Blog five: Victoria and Tasmania

---

Blog Five: Victoria and Tasmania
We're screaming with news from home, so we'll begin with it...after ten years of dating, Megan and Matt are ENGAGED!!!!
Now back to Australia (and beyond). Back down along the Great Ocean Road, in the opposite direction that we rode it on the motorcycle, we were able to see this exquisite piece of Australia with more flexibility in our campervan.
Our slower pace enabled us to explore and enjoy isolated beaches, beautiful bush walks, and surprisingly empty campsites. One morning we awoke to the sound of the ocean, turned sideways in bed, opened the window and had a whitewater view! Not fully awake, we slid out of the campervan and found ourselves right on the "Great South West Walk". June got Michael to grab his hiking boots and off we set on an hour and a half trek along the path (of crushed rock, moss, leaves, and sand). It meandered through forests of gnarly trees and opened up to breathtaking views of fields and hills of green on one side and the craggy cliffs and crashing waves from the deep blue sea onto the white sands of deserted beaches on the other side (stunning views of the pristine bay below). What a perfect way to start a morning!!! On the next morning we took the path right outside our campervan along the river, lake and onto the beach. We made first steps on the untroddened beach to the end and back. Another great start to another great day!
Another morning we awoke to two kangaroos bounding by our camper. We watched them for a while, and then Michael grabbed the video cam and went out to get them on tape. Well, his video lasted 20 minutes (don't worry, we'll edit it before you view it). Roo was still hanging around when we went to take our morning hike, and wouldn't leave the trail, so June coaxed him to "move it" by showing him how to do it--"hop you fool". June and Roo hopping along the trail--quite a sight (you get to see this one on the blog)! After our hike, June fed three king parrots from her hand, then we walked over to see none else but a KOALA hanging out in the tree above. A morning filled with wildlife!
One exciting day took us up to the Ottway Fly Terrace Walk and Zip Line. First we walked along a steel grated terrace at the top of the rainforest canopy 40 meters above the forest floor. How wonderful to see the rainforest from up above looking down! Next we harnessed up and zip-lined through the canopy heights for 8 lines and 2 swing bridges. We hooted and hollered as we flew 40 meters above the ground ! Other days were spent on verdant forest hikes arched with giant tree ferns. Following meandering steams they gave way to the prize at the end - a gushing waterfall.
Heading down to Phillip Island (south of Melbourne) for one particular reason...PENGUINS! The "fairy" (no longer politically correct, so renamed as the "little") penguins are the smallest (about a foot tall) of all penguins in the world and the largest colony of them resides on Phillip Island. The Ultimate Package allowed us, accompanied with a guide, to view their nightly ritual. We sat on the beach with infrared unoculars and watched, at a distance of only a few feet, the darling blue and whites waddle their way ashore and into their cozy burrows - a remarkable phenomenon! Some stopped to preen, others waited for friends, and a few inexperienced returnees scuttled back to the safety of the water before starting their cautious approach once again. We sat in rapt silence for over an hour watching these little critters "do their thing". The intimacy of it all made this quite a fascinating experience.
After talking to many locals, we were convinced that our next adventure should take us to
T A S MAN I A (affectionately known as Tassie). We took the overnight ferry out of Port Melbourne and arrived at 6am. The only issue was the reoccurring warning of "cold", so we planned on "rugging up" (putting on many clothes). Much to our surprise, we luckily nailed a week of clear, windless, sunny days and cold nights. On our drive to the east coast, we took an obscure mountain gravel road, bringing us to two rather short hikes to two rather tall waterfalls (one boasts 90 meters as the tallest in Tassie), to a pub in the oldest town in Tassie, and a cheese factory.
On the northeast coast is Lonely Planets number one pick --- Bay of Fires. The orange lichen painted upon the boulders, the sunllight sparkling upon the azure water as it laps upon the pure white sand, all makes for an exquisite setting, We walked for hours in awe of its beauty. Our next stop, another top pick (this time by Nat Geo) was Fraycinet National Forest. Here we hiked all day, first straight up-then straight down, through the forests that led to "Wineglass Bay". We don't know if its named that because of its wine goblet shape or the sparkly water within. This beach, as well, was another pristine brilliant spot.
We camped nearby at Friendly Beach, with wallabies hanging out, a view of the beach from our camper, and a delicious BBQ dinner. We awoke to the sunrise out our window and ate "brekkie" on the beach. We keep thinking we've seen the most beautiful scenery possible, but somehow it keeps getting better - Tasmania, 'the natural state' is certainly an example of rugged beauty and natural wonders.
We spent a day in Hobart (the English on-the-water town in southern Tassie)-walking for hours through the "Salamanca Market" and wharf (famous for its fish and chips). Our last day in Tasmania took us up through the "Heritage Trail" of the Midlands, where we witnessed the churches, bridges, sandstone houses, and towns built by the convicts sent here in the early to mid 1800's.
We know each of our blogs sound quite idylic, and yes, spectacular it has been. Yet, our travels have not gone without several SNAFU's. So now we're adding a "special feature" to our blogs - "the SNAFU of the week" - .... the time we cooked prawns in the camper and it smelled like shrimp for a week - the time we were letting our wine breathe on the counter and decided to level the campervan by pulling up on a rock and the wine slid off and broke on the floor "AHHH" - the only time we pulled out of the gas station on the right (which is the wrong) side of the road and a jeep headed straight for us - the time our nightly water bottle cap was not screwed on tight and the water leaked all over our bed - to mention a few.
It's nearing the end of May and we're heading back to the mainland towards Sydney (through New South Wales). Keep the e-mails coming - we love hearing from you.

---