We are still looking!
Water Falls Stream
Water Falls
Enjoying all our fresh food and a bit of wine!
Idyllic picnic spot
Still looking for the wombat; won't happen!
Ski villageSunday, February 27, 2011
More photos from High Country
We are still looking!Water Falls StreamWater FallsEnjoying all our fresh food and a bit of wine!Idyllic picnic spotStill looking for the wombat; won't happen!Ski village
Beechworth and Wineries
After our wonderful hike and park visit we headed to the wineries. Everyone we meet tells us how lucky we are as it is usually very dry, hot and brown. The vegetation could not be greener. Everything is so lush, and the temperatures are most pleasant.
We were in the Yarra Valley that is filled with wineries. This part of Australia was on fire only two years ago. We by-passed a town Merryville, that was totally destroyed. In a winery museum we saw a book titled "In Memory" with pictures of the town as it was. There is nothing there now but cheap land according to a young man who filled us in on regional knowledge.
There are wineries everywhere and all were tempting. We had some of the best I ever had, which of course, do not go to the states. We stopped in an old gold mining town Beechworth and enjoyed an evening there. The bakery was the hotspot in the morning and full of the locals. From there we travelled to a gourmet region, Milawa tasting olives, cheeses and more wines.
During this jaunt we saw beautiful scenery driving at some points over gravel roads on very high rolling hills that looked like landscape paintings.
We then decided to head to the High Country. We were assured by the tourist information center (these are everywhere and usually staffed by an older very knowledgeable individual) that this would be a beautiful drive telling us places to stop along the way. It was beautiful and isolated but ended up being tough driving. We spent at least two hours on gravel roads with deep ruts in many areas. These were switchback slow going roads. We did stop at one of the suggested sites hiking about a mile to a waterfall. We had hoped to see some wildlife especially a wombat, but these are nocturnal animals and the best chances are at night. We did see a very unusual deer so at least one wildlie sighting! There was no time to hike to the other suggested sites as we were weary and afraid we would be stuck out there at night. There was an easier way to reach our destination but we wanted to see Australian ski resorts and the famous snowy river region. The ski resorts are totally different from ours and practically empty in summer. The lift tickets here are the most expensive in the world. I now know why there are so many Australians in Beaver Creek in the winter. That was the most driving I had done in one day and would not recommend it. On the other hand I am glad I drove the "Alpine Way" once!
Hot spot!
Typical architecture
Coffee shop
Old Courthouse in Beechworth 
Jail
Cliff admiring chesses
Brown Brothers Winery
Tasting
Italian winery
Tarrawarra Winery Vineyards
On to Canberra!
We were in the Yarra Valley that is filled with wineries. This part of Australia was on fire only two years ago. We by-passed a town Merryville, that was totally destroyed. In a winery museum we saw a book titled "In Memory" with pictures of the town as it was. There is nothing there now but cheap land according to a young man who filled us in on regional knowledge.
There are wineries everywhere and all were tempting. We had some of the best I ever had, which of course, do not go to the states. We stopped in an old gold mining town Beechworth and enjoyed an evening there. The bakery was the hotspot in the morning and full of the locals. From there we travelled to a gourmet region, Milawa tasting olives, cheeses and more wines.
During this jaunt we saw beautiful scenery driving at some points over gravel roads on very high rolling hills that looked like landscape paintings.
We then decided to head to the High Country. We were assured by the tourist information center (these are everywhere and usually staffed by an older very knowledgeable individual) that this would be a beautiful drive telling us places to stop along the way. It was beautiful and isolated but ended up being tough driving. We spent at least two hours on gravel roads with deep ruts in many areas. These were switchback slow going roads. We did stop at one of the suggested sites hiking about a mile to a waterfall. We had hoped to see some wildlife especially a wombat, but these are nocturnal animals and the best chances are at night. We did see a very unusual deer so at least one wildlie sighting! There was no time to hike to the other suggested sites as we were weary and afraid we would be stuck out there at night. There was an easier way to reach our destination but we wanted to see Australian ski resorts and the famous snowy river region. The ski resorts are totally different from ours and practically empty in summer. The lift tickets here are the most expensive in the world. I now know why there are so many Australians in Beaver Creek in the winter. That was the most driving I had done in one day and would not recommend it. On the other hand I am glad I drove the "Alpine Way" once!
