Angourie - Part 1

March something or other, 2012

Our next stop is one that we've been looking forward to for months:  Angourie and the Blue House.  University friends of my parents have ever so generously lent us their beach house for two weeks and it just happens to be at a world-famous surf break, and a ten-minute drive from the town of Yamba.  Yamba is where we would have set up for the whole five months of our Australian trip if we had decided not to move around, so we are ecstatic to get to stay at a beach house at our town of choice.

We love the Blue House as soon as we walk in the door.  It's open and airy and something about it just makes you feel relaxed.  You can see the ocean from the balcony and the front yard has a constant parade of tropical birds like lorikeets and honey eaters.  There are hundreds of great books packing every shelf and while there is beautiful art on the walls, lower down it is well set-up for toddlers and babies.  There's even a Scrabble board.  We know our two weeks here are going to go by too fast.

Rusty chillin' out on the deck

After we settle in we take a walk to explore the neighborhood.  Across the street is Spooky's Beach which is perfect for Rusty and Audrey.  It is a semi-protected bay with a wide crescent of sand and the waves don't get too rough.  A sprinkling of flat rocks near the middle are submerged at high tide and dry at low tide.  We play on those a lot, looking in all the crevices and getting splashed by the water as it comes in or goes out.

Up the street and around the corner is a lookout over The Point.  We walk by a monster of a property on our way there and find out later that it is the $30 million palace of Billabong's owner.  It looks like Ironman's house.  The Point isn't working today but some surfers call it the best right-hand point break in the world.  It is the classic point break, which means that waves break on a point of rocks or land that jut out.  Being a right-hand break means that when surfer catches a breaking wave at the point, he turns right to ride it.  If you do a search for "Angourie Point" in Google Images, you'll see what it looks like when it's going off.  Then take away the waves and the surfers:  that's what we see today.

Four or five months ago there was a shark attack here.  The surfer was just taking off on a wave when a shark came at him, and his leg was actually between the teeth for an instant.  He got cuts and scratches all down his calf, but got away with all his pieces.  The board got a perfect shark bite out of it, down by the fins.

The chances of being attacked by a shark are the same as winning the lottery the same day you get hit by lightning, but just the thought of it, when your toes are dangling off your board and you can't see anything down there, makes you want slightly better odds.

The other danger at The Point is the locals.  Territorialism is as high here as I've seen anywhere.  It's not a large break and it's high quality, so the people who live here are protective.  They were either raised here and have surfed it all their lives, or they moved here and built homes and families near it.  Either way, more tourists means more surfers in the lineup and that means less waves for them, or more dealing with people who don't know the etiquette.  The guy I talk to about the sharks tells me about a guy who got beat up the day before.  "Dropped in…  two broken boards…  they took it up on the beach to square up and I guess the guy got messed up pretty good."  Dropping in on another surfer is the cardinal sin of surf etiquette.  It means you catch a wave that someone is already riding, like cutting somebody off in traffic.  Priority goes to whomever gets on first.

All this makes me apprehensive about paddling out at The Point.  I surf the kids' beach for a couple days, but the waves just aren't as good.  I try saying good morning to the other surfers that I see, and they just turn away without saying anything.  This happens on about three separate occasions before I move over to the Point.  I go on a small day, at first light, when there are only a few people in the water.  Less chance of getting my leash cut and punched in the face, I figure, if there isn't a gang of gorillas in the water.

Everything goes fine.  I stick to the outside for the first half of the session, respectfully staying out of the way.  Then I edge my in towards the action and nobody pays any notice at all.  Most people are actually really friendly and I ask someone if there's heavy localism or not.  "Yeah, there are a few guys who will give you a hard time, but probably not if you stay out of the way."  If it comes to it, I figure I'll dig my heels in and take the beating.  I'll yell, "Nobody owns the sea!" as they punch me in the face.  That's how Gandhi would surf.  "Nobody owns the sea! BIFF! Nobody owns the sea!  KA-POW!"

