Since first hearing “Waltzing Matilda” in grade school and seeing kangaroos in National Geographic magazine, Michael had a lifelong wish to visit Australia. The dream finally came true through booking a small group tour with Now Journey almost a year in advance. No one else signed up, so, as experienced travelers, the two of us were on our own to make new friends, discover new places, and to learn all sorts of new things. We appreciated that Now Journey kept in touch almost daily during our trip to insure that all was going well.

Returning to the airport, we had to wait in a very long line to pass through the security checkpoint. Then we spent several relatively boring hours in American Airlines Flagship Lounge.

Our nonstop 16-hour flight to Australia departed Dallas about 10:15 p.m. The excitement likely would have kept us awake if we didn’t have sleeping pills to take immediately after the evening meal that was served about 45 minutes after takeoff.

DAY 2
Saturday, 14 February 2026 (Valentine’s Day)
While flying over the Pacific Ocean we crossed the International Date Line, skipping Friday the 13th. A snack was served a few hours before landing. Breakfast was served about an hour before landing. The new, free onboard wi-fi was very much appreciated, until it ceased to function often when over the Pacific Ocean, apparently due to only intermittent satellite connection.

We arrived in a drizzling rain at the international airport in Brisbane, Australia, at 6:30 a.m. with a 16-hour time change. Clearing immigration was quick, but customs clearance was a bit complicated since there was a form, unknown to us, that we had not completed. With our suitcases and carry on bags in tow we discovered that our connecting domestic flight was in a different terminal, a 10-minute bus ride away. Remembering similar airport experiences in foreign countries in the past, we were thankful that we could fully understood the language to locate the bus stop.

With kind help from a worker at the domestic terminal, we located the check-in site for Jetstar Airways. The agent there informed us we were more than an hour and a half too early. We would need to keep our luggage till 3 hours before scheduled takeoff. At the advice of the kind gentleman already mentioned, we sat in a coffee shop, drinking a soda and hot tea with a large cookie to pass the time.

February in the southern hemisphere is mid summer. Michael quickly learned that it was too warm for the long sleeve shirt and sport coat needed when we left Arkansas. Having temporary possession of our luggage, it was easy to change to something cooler.

Though American Airlines tagged our luggage to our final destination, the Jetstar agents advised that we should replace the tags. Of course the computer refused to permit this even 2 minutes early. Though the whole process was possible without an agent being present, we were grateful for the human assistance. (Sometimes it is advantageous to look old enough that we might not understand the technology.)

At the security checkpoint, Michael’s tiny scissors were confiscated. They said the little screwdriver with them might be able to remove screws on the plane. It didn’t matter that it cleared TSA in the States many times. (We never knew we had the potential to disassemble a plane in flight.)

Thinking it a good plan, we withdrew Aus$300 from an ATM we stumbled across at the Brisbane airport. (We later learned that it was possible, often preferable, to use a credit card everywhere we went. Some shops would not accept cash. Two days before we left Australia, we still had all the cash we took from the ATM. So we stopped using the credit card exclusively and succeeded in spending all but Aus$5.05.)

We found a place to eat lunch near our departure gate in Brisbane. The 2-hour connecting flight to Melbourne departed at 12:30 p.m. Once on the plane, we were surprised to learn we each had Aus$15 credit for food and drinks. We would not have eaten in the airport if this had been communicated to us prior to getting on the plane. (Apparently, the airline got to keep the $10 we didn’t spend on the plane.) We know from experience that a successful and memorable trip often involves dealing with something unexpected or undesired at the moment.

We arrived in Melbourne about 3:30, which was a time zone change from Brisbane. Our driver was waiting for us as we were nearing baggage claim at the Melbourne airport. He kindly left us at The Savoy Hotel in downtown Melbourne. Check-in went smoothly and we settled in our room. It being Valentine’s Day, we were out of luck getting a table at a nearby Italian restaurant. With a little effort we found an uncrowded place to eat just a couple blocks from our hotel.

DAY 3
Sunday, 15 February 2026
After a good night’s sleep (thanks to Triazolam), we were up by 6:30 to prepare for the day’s adventures. After our free breakfast we rode in a taxi about half an hour to worship with the Belmore Road Church of Christ. Everyone was very friendly. They enjoy a fellowship break with hot drinks and snacks between the worship service and Bible class.