Hot spot!
Typical architecture
Coffee shop
Old Courthouse in Beechworth 
Jail
Cliff admiring chesses
Brown Brothers Winery
Tasting 
Italian winery
Tarrawarra Winery Vineyards
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wilsons Promontory National Park
After our short trip to Phillip Island we headed to Wilsons Promontory National Park affectionately known as Wilsons Prom. It is a pristine wilderness on the coast about 2+ hours from Melbourne. When we arrived at the nearest town closest to the Park, it was growing late and we needed to find somewhere to sleep. We were desperate! Very little was available and we had to settle on a MINUS STAR, in my opinion, motel. It was tough trying to relax and accept our fate. Of course, Cliff having been in the army had no trouble falling asleep! I lay there hoping I wouldn't get bedbugs. About 6am I was awake and heard the loudest bang, thinking oh no what is happening. In fact, this loud noise awoke Cliff out of a dead sleep, sitting upright saying what was that! All I wanted to do was get dressed and depart. We had to wait until the park opened so I managed to pass the time until 7am. Upon departing we asked at the desk what the noise had been. She told us it was a possum falling on the roof. The sleep in the trees and fall out. These are giant possums, which in fact seem to be a big problem in Australia and New Zealand. The experience makes a good story in retrospect.
Wilsons Prom is a huge beautiful wilderness with camping, hiking on many different trails and a total outdoor experience. We chose a hike that was considered easy/hard. It was a walk up a gradual incline that was like hiking up a blue/green ski slope. It was tough and took about an hour. Once we got to the "almost" top we looked up and saw steps we had to climb. These steps were built into the rocks and at most places I must say there was a railing. It was scary and I kept leaning into the mountain and not looking down. When we got to the top we were on top of the world and could see NOTHING. Clouds had come in and settled over the valley below. On top of that there were bushes that attracted bees and they were buzzing everywhere. With my bee episode last summer, I was frantic I would be stung and of course, had nothing to counter it. Who would believe there would be bees at the top of the mountain. According to our tour book, the land one would see, if possible from the top, would be South America!
This morning my legs felt like I had done squats all day!
We also walked to a beach trail as we wanted to see the ocean. Unbelievable beauty.
In the early afternoon we headed to the wine country, an area of Australia that had been severely burned in the fires two years ago.
Cliff with his walking stick
Vegetation going up the trail
At the top!
On the way down
View halfway down with Ocean in background
On the beach with rocks
Pristine beach 
Sitting on the rocks
Beach boulders
Wilsons Prom is a huge beautiful wilderness with camping, hiking on many different trails and a total outdoor experience. We chose a hike that was considered easy/hard. It was a walk up a gradual incline that was like hiking up a blue/green ski slope. It was tough and took about an hour. Once we got to the "almost" top we looked up and saw steps we had to climb. These steps were built into the rocks and at most places I must say there was a railing. It was scary and I kept leaning into the mountain and not looking down. When we got to the top we were on top of the world and could see NOTHING. Clouds had come in and settled over the valley below. On top of that there were bushes that attracted bees and they were buzzing everywhere. With my bee episode last summer, I was frantic I would be stung and of course, had nothing to counter it. Who would believe there would be bees at the top of the mountain. According to our tour book, the land one would see, if possible from the top, would be South America!
This morning my legs felt like I had done squats all day!
We also walked to a beach trail as we wanted to see the ocean. Unbelievable beauty.
In the early afternoon we headed to the wine country, an area of Australia that had been severely burned in the fires two years ago.
Cliff with his walking stick
Vegetation going up the trail
At the top!
On the way down 
View halfway down with Ocean in background
On the beach with rocks
Pristine beach 
Sitting on the rocks
Beach bouldersOnward to Australia - Brisbane, Sun Coast and Melbourne
Sheepdog herding on back of sheet
Lorikeets seen in the wildLittle did we know when we left Christchurch on 16 February, that one week later it would be changed forever. We are so fortunate to have been spared this tragedy, but so sad for our friends Brian and Kay. It has been declared the worst tragedy in Christchurch history.
