be friends with everybody but the others didn't really give him much of a chance from the get go which he strange really since there isn't much to NOT like about Neville.  In our group activity he carried more than his fair share and hung out in the back to make sure that no one got left behind.  To me he is kind and caring and frankly, just plain old misunderstood.

Really, taking a look at the group that we were paired with he was quite favorable.  I mean, Dunney was a jerk, Cheryl was pretty feral, there was some junkie whose name I never caught and and a few others who pretty much just kept to themselves.  Poor Neville just got thrown into a bad bunch but I am grateful for him because he took me places I could have never gone.  No, really he actually took me, on his back, to places that I wouldn't have seen without his help.


Okay so if you haven't caught on by know you should know that Neville and the others weren't people.  They were the horses we took out riding in the bush.  I'd really like to claim that I went riding in the outback but I think that the outback is just a little further uh...out back? "The bush" will have to suffice.

We went a little ways out of the city up near a place called King's Lake to Uncle Nev's (just the name of the place, not my uncle or anyone's uncle that I know personally).  This may not be particularly exciting to many of you but I have never been horseback riding so it was kind of a big deal for me.  I mean, this was completely new territory. The only reigns I had ever held were those of a toboggan on a snow covered hill.

After getting all my gear (aka equestrian helmet and a bag of m&m's) I headed over to the stables to find my horse.  Now, when selecting a horse it is important to match up the rider to the horse physically (and if at all possible in other ways that you may see fit.)  Naturally when the stable hand saw me he knew he would need a "larger than normal" horse for a beginner.  Neville fit the bill and thus began a beautiful and rather bumpy friendship. 


From the moment that I got on Neville he was patient as I got situated in the saddle (English not western).  Then while we waited for everyone else he was really good.  Just stood there at ate, the entire time.  I thought this was good because he would need the energy if he was going to carry me up the mountain.   Turns out Neville may be a bit of an over eater though. 

The horse has a serious problem with the grass.  He grazed for a good 30 min before we took off.  Then as we walked out of the stables he spotted a patch of hay, picked up his pace and dove right into the pile.  Problem here because everyone is walking off and I have no idea how to make this beast beneath me move.  I tried kicking and encouraging words. I even threw a "giddyup" in there but nothin.  Meanwhile the group has completely left the stables and I am stranded and helpless a top this mammoth mammal.

Someone finally came to my rescue.  They had to walk Neville out of the stables and a fair distance from the food before they could turn me loose which was good and bad since I really didn't know what I was doing but Neville seemed to know what was up, a little chipped because I just took away his snack but overall compliant to go along with the ride.  I think he knew there was plenty of grazing along the way and boy did he take advantage of every stop we made to fill his mouth with a small morsel of grass or anything that was remotely similar to grass.


We headed up through the hills around the area.  It was beautiful country spotted with the occasional  country home in the distance across the rolling hills.  Its winter and it was brisk outside with a biting wind that died off as rode deeper into the shelter of the trees.  Neville seemed to prefer this because when we were in the open he always turned his head away from the wind and gave a little disapproving grunt. 

The trees were quite bare and twiggy.  In part because of the season but also because the area had suffered some horrible wildfires that left trees charred and dried, jutting up out of the new green fauna that fights to overcome the scars of nature's furry.

As we rode we came across mobs of Kangaroos, which seemed bigger than the ones I spoke of in my previous post.   We also saw a variety of other animals and birds along the way.  I loved hearing the Kookaburras in the trees.  Their ape like calls seemed so out of place in the wintry forest.


We climbed up one mountain, down the other side and up another where we stopped for afternoon tea.  Uncle Nev's provided us with some homemade bickies (cookies) and warm beverages at a rustic country home at the top of the mountain.  We had an excellent view of the valley and could even see the skyscrapers of Melbourne rising behind a hill in the distance.  Neville enjoyed some grass of course.

On our way down and back to where we started I was given the opportunity to let Neville loose and see what he could do.  Well, he's not the fastest horse but who can blame him?  Let's see how fast you run with me on your back!  I did get him to go at a pretty good little gallop for a minute but then I think he saw an extra long patch of grass and slowed down to check it out. 


As we came up on the final stretch they have us run the horse as fast as we can up the hill to the stables.  Its a classic "Sleepy Hollow" like scene with the arching trees on both sides of the road.  It probably would have been much more dramatic if I hadn't been laughing the whole way at Neville who was literally running with a giant clump of grass with roots, dirt and all hanging from the left side of his mouth. 


It was a great experience.  I got to see some great scenery and in a fun non-traditional way.  I also got to make a good friend and some even better memories from the experience.  Oh Neville...

Its been far too long since I last updated you all with my latest and greatest adventures down under.  My deepest apologize.  I've been busy with work and then passed through an excruciatingly difficult period without internet.  Those were dark days, but it is behind us now and I am fully connected once again. So, its time to bring you up to date on things.