It was a blessing to meet and sit with Jules Cseszko and his wife Elonie. His connection to Keith Lancaster’s work made him a friend of a friend. He is a song leader, orchestra conductor, and music instructor. Even without knowing we love Italian food, he and his wife treated us with lunch at Brunetti Classico, an Italian restaurant in Carlton (a Melbourne suburb). Jules conducted the Cloud Concert Youth Orchestra later in the afternoon for the Victoria Premier (like our state governor) at the Chinese New Year celebration sponsored by the Chinese Embassy.

Our afternoon was filled with exploring the city of Melbourne with our delightful and knowledgeable guide Michelle, whom we met in the hotel lobby at 2 o’clock. Some of the time we were traveling on the trams, which are free in Melbourne. Most of the time we were walking. We were getting exhausted by our return to the hotel at 5:45. Our phones showed we walked about 10,000 steps on this day and nearly every day we were in Australia.

Simba Chikanya, Jeannie’s singing friend from Praise & Harmony, met us at our hotel at 6:20 and drove us to Butcher's Prime. He and his wife Zanele treated us to a delicious meal at this restaurant in Docklands on the waterfront. Our meal included kangaroo tenderloin. Simba and Zanele grew up in Zimbabwe, one of the countries we visited in 2017. We continued mutually interesting conversations till they returned us to our hotel about 9:30 p.m.

After such an exciting and busy day, we were asleep about 10:30.

DAY 4
Monday, 16 February 2026
It was necessary to arise at 5:30 and have breakfast at 6:30. At 7 a.m. we met our very nice driver and guide, Peter Johns, for an all-day private adventure on the Great Ocean Road west of Melbourne.

At our first restroom stop at 8:20, there were hundreds of corellas plaguing the town with their incessant noise. (A corella is a subgenus of smaller white cockatoos.)

We arrived at 10:15 at the famous Twelve Apostles landmark, though there were never 12 stone columns near the shore. The name is a keeper because it attracts tourists to southeast Australia. We spent 30 minutes walking the trail and enjoying the view. By 11 o’clock, we stopped to see the nearby Loch Ard Gorge. It was named after the ship that wrecked here in 1878. Then our driver started the eastward route heading back toward Melbourne.

At 12:30 we stopped beside the road where people were snapping photos of two koalas high in a tree. Ten minutes later we were hiking the 0.8 kilometer Maits Rest Rainforest Walk. At times, this 20-minute trail was a bit steeper than we expected. We viewed lots of ancient plants, but saw no snakes or other animals. Not long after we were back on the road, we stopped where others were gawking at a koala. Here we got a good photo once we finally found it very high in the tree. Since koalas sleep 18 to 22 hours per day, it wasn’t unexpected that its eyes were closed.

We stopped for 45 minutes for lunch about 1:30 at Apollo Bay, a very busy tourist town near the beach. Michael and the guide each ate the popular Australian meat pie with tomato sauce. Jeannie chose a meat and veggie pastry.

We enjoyed several white cockatoos sitting in trees and flying around at Lorne when we stopped briefly at 3:15. At Anglesea our guide stopped for photos where a mob of kangaroos were gathered at a golf course.

We were back at our hotel at 6 o’clock. Soon afterwards we rode the tram to a nearby Brunetti for insalata caprese with real buffalo mozzarella. Ordering food there was confusing, unlike at the larger Brunetti where we ate the day before. We were back in our room by 8 p.m. Even with sitting in a car for hours most of the day, our phones reported we walked about 10,000 steps again.

This was the last night sleeping pills were needed. Though there was a 17-hour time difference between Melbourne and Arkansas, jet lag was having very little effect on our experience, even from the first day.

DAY 5
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
The Year of the Fire Horse started today on Chinese New Year 2026. It is a time for bravery, quick action, and big changes.

We were up by 5:30 a.m. again to get breakfast and catch our 7:00 ride to the airport, about a half hour from our hotel. Check-in at the airport was totally self-service. Our Virgin Australia plane left about 10 a.m. for just over an hour flight to Sydney. At 11:30 we met our driver and were shortly checking into our room at the InterContinental Sydney.

Without unpacking, we headed out looking for lunch. We ate at Caffe Gigi, an outdoor restaurant at Circular Quay on the waterfront just a couple blocks from our hotel. Just for fun, about 2:40 we boarded the fast ferry across Sydney Harbor to Manly. It was a 20-minute ride each way.

We purchased a necklace with an opal drop and matching earrings. Jeannie bought a pair of Australian-made UGG shoes, not to be confused with UGG shoes in the States, none of which are made in Australia. There were many other shops to visit before we returned to our room at 5:15. At 6:30 we were back in Circular Quay for supper at Eastbank Cafe.