On a more positive note, upon leaving Christchurch we discovered Air New Zealand allowed a carry on of only 15lbs which isn't much. One checked bag was allowed and anything over that was $50. Kneeling on the floor in front of the check-in we were rearranging our luggage pulling out stuff and growing more embarrassed by the minute as the line grew longer and longer. We now have a lot of sympathy for anyone in a similar situation.My dear friend Jan and her brother Geoff whom I haven't see since the late 60's met us at the airport. They had planned a big welcoming when we walked out of customs, but somehow missed us. I thought maybe they were stuck in traffic and had no idea how to reach Jan. I know Cliff was getting nervous! After a stroll around we found each other! It was wonderful to see Jan and Geoff and we had no trouble picking up where we left off.
Beach near Jan's house
Patrolled beach where we swamAfter dinner in the city we headed out to the Sun Coast which is very much like Florida. Jan has a lovely tropical feeling house with a swimming pool surrounded by lush jungle type vegetation. On Thursday Jan hosted a luncheon for us to meet her friends, and that proved to be quite the party. Champagne at 1130 followed by bottle after bottle of wine did not bode well for the rest of the day's activities. What a group! We were thoroughly entertained by their stories and in particular Russ a "white African" who may pay us a visit in Williamsburg. He is quite the personality. The next evening we were off to Russ' house for more wine, dinner and looking for roos on the golf course, which we never found. The remainder of our visit was filled with swimming in the Pacific at Moolooabah Beach (loved the names, most of which were unpronounceable by us) which was quite alive with swimmers, lifeguards in training and a general beach town liveliness. We could not go outside of the yellow flags as the surf was extremely rough with fantastic surf. The next flag would have been red meaning no swimming.. Riding the waves was so exciting! Our last day on the Sun Coast we had not one minute to fit in another activity as Jan had planned another filled day. The evening ended with a dinner at Moolooabah beach with our new and old friends. Jan was the perfect hostess and made sure we saw it all and were never sitting still. Hopefully some day I can show her our part of the world.
Observation: Everyone has a pool, kept their houses open fans and without central air. It is very tropical with humidity to match.
Next on our itinerary was Melbourne. Another lively city with a University in the center. The shops were filled with jaw dropping high-end fashion; haute couture that one only sees in Vogue. I didn't see it on the street, however. The city had few Victorian era buildings among the modern architecture, some of which was cutting edge. If you ever get there don't miss Federation Square, the hub of the city that is filled with outdoor cafes, shops, weekly markets, entertainers, buskers and meeting spaces. It was jammed with people on Sunday afternoon when we passed through. We walked many miles, rode the tram, enjoyed the museum and ambiance of the city for two days. The only setback was the weather which was very windy and chilly. Locals were saying they had had no summer.
After picking up our car in Melbourne we decided to go to Philip Island that is a beach resort with a "penguin parade" every evening. We thought that might be interesting, but determining it was much more touristy than we liked, we decided to move to our next spot, which is affectionately known as Wilson's Prom, a National Park That adventure deserves a blog of its own.
Our little friend
Jan, Geoff overlooking Brisbane |
Melbourne street of grafitti sanctioned by the city  Federation Square waiting for a performance Book stalls in Federation Square Typical Victorian light post Cliff at the Melbourne Museum of Art Victorian architecture from the past |
Monday, February 14, 2011
Christchurch, Kaikoura and Akaroa
Arrived in Christchurch after a breathtaking drive along the west coast and through Arthur's Pass on a clear crisp afternoon. Found a B&B within walking distance of central Christchurch, and said we would spend one night, which has led to four. The couple are so compatible with us and very interested in world events; we have discussed everything, but still haven't solved the world's problems.
Into Christchurch on the next morning to a charming vibrant town on a glorious sunny day. The main square was full of activity, Egyptian demonstrators celebrating Mubarak's resignation,buskers, flowers everywhere and people from around the world enjoying this central square. We rode around on a tram and the tram driver even stopped to allow a bride to pose hanging off the first step wit hthe groom; a very laid back people who truly do enjoy life. However, sitting over the breakfast table with our hosts Brian and Kay, we realize there are problems in utopia as well.
