Australia 2012
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PAM'S AUSTRALIA DIARY

Our Australian Adventure

Tuesday 17th January 2012

5.20am Our Etihad courtesy car arrives and we are off! Very pleasant trip with amiable young man driving. He tells us that he know there is a recession because he doesn't get as many calls for his executive limo to pick up the kids for the school run in Alderley Edge as he used to. Times are hard for some.

5.50am Directed to find the carpeted checkin desk for Business Class. Checked through to Melbourne - fast track through security (although to be fair it wasn't busy). Spotted security being unusually helpful - couple who hadn't put liquids etc in plastic bag helped to find all such items and put in bags. Off to the Etihad lounge - drinks (tea and coffee! - too early even for us!) - breakfast - scrambled eggs for me and full English for K. Quick read of the paper and comfy wait.

By 8.40am comfortably settled in our seats in the plane with glass of orange juice in hand. Took off about 9am and then enjoyed glasses of champagne. What a good way to travel! Used the entertainment system - flight tracker, camera and K watched a couple of films.

Abu Dhabi - airport heaving and disorganised - security scanning of hand baggage with bags higgledy piggledy through scanner. Into the Etihad lounge - busier than Manchester. Beginning to feel tired.

9.30pm (UAE time - GMT +4hrs) Went to gate and had been upgraded to 1st class! Wow - individual suites, complimentary lounge wear and goodies and 'the chef will be round soon to talk through the menu and discuss what you would like' - Chick pea soup with feta and lebneh? ( like creme fraich) then sorbet, steak for K and chicken for me - too full for dessert - all seved on very wide dining table, complete with cloth and runner! Captain welcomed everybody aboard the flight to Sydney and told us the weather for Sydney????? Later corrected to Melbourne! We just hoped he remembered on the way! 2 glasses of champagne for me and champagne and g&t later for K it was time for bed. There had been trouble with the electrics - kept failing so couldn' t adjust the wide seat at times - but fixed so flat beds made up -sheet cover, and duvet provided. Doors closed so our own private suite. Very turblent flight so bit difficult to sleep at first (K found it difficult all night).
Woke up and soon served with fresh orange but had to wait a while for breakfast and had to ask a couple of times if we could order - then my cereals did not appear and nor did K's toasted bagel but in the scheme of things not a major problem. Although if we had paid for Diamond class may have felt more aggrieved - especially as no movies or TV available as the system was down.

Arrived Melbourne at 7pm (Vic time = GMT + 11 hrs) Wed 18th Jan. Met by Ste -fantastic to see him again - and Etihad driver. Driven the 10 min walk to Formule 1 while Ste walked there with case of cricket stuff - he beat us! Walked back to airport and had a couple of drinks and good chat with Ste. So good to see him!

Thursday 19th January

Didn't get much sleep, even though tired. Both awake by 3 am but tried to keep resting. Gave up and got up at 5 am. Activated Aus sim cards, went to terminal for breakfast, picked up luggage and went for car - silver Toyota Aurion Sport something - an automatic so a challenge for K. Arrived at Heritage Golf & Country Clud in Yarra Ranges mid morning. Room not ready so went to get some trail snacks and had a look around Warrandyte -v pretty area. Checked in to beautiful room with balcony, big bed, settee, chair fridge etc. . Still a bit jet lagged.

K booked Aquarium dives for Fri 27th. Texted Ste to tell him. Ste having problem sorting out visa so we will go to Dept of Immigration to try to find out info. Needed to get on Internet but Tep not good. Tried outside and saw our first kangaroos on the golf course! Booked Ste a room for Fri & Sat.

Fri 20th Jan

Still a bit out of time with body clock - slept well until about 3am. Got up at 5.30am ready to go to Melbourne for the day.
Caught metro at Ringwood and off at Parliament in Melbourne. Went to Dept of immigration and got info that Ste needed. Walked through Melbourne then train to find Dive Shop. Unfortunately, train didn't stop at our station so had to pass it and go back. K went to find shop then back to city to wait for Ste. Felt very tired. Bought Ugg boots for Helen. Back to hotel with Ste - good night, chatting, with Ste telling a tale or two!

