Koalas, Long Lost Friends, and The Batman You’ve Never Heard Of

It is time for our weekly update with the James Family: Dani and Craig, and their children Caroline and Conor, who are in the midst of taking a Round the World Trip. Let’s see what they’ve been up to…

Dani met up with her dear girlhood friend Kara in Alice Springs, Australia (Dani is front and center)

This is Dani and Kara, when they were growing up. This is reminding me how important it is to stay connected with your best friends, even if you become separated by thousands of miles and busy lives.

Craig discovered that John Batman was one of the first settlers of Melbourne, and that the city was almost named “Batmania”! Of Melbourne, Craig also reports that “You haven’t really lived until you’ve heard techno-pop played on the didgeridoo”

The family took a rather disappointing road trip from Melbourne to Sydney, as they were short on time and couldn’t take the scenic route. However, they did make a stop at the Koala Conservation Center, which looks magnificent to me…

…and enjoyed a fine sunset at 90 Mile Beach

Along the way, they stayed in a “series of increasingly disappointing towns”, and at one point a fire alarm went off in their hotel at 2:00 a.m., forcing all of the guests onto the street. After finally being let back in, Craig relayed this priceless moment:

In the elevator, an older heavy-set man spoke to us in an Irish brogue: “Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  It’s a good thing there wasn’t a fire.  Cause as long as that took, we’d have all been burnt toast.”

To me, it’s those little moments that may not seem funny at the time, which become transformed by memory into good stories. And that’s one of the best parts about travel: knowing that you and your family will be able to retell those stories, and share the memories for years to come.

It is so inspiring to me to hear about the James family adventures – I hope that one day, I will be able to take such an amazing journey with my own family.

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