In the Botanic Gardens, which some rate as the best in the world, we saw many flowers, but nothing different from the northern hemisphere. I was surprised that we didn't find different species of flowers, but for the most part we have the same thing in Williamsburg. I must say that because of their cooler climate, the flowers are more colorful this late in their summer than in our late summer.
After two nights in Christchurch we headed out again to a whaling village where we could see whales, but had to go very early in the am. We certainly got what we paid for, a show! We only saw one whale, a sperm whale, but he stayed up on the top for about 15 minutes getting oxygen, and when he was ready to bid adieu, he slapped his big tail on the surface and under he went. We decided he must be tame! Then on to dolphin fields where the small white and black mamels were v ery acrobatic. It was hard to believe we saw all of this on the open ocean. The winds were furious and the seas were extremely rough with waves going across the bow, and the boart rocking and rolling. After our early morning venture, all other whale sightings were canceled due to the high winds. We were so glad we had caught this first morning tour.
Unfortunately with our camera there are no photos of the whale and only a few of the dolphins that aren't very good..
We have returned to Christchurch to spend the night in our B&B, and off tomorrow on our final day trip to Akaroa, the first French settlement in NZ.
Dropped down into Akaroa literallyl after winding through the mountinas this morning after our night in the B&B in Christchurch. As usual, breathtaking. A beautiful seaside village tucked between volcanic activity of long ago. Seaside cafes, no clouds or humidity, once again beautiful flowers and vistas that were awesome. I loved the quaint painted houses that were oozing with charm. We learned how the village came about and then had the most delicious lunch of green lipped mussels with wine enjoying the glorious day. Our last day in New Zealand was heavenly.
Whaling boat tour
Dolphins
Our vehicle for two weeks
Into Christchurch on the next morning to a charming vibrant town on a glorious sunny day. The main square was full of activity, Egyptian demonstrators celebrating Mubarak's resignation,buskers, flowers everywhere and people from around the world enjoying this central square. We rode around on a tram and the tram driver even stopped to allow a bride to pose hanging off the first step wit hthe groom; a very laid back people who truly do enjoy life. However, sitting over the breakfast table with our hosts Brian and Kay, we realize there are problems in utopia as well.
In the Botanic Gardens, which some rate as the best in the world, we saw many flowers, but nothing different from the northern hemisphere. I was surprised that we didn't find different species of flowers, but for the most part we have the same thing in Williamsburg. I must say that because of their cooler climate, the flowers are more colorful this late in their summer than in our late summer.
After two nights in Christchurch we headed out again to a whaling village where we could see whales, but had to go very early in the am. We certainly got what we paid for, a show! We only saw one whale, a sperm whale, but he stayed up on the top for about 15 minutes getting oxygen, and when he was ready to bid adieu, he slapped his big tail on the surface and under he went. We decided he must be tame! Then on to dolphin fields where the small white and black mamels were v ery acrobatic. It was hard to believe we saw all of this on the open ocean. The winds were furious and the seas were extremely rough with waves going across the bow, and the boart rocking and rolling. After our early morning venture, all other whale sightings were canceled due to the high winds. We were so glad we had caught this first morning tour.
Unfortunately with our camera there are no photos of the whale and only a few of the dolphins that aren't very good..
We have returned to Christchurch to spend the night in our B&B, and off tomorrow on our final day trip to Akaroa, the first French settlement in NZ.
Dropped down into Akaroa literallyl after winding through the mountinas this morning after our night in the B&B in Christchurch. As usual, breathtaking. A beautiful seaside village tucked between volcanic activity of long ago. Seaside cafes, no clouds or humidity, once again beautiful flowers and vistas that were awesome. I loved the quaint painted houses that were oozing with charm. We learned how the village came about and then had the most delicious lunch of green lipped mussels with wine enjoying the glorious day. Our last day in New Zealand was heavenly.
Whaling boat tour
Dolphins
Our vehicle for two weeks
Our hosts, Brian and Kay Smith
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