Coffs Harbour

February 17 to March 02

At some point during our stay at One Mile Beach our poor Swagg'n Wagon was invaded by ants.  Hundreds of tiny sugar ants made their way into the wagon and took up residence.  We didn't use our car in One Mile Beach so we had no idea that this was happening.  On our drive to Coffs Harbour Rusty dropped a piece of strawberry fruit twister into her carseat.  When Clark opened the car door in the morning Rusty's carseat was alive and moving!  The ants had made a nest inside the rubber tubing of the passenger side window and hitched a ride with us to Coffs Harbour.  We sprayed the car and then vacuumed up countless tiny carcasses.  Hopefully we got them all - we read on the internet that they can take up residence in a vehicle for months - even without a food source!

Ant Infestation

Coffs Harbour is a very developed beachside town that caters to families - complete with a dolphin-petting pool, countless self-catering motel style apartments, and the Big Banana.  I am not exactly sure what the Big Banana is but according to the brochures it is not to be missed!  We are bound and determined, however, to avoid all tourist activities for awhile.  So, as appealing as a trip to the Big Banana sounds we are going to steer clear.

We spend the first couple days unpacking, unwinding and exploring what is within walking distance of our little motel.  We have everything we need within a 10-minute walk (beach, cafes, playground, bakeries and a grocery store).  There is also a paved walking path that weaves its way through the greenery adjacent to the beach and carries on down to the jetty where they sell gelato and fresh fish and prawns off the boats - awesome (as Rusty would say)!

Rusty is not as thrilled as I am about the fresh prawns but is ecstatic (yeah, yeah, yeah, more, more, point, point) about the gelato selection.  She chooses the chocolate kind (of course).  The hot sun devours the cone faster than Rusty can and we end up stripping her shirt off to avoid ruining it.  So here is this little tot with nothing on but a sunhat and shorts with a face, chest and stomach covered in chocolate gelato toddling down the walking path.  I think at least 5 people took a picture of her (except us of course as we forgot the camera at home).  We find an outdoor shower along the beach and I clean her up as Clark gets lessons on rips and prawn recipes from a friendly local.

Markets are a big deal in Australia with live entertainment, fresh produce and local artisans.  They are lots of fun for both us and the kids and we try to check them out in most of the towns we visit.  The market in Coffs Harbour is near the jetty and we head off to see what we can see.  The best chocolate brownies I have ever tasted, espresso and talented musicians at this one - great find.  Rusty entertains the locals with her dance moves in front of the stage.  Rusty is big on music and dancing!

We make good use of the beach at Coffs - Jay goes surfing every morning and I look after the kids.  When he comes back, we switch and I head to the beach for a walk or run.  Well OK - twice I went for a run.  And once I went for a pedicure.  Walks along the beach in the morning are divine - and just a perfect way to start the day.

Rusty absolutely loves the beach - she could chase the waves all day.  And Audrey also loves the beach.  She particularly likes to eat things on the beach - mostly sand is her favorite - but she'll put grass, sticks, pebbles and used bandaids in her mouth too.  We have to watch her constantly to make sure she doesn't have a handful of beach stuff poised to go straight into her mouth.  We have purchased a pop-up sunshade and Audrey usually has a little nap in the tent while we run and play in the waves with Rusty - we're not complaining!

After we've been here for a week we feel like we are ready to attempt an activity that could cause us some angst - but sounds fun enough to risk it.  Cinema under the Stars.  It's pretty common here in Australia.  Once the sun goes down you lay a blanket out on a patch of grass and watch a movie - kind of like a drive-in but minus the vehicles.  There is just one minor hitch.  The movie doesn't start until AFTER sundown - and sundown is about an hour past bedtime (both ours lately and the kids).  The kids do well until sundown and are peaceful and content until we get about 5 minutes into the movie.  Then Audrey starts trying to fall asleep (which involves screaming that sounds so traumatic we think we could sell the sound bite to Hollywood for the next slasher movie).  Rusty gets tired of standing to get a good view and after a few rounds around the park trying unsuccessfully to bounce Audrey to sleep in the stroller we decide to head home.  Another activity that is probably best to save for when the kids are a bit older.

