Australia Continued

So our first week in Cairns came to an end and we moved on to Melbourne - actually just flew into Melbourne and then drove north for an hour to Kyneton in the Victoria region. We stayed at the Kyneton Bushlands Resort. We had two weeks scheduled for this region since there were a lot of things to do and a lot of wineries to visit. We spent the first couple of days sorting things out and planning the next two weeks. We were walking to the reception office to complete registration when I heard a rustling sound over my shoulder to the right. Before I could turn around to check it out, three kangaroos went jumping past s into the area before us. The folks in the office told us there was a resident herd of 'roos' that lived on the grounds. Over the course of the next two weeks, we saw a lot of them and it was great.

These are some of our 'roos' that hung around our villa and the resort. Too cute!

While the kangaroos were a pleasant surprise, the bush rat that also lived in our villa was not. Rather than occupying the villa while they tried to catch him, we were moved to another villa - sans bush rat. The next few days were mainly winery visits. After primarily drinking New Zealand whites and Pinot Noir, the Australian reds tasted really big! And they were great! One Tuesday we drove to Ballarat to visit Sovereign Hill. It is Australia’s foremost outdoor museum. Sovereign Hill re-creates Ballarat’s first ten years after the discovery of gold in 1851 when thousands of international adventurers rushed to the Australian goldfields in search of fortune. You can get more info on their website www.sovereignhill.com.au. What a great day. What was really cool about this place is their costumed school program. This is a program of costumed role-playing where Aussie school children are fully immersed in the 1850s, learning about manners, costume, behaviour and re-living the discipline of school life on the goldfields. Since this was the middle of the school year, having the children at the park playing, learning and interacting with other cast members really brought it all to life.

 Here's Ernie standing in one of the mining cages that were used to lower miners down. Note I said miners - plural - I think they were a lot smaller way back then.

This is where the cage was lowered down

  We're in the undertaker's store and the stable is in the back with the carriages that carried the coffins. Again, I think folks were a lot smaller back then - don't think Ernie would fit.

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Ernie's playing 10 pin bowling. He did really well and got a strike. 

Unfortunately there was no automated pin setting machine in those days so he had to walk back and reset the pins for the next bowler. Oh poor guy!















The next day was quite a long one for us since we drove to the Great Ocean Road which is southwest of Melbourne. We left early in the morning (still dark outside) and didn't get home til 9 that night. One of the areas that we will always remember is Koala Cove. It is in the really small village of Kennett River. You turn off the main highway and take a left right after the campground entrance, park your car, get out and look up. Yep, just look up into the trees and you will see koalas sitting on the upper branches or sleeping the crooks of the tree and the branches. The other amazing thing about Australia is the wild parrots and cockatoos. They are everywhere.

We saw a lot of these signs. Aren't they cool!

 Wild parrots.

This is my little koala. He was up in the tree and watching us.

At this point, he decided he wanted a closed look and started to climb down.

 He stopped on a lower branch and just sat there watching us. It was like he was saying 'well do something, don't just stand there.' Oh, koalas growl. He was talking all the way down.

This sign was in the parking lot at Koala Cove and Ernie thought it was really funny.

We drove on toward Port Campbell to see the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge - these are giant rock stacks that soar from the swirling waters of the Southern Ocean Unfortunately, there are only eight apostles left and London Bridge has fallen down! Seriously! Here's some of the remaining apostles.

After two really full days, we decided to spend the next day at the resort and sit around the pool and play miniature golf. Nice lazy day! Back to more wineries over the next few days and a drive to the Grampians National Park, a series of sandstone mountain ranges suddenly rising up from this slightly rolling terrain. Again, once I can get the photos uploaded, you'll see the kookabooras that were in the trees over the picnic area. The bird life here is absolutely amazing.

So one night we were woken up in the middle of the night by a strange sound. At first we thought it was birds on the roof but then realized it was the middle of the night and the birds would be sleeping. We sort of ignored it for a while and then the sound started again and was much louder - it was the sound of flapping wings. So, my knight in shining armour, got up to investigate and saw a rather large bat flying in the parlor room. Another visit to the office the next day brought a lot of laughs and true concern - first a bush rat and then a bush bat! Being the troopers that we are, we decided not to relocate again and tough it out. Of course, we left the lights on in the parlor and kitchen and put a rolled up towel at the bottom of our bedroom door to seal off the room. Obviously the bat found a way out because we never saw or heard him again. Either that or he died in the air conditioner and we left before he started smelling. In any case, he wasn't our problem any longer.

The last thing I want to mention is Hanging Rock Park. It is a rare volcanic formation located near the townships of Woodend & Mount Macedon in Victoria, Australia. We were going to go to the park for a hike and to see the large herd of kangaroos that reside there. When we got to the park, there was a gate with a sign that there was a departure fee of $10. Since the roads literally surround the park, we chose to just drive around. When we got to the back road, Ernie hollered for me to stop and pull into a 'driveway' leading to a gate. Right in front of us were about 50 kangaroos. Again, once I can upload the photos, you'll see them. We stopped at the Hanging Rock Winery - since we couldn't hike - no sense in wasting the afternoon. The guy at the winery explained that Hanging Rock used to be owned by a private family and when they decided to turn it over to the region, they stipulated that they were never to charge a fee to enter the park. True to the letter of the agreement, the local region chose instead to charge a departure fee. You can get into the park for free but you can't exit until you pay. Only in Australia!!!!!

OK, that's all for now, time to work on supper for the the family since it is Joelle & Trevor's anniversary and I offered to cook supper - jerk chicken with Jamaican rice and pidgeon peas. More on the Aussie trip to follow.