Canberra

The Capital City of Australia and by far the most organised of all the places regarding it's tourist attractions.  Amazingly many of the attractions are free entry and this alone was a bonus.  We left Nelligen with continuous rain but as we climbed the mountain towards Canberra the clouds became less threatening and the rain just became light drizzle.  We travel at around 25kph up Kings Highway as the climb was steep and windy but we got up the hill regardless, even though everyone else was passing us like we were standing still.  We found a site at Exhibition Park in Canberra.  Our first full day in Canberra we visited the Old and New Parliament Houses.  At the Old Parliament house we walked around doing the kids tour which visited all the main areas.   We saw were Bob Hawke sat as prime minister and even got to sit in the speakers chair.  The tour was excellent for kids but they particularly like it when they got to dress up.  Nigel made a great roman soldiers.....lol....  We then visited the new parliament house and arrived in time for the question time and we got to see Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Kevin Rudd and Peter Garrett, just to name a few.   They so do behave worse than kids during this time and the speaker of the house was very forceful with many members of the house.  I think they were lucky not to be thrown out of the room!

Roman Guards

I'm this big!

On top of Parliament House - Canberra

The following day we visited the War Memorial.  The place generally makes me sad and proud at the same time.  It brought tears to my eyes thinking of all the families who have had their loved ones go to war.  The stories and the photos and the the memorabilia are just amazing and with the introduction of the new areas the War Memorial has become one of my favourite attractions in Canberra.  One place very worthwhile to visit.  Nigel and I both did searches on our grandparents and found both in the war records.  I wish I knew more about what Pa did during this time but with him passing on so many years ago that information is definitely buried with him.  The kids really enjoyed the interactive components on display and they were very keen to find out more.

Pool of Reflection at the War Memorial

A smile that warms my heart

We took the next day a little quieter with a quick visit to the Mint to see the production of our coins and to press our own and to visit Cockington Green a very cute miniature village.  The kids rode the miniature train and visit the world via the miniature villages.  We even visited Kent for Alex and Lithuania for Tom. Very quick trip and it didn't even take us that long!

Triton the robot at the mint

Our visit to Lithuania

Off to Kent we did trot!

Today we visited Questacon and CSIRO Discovery Centre.  Both places were excellent but Questacon was amazing.  The hands on activities and the number of scientific displays aimed at kids learning to love sciences was fabulous.  I got to face one fear by going on the drop slide.  I was a little hesitant at first but finally went and was amazed at the feeling I got when I let go.  Austin attempted to go but at the last moment found the drop a little to scary.  Good on our little man for having a look at it.  Even Nigel wouldn't have a go.  The kids and Nigel particularly like the flight simulator and spent a fair amount of time on it.  I think Nigel in particular loved it as i had to drag him away to get to the next room.  The H2O exhibition was also very fun with the kids having a go at everything.  While at Questacon we got to see two shows one one the science of musical instruments and the other on predator/prey.  The kids really loved the musical instrument one...it did help we had a very quirky American taking the presentation...The kid learnt about an ((((((oscillator)))))) and an echo echO ecHO eCHO ECHO.  They constantly repeat this part of the performance.  At the CSIRO Jordan, Austin and Kaleb became our budding scientists.  They learnt about cholesterol, water management and how to mix acids and bases. They even tackled the microscope that I find difficult to use.

What a musical family

I'm electrifying!



Me taking the drop!



Flight simulator

Budding scientist

On our second last day in Canberra we visited the AIS and toured around some of the elite facilities that they have.  Unfortunately we did not get to see any athletes as their training times are not around the times the tours were on.   The simulation room was excellent though and the kids had fun kicking goals, shooting hoops from a wheelchair, riding bikes and rowing.  That night we took ourselves off to Alto Towers a revolving restaurant (Black Mountain - Telstra Tower).  The meal was amazing and it was fine dining.  A new experience for the kids and a rare experience for Nigel and I.  At least this time we realised that a side dish was required to go with the main meals...lol...The meal was fabulous and the view spectacular.  I had a thoroughly great night even after the bill arrived and  I choke on my last mouth full of drink.  After leaving the tower we decided to go for a drive around Canberra to see the lights of Parliament House so we drove the ten minutes into Capital Hill only to arrive with the lights off.  We did a lap of the block and pulled up next to the Federal Police standing by the road and asked them why the lights were off and he laughed a little and said that it was 'Earth Hour' and that the lights would not be back on for another half an hour.  Can you believe our luck!  The only night they turn them off we come to have a look at them.  I think that's Karma coming back to bite us on the bottom.....

