Lela & Avery

Soon after waking up on Sunday morning at the Metropole in Katoomba, Australia, we received a FaceTime call from Lela. She had big news to share—she and Avery are engaged! We weren’t surprised since Avery had spoken to us about his plans during Thanksgiving and again a couple of weeks ago, asking for our blessing and making sure we were okay with not being present for the big moment. Of course, we wholeheartedly gave him our support.

The proposal setting was perfect for them. Given their love of the outdoors, Avery chose Arches National Park, just outside of Moab, Utah, as the backdrop for this life-changing moment. It was fantastic FaceTiming with Lela and Avery from 8,000 miles away, and we’re thrilled for them. Avery even set up his iPhone on a tripod to capture the moment with plenty of photos and videos.

After checking out of the Metropole, we had breakfast at The Magician Cafe, just around the corner. From there, we headed a bit north to Evans Lookout and Govett’s Leap Lookout for a short hike. Along the way, we spotted two beautiful bird species: Crimson Rosella (Jane’s favorite) and several Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo. Later, we explored the charming town of Leura and enjoyed dinner at a fantastic Turkish restaurant, Polar Bear.

On Monday, we made our way to Hunter Valley, Australia’s renowned wine region. After checking into the Hermitage Lodge, we drove to Tyrrell’s Winery for a wine tasting appointment. The wine region specializes in Semillon, a grape variety found only in Australia and France. On the way back from the winery, we finally saw a kangaroo. For dinner, we shared a lamb shoulder at Goldfish; it could have fed a small village!

After being on the go since the start of our journey, we decided to take it easy on Tuesday. We watched Monday Night Football on the iPod, catching the Detroit vs. San Francisco game. In the late afternoon, we visited Scarborough Wine Co. for another wine tasting. That evening, we celebrated New Year’s Eve at Pescara, the restaurant at Hermitage Lodge.

On Wednesday, we drove a few hours to Port Macquarie. We visited the Tacking Point Lighthouse, enjoyed a coastal walk, and spent an hour at a laundromat catching up on laundry. Our Airbnb, located in the basement of a house, was comfortable but unremarkable, and there wasn’t much happening in town.

Thursday we drove to Coffs Harbour, where we explored the Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve. Later, we drove to Byron Bay, a lively surfer town bustling with beachgoers and a laid back vibe. We had happy hour at The Great Northern Hotel and dinner at Fishmongers Gourmet Fish & Chips—ironically, neither of us ordered fish and chips.

Since last night’s Airbnb lacked air conditioning (my bad), we woke up early on Friday and headed to the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort on the Gold Coast. We’ll be staying here for the next three nights, making up for the previous underwhelming accommodations.