New Year's Eve in Melbourne

A leisurely day, pacing ourselves for the night to come. A walk by the Yarra River,  a Tatt's Lotto ticket, (hoping to win 31 million!)  & a "nana" nap in the afternoon for those who needed one. M&M returned from their trip visiting friends & are spending tonight on a city roof top, so they should get a great view of the fireworks.

In to Melbourne with Joy & Barrie, on the train - free travel for all on NYE. Open air concerts in the central parks - again all free! We started at Yarra Park,  close to the MCG, where there was live music & family fireworks at 9.30, a brilliant display though the fruit bats didn't like it !

We particularly enjoyed the Melbourne Ska Orchestra, a 25 piece band who got everyone rocking!






We walked on to Alexandria Park on the banks of the Yarra in the centre of the city for more live music - 3 stages with an assortment of bands - until the finale fireworks, set off on the sky scrapers, lit up the skyline.
 The Arts Centre spire, where some of the fireworks were placed, gave an unintentional extra display when it caught fire, dropping flaming debris on the building below. No one was hurt as far as we know, & the situation appearred to be under control as we left to walk back down the other bank of the Yarra - the Birrarung Marr- to catch our train back to Eltham.
A great night, totally alcohol free, as there is a ban on alcohol in public places, which meant 500,000 people were in a suitable condition to enjoy themselves & we saw no trouble at all.
Thank you Melbourne for a great start to 2012!          Happy New Year everyone ! xx

The Dandenongs

After coffee with Joy & Barrie's  "English " neighbours (they've been here about 40 years! ), Rob & I  headed off on the scenic route to the Dandenongs, an area of great natural beauty. A steady climb up Mt. Dandenong, 633m above sea level, through the Mountain Ash forest. Not the Mountain Ash we know in England  ( Rowan ), but the largest Eucalyptus species - it is a "stringy bark" variety, that sheds its bark in long strings leaving the most wonderful grey multi -toned trunk.   These forest are similar to the ones we saw in the Otway / Kennet River area, with tree ferns alongside the Eucalypts.

We walked to the Olinda Falls
A truly spiritual peace descends on you - walking through the forest as if you are the only people in the world with just the birds for company. .

It's been a day of bird spotting, yellow-tailed black cockatoos, crimson rosellas & the noisy Koocaburras.


We had amazing views from the high point across the valley right over to Port Phillip Bay, Melboune's sky scrapers & the Great Dividing Range.

We passed through Ferny Creek, Sassafras, & Olinda. They are as lovely as they sound! Check out Miss Marples Tea Rooms for a Devonshire (cream ) tea, the quaintest of shops with antiques & frenchstyle furniture & sundries, lovely clothes & jewellery &  a quirky teapot shop.

Melbourne

 After our overnight stay in St Kilda, we headed on the tram into Melbourne - our first foray into the city itself.

We started at the Shrine of Remembrance an impressive memorial to those who died in both the World Wars.

We headed into the Botanic Gardens - 90 acres of landscaped delights. As we arrived in the information centre to pick up a map, we were invited to join 2 ladies who were just about to leave on a free guided tour of the gardens. It materialised that one was from Newark, she was visiting her life long friend (they had gone to school together in Kent. ) The Australian lady's husband had come from........you've guessed it ....Worksop !

Our guide gave us an interesting tour - all the history of  the formation of the gardens & lots of info about the trees & plants - so many unusual specimens, but also some planting that's typically British - herbaceous borders with cannas & agapanthus included. The Governor's Residence is in the grounds - this is where visiting dignitaries would stay when they are in Melbourne.

We walked along the banks of the River Yarra, swollen from all the rain on Christmas Day, into the centre of Melbourne. Federation Square, with its street entertainers & large screen transmission of the Test Match  ( N.B. Aussie's have won !)

Lots of Victorian arcades, reminding us of Leeds.

We walked round a lot of the city, it's a strange juxtaposition of old & modern buildings.