Audrey is keeping us up for the majority of the night lately.  We've had neighbours at most of the places that we've stayed at so I've been bringing her to bed with us whenever she makes a peep and nursing her back to sleep.  Then she roots and nurses on and off all night long - I've created a monster!  We are functioning on very little sleep and have reached the point where it seems like 'ferberizing' is our only solution.  There are just two major problems - we still have neighbours and we suck at ferberizing.  There is just something so unnatural about letting your baby scream without soothing them.  It makes every nerve and fiber in my body stand on end!  We've decided that it's not inconsiderate to the neighbors to let her cry it out before she falls asleep at the start of the night but it's been horrible for us.  She starts to cry and Clark and I start reassuring each other that we are doing the right thing, that she needs to learn how to 'self-soothe', that she's not suffering.  Then our skin starts crawling.  Then Audrey starts to sound like she is hyperventilating.  Then, we exchange panicked looks and start inching towards her room.  The heavy breathing turns to cries of ma-ma-maaaa and then I start crying.  Clark says that it sounds like she's saying "ma-ma...why?...i'm sorry".  Then he starts weeping.  We check the clock…3 minutes have passed.  After 5 minutes she's asleep.  But, 10:00 pm rolls around and she's up again.  Letting her cry it out at 10:00 pm is not so 'neighbourly'.  We decide that Angourie (where we will have no neighbours) will be better for ferberizing and resign ourselves to another week of sleepless nights...what's one more week anyway.

We exchanged e-mail addresses with our friends from Belgium and they send us an e-mail when they pull into Coffs.  They are staying at a Caravan Park up the street and we make plans to get together for a playdate.  We decide to hang out at the pool at their caravan park and they greet us at the front gate.  Rusty's boyfriend has brought some balloons for her that he got at the market earlier that morning (what a little charmer).  They are fast friends again and he grabs her hand and shows her all around the pool.  Then he takes Rusty for a ride in his boat - and they float around the pool pointing out things to each other like they are riding a gondola in Venice.

Meanwhile...Audrey bonds with her Belgian guy over their mutual love of Mum-Mums

One Mile Beach

The Holiday Park at One Mile Beach is impressive.  It sits right up against a giant crescent beach that always seems to have at least one surfable wave and is ideal for morning jogging.  The pool (see photo in the previous post) has a water slide, kids' pool, hot tub, and waterfalls.  There's a mini golf course, a jungle gym, tennis courts, and a clubhouse where there's always a Disney movie being projected onto the wall.  The front desk rents out pedal-powered go karts and there are free barbecues throughout the park for throwing shrimp onto.  During the busy times of the year this place must be packed and bustling, but this week the Aussies are at work and at school, so we have it almost all to ourselves.

There are a few other tourists around and we meet a family of Belgians by the pool one morning.  They, like us, have a baby around 7 months old, and a toddler, but theirs are boys.  Like us, they are travelling around Australia for a few months, taking a break from work and focusing on the family.  We fall into a conversation about the pro's and con's of it all and have some good laughs about how similar our experiences are.  Rusty and the boy her age seem to hit it off well even though he only speaks French.  They throw a ball back and forth which is cute because neither is all that good at throwing or catching.  The ball goes off in all directions.  When it lands in the water, if it is too deep for Rusty, he bravely wades in to get it and then presents it to her.  Like a knight in shining armour, only in water wings.  He calls her "La Belle".

We meet up with the Belgians for some snacks and drinks later that evening.  Rusty and the little boy are like best friends.  They colour for awhile, they tickle the baby's feet, they feed each other pistachios.  Wait.  Rusty ate pistachios??  Ellen and I have to look twice to believe it because there is no way she would ever take pistachios from us, but there it is.  She is eating them so fast that her cheeks are full.  It must be love.  They sit side by side in a camping chair for most of the evening, both good as little angels, while the grown-ups sit around and talk.

