Onwards to Adelaide and Brisbane

Hello chucks! I thought I would catch up in Adelaide but Easter was fast and furious at the Strong household. Then I thought I'd catch up in Brisbane, but'for reasons which will become obvious, twas not to be, so here beginneth a mammoth blog....

We left Apollo Bay and headed round the coast but unfortunately the weather changed and by the time we reached the 12 (or now 10) Apostles, we were dodging heavy showers. The views were still spectacular, as you can see here




but we had to dash out of the car, few quick snaps and dash back. No mean feat for yours truly, I can tell you! Hopalong Cassidy has nothing on me these days!

The following day found us at Mount Gambier, spectacular in its own way. It is built on the sides (literally) of a volcano and we had a trip down to the water's edge at the Blue Lake, many metres down from the top of the volcano's rim.




Another wonderful shot is of this cave, which is actually under the town - the railings at the top are at street level.




Which brings us to Adelaide (with much better weather) and a wonderful welcome from the usual suspects - Anne, Paul, Mharianne and Callum as well as Mags and Bill - not forgetting the incomparable Angela, sometimes Mharianne's boyfriend (dangerous) Dave and the scrap also known as Eversleigh.


We had a great time out and about visiting the McLaren Vale and Barossa wineries, having an Easter egg hunt in the garden and I had a lunch date with some wonderful ladies from my craft group. It was a real whirlwind of a visit so here are some highlights.

Firstly, here are the craft ladies who very kindly organised a lunch for us. We all got on splendidly and it was a real pleasure to put faces to names.



On Saturday evening, Mharianne and I were treated to an early (for her) and a belated (for me) birthday treat at a wonderful restaurant high on a hill above Adelaide. Here we all are




And here are the birthday girls




Easter morning and Paul was up early to hide Easter eggs around the garden. Even Mike gave up his camera to join in and because he is....well, older shall we say, he bagged the lion's share. He did hand over his stash later......




We went to McLaren Vale for our first winery tour and here we are at one of our several stops.



Next day finds us off in a different direction, to the Barossa valley for more wine tours and a lovely picnic under the trees



Mags, Bill Ang and I rounded off the day with a dip in the hot tub



Time to set off again on our way to Brisbane where Stephen and Sarah made our next few days thoroughly enjoyable. The first 2 days when S&S were working, we went with Catherine on a couple of trips and although you will enjoy the forthcoming pictures, I'm very sorry to say we didn't get any family pictures. Sorry, guys - we'll just need to come back.....

We had a trip down the coast and found ourselves in a lovely spot called Cabarita beach - it would have taken very little tempting to just stay there....



Stephen took us to Redcliffe the following day - quite near Brisbane but like a step back in time. We watched the kite surfers on the beach and no doubt Stephen and Catherine will be back for lessons!

The following day, Stephen and I went to Mount Coot-tha where there is a fantastic panoramic view over Adelaide.



So as you can see, there was precious little time for blogging........

Monday and it's moving-on day again, back to Sydney before we set off for Bangkok tomorrow. Things seem to have settled down there and nothing has been cancelled although we will be careful where we go.

This is probably my penultimate blog and I don't know when I'll get back online. But it's only au revoir........we'll be home before this time next week!!

Wodonga to the Great Ocean Road

I bet you are all thinking we have driven over the edge of the world..........mais non, mes petits, it's much less remarkable than that. Poor Kirklington has been driving for days (bless) and considering he is the "designated" driver, he is remarkably sangiune. When we have been with family/friends, there is always so much to catch up with that t'Internet takes second place.

Another complicating factor is the distinct lack of Internet access - apparently, the Golden Arches offer free access but can you imaginge the noise?? I need peace and calm to compose this blog.

Anyway, I left you in Wodonga - here I am with Mags, Bill, Haggis and Neeps.

We had a great day visiting the Rutherglen wineries with Mags then a great day with Bill visiting the Mount Buffalo region - very different to the low-lying areas we have seen. This is the view from the top.

It was altogether a great few days - thanks guys!

Off we set, then, for Melbourne. We drove through some of the areas affected by the bush fires recently. Luckily we didn't need to drive through the worst areas although it was scary seeing the road signs blackened by the fires and the trees burnt on either side of the highway.

Melbourne was where the tropics ended and very familiar weather took over........brrrrr - a chilly 15 degrees! And the rain!!! We had a trip on the City Circle tram, went to see Docklands and saw a demonstration. Don't think we are swanning about. Oh no!

Sad to say, the photos are on my camera and surprisingly we do not have a suitable USB cable to transfer them. Holy moly, I hear you shout! How many cables do those Kirkmans possess and they don't take the right one?? Don't worry, chaps, you'll see them later......

Off to Dandenong - to visit an old school friend -where we had a very interesting few days.

Kathleen had a few days off work as she had just had her 5th grandchild and she was our very informative guide to the Mornington Peninsula, south east of Melbourne. Here we are...

Kathleen was leaving for Brisbane on the Friday we left so we dropped her at the airport - during the most violent thunderstorm I have ever seen/heard. The rain was torrential and at one point I jumped in my seat as the thunder was directly overhead.

So, Great Ocean Road, here we come! Here is the first of many spectacular shots.

Our first overnight stop was Apollo Bay and although there seemed to be a scenic spot every 300m, we stopped at as many as we could manage. Here is the view from our bedroom...

We had a very welcome day "off" although the weather has been very changeable - sunny one minute then pouring the next. Plenty of rainforest to see, though, with some of the trees as tall as 60m. But the stars of the show are definitely the ocean and the landscape - this place is truly spectacular.

I'll leave you now, with us following the coast round towards Portland. We are having a quiet evening in on a great spot on the cliffs. Mike will download the piccies later so you can see them next time.

Catch you all again in the safe harbour of Adelaide...xx