On the tram back to St Kilda for a last stroll along the beach & then a 45 min drive back to Eltham  (with a box of Acland St. cakes ! ) to Joy & Barrie's house.

St Kilda

Here we are in St Kilda  - the newly discovered Cake Capital of the Universe........Acland Street......  I must be hallucinating.... there are more cake shops here than I have ever dreamt of!

A suburb of Melbourne, situated on Port Phillip Bay, St Kilda is cosmopolitan, quirky & full of beautiful buildings & verdant parks. Palm trees line the Esplanade, a walk way stretches for miles alongside the beach, used by walkers, joggers, rollerbladers & cyclists. The place seems to be inhabited by sporty, beautiful people.....maybe they have to exercise all day in order to work off the cakes!?

It's the home of the 100 year old  iconic Luna Park fun fair.    "Veg Out",  a wonderful community garden where residents can grow their own veg & cook them in its  kitchen & BBQ area.    Albert Park, around whose lake the Australian Grand Prix is held & the marina, full of amazing yachts.

We watched kite surfers speeding through the bay- (you can see Melbourne's sky scrapers in the background.)

We ended the day with a wonderful meal in a restaurant on the beach, watching the sun melt into the ocean. Thanks Mark & Mel for treating us to this for our Christmas present. xx

Healesville Sanctuary

Travelling out north east of Melbourne we saw the Kinglake Range, the Dandenongs & the mountains around Healesville, the Yarra River flows in the valley. An area of great beauty - farm land, vineyards, forest, eucalyptus & flood plains.




We spent the day with Joy & Barrie at the Healesville Sanctuary. An abundance of native wildlife in an open setting & breeding programmes for endangered species. In particular we enjoyed the reptiles - this is a Monitor Lizard basking in the sun.

They have many rare specimens that are few & far between in the wild. Lots of information about protecting & conserving wildlife......the most interesting of which was "Wipe for Wildlife" -  a drive to reduce the impact on the forests by only buying recycled toilet paper.

            See below for more details!

             (Anyone you recognise ???)

Boxing Day at the MCG

Our Christmas treat to the family was tickets to the
Boxing Day Test Match at the MCG  Australia v India.

What an amazing experience -  a carnival atmosphere with 70,000 people out to enjoy themselves as they watch the cricket.

 ( Even Santa was there! )



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Australian fans - look at the body language...... they'd just lost 2 wickets!






      Love the Morph suits  !

Some of India's fan club.





The day's play ended Australia 277 for 6.
So we saw plenty of action.

What a great Boxing Day.....






 I LOVE CRICKET !    ( Who ever could have predicted that ? )

Christmas Day in Eltham

So tell me where else in the world you can have most of  the day with temps of 32 degrees & end the day with hailstones like marbles & 60cms of rain in 4 hours?






Welcome to Christmas Day in Melbourne!










 This was the ROAD at the bottom of the drive!

Despite the crazy weather from 5 - 9 pm, the rest of the day was perfect - warm & sunny & ideal for the BBQ (love the Santa pinny Mark!) All the food was delicious - cooked to perfection & the trifle was divine.

Christmas Eve at Eltham

A day around the house & garden, extended family & friends calling round.

Mel has constructed a beautiful trifle for tomorrow. It is a work of art in its execution. A pavlova is drying out in the oven, ready to be filled with fruit & cream in the morning. The BBQ is on standby ready for the lamb. Salads to be composed after our pancake breakfast.( No sweating over a hot stove for me this year! )

Wishing everyone who's reading this a wonderful Christmas Day.   May Santa bring you everything you desire & more. 

Goodbye to Dromana

Packed up & with regret, we said a fond farewell to Dromana & the Mornington Peninsula. The liittle towns on the beach - Sorrento. Blairgowrie, Rye, Tootgarook, Rosebud, McCrae, Dromana, Safety Beach, Mt Martha. A seemingly endless run of gorgeous beaches each with a foreshore area with walking paths, camping grounds & individual shops. (There are some bigger shopping areas with supermarkets etc..)   It is a lovely area & we have been fortunate to enjoy it before the main holiday season starts after Christmas.