Le Belgian et La Belle

Rusty also falls in love with the waves at One Mile Beach.  We walk all the way down to one end along the wet sand.  Audrey is in her carrier, strapped to my chest, losing her fight against a nap, and Rusty is chasing sea gulls with Ellen.  A couple times a big wave crashes and swamps over her knees, leaving her flapping her arms and looking for a safe leg to hug.  By the time we get to the end of the beach, the waves are the main game and the sea gulls are forgotten.  She creeps up to where the last wave is receding, waits as long as she can dare, and then runs like hell away from the next wave before it catches up and soaks her.  And then she keeps running.  And keeps running.  She goes about 50 meters up the beach, over all the dry sand and into the dunes.  It takes about half an hour.  Ellen and I want to laugh our heads off, but we try not to because she is so earnestly running, very slowly, for her life.

Rusty running from the wave

Downward Dog-Drench

Phillip Island to Coffs Harbour

Sunday February 12

After the whirlwind tour of the Great Ocean Road, Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island we decide that it is time to hunker down somewhere and go slow.  We all need to press the pause button on the sightseeing for awhile. 

We decide to make a beeline up the coast and plant ourselves in a beach town for a couple weeks before we head to Yamba/Angourie (where some close family friends have generously offered their beach house to us for a couple weeks!)

Two weeks straight in one spot and two weeks straight in the next - perfect for some much needed down time.  There is only one thing standing in our way - 1550 km of highway.  We book ourselves into an apartment in Coffs Harbour (an affordable and family-friendly beachside town) for 5 days from today - that's an average of 300 km a day.  Ready, Set, Charge...

We drive 650 km the first day.  The girls are amazing.  Rusty is immersed in her DVD player and we have every song off the Wiggles DVD memorized by the time we pull into Gundagai.  Audrey sleeps most of the way - morning nap followed by a long stop for lunch and a play - followed by another nap.  We discover something awesome - the rest stops have playgrounds here!

We are able to keep them both fed, and either sleeping or happy for most of the drive.  I discover that I can squeeze and buckle myself in the small space between the carseats so I can feed or play with the girls while Clark drives.  I am even able to nurse Audrey on the go (albeit at a terribly awkward angle with plastic digging into my ribs).  But, that is how determined we are to make this charge as quickly as possible.  The faster we get somewhere the longer we get to stay put there!

Rusty sound asleep in her carseat

We decide to call it a day in Gundagai as both girls are loudly letting us know they are ready to get out of the car just as we pull in to town.  When we pull up to a local motel, Clark tells me to exit the wagon quickly so the proprietor won't hear the kids screaming!  He jokes they are bound to jack up the price, and by this point we would be more than willing to pay it!!

Monday February 13

We make it 575 km from Gundagai to Port Stephens and can't believe how painless it was.  Thank you once again Grandma for the portable DVD player - it was our saving grace.  We have arrived in a beautiful spot only 400 km shy of Coffs Harbour.  We find a caravan park located right on One Mile Beach with a fantastic pool and a reasonable rate.  We decide to stay here until we are due in Coffs on Friday.

Here is the pool.

And here is the beach.

 Ready, Set, Kickback...

Phillip Island

Friday February 9

After longingly passing by countless vineyards in our travels thus far we decide that today is the day that we are going to try to mix children and wine-tasting.  As Seasoned Travelers with Young Naughty Kids (STYNKs), we decide it's best to go to just one vineyard.  We choose wisely - a vineyard just outside of Mornington that specializes in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cheese and most importantly advertises that they have a PLAYGROUND.  Our plan is to wear Rusty out in the playground, have a quiet and relaxing tasting and then have Rusty nap on the late afternoon drive to Phillip Island and be ready for a late-night penguin viewing experience that we have booked tickets for.  Good plan, right?