DAY 6
Wednesday, 18 February 2026
We enjoyed getting to sleep later this morning and enjoying a later, unrushed meal compared to the past few days. The breakfast options were awesome, beyond any similar included hotel breakfast that we could remember.

At 9 a.m. in the hotel lobby, we met the day’s local tour guide, Mike Bryant with Go Beyond Tours. He drove us all around the city and many suburbs, stopping often for photos in areas around Sydney Harbor and the South Pacific Ocean. It was a beautiful morning, though the temperature reached the mid-90s. Thanks to our guide being a member at North Bondi RSL Club, we ate lunch together there at Bondi Beach.

After returning to our hotel about 2:15, it rained most of the afternoon and brought down the temperature. Avoiding the weather by staying in our room, we practiced several of the songs for the next Praise & Harmony recording. It stopped raining in time for us to find supper at Circular Quay.

DAY 7
Thursday, 19 February 2026
The Sydney Opera House was just a few blocks from our hotel. We began a 1-hour tour at 10:30 a.m. We were disappointed that no photos were allowed in either theater. Our lunch at the Opera Bar was covered in the tour fee.

We returned to our room to monitor the end of the Arkansas Razorback basketball game. (We lost by 2 points in a double overtime. It was the highest scoring game in SEC history.)

The day was cooler (in the low 80s), but quite humid. We walked across the street about 2 o’clock to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Being mid summer in Australia, the flowers were unimpressive, but we enjoyed seeing an Australian water dragon, Australian white ibis, laughing kookaburra, Australian magpie, and rainbow lorikeet. We bought a really unique vase in the garden shop after confirming that our hotel could help us ship it to Fort Smith.

With a reservation at 6:30 at Flaminia in the Circular Quay, we enjoyed a very Italian meal. Our waitress was from Sardinia.

DAY 8
Friday, 20 February 2026
After breakfast in the hotel, we were on our way to the airport about 7:30. Our Jetstar flight left Sidney at 11 o’clock. We purchased a light lunch on the plane. We landed in the middle of the Australian outback at Ayers Rock (mostly called Uluru now) 3˝ hours after takeoff. Traveling west, the time zone changed by falling back 1˝ hours.

As we were waiting to get off the plane, the Australian gentleman seated behind us was eager to converse about the poisonous spiders and snakes of Australia that we brought up. Then he began trying to convince Jeannie of something even worse. He warned her to be careful walking under trees in Australia because she could be attacked by a “drop bear” falling out of a tree. We had never heard of these large, carnivorous, and vicious predatory versions of the docile, herbivorous koala. It didn’t take long for us to learn that the drop bear is an Australian hoax and urban legend, commonly used to scare tourists.

The outdoor temperature was 96°F as we left the plane. We soon retrieved our checked bags. Before 1:00 we were onboard the bus to our hotel, Sails in the Desert in Ayers Rock Resort.

We arrived with almost no idea what to do after getting checked into our room. Before we left the States it was impossible for us to figure out how we might enjoy our free time at Ayers Rock. We felt like there were just too many options to choose from without ever having been there. So we spent part of the afternoon enjoying the A/C in our room while we discussed and debated how to fill our upcoming “day at leisure” (as our itinerary called it). None of the many free activities on Saturday appealed to us. When we finished arranging and paying for our “optional” experience(s) (as our itinerary called it), we filled most of the time between 7:45 a.m. and 8:45 p.m. We unashamedly reduced our kids’ inheritance.

When we left our room to walk the few blocks to the resort’s town square, the afternoon temperature had peaked at 100°F. We visited the shops and purchased some sodas to store in our room refrigerator. Not having a reservation at the hotel restaurant, we returned to the town square area for supper at the Gecko Cafe.

DAY 9
Saturday, 21 February 2026
Anticipating an exciting day, it was difficult to sleep. We went to breakfast before 7:00.

At 7:45 we were the first onboard the Uluru Hop On Hop Off bus to Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. The park is 13 kilometers from Ayers Rock Resort. Ayers Rock (becoming better known as Uluṟu, its original name) is a mountain that is 6 miles around and 1142 feet high above the surrounding ground level. The bus drove most of the way around the mountain to our chosen stop at Mala Carpark.

It was 81°F when we began our hike along the Liru Trail about 8:30. In the Aboriginal language “liru” means poisonous snake. We didn’t see any snakes or even people along the 2-kilometer path that ended at the Cultural Centre at Ayers Rock. We arrived there at 9:15 where we learned more about the original inhabitants after taking a break to cool off with some ice cream bars. When we caught the bus to return to our hotel at 10:50, the temperature had risen to 91°F.

