Journey's End

We found Neil and Terry Harvey wandering the bookstore in the Brisbane airport so a good plan had come together. We all journeyed to Gladstone and then on to the ferry for Herron Island where we were to enjoy our first three night stand.



The little island is only some 1 k long and is the home of a lovely all inclusive resort for 200 guests.



Our beach house is steps away from the reef and the water is like a bath.


Activities include eating, snorkeling, eating, napping, snorkeling, and eating with an occasional walk or talk with the resident naturalists. Here are a few pictures of us in island flow.
Terry with her first taste of kangaroo.


The group patiently waiting for our dinner seating.



The Harveys preparing to snorkel.


Oh and a little bridge.


No pictures of the sharks, rays, turtles, 7 foot groper, and gorgeous coral and fish that we saw, up close and personal.



Good bye to three great days on Herron Island and then a quick couple of days in Sydney.
Our first night's lodging was a disappointing at best. The "bridge view" turned out to be under the on ramp to the bridge complete with trucks.


The "beautifully restored mansion" came roaches and all and there was no mention that the bathroom was down the hall...way down. Needless to say the Holiday Inn that we switched to looked like a palace and we had a great view of the iconic opera house on the roof.



We really enjoyed our cruise in the harbor with a great views of a vibrant city and a gourmet lunch.






Our last dinner was again in view of the opera house with the evening lights.



Following a long flight, we are happy to be home full of wonderful memories!

Victoria

Our second Australian state is Victoria. Home to the glorious city of Melbourne.


Our time there was way too short, but we packed in as much as we could. A free tram ride gave us a good look at the central city and we walked across the footbridge over the Yarra River to join the cosmopolitan crowd enjoying a hot Sunday afternoon.





Then on to Chinatown



for a fun dinner with interesting clientele.


The next day we wandered a bit in the lanes to find a refurbished warehouse called Captains of Industry where we had breakfast and bought a hand crafted kangaroo skin wallet for Bill (displayed on ladder).



Kathy managed to do a bit of damage when the department stores opened. Very stylish Australian designers!
Then on to the drive down the Great Ocean road. Our journey there included a stretch of road where there were literally dozens of koala bears hanging in the Eucalyptus trees and an evening walk to watch thousands of shearwaters returning to their roost.


The high point of this part of the drive was the Twelve Apostles. Formations of limestone that have been formed from wind and water erosion. Breathtaking!









We headed inland next to the Grampians National Park. Here we visited the Brumbach museum of aboriginal studies.



We added cockatoo and kookaburra to our wildlife sightings



And watched dozens of kangaroos outside our door.

Tasmania

Our overnight trip to Doubtful Sound left wonderful 'wind up' memories for our New Zealand journeys. The crew were masters at feeding, transporting, and informing about our trip and the boat was quite comfortable. The landscape on the way to the sound was the flattest we have seen with the now usual sheep,deer and cows in the foreground and mountains behind. Note our favorite Oreo cows (Belted Galloway).



We even saw a cute (but polluting) steam train.



We had a lovely sunny day to enjoy the fiord (480 meters deep at it's deepest, almost unbelievable considering the narrow width).



And the hundreds of waterfalls as we wended our way down the various arms. So much water that it is unclear what the source is...


We saw our first crested penguin, albatross and gannet as well as the endangered kea parrot (rumored to be the smartest bird in the world).


Great fun! Tom and Kathy enjoy tea aboard our ship.



Then a long travel day to Tasmania. We landed in Launceston where we took a bit of time exploring the next morning. The cataract gorge was a must see where we rode the chairlift across and took the suspension bridge to return.







Then we set out on the "longest journey" to Freycinet National Park. We chose what looked like a scenic route but it turned out to be a VERY windy and hilly road, about one and a half lanes wide. We made a 3 hour trip into 5 plus. We did add wallaby, emu and echidna to our wildlife list.



The rest of our time inTasmania included an overnight in Hobart where the 67,000 English convicts were sent in from 1803-1856 to work off their bondage, sometimes for stealing a loaf of bread. Our hotel was right on the pier. One of the convicts is pictured in front of our hotel.


Then on to Cradle Mountain after another way too long drive for a quick stay in the national park and some lovely hikes and splendid vistas.


This is Dove Lake in the park - we hiked around it this morning.

Tomorrow, the Australian mainland...

Good bye to Kiwi land

We have had some really wild adventures in this land of extreme adventures! The spelunking in a natural cave begins with a wet suit,boots and lighted helmet. Then hike up 130 rough hewn stairs carrying your inner tube. Proceed into the cave exploring stalactites and stalagmites often bending over or climbing over rocks. All this concludes with entering an underground river (this is where the inner tube comes in) and gazing up on galaxies of glow worms. Then out the cave and paddling the rapids back to a narrow gauge train. Oh my! If you are dying for more details(doubtful) you can check their website caverafting.com.nz and look for the afternoon of 2/15/12.
Next was a flight over the Franz Joseph glacier with a landing to walk about.



Jet boating on Shotover river was just one of the wild options available here in Queenstown. This involved driving as close to the boulders as possible at break neck speed and spinning over rapids with an occasional 360 thrown in for good measure.



We've covered a good deal of the south island enjoying vistas of the Tasman Sea,


Lovely reflection lakes,


Mountains and glacier fed lakes,


Rainforest walks,


And exploring the Saturday market.



Tonight is our last dinner with Black Sheep and then on to an overnight in the fiord of Doubtful Sound.

Black sheep continues

Our activities with Black Sheep have included...
Swimming with the seals in Kaikura



Whale watching from the air..saw sperm whale and orcas.



Hiking in the forests.


And on the beaches in Abel Tasman national park-the tidal flats


Sea kayaking in the Tasman Sea.



Picnics on the beach.


And crossing paths with old friends.