Rusty doesn't want to leave the playground and have a quiet and relaxing tasting.  We finally coax her through the cellar door and then take turns following her from one "don't touch" to another while trying to listen to descriptions of each wine.  The proprietor is very kind and even lets Rusty join him behind the counter for awhile.  Overall it is enjoyable, but we agree that wine-tasting is much better as a couple than a family.

Time for Part 2 of the plan - the late afternoon nap.  No such luck.  Despite repeated tries of handing Rusty her Princess Blanket and telling her that Puppy was ready for sleepy-sleep she is bright-eyed for the entire drive.  We think there might be some potential for sleep when we arrive at the caravan park but they give us a cabin right next to the jumping pillow and that is that.

The point of driving all the way to Phillip Island is to check out the Little Penguins or as the brochures refer to it, "The Penguin Parade".  We are keen to see these little guys who emerge from the ocean at dusk by the hundreds and make their way to the burrows in the sand dunes where they nest.  We are somewhat appalled, however, by the brochure pictures which show seating and lighting for the penguin viewing that seems like it would be more appropriate at a rock concert.  We are a bit apprehensive about how disturbing the viewing experience is to the Little Penguins.

In terms of natural wildlife viewing it is unbelievably predictable.  There is a sign in the interpretive center stating that the penguins are expected to arrive at 9:38 pm.  Sure enough, 9:38 pm rolls around, and suddenly the penguins emerge from the ocean and waddle their way up the beach, directly past the viewing platform.  They practically stop right in front of you and take a bow. I'm not sure whether there is anything cuter than a fat little penguin tripping its way up the beach but we are all spellbound.  Each time a group of penguins walks by our viewing platform Rusty giggles and asks for 'more, more'.  The penguins are happy to oblige and countless groups of 10 or more parade past us over the next 30 minutes.  My favorite is a little fatty that has to take a break every few feet and sit down to rest - just adorable as he huffs & puffs his way home.  They don't seem bothered by us in the least and we are told that the boardwalks and stadium seating is an improvement over how they were viewed in the past - by driving and parking directly on the beach!  All-in-all we are pretty thrilled with the whole experience.

OK - so you aren't allowed to take pictures of the Little Penguins.  Instead we horse around with pictures of pictures in the interpretive center.

Saturday February 10

Today is awesome.  A chocolate factory first thing in the morning, fish and chips at a fishermans' co-op for lunch, and then koala viewing at a nearby sanctuary in the afternoon.

We found out about the chocolate factory when we passed it on our way to the Penguin Parade.  Ninety percent of their neon signage went to the words "FREE SAMPLES".  With a little hunting, you can also make out the words, "Chocolate Factory".  It shoots straight to the top of our list of places to visit.

Inside we are immediately handed our free sample.  It is a single chocolate disc, about the size of a bottle cap.  It is seriously good.  It is so good that we spring $12 each to take a tour of what we figure will be a lousy look behind the scenes.  They are hiding everything behind a closed door and there are no pictures of what we can expect.  Twelve bucks to see some guy scooping chocolate into a mold?  I don't know...  But we've come this far, and there are people waiting for us to move away from the free sample counter, so in we go.

The tour blows us away.  It's actually a very professionally done chocolate museum.  They tell the whole story of where it grows, how it's processed, and what makes it good.  They have real samples of cocoa at every stage of the process and engaging interactive exhibits.  You grind the beans, you separate the husks, you temper it.  There is a room-sized model village made entirely of chocolate, complete with electric train running through it.  There is a one-tonne block of chocolate, kept just out of reach.  The displays are somehow equally entertaining to 2-year olds and their parents alike.

One display totally floors me.  It's a three-dimensional moving cartoon of chocolate penguins being molded, and then diving into a chocolate pool.  They do things that are impossible, like disappear into the table top, and appear from nothing.  Somehow they have managed to make chocolate come alive and do tricks.  Rusty has her "Does not compute" face on, and so do I frankly, but then the strobe light turns off and the trick is revealed.  The tabletop is spinning and there are dozens of chocolate penguins standing next to each other, each one just one frame different from its neighbor.  They spin at a rate to match the strobe light and voila:  stop-motion modeling.

