Sydney to Melbourne

Sea Topaz
Duncan Briggs
Thu 27 Jan 2011 00:05
It seems a long time ago since we left Sydney. We managed to get out of town without getting lost. First stop was Jervis Bay. We were disappointed with the colour of the water, but the weather was grey, so that did not help. We stayed for two nights in a cabin in Myola. Explored the area, which included wine tasting, walking and golf. We watched on television the news of the flooding in Queensland with horror. We had been to several of the places that were now flooded.
On the way to Dalmeny/Narooma we stopped at Pigeon House Mountain, which Duncan climbed, but I declined as my knee is not as good as it was. We spent the next two days with Taj (Alan) and Marie Lewis, friends from long ago in Hongkong. They have a lovely house right on the ocean front. They showed us around and we spent a lot of time talking. Next stop was Eden via Bergamui and Merribulla, stunning places. We managed to put up the tent we borrowed from Ewan. We walked in Ben Boyd National Park and had supper in town where we bumped into Mieke and Rob of "Stamper" (Dutch sailing friends). We again played golf, this time on a course full of kangaroos. Eden has an interesting whale museum; killer whales used to herd the whales into the bay for the whalers to kill.
The next three nights we camped in Mallacoota; close to the water of a large inlet. Again beautiful scenery. We walked in the Croajingolong National Park and hired a slow boat to explore the water. We looked for Koala's but could not find any. Next stop was Buchan Caves, further inland. We stayed for two nights in a cabin, visited the caves (stunning) and did some walking. It rained here, but so far we have been very lucky. 
Yanaki was our last stop before Melbourne, we stayed in a cabin and visited Wilsons Promontory National Park two days in a row and walked many kilometers from one beautiful deserted beach to another through forests and over boulders. We saw emu's, black cockatoo's and the odd wallaby. Yesterday on the way to Melbourne we went to Philips Island to visit a Koala sanctuary. We realised that that would be our safest bet to see Koala's. We did and took some lovely photo's of mother and child. We now know what and where to look for Koala's in the wild.
We'll have four days here in Melbourne. Skype the children and mothers now that we have internet and hope to see a show or a film. Then on to Adelaide where we'll catch the train for Perth.
 
                         
 
                    Dalmeny with Taj and Marie Lewis                                            Strange rock formations on the beach
 
 
                     
 
                Ewan's tent in Twofold Bay Beach Resort, Eden                        Where is my ball??
 
                       
 
 
                A 15 hp outboard doing max 3 knots                                    Our cabin at Buchan Caves National Park
 
                       
 
                The Royal Caves in Buchan                                                    Australian road signs
 
                       
 
        A grass tree at Wilsons Promontory NP                    Lunch stop on the boulders on Oberon Beach
 
                       
 
                They sleep for 20 hrs a day like this                    18 year old mother and 11 mths old child