The finer things in life

In the barossa for a few days, staying with May and Ken who we met at a winery in McLaren vale. Hadn't realised that this area was mainly settled by Lutheran Germans fleeing religious persecution, but some of the old ways have stuck: fantastic smoked hams and sausage and other pig based catering being chief amongst them. And why are some Christian sects are so anti-alcohol, yet others produce some of the finest beers, wines, spirits and liquors in the world? And whilst Germany is better known for its white wines, the reds here are truly world class. Went to langmeil winery and wanted to buy everything on the list

And the honey wheat beer and bienschtich cream buns aren't bad...

Feeling frisky

Just arrived in Adelaide mid-fringe and have managed to bag tickets for Frisky & Mannish for tonight. Looking forward to their cut on gangnan style :-)

February - Cape Otway and the Great Ocean Road

We spent a few days free camping at Johanna Beach, just around from Apollo Bay. The waves pounding on the beach were a lovely sound to go to sleep to.

We also saw a fantastic sunset

From here we visited the Twelve Apostles, Gibson Steps, and the beautiful scenery of the Great Ocean Road;

We also saw a number of koalas (or drop bears) in the wild at Cape Otway;

We're now on our way into South Australia and Adelaide, via the wineries :-) 

February - Melbourne

We spent five days in Melbourne and also visited Ballarat and Sovereign Hill, site of the first goldrush in Australia. It was great to catch up with a couple of old workmates too (Allie G and Mark W),

View of Melbourne CBD from St Kilda pier;

 Funky bridges from South Wharf to CBD and the banks of the Yarra;

Flinders St Station, St Patrick’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral:

Old Shot Tower

Royal Exhibition building at Carlton Gardens

Royal Botanic Gardens

Sovereign Hill

We’re now heading down and around the Great Ocean Road towards South Australia.

January - Sydney to Melbourne

It only took us 3 weeks to travel from Sydney to Melbourne. I know it seems a short amount of time and we  packed a lot in but it didn't feel like it was rushed.

During that time we traveled down the Grand Pacific Highway and across the Sea Cliff Bridge;

 visited Jervis Bay (Husskisson Beach) which claims to have the whitest sand in the world (according to the Guinness Book of Records);

went to the nation’s capital, Canberra, saw Parliament House and spent all afternoon in the War Memorial (and still didn't see half of it);

Arrived in Millingandi just as the bushfire started (in the Bega Valley). That was an unsettling time as we were only a couple of kilometres from the blaze and if the wind hadn’t changed direction, we’d now be living in the ute.

We then crossed the border into Victoria and had a few days on the banks of the Snowy River

More waterfalls in Central Gippsland and Agnes River, the biggest single span waterfall in Victoria.

Along the coast past Lakes Entrance and 90 Mile beach, ate the best fish and chips in Victoria at Port Albert and on to Wilson’s Promontory, the southern most tip of mainland Australia. I couldn't get over how blue the Southern Ocean was;

We toured the State Coal Mine at Wonthaggi (it only closed in 1980);

Visited Phillip Island and the Koala Conservation Park, saw koalas and little penguins in the evening;

We spent a few days in Powelltown, and I had one too many beers with the locals in the Powelly Pub, and a few days on wine tasting in the Yarra Valley;

Then on into Melbourne!

Boom, boom, boom...

To quote private Baldrick. Staying just behind the sanddunes at Johanna beach off the Great Ocean road along the Southern Ocean, and the booming of the breakers is a lovely background noise to go to sleep to.  2-3 metre waves coming straight up from the roaring forties, and wind blowing the spray off the crests as they break out on a sandbar just out from the beach. Took a bottle of Yarra valley up to the lookout point last night and just watched the sunset.

Been here free camping for 3 days as a nice chill out after Melbourne. Went down to Cape Otway yesterday and saw drop bears in the wild for the first time, and then on to the 12 apostles which are every bit as impressive as they look in photos.

Another day, another state II

And so we roll into South Australia. Managed to free camp throughout Victoria except for Melbourne, so only really got to see the countrysude, but from the towns we did see we didn't miss much. Also had the worst roads we've come across. No shortage of signs warning you of a rough road surface, but sod all sign of any of them being fixed

You've smelled the cows,

Now taste the cheese. Couple of days in the Yarra valley with more wine tasting, and some very nice local goats cheese and a Tarwin blue that was made in Poowong, yet another great name, where we stayed a couple of nights before, and it was definitely cow country...even with the windows closed

Topped up on a few rose, tasted some ok pinot noirs but waiting for south Australia for the big reds...