Next are a series of skill-testing games.  In the first one, you turn a dial to adjust the angle of a ramp.  When you think you've got it right, you press the button to send a foil-wrapped chocolate ball down it.  It jumps off the lip at the end and if it lands in the mouth of the waiting shark, then the ball is delivered to you and you can eat it.  Ellen lands the shark jump first try and the chocolate is the same seriously good stuff as the free sample.  We play the game many more times as well as all the other ones.  The games are not easy and it takes us probably about eight failed attempts at each one for every chocolate ball we win.  We would stay all day but there is a guy whose whole job is to watch you and move you along when you've stayed too long.  The dumb jerk won't leave us alone, so eventually we give in and move to the next room.

Next is a display where you pour chocolate onto a moving conveyor belt and try to make shapes or spell your name or something.  The belt carries your creation to the far side of the room where it drops down into a bowl for you to collect.  We do one for each member of the family and then go and wait by the bowl.  Our masterpieces drop, we eat them, and then carry on to the next station.  Rusty fails to show up at the next station.  I go back around the corner and sure enough, there she is, planted at the bowl, her eyes firmly on the conveyor belt.  It looks like very serious business and I have a hard time explaining why we have to leave this wonderful place, ever, at all.

Lunch at the fishermans' co-op is wonderful and delicious, like it is with most fish and chips places here.  I LOVE FISH AND CHIPS and would eat it for all three meals if I could.  I think Audrey would join me.  Rusty and Ellen on the other hand are not quite as big of fans.

After lunch we go to a koala sanctuary for the long-awaited sighting of a koala.  We have had our eyes peeled in the car whenever there are stands of gum trees and signs saying to watch out for koalas crossing, but haven't seen any yet.  The sanctuary doesn't disappoint.  They have a huge reserve of land with koalas dispersed throughout, and two hot spots enclosed by a koala-proof fence.  In the reserve it's still pretty tough to spot a koala (especially since they barely move, taking an average of 20 hours per day of sleep - not unlike my brother), but in the enclosures, there are 10 to 20 of them and you can't miss them.  They have built boardwalks in the enclosures that put you up in the canopy, level with the koalas, so you can get quite close.

While we're on the boardwalk, one koala stretches out from her tree branch, grabs the hand rail nearest a group of 20 or so people, and climbs aboard.  This causes quite a commotion and there are suddenly 10 or 20 cameras and cell phones surrounding her and following her every step down the handrail.  She seems pretty calm with it all and we wonder if it's a regular thing for her.

After about 15 minutes, a park ranger shows up and puts things on a whole new level of panic.  "STAY BACK EVERYONE!" he shouts.  "CRIKEY!  SHE'S A WILD ANIMAL!"  The koala is sitting on the handrail in the midst of a group of tourists.  "SHE HAS CLAWS AND TEETH AND COULD TAKE YOUR ARM OFF!" yells the ranger.  I think the koala yawned.  We start wondering if he is playing a joke, but his uniform looks genuine enough.  "YOU ARE IN HER HABITAT AND SHE IS FEELING CORNERED.  CRIKEY!  SEE HOW SHE ISN'T MOVING?  THAT'S A SIGN OF STRESS!"  We are glad he told us because it looked like a sign of boredom until then.  The ranger proceeds to throw a burlap sack over the koala, flip the sack upside down to carry it to a scale, weigh it, and then carry it down to ground level to release her onto the trunk of a tree.  She bolts out of the sack and up the tree and we get to see what a truly stressed koala looks like.

Mornington Peninsula

Tuesday February 6

We drive from Geelong on our way to spend four days around the Mornington Peninsula - just south of Melbourne.  We are looking forward to settling down in one place for more than a day!  We catch a ferry from Queenscliff over to the peninsula which saves us a couple hours of driving and gives Clark a chance to take his eyes off the road for a change.  The views from the ferry are beautiful and we spend the trip sipping on coffee and watching the sea life.  Most impressive are some birds fishing like I've never seen before - these birds hit the water so hard and then completely disappear - long enough that I am convinced they have drowned or died from force of impact - then they just pop right out of the ocean with a fish - so amazing to watch! 