The AIS gymnastics hall



View from Black Mountain - Telstra Tower



Black Mountain looking towards central Canberra



My lovely meal at Alto Towers

Our final full day in Canberra we spent hanging around the caravan park chatting to new acquaintances, Jodie, Jason, Aidan, William and Oscar.  Another family travelling the Australian beaten track.  They are from Western Australia and have been on the road for awhile now.  Our boys loved playing games with their boys.  They left around midday to continue north.  That afternoon a new family moved in next door and as usual the kids were hesitant about talking to the new kids.  So as the mother stepped out of the van I made a quick comment about how our children had been eyeing each other off but not will to say hello and introduce themselves.  So as parents we did the introductions for them but as this was happening I kept look at the mother think that woman was familiar and when she mentioned that her name was Wendy I joking said "Is that you Wendy Hay from Geelong and you went to Bell Park High?"  I think Wendy nearly fell over and took a double take as she said YES!  I explained who I was and slowly the pieces came back together.  Amazingly Wendy has been living in the Port Douglas/ Townville regions of Queensland for 15+ years and that in itself was just as amazing.  We spent the remained of the afternoon reminiscing and getting to know one another again.  It just a little annoying that we had to leave tomorrow as it would have been good to catch up with them some more.

Time to leave Canberra.  We really enjoyed our stay and thankfully I tracked down the location of my camera that went missing between Nikon and Canberra PO. It  was still sitting at Australian Air Express. Thank goodness we were heading to Queanbeyan to fix the tow hitch height otherwise we would have had to go backwards a fair way.  After having the problems fixed we headed for Moss Vale to stay the night.  On our way through we visit the Big Merino at Goulbourn and began our token photos of all things large.  We continued on to Moss Vale but Nigel felt that we could make Nowra before six so we continued on our way.  The road was very picturesque and we were enjoying the drive.  Just east of Fitzroy Falls we entered a large low gear downhill decent.  We were hoping this was were Nowra could be found.  But unfortunately it was not and we began the steep climb up the opposite side of the Illawarra Escarpment.

Nelligen (Batemans Bay)

The river frontage we were camped on at Nelligen

Oh dear not the tow hitch!  That was not how we wanted to start our trip to Batemans Bay.  But know that we were heading to a large coast town we knew we could do something there.  So we booked in at Nelligen Big4 which is around 10 km west of Batemans Bay.  We visited several tradies and mechanics before heading to Nelligen and in the end the car was booked in to get polyairbags. Not only did the tow hitch give us a headache but so did the rain. From the time we arrived at Nelligen to the time we left it rain more often than not.  Nigel and I set up in the rain while the kids sat in the car and watched a movie.  While we set up the entire time we watch a bloke sitting under his umbrella fishing on the banks of the river. The rain slowed down over the next two days and that allowed us to a few things.  Firstly we Leon (the crazy wet fisherman)and Cathie a lovely couple who were a tremendous help over our stay at Nelligen and secondly Nicole, Shane, Lachie, Luke and Emily another family travelling around Australia and on the road a similar times to us.  It was good speaking to someone with the same amount of experience as us and similar problems. We spent two days talking and chatting and getting to know each other which was good for all of us.  The kids had someone to play with.  I had females to gasbag with and Nigel and Leon could talk about fixes for the tow hitch.



Austin watching the rubber inflatable speed boats



Day trip to Mogo

Our first stop was the historical gold town.  We watched a panning display and Jordan was given the little piece of gold that the guide found. We then wander around the town looking at the different buildings and listening to stories and facts around the gold town.  We even got to pan for gold ourselves and I was lucky to strike it rich also. My nugget was huge.  Worth at least $3.00 on the market.  We then went to Mogo Zoo and wandered around the park.  The kids feed the deers and watch tiger cubs basking in the Sun.  They were even happier when they got to see the lions being feed by the zoo keepers.  It was an amazing experience to see and watch and listen to the zoo keepers talk about his hand reared lions.

On returning to Nelligen we went out to tea with Cathie and Leon at the pub across the road.  It was a very enjoyable meal and the kids got a free ice cream each from the barmaid for being so well behaved.  We were so proud of our three cherubs.  That night the rain came back with vengence and flooded many park visitors.  The rain continued on and of all day and the grounds became a quagmire.  Austin was trying to become a fisherman so was helping Leon on out.  Leon by the way had been fishing all week with no success until late on Sunday when he finally caught his first one.  Austin stood with Leon for ages and just wanted to have a go so Leon gave him the rod to mind.  Austin was postive that something had taken the bait but when Leon checked the line it had gone limp again. We were having tea so Austin was called in at that time Leon also realed the line in and low and behold on the end of the line was a flathead.  Austin caught his first fish.  Yeah to our little man.  The next morning we woke to constant rain and a flooded caravan park.  At one stage as i was driving the car out of the site i was spinning the wheels and not getting any traction.  But luckily no need for a tow as we got out of the bog. We later found out that the rain had dropped 6inches in 2 days. A little wet for our liking and that the much of the area had major flooding.

