Pelicans taking off near the Murray River.
Pelicans taking off near the Murray River.

We are coming to the end of our first month in Albury, New South Wales and are finding that, we quite like it here.

Sunrise on one of the effluent lagoons on the edge of Town.
Sunrise on one of the effluent lagoons on the edge of Town.

We are currently in West Albury and are finding life here very enjoyable. As far as house sits go it is excellent. We are right beside some small hills with an abundance of trails and are only 1.5km from the lagoons and the Murray River which forms the border between New South Wales and the state of Victoria. The trails and pathways are wonderful.

A view along one of the trails on Nailcan hill as the sun is just peeking over the horizon.
A view along one of the trails on Nailcan Hill as the sun is just peeking over the horizon.
It is a fantastic opportunity to work on my sunrise photos, as everyday has something to offer.
It is a fantastic opportunity to work on my sunrise photos, as everyday has something to offer.

One of the challenges of house sitting without a car is getting around some urban areas. Some municipalities have fantastic public transit, and some not so much. The only downfall we have found in Albury has been the transit system. It is here, and there are stops near our place, but the buses run hourly for only some of the day and the cost is a bit high. It cost $16.80 for the two of us to do a round trip to the shops. However, we have found the perfect solution. A wonderful lady at one of our previous house sits introduced us to the joys of home delivery. With a small bit of planning the local grocery store, (and liquor store) will deliver to your doorstep for free. How good is that?! These fine gentleman actually bring the groceries right into the kitchen and lay them out on the table for you. It is awesome.

We have also been fortunate enough to watch some of the local emergency services at work when there was a brush fire less than a kilometre from our house.

A helicopter dumping its' load on the leading edge of the fire.
A helicopter dumping its’ load on the leading edge of the fire.
This small water bomber came at the fire from right over our heads.
This small water bomber came at the fire from right over our heads.
Helping the firefighters on the ground with close support.
Helping the firefighters on the ground with close support.

With temperatures 10C above normal here the fire was not that surprising and provided a bit of entertainment and reminiscing. We still managed to get our daily reading/pool time in despite the excitement.

Managing the heat.
Managing the heat.

The other neat aspect of living here are the kangaroos. We have been in Australia for 5 months but this is the first time we have seen kangaroos in the “wild”. Wild being our front yard. It is very cool to be going for an evening walk and come face to face with 20 – 30 kangaroos. It has certainly checked one of the must see boxes for Australia.

The local kangaroos coming down off the hill in the evening.
The local kangaroos coming down off the hill in the evening.
The male keeping an eye on us as we were watching the bush fire.
The male keeping an eye on us as we were watching the bush fire.

We are looking forward to our next house sit here in Albury at the end of the month. We will just be having a little vacation down near Melbourne for a week before we start that one though. One must remember to take it easy periodically.

A view of the sunset from the hill behind our house.
A view of the sunset from the hill behind our house.

Life is good.

Welcome to our travel blog. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to say, "I'm out of here?" Well we did, and in 2013 we made it a reality. We sold or gave away all of our possessions other than what fit in our luggage and we set off on an endless adventure. Part of our goal is to share our experiences with others and hopefully provide some information, motivation, or just a moments escape. The general idea was to look for a place that would be ideal to settle down in. However in the meantime it is about experiencing life in different countries amongst different cultures and learning how to understand and appreciate each other. A large part of our time is spent housesitting which provides an excellent opportunity to experience more of the "normal" neighbourhoods as opposed to the tourist locales. Though we make sure to enjoy those as well. So through plenty of photographs and a running commentary come and share with us our life on the road.

2 comments on “Life in Albury

  1. So peaceful and relaxing ^^

  2. Wow you are def in the boonies…. Merimbula is close to you and a lovely ocean area to visit….

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