Ten years ago August, Julie and I were married. At the time we got her a simple, affordable wedding band. We said that for our tenth anniversary we would upgrade it to one ringed with diamonds. Last year I asked her if she still wanted a new wedding band or if she'd rather do a trip. She chose the trip, so we went to Australia this November. Her parents took care of Lily and Maddie so it was just the two of us. We're incredibly blessed to have been able to do this and really it's still kind of hard to believe that it was able to take place. We didn't take any of it for granted. It was a good break from work, too, after a busy summer. So here are the pictures from our vacation, starting with Julie waiting in the airport. It's a very different, much more relaxing experience waiting in the airport when there are no kids to take care of.
Just arrived in unseasonably cold wet Melbourne and waiting for our tram.
Julie in our room.
Vegemite, the Aussie version of Marmite, which is the English version of meconium.
We stayed near Luna Park.
View of Melbourne from St Kilda pier.
Admiring the local architecture.
In the courtyard. Our door is behind the bamboo screens.
Another shot of Luna Park.
Downtown Melbourne.
St Paul's Cathedral. I love old churches.
The Royal Botanical Gardens is one of the nicest parks we've ever been to.
The herb garden at the Royal Botanical Gardens.
A family playing Australian rules football in the park.
Julie fed the cat of the people whose guest house we were staying in.
Krispy Kreme! 
The St Kilda pier has about 1,000 resident Little Penguins. 
There wasn't enough napping on our vacation, but we did get some in.
In the St Kilda botanical gardens. One day we had someone ask us if we were on our honeymoon.
Australia v. Sri Lanka cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Julie's passion for the game could not be contained.
Pies and cricket! Beef and burgundy pie on the left, cottage pie on the right.
The match lasted eight hours but by the end of it we actually understood cricket, and Julie had turned into a rabid Sri Lanka fan.
These kangaroos hang out at the Anglesea golf course. Some of them have collars with their names on them. They're wild in the sense that they're not in a zoo or kept as pets, but they are very tame.
We took two days and drove the Great Ocean Road, which is a road that runs by the ocean and is pretty great. We stopped a lot because everywhere provided something interesting or beautiful to look at.
Apparently a LOT of tourists drive the Great Ocean Road, and apparently some of them have problems remembering which side of the road to drive on. I did not have problems remembering because Julie made sure to remind me a lot. 
Our first koala. It was asleep until I shook the tree. Then it woke up and looked around a bit. Then some other people came by and said how remarkably rare it is to see a koala awake at that time of day. 
The road we drove.
Signs warning you to look out for wildlife usually come with a phone number the wildlife can call in case they become injured.
Stripey road.
Cape Otway Lightstation was closed when we got there so we had to be content with a photo from the hill behind it.
More koalas!
Dinner was fish and chips from Frying Nemo, a gas station chippy.
The fish and chips were excellent as was the company.
Kangaroo tracks on the beach.
Early morning walk, waiting for Julie to get ready for the day. 
This is called London Bridge, and it used to be connected to the mainland but London Bridge fell down. The surf is relentless.
We went down this unsigned dirt road and came out on top of the cliffs. This guy was there fishing. He lives 40km back in the bush and comes out to fish once every month or so. He's been in Australia for at least 30 years but from his accent he's originally from Eastern Europe. His goal was to catch enough fish for tea (supper). He was a friendly guy and if we didn't have so much to do that day we could've spent a nice couple hours chatting.
He had already caught a salmon.
There was a lot more of him leaning over the cliff than I'd be comfortable with myself.
A little red snapper. 
Down on the beach a bit further on.
Tourist shot at the Twelve Apostles. It's called that even though there are only eight.
Don't say they didn't warn you.
Another view of the Apostles. Just so amazing and the weather was absolutely perfect.
Close by there are steps down the cliff face so you can get to the beach.
Returning seaweed to its home in the ocean.
Samson impression
We found an echidna by the trail while walking down to Wreck Beach. 
Wreck Beach
What's left of one of the wrecks.
So many different kinds of seaweed. If you are a seaweed enthusiast, I can wholeheartedly recommend a visit to Wreck Beach.
Hopetoun Falls in Great Otway National Park.
We only stopped at the redwood grove because it was right there by the road, but it was one of the best parts of the trip. It was a good illustration of how people can carve out a place in the wilderness, keep it natural but a little different, and create a magnificent space. There is no underbrush here and it's akin to being in a cathedral, with slightly swaying pillars and a gently whooshing roof.
Kangaroo steak.
At the beginning of our day driving around Yarra Valley and the Dandenongs.
There's an animal hospital at Healesville Sanctuary and they were repairing a turtle's shell. They do the surgeries behind plate glass and there are large screen TVs showing the surgery up close.
The only wombat we saw outside of the zoo was dead by the side of the road. 
Mount Dandenong offers great views of Melbourne and the surrounding areas. Melbourne is dwarfed by the cloud there in the middle of the picture.
Julie talking to Madeleine and Lilian just before we went into Luna Park to ride one of the oldest roller coasters still in operation. It requires a brakeman to stand between the two cars and operate the brakes manually.
Two bananas for 75 cents...you CAN buy something in Melbourne for under a dollar!
Talking to the girls at sunset on St Kilda Beach.
Waiting for the penguins to make their nightly return to their homes in the rocks from their day out fishing in the bay.
On the way back home to China.
The end.