Sat 21st Jan

Good night's sleep - think body adjusted finally -although did need an afternoon nap! A lazy day -first time we've stopped since we set off. Ate dinner in the hotel restuarant - $268 for 3 of us !!! Seen several different types of birds - some like doves but with bright red breasts and collars.

Sun 22nd Jan

Met up with Ste after breakfast and took him to work before checking out Lilydale station and car parking. Went for swim in the lap pool. Very hot day!

Mon 23rd Jan - Puffing Bully and Penguin Deluxe trip

Up at 4am to catch 5.18am train to town. Breakfast in town before getting on coach at 8.20am. Bit of a bun fight at coach stop but soon settled on coach. Another very hot day:
Sherbrooke Forest - Bush Billy tea, vegemite and lamingtons. Lots of white cockatoos and some Crimson Rosellas and other unidentified birds
Puffing Billy train -Belgrave to Menzies Creek. Steam train with open carriages -K sat on window ledge with feet out. Beautiful scenery through forest.
Through Blue Dandenong Ranges (blue because vapour from eucalyptus trees gives blue haze) to Churchill Farm - roast chicken lunch eaten with couple from Perth and their son and his partner - tour of farm - ride of cart horse drawn cart - wallabies resting under trees - pioneer's house
Phillip Island Nature Park - koalas sleeping in trees seen from boardwalks through the tree tops
Nobbies - boardwalks round cliffs - saw penguin burrows up close
Drive along coast road - several wallabies (short ears long snout) along roadside
Penguin Parade - watched penguins form groups to cross beach and head for rookeries - walked along boardwalks as they came up - very close and noisy!
Problem with return time - expected return after last train home - driver kindly dropped us at Richmond station with minutes to spare (not helped that 1 couple were 10 mins late back to coach, despite knowing we had problem with timings). Couldn't find way into station! Kind passing motorist spotted us and told us way in - ran for our lives onto wrong platform! Made it onto right platform with 1 min to spare. Got on train next to young man who told us yobbos kicking off at back of carriage - we ignored them, then police got on and arrested them. Man's wife joined us from another seat and talking - they said to beware of pickpockets etc. on the Lilydale line - i clasped my bag tighter - problem with trains and our train changed from Belgrave train to Alamein train so we had to change trains. On way to new train fellow passenger warned K to watch the two we were talking to as they had picked his pocket couple of weeks earlier! Surreptisiously checked my bag! Had to change trains at Ringwood and they went in different carriage - obviously decided not to attempt to pick our pockets! Although girl did wander through carriage and back - looking for other prospects? Back to hotel about 2 am - shattered - but had a great day!!

Tues 24th Jan

Got up about 8.30am, surprisingly not as tired as expected. Wanted to go up into mountains and see Yarra Valley and needed to do some washing. Set off to Yarra Glen and found a launderette. Yarra Glen is lovely little town. Then went for drive into mountains and through Kinglake National Park. Could see the effects of last bush fire in 2009 - trees charred but beginning to recover. Good view over the valley. Back into valley, stopped at Yering Winery - very nice, well developed tourist attraction. - restaurant, bar, tasting, hotel, cafe, hotel restaurant. Had glass of wine each and enquired about reservation for Thursday (Australia Day) with Ste and mate. Possible so need to check out times etc with Ste.

Wed 25th Jan

Day started cooler but very hot again by lunchtime.
Went to Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary and saw loads of Australian wildlife!
including emus, venemous snakes, koalas, kangaroos, dingoes and so many animals that I can't remember them all but the wombats and the Tasmanian Devils remained very elusive. Superb demonstration of birds of prey and parrots. The eagle being brought out attracted 2 wild eagles soaring overhead - they were being territorial so the demo one was kept low. The show included a very well trained parrot that answered the keeper's questions, lifted legs, danced etc to match the 'conversation'. Fans which sprayed very fine mist of water around the arena were very effective (and I've never seen before) but they couldn't have these on when birds flying so very hot watching show. This was follwed by an aborigine man demonstrating didgeredoo playing and boomerang throwing - apparently there was only 1 of the 500 tribes that actually threw boomerangs. Stopped off in Yarra Glen again on return.

