As some of you may be aware, our original plan for travelling between Sydney and Melbourne had been scuttled just before our departure from Canada. Our accommodation could not be arranged, so we ended up with an alternate routing to Melbourne.
We arrived at our car rental agency early in the morning. I was feeling a little trepidation over the whole drive on the left hand side of the road thing. I had driven in the UK before, but that had been some years ago and that trip began on the uncrowded roads of Glasgow where the worst thing that might happen is you could hit a sheep. Today, I would be forced to drive through Sydney morning traffic where the worst thing that could happen is we could help to inflate what was already a horrendous holiday highway death toll.
The guys behind the rental desk were very friendly and courteous even while giving us the "you really should consider our extra insurance package" speel. Jodi respectfully declined their offer and told the gentlemen that we would be fine. They countered with, "You would be amazed at how much damage a kangaroo can do to a car! Are you sure?" We both nodded yes, but I think the rapidly growing perpiration rings under my arms said otherwise. We were soon in our almost new Mitsubishi and ready to leave the parking lot. I signalled my turn using my windshield wipers and we were off to Canberra.
Once outside the city limits, I was able to relax a little more. We were on the right highway and there were no kangaroos in sight. Almost no one lives outside of the major cities in Australia. The highway to Canberra can best be described as gently rolling and the landscape reminded me of driving across the prairies. We were surprised by the never-ending fields of wheat and large numbers of cattle.
Canberra is the national capital of Australia. It was purpose built in 1901 when Australia's separate colonies became federated. Instead of choosing between archrivals Sydney and Melbourne for the capital, the decision to build the capital in the middle of nowhere was made. The city itself has many well regarded museums and outdoor pursuits; however, it just felt bland. Perhaps the large number of politicians who frequent the city have something to do with its lack of pizazz! The city also has an inordinate number of flies, which made sightseeing a challenge.
On New Year's Eve, we travelled to the little hamlet of Albury. Think Mayberry and you'll get the idea. The three of us enjoyed a meal at the local pub before retiring for the night.
From Albury we were off on our next leg of our journey to the town of Bairnsdale. Up until now, our travels had been pretty smooth. Today, we were going to cross the Great Dividing Range of mountains. My navigator selected a route, and we were off. About two hours into our journey, we came to a "Y" in the road. We decided to take the path less travelled. Over the next four hours we drove up and over the range on what can best be described as a road suitable for 4- wheel drive vehicles. The gravel track consisted of a series of switchbacks. Hannah gave the route a rating of three on the vomit scale. To vomit three times while on Gravol is quite something! The only thing Hannah didn't lose on the trip was her spirit.
She has become a very good traveller. Halfway to the summit, the rain began to fall and an amazing windstorm hit us. Very large tree limbs were falling everywhere, and I couldn't get the faces of the guys behind the Thrifty Car Rental counter out of my mind. My new mantra for the next sixty kilometers was, "We should have taken the extra insurance. We should have taken the extra insurance. We should have taken the extra insurance." Eventually, we reached pavement and after a brief stop to remove some large sticks from our undercarriage, we were on our way. We rolled into Bairnsdale after about seven hours on the road. We stayed in a quaint hotel which reminded me of Faulty Towers without John Cleese.
The next day, we were off to Foster. Here we would spend two days and would get some time to recharge batteries. Foster is another small town on the outskirts of some of the most beautiful beaches and coastline we have ever seen. Upon arrival in Foster, we quickly checked in and were out in search of Sandy Point Beach.
The wind was howling and the surf was very impressive. Hannah enjoyed playing in the sand while the lifeguards all stood huddled in their parkas behind the lifeguard station. Our second day in Foster took us to Wilson Promintory, which is a large peninsula jutting out into the
Southern Ocean. The entire area is a
national park and we spent several hours walking along Squeaky Beach. The white sand was absolutely amazing, and it actually made a squeaking sound as you walked across it in your bare feet. A second day of wind brought three meter waves crashing onto the beach and no one was going into the water.
Upon our arrival back at our hotel, we were welcomed by the largest and hairiest spider any of us had ever seen! Jodi immediately took control of the situation and told me to squish it. The problem is, how do you squish something that has an arm reach itself of two meters? After several smacks with my never to be worn again Nikes, the deed was done. We dutifully reported the spider to the the front office only to be informed that it's not the big ones you need to worry about.