Narooma



Lookout at Central Tilba



Day 13 and heading to Narooma for a couple of days.  Said our goodbyes to the families we met at Merimbula then drove along the tourist Route via Tathra and Bermagui. We also went via Tilba Tilba and Central Tilba where we stop for lunch at their bakery and had a look around the historical village.  It was an enjoyable stop with the kids and Nigel having fun in the Lolly Shop.  Narooma was a very quaint little fishing village with our stop over for two days.  The weather again wasn't overly fantastic but still we made the most of our time. We went for a short ride along the boardwalk only to find that at the end of it was a couple of seals and several large stingrays swimming around the fish cleaning area waiting for the fish heads and tails of the unwanted fish.  The kids had never seen seals and stingrays in the wild so they were transfixed on them for a long time.  We met a great pair that have been on the road for awhile, Peter and Bev.  Peter was very concerned with how the tow hitch was so low to the ground and this was the start of a headache.  It was a concern with Nigel and I and as it had bottomed out a couple of times already we knew that sooner or later we would need to address it.  So at our next stop with would look to fixing this problem. Lucky us!



Feeding the Rainbow Lorikeets





Seals and Stingrays



Merimbula

Five days of relaxing fun for the kids with much better weather than we have had so far.  The kids spent their time swimming in the pool and body boarding at the beach.  It was a great week with it almost feeling like home.  Around our caravan were four other couples all from the Geelong region but in particular the couple next door really brought it all home.  Brian & Geraldine are from Belmont but as we got to talking to them we discovered that Brian live diagonally opposite Nigel's mother and grandmother and that he also went to school at West Tech with Nigel's father.  Now that was a little freaky really.  Lovely couple and we chatted on and off with them through out the five days.  Also we got to know Kathy, Jason, Jordie, Jesse and Jett also.  We first met them in Lakes Entrance and then again her at Merimbula.  The kids all got along very well and we had a lovely BBQ at the camp kitchen with them one night also.  Austin and Jordie particularly hit it off which was great as it meant he was not squabbling with Kaleb as often as he had been.  The waves at Merimbula beach was perfect for beginner boogie boarders which gave Jordan a great boost to her self confidence.  She became quiet good a judging and picking the right wave to paddle onto.  The boys spent most of their time playing in the shallows and making sand castles.  Kaleb still a little worried about the water so is hesitant to go in.  I was lucky also to have the opportunity to visit an oyster farm and have a tour about how they farm an oyster. The kids seemed interested and I appreciated that they were happy enough to do this tour.  Nigel was brilliant also.  As some known seafood is not one of his favourite foods so for him to put up with the smell was stella.   But lucky for me that they had a taste testing and I was able to have all of Nigel's oysters also. 



"Hurry Kaleb, she's coming"



Riding the wave like a pro



Day trip to Eden



During our stay we also took a day trip back to Eden to vist the Killer Whale Museum.  It was an interesting and romantic tale of Old Tom a killer whale that helped the Whaling Familys of Eden catch baleen whales.  In short Old Tom would get his pod to round up the baleen whale into Double Bay and then Old Tom would then tail slap the water to alert the whaling familys of their haul.  The men would then catch the whale and leave the baleen tongue and lips for the orcas to eat.  They say this is why they always rounded up the the whales for them because they always got their share.  Then after not being around the area for a while Old Tom's body was found washed up in the area.  As they same he came home to die.  It was quiet and interesting fact about the area. 



Old Tom's Skeleton

Mallacoota

The next three days we spent in Mallacoota.  I wanted to go there because as I kid I remember going on a holiday with the Sutas' and had an absolute ball.  The funny memory back when I went to Mallacoota was that we had to stay just a little longer because I accidently got me burnt and my lips blistered from the sun....they were absolutely mortified so instead of coming home they waited until they healed and then returned me home to my family all fixed.  The bonus was that we got to stay a little longer!  It hasn't changed much.  25 years and minumum change you've got to love it.  We found a perfect beach to sit by and the weather was perfect for us.  The kids swam in the river and had fish swimming around them. They could not believe it and had an absolute ball.  As they had so much fun at Betke River we decide to have a bbq there the next day.  So after we visited the World War II historical bunker we drove to the river/beach and got ourselves to the BBQ's. I put the meat on then went to get the utensils to turn and move the sausage and hamburgers, but unfortunately we left them behind so cooking our lunch became a challenge.  In the end I pretty much burnt my fingers off and we got our lunch okay.  What a great time we had.  I also was up early one morning to see the sunrise of Gabo Island. So very pretty it was.  I hope to see lots more of these but with daylight savings finishing soon i think i will miss them more often than not.

Lakes Entrance

This was the beginning of a fabulous trip around Oz.  Obviously we left late on Wednesday 2nd March, several family and friends dropped around to wish us well.  It was around 1pm when we said our teary goodbye.....mostly from Nigel, lol. No not really.  From Grandma, Jordan and myself, everyone else toughed it out.  We arrived in Lakes Entrance just after 7pm for a four night stop over and a very slack couple of days.  Plenty of wind down time required.   Nigel happyily turned 40 on the Saturday while there so we celebrated by cruising around the Gippsland Lakes on the cruise boat Thunderbird.  After the cruise we went out to tea and enjoyed a nice night out with the kids. Nigel I think thoroughly enjoyed his birthday even though he had to escape Geelong.  Those four days were very windy and the weather was not all that inviting but we hope for something better.