Our first inkling that Mornington is the playground for the Melbourne rich & famous are the mansions overlooking the cliffs near Portsea.  The boathouses for these mansions are easily triple the size of our house in Canada, and the yards look like miniature versions of the Melbourne botanical gardens.  Our second inkling is that the price of a hamburger & fries in the first pub we stop at for lunch is $33.00!!!  We head to a different café and split a less expensive pizza.  Audrey is pretty happy to discover that there is ham on the pizza!

Audrey and Ellen playing at the cafe (this one's for you Rippy)

The Mornington peninsula is stunning - with lots of sheltered white sandy beaches, cliff walks, fresh-produce farms, vineyards, and charming little towns loaded with boutique shops and café's.  So the brochures tell us anyway…

We don't see any of it for the first couple days.  We spend the first two days unpacking and doing laundry while trying to recuperate and catch up on sleep - this constant travelling is wearing all of us down.  We are continually adjusting our expectations of what we can see and do while travelling with small children. 

It's tempting when we read the guidebook & brochures to try and visit all of the different attractions, or travel to all of the interesting places.  But, it's also exhausting trying to organize accommodation, food, clothing & the constantly metamorphosing diaper bag for those trips and fit all of the sightseeing in while keeping the kids fed, rested and entertained.  I think we need to start treating Australia more like home.  There are zoos, water parks, specialty shops, cinemas, amusement parks, swimming pools, etc. there too but we don't try to go to one every day.  We also don't decide on a whim to drive to Kelowna and take the kids on a wine-tasting tour, or suddenly pick up and drive to Jasper to hike Mount Robson.  Time to put the guidebook & brochures down for awhile!!! 

Thursday February 8

Our friends from Melbourne drive up to visit for the afternoon/evening and coax us out of the house.  We drive to a little town called Mt. Martha where the girls play on the beach and in the water.  Rusty is getting more confident with the ocean waves and these sheltered beaches make her even more comfortable with venturing deeper into the ocean.

We drive back to Mornington and stroll through the town stopping at an Italian café to sit down and feed the girls.  The adults semi-enjoy a glass of beer or bubbly while trying to bounce and spoon-feed babies and keep the toddlers from running away down the street.

Rusty holding hands with her new best friend

Enjoying some ice-cream back at our flat

Our friends join us for dinner and some lively and uninterrupted conversation once all of the children are finally asleep.  They regale us with tales of giant Australian spiders.  My girlfriend describes some spiders with enormous long-legs compared to their bodies.  I chime in that "we have those back home too - we call them Daddy-Longlegs."  She almost falls off her chair laughing.  I guess they have Daddy-Longlegs here too, and they are to the spiders she describes as a Koala is to a Grizzly bear!

Friday February 8

We have a busy weekend planned (which we planned weeks ago) on Phillips Island and then we are determined to settle down somewhere and stop the endless packing and unpacking that has become the bane of our existence!  Off to Phillips Island...

Great Ocean Road

Friday February 3

Geelong is a lively little city and we've found an apartment for the night that is a short stroll from Eastern Beach.  We take an evening walk along the promenade to look for something to eat.  After viewing the restaurant prices we decide once again to go with the affordable fish & chips takeaway.  We are constantly astounded at the cost of dining out in Australia - particularly in the cities. 

In St. Kilda we paid $19.00 for a hamburger & chips at a sidewalk café.  Maybe the cost of a restaurant burger wherever you are is similar to minimum wage - and in NSW the minimum wage is a staggering $18.75/hour.  We are finding that the cost of living is much higher here than back home.  Gas is typically $1.40/litre and it's difficult to find accommodation (even budget accommodation) for less than $100 per night.  But, we save money by using our kitchenette, buying produce from the local markets (which is less expensive than grocery store produce) and walking to beaches, parks and stores.  Plus, the wine is cheaper here!!!