We drove across the penonsula to Flinders where we watched hang gliders taking off from the hillside.



Walking along, Rob spotted a ray swimming around & under the pier.  It was easily 4 - 5 feet across. The local fishermen told us it's quite usual to see them in this area & they are often bigger than that!

We had an hour or two on the beach before heading off to the freeway & back to Joy & Barrie's house in the suburbs of Melbourne at Eltham.

Missing the sea breeze!

Surfing & Cricket - what a combo!

Off to Gunnammatta beach on the Bass Strait side of the peninsula for a morning of surfing & boogie boarding. Lachlan in charge of equipment, wet suits & instruction.

Rob coming in on a boogie board, not bad for a first attempt.

The waves were really strong -  here's an expert in action....... not one of our gang!

We ended the day with a game of cricket back on the beach at Dromana, which is on the Phillip Bay side of the peninsula & is much calmer -  like a mill pond.













We were lucky enough to see dolphins just off shore, jumping out of the sea & feeding.
Cormorants were joining in the feast, diving in for fish.




And then a beautiful sunset.

Diving in Dromana

Four brave bodies threw themselves into a very cold ocean to take a look around the underside of the pier at Blairgowrie. Note the dive hoods plus Mark went in with 2 wetsuits on.
 (I, sensibly, was absent from this little jaunt!!!)
The sea here takes time to warm up & as it is only the start of summer, it is still cold.

Their stamina was rewarded with views of seals, seahorses, a ray, starfish & lots of crabs.

Fish & chips down on the front at Sorrento soon warmed them up!

  Sorrento, apart from being one of many delightful little towns along the peninsula, is also famous for The Vanilla Slice!!!  

We have consumed rather a lot of these in recent days.... Mark even managed one for breakfast -after bacon & eggs - he said it was to stave off the cold during the dive!! Mmmm.... any excuse!

These flowers were gathered from Mel's Dad's garden along the peninsula.  Just a taste of the wonderful flora of Australia. All really expensive items for the florist in England - I used to love having these in my shop.

Hot Springs & Golf on the Peninsula

The boys were all up early & out on the Rosebud golf course to tee off at 7.30. The girls, meanwhile had a more leisurely experience at the Hot Springs.   Pool after mineral pool to dip into with plunge pools if you were brave enough.  Situated up a hillside with a 360 degree view over the peninsula....sheer bliss!

Mark was today's golf champ....just wait till Joy joins in ( she's the pro!)

This afternoon Mel & Mark took us on a nostalgic tour of her childhood haunts around the Mornington Peninsula.


We took in a wine tasting at the Port Phillip Estate Cellar door...mmmm! A few bottles purchased for Christmas.

Strawberry ice cream from the strawberry farm & a walk on the beach that Mel spent her summers on as a child.

Another perfect day in a perfect location.

Dromana & the Mornington Peninsula

A morning of sorting out new surfboards & diving trips for later in the week.


The beach house is lovely, all mod cons & two minutes to the beach.   Mark & Mel, Joy & Barrie & us here. Lachlan (Mel's brother) & Kathryn, his girlfriend, are staying at Barrie's family's beach house, round the corner but we're all hanging out together here.


Then the "kids" donned wet suits & went off for a swim while the "oldies" went off along the Mornington Peninsula to Point Nepean. We walked along past the old isolation hospital that had housed the sick & dying from the immigrant ships in the 1850's. They left from Birkenhead, enduring terrible hardships & many didn't survive.

Onward past Cheviot Beach, where in Dec 1967, the Australian Prime Minister, Harold Holt. went for a swim, dived beneath the waves & was never seen again.

Walking right to the tip of Point Nepean, the end of the peninsula. The Bass Strait to the right, Port Phillip Bay to the left.

Back to the house for another BBQ.

Lachlan,.Rob & Kathryn tonight's guest chefs!

