Having learnt from past experience, this morning we did a hike with two cars so that we only had to walk one way! We met up with Cathy and Steve at Halletts Cove and left their car in the car park. Bernie then drove the four of us up to Marino Rocks so that we could walk the Hallett Cove Boardwalk (Marion Coastal Trail) back to Halletts Cove. Hmmn, a boardwalk sounds like some lovely gentle exercise doesn’t it? Until yesterday I thought this to be the case. However, reading a bit more about the trail yesterday, I became aware that it was going to involve stairs that would help us negotiate our way past all of the gullies that run down to the sea!! The trail could perhaps be more accurately titled The Great Marion ... read more

We spent today in Naracoorte and have now seen all of the attractions featured on their brown tourist sign! We started the day at the World Heritage Listed Naracoorte Caves. With time to fill before our tour booked for 10.15am we completed the above ground loop above the Alexandra, Blanche and Bat Caves. There are a number of above ground openings to the caves which means that even people who do not want to go underground can experience the caves at Naracoorte. After our above ground experience we drove down to the Victoria Fossil Cave for our guided tour. Our guide was passionate about the caves and made our tour very interesting. I was particularly taken with a new explanation about stalactites and stalagmites. Apparently the word roots mean that one, the stalactites, are the drippy ... read more

We left Canberra just before 9.00am this morning for the drive home to Melbourne. We made our first stop near Gundagai for the BIG Koala and, of course, the Dog (back) on the Tuckerbox. The statue was vandalised (knocked from its plinth) at the end of July and had to be taken away for repairs. Bernie checked this morning to learn that the dog is back. When we arrived, not only was the dog back on the tuckerbox, there were hundreds of people at the site for the ceremonial return of the dog. What a momentous day to visit! Tracey took over the driving and we continued down the Hume. As we neared Holbrook, Tracey decided that it was probably time for another leg stretch and maybe some lunch. When we stopped near Gundagai we smelt ... read more

This morning we set off to visit the Jenolan Caves. Only 27 Kilometres away from Katoomba, as the crow flies, but 74 kilometres by road! On our way we made a quick stop at Govetts Leap Lookout near Blackheath. The falls here are known as the Bridal Veil Falls or simply, Govetts Leap. One more stupendous view of a rugged Blue Mountains valley, this time the Grose Valley. Back on the road we made it to Jenolan Caves nearly an hour before our scheduled cave tour at 11.30am. The weather associated with the polar vortex dumped snow on this part of the world last weekend closing the road to Jenolan Caves. Knowing that there could still be a bit of snow and ice by the road we decided to allow plenty of time for the trip. ... read more

Our host at the Brooklyn Motel, Keith, told us this morning that someone drove their car off the Peats Ferry Bridge overnight. This is the same bridge that we crossed coming into Brooklyn yesterday afternoon. As at this morning police divers had still not located the vehicle and the driver. After packing the car we headed down to the Brooklyn Public Wharf for our cruise on the Hawkesbury River with the Riverboat Postman. We were so lucky with the weather today as it was a beautiful clear blue and sunny day on the river. Although it was a bit brisk, it was perfect for a leisurely cruise. The first Riverboat Postman started the run in 1910. Today the tradition continues with Hawkesbury Cruises, the current operators of this famous half day trip. Before we left the ... read more