After lunch at our hotel, we were transported about 2 p.m. with three other tourists to experience the Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa helicopter ride. The 25-minute flight gave us great photos of Ayers Rock and Kata Tjuṯa, the lesser known massive rock formation. By air it was about 20 kilometers between these landmarks. We were back at our hotel an hour after we left.

This evening’s adventure, called Wintjiri Wiru Sunset Dinner, began with a bus ride from our hotel at 6:15. Arriving deep in the desert, we strolled along an elevated walkway to reach an open-air theatre, set upon the top of a dune with an excellent view of Uluṟu. Then as the sun was setting behind Kata Tjuṯa, we were pampered with multiple appetizers followed by a “culinary adventure with a gourmet dinner hamper [translation: “picnic basket”] where native ingredients are combined with modern culinary techniques to create a masterpiece for the palate.” That's a fancy way to describe an exotic, unique outdoor meal. After sunset, we viewed an artistic expression of an ancient Aboriginal tale accompanied by a light and laser show which we were not allowed to photograph. Concurrently, we listened to a traditional soundtrack and narration in the local Pitjantjatjara language with English translation. There were supposed to be choreographed drones included, but it was too windy. Typically, the experience would be under the stars, but it was mostly cloudy. Though we’ve seen the star constellation on many previous out-of-country trips into the southern hemisphere, we were disappointed that we couldn’t see the Southern Cross here (nor anywhere else while we were in Australia). Rain began just minutes before we boarded the bus. Around 8:45 we were back in our hotel to finish packing for our next flight.

Today we heard many staff in every place say, “Palya” (pahl-yah). In the local language of the Aṉangu people, it means hello, goodbye, thank you, welcome, good, or understood.

Their word “tjukurpa” (pronounced chook-orr-pah) is the foundational belief system, law, and spirituality of the Aṉangu people of Central Australia. The word doesn’t translate into English well; its meaning encompasses land, language, family, and community. It defines the relationships between people, plants, animals, and the land upon which they live.

DAY 10
Sunday, 22 February 2026
We were up with the alarm at 7 a.m. After breakfast in the hotel, we caught the 9 o’clock bus to the airport. Our 2˝-hour Qantas flight landed in Cairns (pronounced “cans”) about 1:45 p.m. with a 30-minute time zone change. Cairns is in the tropics in northeast Australia.

Our driver met us in the baggage claim area. We appreciated that he was very informative as we drove into the city to our hotel, the Shangri-La at The Marina.

Our hotel room balcony had a great view of the marina. After getting settled at the hotel, we went out to explore the immediate area. We found the Night Market to be very interesting. We enjoyed a delicious Italian meal at Ollie’s Restaurant on the boardwalk beside the bay.

DAY 11
Monday, 23 February 2026
We were up at 5:30 this morning. After a 5-minute walk from our hotel room, we climbed aboard the “Reef Daytripper” with 3 crew and 9 tourists. This catamaran took us on a full-day, barefoot adventure to the Outer Great Barrier Reef, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Two hours from the dock in Cairns, we swam, snorkeled, and enjoyed seeing all sizes and colors of tropical marine life. A buffet lunch was provided onboard before and after spending time in the water. Jeannie stayed onboard during the afternoon swim. We were served a snack midway back to port. The temperature stayed in the mid-80s all day. It was a mostly sunny day. A light rain began about an hour before we reached the dock at 4:45 p.m.

Back in our room we quickly showered to clean off the sea water, then rushed to Dundee’s on the Waterfront where we had a 5:45 reservation. Jeannie ate ravioli and Michael had chargrilled kangaroo loin fillet. On our short walk back to the hotel, we noticed the night sky was filled with bats.

DAY 12
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
A light rain started as we ended our 10-minute walk to the departure point for our next adventure. The bus picked us up at 8:15 a.m. It made a few stops before leaving town. At 9:20 we arrived at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures northwest of Cairns. We were pleased that the morning rain stopped soon after we entered the park.

As advertised, this is the best place to see crocodiles and local wildlife in North Queensland. They say it’s the best crocodile show in Australia. For about 20 minutes we rode a boat around Hartley’s Lagoon where our guide pointed out several crocodiles, even enticing two to jump high out of the water. We were fascinated by the crocodile feeding show where huge saltwater and freshwater crocodiles were being hand fed. We wanted to ask if the mothers of the staff knew about this dangerous job they have.