To the beach house

Breakfast at Eltham, Melbourne  .Mark & Mel have arrived safely,   Santa hats have been allocated.  Christmas starts here !

AND NOW WE'VE GONE TO THE BEACH !!

En Route to Melbourne

Leaving Lorne with mixed emotions.  Sad, because we've loved it here - it's a great place  &  happy, because we're on the way to Joy & Barrie in Melbourne. Mark & Mel will be on their way to join us for Christmas & New Year. They arrive in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

We wound our way down the Great Ocean Road, stopping at the Memorial Arch. Built to commemorate the 330,000 Australians who volunteered to fight in WW1. 60,000 were killed & 160,000 wounded. 3,000 returned soldiers & sailors built the G O Road.



We drove on to Aireys Inlet & walked up to Split Point Lighthouse.

Coffee & a chat with a local couple & an email address in case we want to rent their holiday home next time we're here !!!!

Onward to another lovely beach at Anglesea - picnic watching the locals setting up camp for the day. First day of the school holidays here & everyone's enjoying the sunshine.

Three more beaches to explore on the Surf Coast -  Bells beach, Jan Juc & Torquay.  All famous for their surfing & lots of  action today. All kitted up in their wet suits....nice!

Rip Curl the surfing equipment/ clothing company was started here in Torquay.



Leaving the Great Ocean Road behind us now to head on the motorway to Melbourne. This leg of the trip from Adelaide (approx 1300 kms) has been exhilarating -  spectacular in its scenery & diverse in its wildlife.

Before we left, Rob patiently looked up all our routes on Google maps & printed out the directions.
Three cheers for him & Google maps because it got us to our destination in the suburbs of Melbourne almost without a wrong turn.

As we drove up Haldane Road in Eltham we could see Joy waiting for us at the end of the drive. A santa hat placed in the tree to welcome us! They live in a lovely bungalow in an acre of gardens, with resident magpies. lorikeets, frogs & a deceased snake. Joy regaled us with the story of its demise as we sat on the patio with a celebratory glass of Champers!

Our first Australian BBQ with Barrie & Rob at the helm.

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 Joy drove us out to the golf club at dusk  to see the kangaroos.
Unbelievable.....just all over the course. I suppose it saves mowing the greens !

Kennett River,Cape Otway & Apollo Bay

Koala Cove cafe, Kennett River was our first stop this morning. Aptly named, there was an abundance of  koalas & parrots & yet again I seem to be rather popular with the birds!
They like to keep abreast of things !!!!


Thanks for the recommendation L & B, think this was were you camped - great spot.













We drove down the Grey River road, spotting koalas along the way, this one with her baby snuggled in.




A picnic amongst the tree ferns & eucalyptus - their scent filling the air.



    This is part of the Otway National Park.

We headed on to see the Cape Otway Lighthouse, only to find that they charged to visit it,(nearly £25 for the two of us ) which seems very unusual, from our experience so far. We haven't had to pay for any of the places we've been to or for parking along the way or in the towns. So we voted with our feet & didn't bother to go any further. To add insult to injury, the toilets left a lot to be desired - again this is the first time since we got here that somewhere has been less than pristine. The Australians know how to look after their beaches & places of interest, with everywhere neat & tidy, no litter, cig stubs or graffiti.  (  Rant over !!!  )


We drove back to Apollo Bay & consoled ourselves with a homemade icecream ( Yum ! ) & another afternoon chillin' on the beach. 

Lovin' it in Lorne

Sharing breakfast with the crested cockatoos on the balcony......can't think of a better way to start the day!                                                                 

We're lovin' it in Lorne. What a great place, vibrant & friendly, beautiful setting betweeen forest  & sea.


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                                                                            We drove.up to Teddy's Lookout, a great view of the Great Ocean Road that we drove in on yesterday, winding along the coast.

Through the eucalyptus forest to the Erskine Falls. Lush with huge tree ferns. A lovely walk through the dappled shade, but a steep climb down & back up again.



To the beach for the rest of the day, watching the surfers catching the waves & just chillin' !