Every evening throughout the year, thousands of Little Penguins (yes, that’s their official name) waddle ashore to go home to their burrows on the beach. Visitors can watch them make their way over the sand as they emerge from the water just after dark.

Given my excitement to get as close as possible to Australia’s wildlife while I was in Melbourne, I jumped at the chance to work with Gray Line Tours when they offered me a place on their Penguin Parade with Penguins Plus tour.

I met the bus—a double decker—at Federation Square in Melbourne and settled in for the nearly 3-hour drive to Phillip Island. Along the way, the tour guide pointed out places of interest and told us about life and culture in Melbourne and greater Victoria.

Once on Phillip Island, our first stop was at Churchill Island Heritage Farm, a beautiful property located on a small island off the coast of its larger sibling. The farm offered demonstrations about everything from sheep herding to sheep shearing.

The crowds at the demos were large, so I skipped them and headed for the wallaby enclosure instead. There I caught my first glimpse of the kangaroo cousins basking in the afternoon sun.

The stop at Churchill Island was followed by a visit to the Koala Conservation Centre on Phillip Island. There we walked along raised boardwalks, craning our necks to spot the little marsupials in the eucalyptus forest.

And spot them we did. Some were so close to the platform that we had to stand back a bit to give them space. It was great to see koalas in their native land, and to learn about their habitats and activities at the nearby visitor center.

Leaving the Koala Conservation Centre, we took a break from cute overload with a stop at The Nobbies Centre. It was located on Point Grant, the western end of Phillip Island that looked out over Bass Strait.

The area had a long boardwalk that offered great views of The Nobbies rock formations and Seal Rocks, which seemed sadly devoid of seals that day. Its visitor centre had a detailed exhibition about the marine and bird life in Bass Strait as well as a cafe and gift shop.

Back on the bus, it was a short wallaby-studded ride to the main event of the day: the penguin parade. First we made our way into the visitor center to learn about the penguins of the world (an exhibit that oddly left out the penguin colony I visited in southern Chile two years ago) and get food and drinks.

When daylight was sufficiently gone, we made our way down another set of boardwalks to the penguin viewing platforms. My ticket for the Penguins Plus tour gave me access to a special small viewing platform that offered a better view than the main one. I settled in there, eager to spot the tiny tuxedos while the ranger gave us a briefing.

My anticipation was rewarded shortly thereafter when a gaggle of penguins crested the dunes and made its way up the sand and along the trails. Soon another group arrived, and before long the beach was full of waddling webbed feet. It was an amazing sight to witness.

At the end of the evening, I headed back to the bus, and the bus headed back to Melbourne. On the way, the tour guide screened a penguin movie in keeping with the day’s theme. But the best part of the day was that penguins weren’t the only theme. We saw an impressive range of Australian animals all in one small area, and I was glad to have experienced something so unique before traveling a long way back to London.

Speaking of Melbourne, we started our journey there in the morning. I arrived the evening before and stayed at Quest Docklands. My night was compliments of Quest Serviced Apartments, a company that had locations all throughout the city. My modern, one-bedroom flat was huge, with a good size bedroom, a spacious living room with a desk for working and an open kitchen for cooking, and a tile bathroom with laundry facilities.

I got a good night’s rest there and woke up to a great little breakfast box full of cereal, milk, fruit, and granola bars. It was good sustenance to prepare me for my day of wine tasting in the Yarra Valley.

I was picked up directly by Fiona from Epicurean Food and Wine Tours, who had offered me a spot on her Small Group Tour of the Yarra Valley. She drove me and a couple from Texas to the vineyards in a comfortable van. It was equipped with WiFi, which I loved, but by the time we got to the valley an hour later, the views out the window were far more interesting.

Take De Bortoli winery, for example. It is one of the largest wineries in the Yarra Valley, but is still family owned. The cellar door and gift shop were busy that morning, but we were given a special wine-and-cheese tasting. We sampled no less than ten great wines, from an award-winning Chardonnay to the famous Black Noble, which was somewhere between a Port and a Muscat.

From De Bortoli we continued our wine tour with a stop at Yering Station. Their winery was modern and light, with contemporary art throughout the tasting room, shop, and restaurant. I didn’t like their wines quite as much as I had enjoyed those at De Bortoli, but the grounds were beautiful.

I even took a peek at the five-star hotel down the footpath, a property called Chateau Yering. It looked like a British stately home transplanted on Australian soil, what with its sumptuous historic interiors, heavy low-lit bar area, and fine dining restaurant.

The next stop on our wine tasting tour of the Yarra Valley was at Domaine Chandon. It was fun to visit the Australian location after having been at its Napa Valley counterpart in California just two weeks prior.