We walked about the trails where we also saw alligators, kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, parrots, emus, carrowarys, wombats, fruit bats, snakes, a blue-winged kookaburra, water monitors, and blue-tongue skinks. For lunch, Michael enjoyed a croc burger.

We were back on the bus at 1:30. It was a sunny drive back. We purposely got off the bus at a stop different from where we started. Across the street was Cairns Aquarium, which stops accepting guests at 2:30 p.m. We got in at 2:27. It was nice to see tropical fish and other marine life without getting wet as we did the day before at the Great Barrier Reef. We walked several blocks back to the hotel and began packing for our next flight.

For supper we returned to Ollie’s Italian Restaurant. Our pizza was perfect; almost as good as if we were in Naples.

This was the last day of the Now Journey tour itinerary. We added an extra day on our own. To get home to Arkansas from Cairns with the available airline schedules, we had to spend a night somewhere along the way. It was an easy choice between Brisbane, Australia or Dallas, Texas.

DAY 13
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
The same friendly driver we had 3 days before met us in front of the hotel at 6:30 and delivered us to the airport in about 15 minutes. Thinking we might not have time for the included breakfast in the hotel, we ate an absurdly expensive meal inside the airport.

Our 2-hour Qantas flight to Brisbane departed Cairns about 9:30 a.m. On the flight we were served pumpkin, spinach, and parmesan quiche. When we landed it was 84°F and partly cloudy.

Our driver met us in the baggage claim area, then drove us to the Treasury Hotel in downtown Brisbane. Quickly leaving our bags in our hotel room, we called for an Uber driver.

About 1:15 we arrived at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the world’s oldest and largest koala sanctuary. After we got some lunch at the Koala Cafe, we wandered about the park. There were more koala than we could count. We had fun watching the kangaroos, even getting to pet one. We also found an emu that let us touch it. For the first time with our own eyes we saw Tasmanian devil and a duck-billed platypus. There were Australian birds of every kind. Lots of Australian water dragons were on the paths and almost everywhere we looked. Bigger lizard-like creatures were in enclosures. There were a couple resting dingoes. We spotted a tree kangaroo climbing a big tree. There were a few crocodiles that we ignored, having seen plenty the previous day. We watched the feeding of an echidna, an egg-laying mammal that was completely new to us. About 4 o’clock we requested an Uber and were back to our hotel at 4:30.

Based on their online menu and being within walking distance of our hotel, we made a 6 o’clock reservation at Massimo Italian restaurant on the riverside boardwalk for supper. We were disappointed when the menu presented did not match what we had found online. Nevertheless, we found good food to enjoy and the service was excellent. To return to the hotel, we chose a 10-minute taxi ride.

DAY 14
Thursday, 26 February 2026
When we awakened around 5 a.m. on Thursday, it was 1 p.m. on Wednesday in Arkansas. At 6:40 we were on our way to the Brisbane airport, arriving a half hour later. Our 15-hour flight to Dallas departed shortly before 10 a.m. By the time we finished our first meal on the plane, two hours after takeoff, it was getting dark outside. Half an hour later the cabin lights were turned off to allow passengers to sleep. We only napped a little. It remained dark till about an hour before landing.

Our plane arrived more than an hour before it took off. We departed Australia about 10 a.m. on Thursday, 26 February and landed shortly before 9 a.m. on Thursday, 26 February in Dallas. We were not limited to the usual 24 hours in a day on this date. One might say the week had 8 days, reminding us of the Beatles song, "Eight Days A Week."

Driving is on the left side of the road in Australia, so the Aussies also walk on the left on the sidewalks. After spending 2 weeks learning to walk to the left when in a crowd in Australia, it was challenging for us in the DFW airport back in America to remember to keep to the right.

We had a long layover again in Dallas. Our plane landed in Fort Smith about 6 p.m., in time for us to enjoy supper at our usual Thursday evening restaurant. We were back in our home by 7 p.m.

Our usual jet lag remedy of taking sleeping pills for 3 consecutive nights after returning from an overseas trip did not work so well to overcome the 16-hour time difference with this trip.

There are so many things we learned about Australia and its people that we could not know without seeing it all with our own eyes and enjoying so many discussions with all the kind people we met.

Many thanks to the folks at our favorite tour company, Now Journey, for once again creating an itinerary with the right mix of variety that was the perfect fit for us.

We thank God for our good health and for allowing us another great trip filled with unforgettable memories and experiences.