The Dills Are Here!

They are here! My mom, dad, brother Justin, sister-in-law Cindy, and sister Morgan are in Australia. I'll let them write now.

Some nice person waited almost two hours with a fun sign for these folks to finally show up!

We made it!  It's beautiful here, and it's wonderful to be with Aubree (we haven't seen Zack yet - he's at work).  The 15 1/2 hour plane ride from LA to Melbourne wasn't that bad.  With over 200 movies to choose from, snacks and drinks whenever we wanted, plus lots of naps, the time passed fairly quickly.  Let the adventures begin!  Sue

We took a short walk by the bay and enjoyed the sunshine and breeze.  It was so nice to be able to walk and stretch our legs after such a long flight. Today is for relaxing, which is good because I am really tired. Looking forward to an early night and starting some adventures tomorrow! -Cindy

A short tram ride down Fitzroy Street

Coming out of the terminal at the airport on our way to get our luggage, I saw something shiny on the ground.  I bent over to pick it up and discovered it was a silver coin.  I put it in my pocket because I thought I was now rich.  Once we finally got our luggage, minus one bag that is still in Dallas, we finally got to see Aubree.  The first question I asked her was, "What is this coin; am I rich?"  She told me she had no idea.  I think I picked up a 1 yen coin.  I am not rich.  ~Justin

Waving their Aussie flags.

Somehow, I always knew my knowledge of the Australian National Anthem would be worth it, and as you can tell by the Aussie patriotism exhibited by the Dill family, it is certainly worth it. So far the actual koala count is zero, but the koala souvenir count is rising quickly.  Trying to keep it under control...probably not going to do a good job.  Did I mention I was in Australia?  Yeah, that's right. ~Morgan

A great first day of being met at the airport, getting settled in at our rental apartment, a quick walk along St. Kilda's beach, and past St. Kilda's restaurants and pastry shops and bars.  Really, really great to get the whole family together for laughs and stories.  Exchanged early Christmas gifts which felt like cheating just a bit.  Aubree has an Australian dinner planned tonight.  More stories later. ~ Dad Dill

So my family all just headed back to their apartment for some naps before dinner. I might sneak a quick one in myself before I fire up the BBQ for our Australian dinner (lamb skewers, pumpkin soup, sausages, chips, and Tim Tam slams). We'll be hitting up Acland Street for dessert. Lots more to come...