A couple of weeks ago, I took on the full Australian animal experience.  We headed about an hour south of the city of Melbourne to a little place called Phillip Island.  This island is home to a chocolate factory, various animal reserves, and the world's smallest penguin.  My conclusion at the end of the day? Australia is home to the world's cutest animals.

We one of the animal reserves where many of the animals are free roaming.  They are VERY used to the human presence and know that where there are humans there is food.  Every one who enters gets a bag of pellets that can be fed to any of the grass eating animals.  Literally from the moment we walked in the gates, we had eyes on us.  They weren't human eyes.  They were the adorable dark eyes of a very astute wallaby.

After a lot of fuss over the small marsupial, I remembered that we still had a lot to see.  I will spare you the list of animals that we saw.  But check out the pictures below and you'll be able to see for yourself the up close experience I had with some of Australia's native animals. 

Unfortunately, I have no pictures to show my experience with the penguins.  They are sensitive to the flash and so all forms of photography are banned.  I know that you can take pictures without a flash but the little guys only come out at night time.  Its really cool actually.  They all swim ashore just after sunset to avoid predators.  They come out of the water, waddle across the beach and up the hills to their burrows.  Once they get to the burrow's opening they kind of just stand there and "sing".  They make quite the noise.  I had no idea.  If you want more information check out www.penguins.org.au

Anyway, I could go on about petting kangaroos, feeding cassowaries, watching the dingos, but a picture is worth a thousand words so, here are a few thousand words. (Oh and a video too!)

It was the Queen’s birthday Monday and the state of Victoria was celebrating.  Okay, so it wasn’t actually the Queen’s birthday but her birthday falls in a month (April I believe) that is already full of public holidays and so for convenience sake, the Australian’s commemorate her birthday today.  See kids, when you’re royalty you can celebrate your birthday multiple times throughout the year.   Nonetheless, it was a good day.  Plus, it was a day off work and a time to set out into the city and see some of the sites.

The Parliament here operates very similarly to the English Parliament or Westminster System.  It operates under a different set of rules and procedures than those I am most familiar with in the Federal system of the United States of America, although there are many similarities.  It is obvious that the two systems are "cousins" or of the same family. 

There are two houses, similar to the United States' Senate and House of Representatives.  They are referred to as the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly.  The political party with the majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly or "Lower House" form the government which is basically their executive branch of government.
The government elects from its body a Premier, Deputy Premier, and Ministers who direct matters over a certain area of government.  The two major parties in Victoria are the Liberal Party (conservative side of policy) and the Labour Party.  Currently the Liberal Party holds the majority in Parliament by 1 chair.  (In other words, it can get pretty intense.)



The building has avoided too much modernization and therefore has been well preserved as it was originally built, as it is heritage listed. However, for various political and other reasons, it has not been well maintained and unfortunately you don't have to look hard to find the wear and tear of the many years.  Some might argue that this gives it added beauty.  Nonetheless, it is a gorgeous building and definitely a national treasure.



The building reflects the rich history of the country as a member of the British Commonwealth.  Housed by the state named after the Queen Victoria, the building contains a large statue of Her Majesty in the Queens Hall along with many other indicators of the royal ties, aside from the building itself being absolutely regal. 

This building is not alone in its fine workmanship and beautiful structure.  Many other buildings in Melbourne have also been preserved for more than a century.  The importance of preserving the beautiful structures alongside new and modern developments absolutely captures the cultural nature of the city and its people.  Melbourne is definitely one of the more beautiful metropolitan regions of the world and a great place to go exploring.

Mass transit has become far too much a part of me this past week and it was all kicked off with the longest plane ride of my life. Arriving in Australia I had the harsh awakening to a fact that I previously had not considered, driving on the other side of the road. It was something I knew but forgot to acknowledge.

On multiple occasions I have found myself being the only one looking left first, then right. Luckily there haven't been any really close calls with regards to my life and crossing the street. I am getting better at it but I still find myself with that urge deep inside to look left, then right.

Also, Gary, my roommate, is kind enough to drive us almost everywhere we go. My heart skips a beat every time, EVERY time we make a left hand turn into what I assume is oncoming traffic.  I hope I get used to this soon.

My regular mode of transport, however, is the train (the epitome of public transportation). Humanity in a sardine car, hurtling itself down the tracks. I spend about 2 hours of my day on the train. It is an hour into the city and an hour home.

Like anywhere else in the world, you can find Melbourne's finest on the Metro. It’s the regular crowd you would expect to find headed into the city. Business men mixed in with blue collar workers, young and old, thin, fat, short, tall, and of course smelly, yup, they are all on the train.

There is one demographic that I find particularly surprising. Those would be the students. There sure are a lot of kids at the station. Of course, they thin out by the time we actually make it to the city but at the station where I board the train they out number the adults about 11 to 1. Outside of that its pretty much everything you might expect out of a metropolitan train system. I must say, I have yet to be groped! (More than I can say for the commuter rail in Sao Paulo, but that is another story for another time.)