Melbourne and on to Alice Springs

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So, we got up and went to the aquarium. It was very nice. It had a long tunnel that was made of polycarbonate that you could look at the fish thru as you walked thru it. We then hopped on the free tram and headed toward downtown. We found the tour boat dock and got our tickets. We boarded the boat and took a 1 hour tour of Melbourne from the Yarra River. We booked back to our hotel for the 3:00 pm meet and greet with our tour director and the other tour guests. We met them again later for dinner and drinks.

The next morning we boarded our bus and headed out for a tour of Melbourne. We stopped and took a 1 hour walk thru some of old Melbourne's side streets and alleys. After that we boarded the bus and headed out to Phillip Island to view the smallest penguins in the animal world. Each night they come in to shore by the hundreds to go and feed their chicks. Some have been gone for up to 3 days to fill their stomachs with fish to feed their chicks. It was pretty cool to see them. The only problem was we couldn't photograph them as it is forbidden. We did see a few people try to get a photo of them and we gave them the evil eye.

Then it was back to the hotel for some sleep. We got up the next morning and took the bus down the Great Ocean Road. This was an all day trip. It would have been a fun trip in the Porsche. We stopped at numerous outlooks and a couple of small towns. Then it was back to the hotel. The next morning we left for the airport and flew to Alice Springs. It is located in the heart of Australia. Not much out here but red sand, Aborigines and heat. We went from mid 70's to the mid 90's in 2 1/2 hours.

We did a tour of the School of the Air, which is a school that started out by teaching kids in the outback over radio waves. Now they are taught over the internet. We also visited the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which has been flying doctors to patients all over Australia since the 1930's. In the evening, we went to the Earth Sanctuary World Nature Center for a zero carbon emissions dinner. The next morning we got on the bus to head out on a 285 mile drive to Ayres Rock.

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Photos

London Bridge
The main part fell down about 10 years ago.

Some of our fellow travellers making bread
They use just 3 ingredients. A bottle of beer, self rising flour and a pinch of salt. Bake for 30 minutes at 180 degrees and you have a great bread.

Comments

[Michele A McGauvran]

Took awhile to get the email
I just got the email today for the 10th. Weird. Then it said it was a dangerous site and wouldn't load the photos. . LOL so I got on my phone and voila, I can see it all. Love the Kangaroos. My dream is to hold the Koala bear. Can't wait to see more.