We sat for lunch in the winery’s bright, window-lined restaurant, which had stunning views of the vineyards and mountains in the distance. My simple linguine with salami, pesto, and chili was outstanding, and certainly one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in ages. The accompanying wine pairing allowed us to sample everything from sparkling to Shiraz.

After lunch we took a self-guided tour of the winery, where we saw the grapes being brought in by the forklift load. It was exciting to be in Australia during the harvest, and made me feel fortunate to have such good timing.

Leaving Domaine Chandon, we stopped at one final winery, James Halliday’s Coldstream Hills. The small, unassuming cellar door belied the high quality of the wines, and by the time our tasting was over I had fallen in love with more than one Pinot Noir.

Our day finished with a stop at the Yarra Valley Dairy and its adorable farm shop. Everything from the cheese counter to the chocolates and gifts made me want to stay forever. We did a quick cheese tasting, sampling the farm’s delicious feta, then sat by the window enjoying pastoral views while having tea and cake. It was a great way to end the day.

Back in the van, we drove to Melbourne, where Fiona dropped us off at our hotels and said good-bye. It was a sad parting after such a great day of wine tasting in the Yarra Valley, but there was more of Australia to be explored. To be continued…

As it turns out, the fuss is about a lot. From the laid-back vibe to the foodie culture, from the great riverfront scene to the hidden laneways, the city impressed me with its livable, likable qualities.

Before I arrived, I heard tell of Melbourne’s identity as a place you have to know to really get the most out of it. Lucky for me, I had the benefit of a lot of insider tips from friends, readers, and guides.

The city had a plethora of cafes and coffee shops, most of which were independent. I got a chance to sample a few while I was in town, including the historic Pellegrini’s, where I met up with a local reader of A Lady in London, and the funky Brother Baba Budan, where I went with a fellow travel blogger.

Apart from the cafes, Melbourne’s restaurant culture showed its best side at a dinner I was offered with a friend of a friend at Ezard. The restaurant, like many of Melbourne’s best features, was hidden away on Flinders Lane such that I passed by it several times before I found it.

But once inside the intimate dining room, my friend and I discovered a world of ‘Australian freestyle’ cuisine in the six-course tasting menu and wine pairing. Dishes like mezcal cured salmon with pickled snow pea salad, wasabi jam, smoked yogurt, a sesame seed crisp, and tangerine vinaigrette paired with a 2012 Kirei Shuzo ‘Karakuchi 80′ Junmai Nama Genshu sake from Hiroshima showed me why everyone raves about Melbourne’s food scene. Add to that the excellent service, and this American foodie was ready to become an expat for a second time.

But the restaurants and coffee shops weren’t the only thing that Melbourne had going for it. Nor were they the only things that I wouldn’t have found on my own. As it turns out, the city was home to some excellent art galleries, some of which were so well hidden that I only found them thanks to an art map of Melbourne from ArtSpotter.

The company offered me a map of Melbourne’s art galleries for my trip, and I spent one afternoon exploring exhibition spaces around the city. From local artists showcased in spaces up several flights of unmarked stairs to international artists exhibited in underground rooms tucked around corners, the art map helped me discover a secret side of Melbourne that I never would have found otherwise.

The same went for shopping. Several people recommended that I check out some of the city’s historic shopping arcades, including the famous Block Arcade and Royal Arcade. I probably wouldn’t have found them on my own, but I was glad to have discovered their boutiques, shops, and cafes at the suggestion of others.

And that’s to say nothing of laneways like Degraves Street, a famous Melbourne pedestrian alley brimming with coffee shops and restaurants. All of them allowed their tables and chairs to spill into the middle of the street, creating a lively, social environment.

When I needed a rest between discoveries, I retreated to my hotel, another hidden gem near Chinatown on Little Bourke Street. The Ovolo Hotel just opened last year, and was tucked away in a discreet space that offered a great home-away-from-home feeling. No one I talked to in Melbourne had heard of it, which made me feel all the more like I had discovered another of the city’s treasures.

The hotel offered me two nights in a one-bedroom suite on the third floor. It featured sleek design with a sunny bedroom, contemporary bathroom, and incredibly spacious living room and kitchenette. The fully stocked minibar was entirely complimentary, and they even left me a goody bag full of snacks and sweets. The staff was friendly, and I felt perfectly safe and secure staying there as a solo female traveler.

In fact, I felt that way everywhere I went in Melbourne, day and night. Whether on a long walk along the riverfront promenade, in the heart of the Federation Square, or in the graffiti-covered alleys in the laneways, Melbourne had an easygoing feel to it that made me comfortable no matter where I went.