Thurs 26th Jan

Another beautiful day - bit cooler - just like a very nice summer's day in England then hot later in afternoon.
Picked Ste and his mate, Martin, up from Lilydale. Boys went for swim then round of golf, I went for swim and Kevin went for long walk. Later K& I went for walk round grounds to try to find Botanic Gardens but found large pond with ducks and a black swan instead. Tea with the lads with tennis semi-final on tv.
Ste has managed to finally submit his visa application! As soon as the forms are signed for at Immigration, he has a bridging visa - he can stay - at least for now! All with 3 working days to spare!

Fri 27th Jan - Diving with Sharks

Early start - taxi to Lilydale station ( couldn't be sure of parking) - train to city then K and lads went off to dive shop to meet so the lads could do their training. I went round shops - just window shopping. Met up again at lunchtime at the Aquarium. I went round while they got ready for 'The Dive' with sharks. All 3 really enjoyed it. Went for drink with the lads before returning to hotel. That's it - won't see Ste again until we come back at end of Feb - but has been great seeing him over last week or so.

Sat 28th Jan

Wow it's hot - 34 on K's watch at lunchtime! ☀
Drove to Yarra Glen and got phone call from Alarm Company - power off at home - it was only a matter of time! Spoke to our guardian angel, Helen, she and Jeff will sort out tomorrow morning (UK time). Thank you so much, Helen, for taking the calls and reassuring us. You are a star.
Called off at Yering Winery - Matt's Bar -on way back to hotel for another glass of lovely sparkling rose and beautiful views over the valley - eagle circling in the distance. A lazy afternoon - reading, resting, K sorting out video from yesterday into format for website then a lovely refreshing swim.

8.30pm text from Jeff - which we missed at first because we were doing our daily evening kangaroo watching on the golf course - house all Ok. Rang and had chat. Thanks guys for sorting that out - it's good to know you are watching our backs! xxxxxxx

Sun 29th Jan -Great Ocean Road & 12 Apostles

We were going to take a coach trip tomorrow to drive down the Great Ocean Road and see the 12 Apostles but didn't fancy having to get up at 4am and trek into the city to catch the coach so after breakfast we decided to drive down ourselves today - well K drove, I enjoyed the ride!
A beautiful stretch of coast, large sandy beaches, turquoise sea, surf rolling in and a rugged coastline. Some of the towns looked very pretty but very trollsome (it was a Sunday and a beautiful day, so not surprising they were busy). Reached the 12 Apostles at about 2.45pm and they were quite awesome - like everything in Australia - difficult to appreciate the scale. Carried on along the Ocean Road to Port Campbell, another typical, lovely Australian town - a sort of colonial feel with clapboard, low rise buildings - nice lunch/tea then set off for the long drive home but across country not along coast. Scale in Australia? Total journey for day was over 600km - and, although we realised it wasn't, it looked like it was just down the road on the map!

Now enjoying a nice bottled of chilled sauvignon blanc on room service! (How much should you tip room service waiter? I'm never sure - is it 10%, like in restaurant - more? Less?- Answers on a postcard, please!). Perfect end to another good day!

Mon 30th Jan

A few showers this am but still very warm, hot and sunny again by pm. A quiet day today - washing in Yarra Glen then back to read, swim and generally relax. K hired a bike for an hour. The smell in the air from the eucalyptus trees was beautifully aromatic, quite sweet, not as strong as processed eucalyptus. Bottle of 'Mr Frog' , local chardonnay, chilled ready for this evening ..... :-)