Visiting my Brother in Australia

Daniel spent his spring semester studying abroad near Perth, Western Australia (in a small town called Fremantle). So, as any typical graduate student would do, I decided to spend my "summer" break (really just a week) visiting him. I flew from Atlanta to Chicago to San Francisco to Sydney, Australia to Perth, Australia - nearly 35 hours of travel time! For a week I got to stay at his dorm (an old converted hotel) in downtown Fremantle, explore the sites during the day, hang out with him at night, and see what the land down under is really like. Highlights of my trip were: 1) meandering the streets in Fremantle and exploring the little shops and restaurants (a relaxed surfer's town), 2) spending a day and a half at Rottnest Island off the coast of Fremantle with my brother (biking, playing on the beach, observing wildlife), 3) going on a winery tour in the Swan Valley outside of Perth (after 5 wineries, a brewery, and a chocolate factory I had made friends from Italy, France, England, Malaysia, Australia, Ohio, and Conneticut - and purchased a bottle of port!), 4) Visiting a wildlife park and petting koalas and kangaroos and holding a wombat (native Australian animal), 5) experiencing my brother's life abroad - a very unique and growing time, and 6) learning a lot about Australian culture and geography.

Phrases and Vocabulary from the Aussies: (most of these I learned from Sara, a sweet Australian girl my brother was dating when I visited)
wakey, wakey=wake-up
boot=trunk (i.e. of a car)
petrol=gas (for your car)
footpath=sidewalk
pissed=drunk
skull=to chug
spewing=damn
nackered=tired out
car park=parking lot
rubbish=garbage/trash
uni=university
brekky=breakfast
give way=yield
lollypop=candy (all types)
holiday=vacation (all types)
no worries=thank you
car/bike hire=car/bike rental
How are you going=How are you doing
I've lost my bearings=I'm lost
Hungry Jades=Burger King
Fremantle doctor=southwesterly wind/breeze that comes in from the ocean every afternoon during the summer and keeps people cool
ute=an el camino-like pick-up

Things I noticed:
Australia is very environmentally-conscious (they are an island and fight to protect that natural state)
They have comfy, padded chairs in their airports (not like ours!)
They drive on the left side of the road and their steering wheels are on the left too (it felt very strange to ride in Sara's seat, in our "driver's" seat)
Their moving sidewalks (i.e. in the airport) are on the left
Public transit has carpets on the floor, it is very nice and convenient
Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way (even at intersections)
There is a half-fush and full-flush when you use the bathroom (for #1, #2....saving water!)
Breast cancer awareness/prevention is celebrated with a "Purple bra day" (no pink ribbons)
Perth Australia has a population of 1.5 million, the entire (HUGE) state of Western Australia has a total population of 2.0 million
W.Australia is sunny and warm for 8 mos/yr and rainy for 4 mos/yr
Australia's east and west coasts have the same trend as the US (east=busy, face-paced; west=more laid back)

Here are all the pictures from my Australian vacation.