And I went to more places than just those in the city center. In fact, there was enough fuss about Melbourne and its surroundings that I took two day trips, traveling further afield in Victoria to visit the wine country in the Yarra Valley and the nightly penguin parade on Phillip Island. But each of those places has so much fuss of its own that you’ll have to stay tuned for more…

Last week I was invited to fly out to Australia with Emirates to experience the Adelaide Festival firsthand. The trip started off on a high note with a visit to the airline’s lounge at Heathrow. Not only was there food, drink, and free WiFi on hand, but there was also a special door within the room from which we were able to board the plane.

Once inside, I got to experience Emirates’ business class on the A380 to Dubai. I knew I was in for a treat when I was greeted by my own personal mini-bar, complete with bottles of still and sparkling water, cranberry juice, and soda. I also had two TV screens at my disposal, a three-course meal to enjoy, and a bar at the back of the cabin where I could indulge in more food and drink during the flight.

After connecting in Dubai, I had another long-haul leg in business class, this time in a smaller cabin. While I didn’t have the mini bar at my seat, the journey was just as comfortable and the staff as friendly and attentive. It was definitely a great way to travel.

The only thing I would have changed about the trip was that the headphone jack was unique to the ones provided by the airline, so I couldn’t use my own (slightly better) set on the flights. Otherwise I couldn’t have been happier.

When I arrived in Adelaide, I was met by an Emirates driver and taken to my hotel, the Crowne Plaza. From there I started my three-day exploration of the Adelaide Festival. The city was small enough that I could walk to all of the performance venues, as well as the other highlights, including the famous Adelaide Festival Fringe.

The main festival hall was home to my first event, Carlos Saura’s Flamenco Hoy. It was a stunning show put on by a Spanish company, and it featured a wide range of traditional and contemporary flamenco dancing and music. Throughout the evening, I was impressed by the range of the performers’ repertoire and the energy with which they performed every number.

The following day I returned to the festival hall for a completely different kind of performance. A Game of You was an interactive performance piece by Ontroerend Goed, a Belgian company that put individual audience members in the spotlight. Without giving too much away, it was a very creative way to teach people about themselves while also revealing the limitations of learning a lot about another person in very little time.

My third performance of the Adelaide Festival was by Banana Bag & Bodice, a company that hailed straight from my home state of California (surprise, surprise!). Set in a large hall at The German Club, Beowulf—A Thousand Years of Baggage was part musical, part critical analysis, and all humorous, entertaining deconstruction of one of the oldest epic poems in English history.

The final show was back at the Adelaide Festival Centre, and was as different from the others as they had been from one another. The Australian State Theatre Company’s The Kreutzer Sonata was a one-man adaptation of Tolstoy’s novella by the same name. Set to Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No 9., it was a haunting, powerful piece about love, jealousy, and revenge.

When I wasn’t attending official performances, the Adelaide Festival Fringe entertained me. At the end of bustling Rundle Street, the parklands were filled with Gluttony and the Garden of Unearthly Delights.

Both had carnivalesque atmospheres and were home to small venues dedicated to showcasing the works of all kinds of performers. Similar to Edinburgh’s famous Fringe festival, it had a great atmosphere and drew crowds every day and night.

Outside of the festival and the fringe, I got a chance to see some of Adelaide. From the Art Gallery of South Australia to the bustling Central Market, from the great shops and restaurants on Rundle Street to the beautiful botanical gardens, I had no problem filling my time between shows by seeing the highlights of the city.

My time in Adelaide ended on the same day as the festival, and it felt fitting to say good-bye as the city was striking its sets. But the 2014 dates are already in the calendar, and if next year’s shows are anywhere near as world-class as this year’s, they should be going in my calendar, too. And yours.

I am going to San Francisco and San Diego to see my family…

Then flying back to London for 24 hours…

Before heading to Adelaide and Melbourne (yay for business class on the A380!)…

And returning to London via Dubai…

I would love any and all recommendations you have for things to do, eat, and see. I’ve never been to Adelaide and Melbourne before, so tips for those cities would be particularly welcome. Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post to share your travel advice.

Additionally, I would love to take you all with me (virtually)! I will be blogging and posting updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and YouTube as I go (you can get all the updates in one place on the A Lady in London app if you have a Windows Phone). Feel free to follow me there and share your tips as I travel!

5: Number of countries visited on my trip

1: Number of unexpected layovers in countries I hadn’t planned to visit. Hong Kong was a lot of fun, though!

3: Number of markets (Christmas and otherwise) I visited in Paris

565,345,234: Number of sheep and cows in New Zealand (could even be more, who can tell?)

