Sydney NSW (Dec - 1/2 day)

We will be back in Sydney tomorrow for a brief overnight visit (we shall be returning closer to Christmas for a longer reunion) and then we will home! It is hard to believe that this incredible journey that we have shared is in its last days. We feel a mixture of sadness that our adventure is almost over and excitement about being reunited with family and friends. We also await the thrill of setting up our new home in Port Macquarie (a renovated cottage recently purchased, that we will fortunately be able to move straight into).

We feel extremely blessed to have experienced this remarkable adventure as a family. Eight months of travel and exploration has whizzed by, but we now have a lifetime of beautiful memories to reflect upon for many years to come. The children have already talked about taking their own children on a similar journey! Our many joys and trials have grown our family in ways that we could not have anticipated. We feel most grateful to our incredibly generous and almighty God for his loving care and protection during our travels. We feel enormously proud of Annabelle, Harrison, Hannah and Georgia for enduring hundreds of hours in the car and for embracing this journey with us.

Some 32,000 kilometres around our amazing country….a life changing experience that we will never forget!

Bathurst NSW (Dec - 4 days)

After waiting eight long months we finally arrived in Bathurst to spend some time with the Milton’s (Kate’s cousin) whom we love spending time with! They made a tree change from Sydney less than twelve months ago and are now embarking on the exciting task of starting a farm on a property in the picturesque outskirts of Bathurst. It was so wonderful to have some quality time catching up with them again, for the kids to play with their second cousins and to see their new home for the first time.

Alexandra Vic (Nov - 4 days)

After collecting our van we travelled north to Alexandra in rural Victoria. This is home to Tim’s Grandfather’s farm. We had a terrific time soaking up the beautiful surrounds of the homestead, fishing in the dams (our fishless streak continues), seeing the vast property by 4WD, feeding the horses, picking lemons and making lemonade! The kids were also treated to a visit to a friend’s farm that is home to a menagerie of farm animals and pets. They were able to feed, pat and hold a range of animals which was very thrilling. We took a lovely drive to Marysville for lunch and visited a very unique sculpture gallery/garden.

Phillip Island Vic (Nov - 2 days)

During our Melbourne stop we took two days out to visit Phillip Island. We treated ourselves by leaving the van behind with friends and staying in a lovely apartment on the island.

The highlights of the visit were the newly established Nobbies marine education centre and driving to various scenic spots and beaches. We were all geared up for our sunset ‘penguin experience’ after rugging up in jackets and beanies. We were shocked to discover that the attraction is one of the top five attended by bus loads of overseas tourists. It was packed and we were literally shoulder to shoulder trying to view the little penguins waddling up from the sea to their burrows. We had to stand over the kids to ensure they were not trampled in the crush! It was a lovely wildlife experience, but was tainted by the dreadfully cold night air and overwhelming crowds!

Melbourne Vic (Nov - 4 days)

We had a delightful time in Melbourne staying with some lovely friends the Cresps whom we met during the east coast leg of our trip. The kids relished the space of a house with huge playroom, trampoline etc…They adored time with their travelling friends also. Our stop in Melbourne was centred around catching up with family and friends. We stayed with Tim’s grandfather also and had a lovely dinner with Tim’s Melbourne relatives one evening. It was wonderful catching up with family, including Tim's nan who is 96!! We were also fortunate enough to be able to help Grandpa celebrate his birthday during our visit.

Queenscliff Vic (Nov - 2 days)

The end of the Great Ocean Road saw us at Queenscliff. We actually did very little here except take refuge from the terrible weather. We had our first occurrence of hail, along with very familiar high winds and driving rain. The children had a terrific time swimming in the very warm indoor pool and spa at the caravan park. We sampled the quaint town shops, bought some gorgeous strawberries and of course coffees. We took a brief drive to Port Lonsdale, but otherwise did very little. Our plan from Queenscliff was to take the ferry across to Sorrento and make our way down to Wilson’s Promontory and also Phillip Island. Due to the ghastly weather which we were experiencing and the forecast for these south-eastern parts were considerable worse (strong wind warning, flash flooding etc), we decided to alter our plans and visit Phillip Island after travelling up to Melbourne for a few days. We now plan to visit Wilson’s Promontory during trip two (more of southern NSW, VIC and TAS – possibly a shorter trip in 2012!).

Great Ocean Road Vic (Nov - 2 days)

The Great Ocean Road was certainly a highlight for all of us. It was drizzly and blowy for the most part (what is it with this wind!?), but the sights were very impressive. The first day took us from Point Fairy to Apollo Bay. Along this wilder stretch of coast we saw The Bay of Islands. These limestone outcrops chiselled by the elements were amazing. Then there was London Bridge and not to forget The Twelve Apostles (the ‘Twelve Fossils’ according to Hannah). They really are a majestic sight rising up out of the ocean, their rich earthy tones a beautiful contrast to the raging sea. Hannah The drive took us through some stunning National Park forests and through lovely pastoral land. It was very green and hilly. Our stop over point, Apollo Bay is referred to as ‘Paradise by the Sea’. This was not too grand a claim. The green hills meeting the sea was picture perfect. This was a spot we could happily revisit!

Day two took us to the end of this famous stretch of road and then around to Queenscliff. The sun came out and we enjoyed viewing calmer waters as we wound our way along the coast-hugging stretch of the journey. We pulled over at several points to have a better look, and again at Lorne for a walk, play and coffee. The actual Great Ocean stretch was over far too quickly and Kate did suggest re-driving it. Easier said than done for Tim who had negotiated many tricky bends and passes along the way with the van!