Saturday February 4

We spend the morning at Eastern Beach which is a fantastic place for kids.  There is an amazing playground, a swimming pool, wading pool and a shark-free enclosure for beach swimming (all free for public use).  We park ourselves under a big umbrella next to the pool and spend the morning swimming and lazing around and end with a lunchtime picnic.

Rusty playing in the pool at Eastern Beach, Geelong

We start along the Great Ocean Road after lunch with the agenda to do about 150 km to Apollo Bay (it is a very windy road so it's supposed to take about 3 hours to get there).  We plan to drive and stop at viewpoints while the children are sleeping, then stop and do a hike into a huge waterfall or some other such roadside attraction once they wake up.

First stop - Bell's Beach.  This is a famous surf beach featured in Point Break - and equivalent to the North Shore, Hawaii.  We are hoping to see some serious waves - and the lunatics that surf them.  The kids are sleeping so we leave the A/C going (sorry Earth) and jump out of the car to take a quick look at the action.   There is a viewpoint overlooking the beach for just that purpose.  No action really - the waves are pretty mellow and there are a few surfers but no green room.  When we walk back to the car I notice that water is pouring out from the radiator area.  My stomach sinks as I loudly point it out to Clark - luckily a local Aussie overhears my shriek and reassures us that if it's clear then it's just from the A/C being left on - phew.  We don't know stuff about A/C overuse in Canada - we leave the car idling to keep it warm not cold (sorry again Earth).

The kids sleep all the way to Apollo Bay so we pass by all of the cool stuff the brochure tells us to check out along the Great Ocean Road - including the waterfall.  We semi-wonder why we are even doing this drive.  Lets just add an extra 600 km to our trip and pack in/and out of three different motels in three nights to get a good view of the ocean here and there - hmmmm.

Sunday February 5

Audrey is seven months old today (since today is yesterday in Canada) and is eating like a pro.  She is a carnivore and ham is her prey!  There is nothing our child won't do for a piece of ham.  She has two teeth on the bottom now and is cutting two more on top.  I think those teeth must push through every night at about 2:00 am as she lets out a bloodcurdling scream and requires some serious rocking to get back to sleep.  She's mastered the art of sitting up (lots of surface area to work with) and is working towards balancing on all fours.  Things are quite easy for us now with her lack of mobility and we are not looking forward to the crawling stage.  But she is determined to get there sooner rather than later...sigh…

We drive a little ways up the Great Ocean Road and stop at a gorgeous rainforest to go for a short hike before we carry on with our drive.  The trees are unbelievably tall (the interpretive sign says over 100 m) with massive root systems and everywhere we look it is just lush and green.  The ferns grow as trees here!  Rusty turns into a little botanist and seriously inspects the leaves on all the different plants.  It is her second favorite thing to do on the rainforest walk (pulling my hair while I carry her is number one!!!)

Our future botanist

Hi-Ho...Hi-Ho

Blue Steel

Fern Tree

Now was that a Cyathea australis or a Dicksonia antarctica

Now where did Rusty go?

The afternoon finds us holed up in a motel room in Port Campbell to wait out the rain.  The girls were sleeping as we drove by the Twelve Apostles (probably the most photographed viewscape of the Great Ocean Road drive) and the pounding rain added another reason for us to just pass on by.  We continue to wonder whether this drive is worth it.  The rain continues into the evening and we decide to return to the Twelve Apostles & Loch Ard Gorge the next morning - keeping our fingers crossed for better weather.

Monday February 6

It is a gorgeous day today and the views are well worth the effort.  Probably one of the most breathtaking coastlines I have ever seen.  We spend the morning following the footpaths along Loch Ard Gorge - reading stories of the shipwreck that occurred there - and meandering from one incredible view to another.  This landscape really emphasizes the power of the ocean.

Watching the waves pound against these rocks is spectacular!!!  After we've had our fill we head back to Geelong and are finally grateful for the girls sleeping through an entire drive!!