0: Number of stores in New Zealand that stay open passed 3:30pm, even in the high season (what’s with that?)

6: Number of beaches I visited in Australia and New Zealand

7: Number of wineries I visited in Australia and New Zealand

5: Number of friends I got to meet up with during my round-the-world trip

Too Many: Number of subway lines in Tokyo (underground metropolitan transport may be the only case in which I fully support state control of something)

2: Number of amazing brunches I ate in Sydney

3: Number of dives I did at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia (wish it could have been more!)

0: Number of cassowaries I saw in Port Douglas, Australia even after all the signs to watch for them

3: Number of zoos or other animal-oriented attractions I visited on the trip

4: Number of Red Pandas I saw at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney

A whole bunch: Number of adorable kiwi birds I really really wanted to take home with me from New Zealand

1: Number of aritlces in the New York Times about round-the-world tickets while I was on my trip (apparently I’m a jet setter!)

5: Number of trips I made in 2007 using airline miles (Portland, Saint John, Mexico, D.C., London). I still made Platinum on American Airlines for 2007 without ever once flying for work. Let’s hope 2008 is equally full of adventure!

We spent time at Bondi Beach and Freshwater Beach; strolled through the botanical gardens, carefully avoiding the thousands of creepy bats in the trees; sipped cocktails by the Opera House, Darling Harbor, and chic downtown bars; ate yummy brunches in Surrey Hills, Darlinghurst, and The Rocks; visited the Art Gallery of NSW; walked around Wooloomooloo; went wine tasting for a day in the Hunter Valley and saw some kangaroos and a turtle in the wild; hiked around Watsons Bay and the eastern beaches; surveyed sketchy King’s Cross; and soaked up the sun in Hyde Park.

We enjoyed our time in Sydney, but for all the times we felt like we had the city pegged as Vancouver-esque, Hong Kong-like, or LA-ish, we never did figure out what it reminded us of. There are parts of Sydney that resemble the other major Pacific coastal cities, but there is a uniquely Aussie undercurrent that makes it rather hard to pin down.

On the 30th we flew to Carins and drove up to Port Douglas, where we rented a house with our friends. While Sydney proved elusive, Port Douglas undoubtedly reminded us all of Hawaii. On the 31st, the four of us went exploring the tropical rainforest area of the Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation. For some reason none of us had anticipated tropical areas in a country so well-known for its ‘bush’ and ‘outback,’ but we were amazed at the dense rainforest flora.

As for the fauna, it proved mostly elusive save for a handful of creepy-looking lizards and a few colorful birds. We arrived home exhausted, but managed to cook ourselves a nice dinner and hit up some bars before watching the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Port Douglas.

On New Year’s Day we embarked on a Great Barrier Reef snorkeling tour. The weather was beautiful and the sea calm, so we had great visibility on our three dives. We saw everything from colorful parrot fish to giant electric blue starfish to three-foot eels to trumpet fish that changed colors when they moved. The coral formations were as beautiful as the fish themselves, and the giant clams and sea anemones were massive and brilliantly colored. The trip was a great way to start off the new year.

Yesterday morning we woke up at 2:45am to travel on our flight to Sydney and then to Auckland. Now we’re in New Zealand soaking up the kiwi sun and feeling like we fell into a Lord of the Rings movie. The round-the-world trip continues!

We traveled to Sydney yesterday morning after a harrowing journey from Paris. London fog caused all flights from Paris to be canceled except for two. We got onto one of them, but it was delayed for four hours, so we sat in CDG for seven hours and then missed our London-Singapore-Sydney flight by five minutes.

We begged our way onto another flight from London to Singapore (they literally refused to let us on but my boyfriend wouldn’t take no for an answer). We got to Singapore in time to catch our original flight to Sydney, but by then they had canceled our tickets since we “no showed” for the London-Singapore portion. We were finally able to get re-booked and barely made it to the gate in time for boarding. It was a complete nightmare, but we were so glad to get to Australia on Christmas morning.

We met up with a friend from San Francisco and spent the afternoon at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. There we saw red pandas, penguins, kangaroos, wallabies, dingoes, and even a wombat! After the zoo we went to Manly Beach. We ate lunch there and then walked around the Sydney harbor and saw the opera house, the bridge, and the surrounding area. We were so tired by 8pm that we had a beer for dinner and then fell asleep at 8:30pm and woke up this morning at 7:45am.

It’s sunny outside today, so we can’t wait to get out and watch the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and then hit up Bondi Beach this afternoon. I have taken some pictures of Sydney, so will post them when I get some time…