Blogs from Essendon, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Oceania - page 2

It's freezing cold here in a Melbourne mid-winter, and Scott says he's heard that it's snowing on nearby Arthur's Seat. Snow in Melbourne is quite unusual, so thankfully we're about to go somewhere where it's a bit warmer. Our dog Coco's not happy; he knows when he sees suitcases that his Mummy is going to go off and leave him. We put him in the laundry and he howls. Scott and Troy drive us to the airport, and Issy gets a bit emotional as we say our goodbyes. Emma's on a Kontiki tour in New Zealand, so we said our goodbyes to her a few days ago. It seems that the immigration staff at the airport have all taken angry pills; they yell at everyone and herd them around like cattle. They seem to reserve their ... read more

This is the first time that we will have left our three offspring at home on their own for more than two weeks, and Issy's finding the thought of this very stressful. Emma's not too relaxed about it either, and if Coco knew that his precious mother was about to desert him for two months he'd be howling the house down by now. Troy's gone away with some friends so Scott and Emma drive us to the airport. We find out later that Emma started crying when she got back to the car. We're very glad we didn't know about this at the time; she never cries.... read more

The day has finally arrived!!! As you can see by the pics, the vehicle has been packed worse than a blindfolded chimp playing Tetris, but it was only for the drive to Melbourne. Once I get Pete and his stuff on Tuesday I’ll put the roof bag on & re-do it all. Also in the pics you will notice two new front end recovery points (one each for John & Neil’s truck) and the recovery hitch on the back (that’s for Phil’s Navara). Naturally I won’t get stuck anywhere... Got to Melbourne in around seven hours and a tank and a half of fuel. Worst economy ever! 475km from 75 odd litres of diesel. The old girl certainly does not appreciate being pushed to 110kph for long distances. A good drive though. I stopped in at ... read more

One subtle difference between Oz and Canada is the disticnt and ubiquitous lack of wifi and internet access. Where access exists the price is astoundingly higher than at home and we are currently paying 7$ an hour which is laughable in Hamilton where internet is free with a coffee purchase. The abiltiy to communicate makes the cost negligible anyways but it is annoying to have so little internet available. All in all it is a minor problem and Tasmania is so beautiful that you forget about little things like the internet. Oh yes,we are in Tasmania now and the journeyt here from Adelaide was windy, wet and wonderful. The great ocean road is about as different a drive from crossing the outback as noodle is to a lightbulb. Starting from Adelaide we crossed southeastern South Australia ... read more

Day -1. We've just about finished packing, the boxes are all sealed, and we're almost ready to go. Starting a blog is number 1325 on the list, but here it is anyways. Needed to be started. Airport tomorrow. Likely to be a few tears.... read more