The next morning, after carefully checking inside all our shoes for any stowaway spiders, we were off to the pleasant seaside community of Cowes on Phillip Island. The population of Cowes quadruples during the summer months. Our main reason for visiting this area of Australia was to witness the Fairy Penguin Parade. Upon arrival in Cowes, we immediately booked a reservation for that evening's parade.
Yes, reservations were required. The wind that had been with us for several days had followed us to Phillip Island. We were in need of some warmer clothing. We were advised to dress warmly by the lady who took our reservation and she recommended we check out the used clothing store that the Rotary Club ran. Apparently, everyone else who was going to the parade that night had the same idea. We eventually came out of the store with some fashionable duds, including toques, and we were set!
After a delicious dinner of fish and chips, we were ready to head to the parade. After a short drive, we arrived at the beach and followed the parking attendant instructions. There were literally hundreds of parking spaces. We entered the outside amphitheatre and sat down in anticipation. We had arrived two hours early to ensure a good seat. Within forty minutes there were over two thousand people waiting. A couple to the right of us had brought some wine and were enjoying the setting sun as the rest of us slowly froze to death. Imagine being a Canadian and being cold in Australia! The park interpreter soon arrived and described in detail what we were about to experience. We were warned in four languages to respect the penguins and not take any pictures when they emerged from the water and began to make their way across the beach. The sun set and we all waited in anticipation. Soon, our box of popcorn was finished and we sat quietly staring down at the surf. Finally, the first penguin emerged and took a few tentative steps towards the beach before turning around. I'm not sure, but I think the two thousand camera-snapping people might have had something to do with his uneasiness. Eventually, the parade began and hundreds of penguins marched in single file across the beach and up the dunes. There were no marching bands or floats, but it was quite an extraordinary sight to see the penguins leave the ocean and find their young in nests scattered from the beach level to several hundred meters up the cliffs. We have no pictures of this remarkable event because we followed the rules. Hannah promises to have some penguin artwork that I can digitize.
We left Phillip Island for Halls Gap in Grampians National Park. The park is heavily treed and mountainous and is a beautiful contrast to the rolling farms growing olives and lavender and the
dusty vineyards that lay before them. Halls Gap is a very small town tucked away at the foot of the mountains. A narrow road winds its way from the town to several viewpoints high above.
This road was only a one on Hannah's vomit scale. If she doesn't become anorexic after this trip, it will be a miracle. On our first afternoon we drove to one of the lookouts and to a paddock where kangaroos are supposed to be easily viewed. We were pleased to see a mother and joey eating grass when
we arrived. The 5o km roundtrip drive had been worth it! We had finally seen some kangaroos. When we arrived back at our hotel, we were surprised to see over a hundred in a back field!
The next day, we we climbed back up the mountain to go to a second lookout and to view the largest waterfalls in the state of Victoria. At the viewpoint, our digital camera was dropped and we found ourselves forced to rely on our video camera. The hike down to the base of the waterfall took us about an hour, but it was a refreshing spot to relax for a few minutes while the spray kept us cool. Later that day, we went to one of the local wineries and spent an enjoyable hour sampling different varieties. We ran into two people from Brisbane who had just done a teacher exchange to Chilliwack. It is a small world.
The next leg of our travel took us to the sleepy town of Woolsthorpe. Here we stayed for six days. Our accommodation was a carriage house on one of the original farm homesteads. The buildings were beautifully refurbished and decorated. The gardens around the property
were gorgeous and were frequently used to host receptions and weddings. We had beautiful views from the carriage house and could see kangaroos feeding in the back fields.
We were
approximately a thirty minute drive from the coast, so we spent most days driving to one or more of the coastal communities. Hannah had great fun playing and swimming while Jodi's highlight of the trip came when we all took surfing lessons. Hannah did quite well and managed to stand up several times, I had difficulty standing up at all, and Jodi quickly mastered her board. She paid the price for her youthful exuberance the next day when she could hardly move a muscle.
Melbourne Museum. Hannah really enjoyed all the kid-friendly activities and our visit to the Imax. We watched a 3-D movie about Africa where we had to wear special glasses. The resulting motion sickness received a one on Hannah's vomit scale. 
There is an alternate airport there catering to domestic flights. We spent an enjoyable afternoon walking along the ocean boardwalk, riding on an ornate carousel, and eating some of the most delicious seafood at a beachfront cafe. Soon we were at the airport awaiting our flight back to Brisbane and planning our next trip.
