Week 10 January 25th to January 31st

Charcoal cooler - early "fridge"
Jondaryan sheepshed


SheepShearer



Jondaryan Woolshed


1912 Plane




Rusty and Gretyl best of friends.

Champagne High Tea. Susan and Valerie


Lorraine Valerie Bryan and Brian

On Monday morning we set off early for Bribie Island, which lies just off the coast North of Brisbane. It was took a couple of hours from Kingscliff, a good straight run along the Pacific highway. Bribie is reaced by a narrow bridge. It is a very popular place to retire to. We spent a very happy day with Val and Tom catching up on all our news. Brian and Tom worked together when Brian was here in 1969. It was so hot we just spent the day indoors with the air con.

Tuesday was Australia Day and val and Tom planned to take us out for a picnic out at the Glass mountains on the road North of Brisbane , the hinterland from the Sunshine Coast. As we ere driving off the island we could not believe the hundreds of cars pouring on to the island to celebrate Australia Day, which is a public holiday and the last day before the children all return to school for the start of a new school year, It is a very important day and every one hangs the Australia flag on their houses and also on their cars. It is great to see families out enjoying themselves on the beaches, picnic grounds having barbecues on the public gas fired barbies found in every park. We drove right up into the mountains and enjoyed superb panoramic views from the various lookouts. The montains were named by James Cook when he first spotted them and they reminded him of the glassworks back in his native Yorkshire. We visited a little town full of craft and gift shops aimed at the tourists.

On Wednesday we said goodbye and headed back to Brisbane, first calling in on my first cousin, Debbie and her daughter Elizabeth. Sadly Debbie is very unwell with a weak heart among other problems. It was so good being able to spend just a couple of hours with her as she one of my very last Lee relatives.

On Thursday we had a catchup day - washing, ironing and blog.

Susan and Richard have two pets - a grey cockateel called Gretyl and a ginger tom called Rusty. Gretyl rarely stays in her cage and she and Rust are the greatest of friends! See the photo.
Susan took us into the city on Friday for a very nice posh "champagne high tea" at a lovely restaurant in a beautiful old shopping arcade in the centre of Brisbane- reminiscent of the Burlington Arcade in London. Susan's parents, Dorothy and Ralph joined us. We went into the city by the bus way - this is a purpose built road going straight to the centre of town with stops along the way - much easier than driving. The weather was so hot that we didn't stay too long in the city.

On Saturday we decided to drive to Toowoomba , which is a picturesque town which lies about 150 km due west of Brisbane. It is known as a floral town and has a spectacular carnival of flowers each September. Unfortunately it has recently suffered severely from the drought. We went further West and visited the very interesting Australian Army museum which has a fine collection of old aircraft dating from 1912 and other war memorabilia. We then went on to visit the Jondaryan Woolshed, which is a huge shearing shed built in 1859, when sheepfarming was at its height. It is reputed to be the largest in Australia.We were very lucky to be the only visitors at that time and the guide gave us a personal tour of all the buildings including a working dog demonstration and sheep shearing. All the buildings date from the mid 1860's and the whole place is one big living museum. It was in fact a working sheep farm until well after the Second World War.

On Sunday we joined Richard and Susan in their church service, which was a very different experience from the church services we know in England. The very large hall was packed to overflowing - with standing room only. It was surprising to see so many teenagers and young people attending and taking part with such enthusiasm. Benjamin was playing the guitar in the band and Bethany was playing the piano.

In the afternoon we went over to visit Karen and family for afternoon tea.

Week 9 January 18th to 24th January

Cactus flowering only at night

Crocodile fed a fish head from the crab

fishing boat.

On the edge of the cyclone

Fish viewed through glass bottomed boat

Brian all set for scuba diving

Coral as seen through submersible window

On Monday we were up early to catch the cruise boat out to Green island on the Barrier Reef. It took an hour on a very calm sea. Green Island is a large coral cay which also has a rain forest on it. It has become a popular resort for snorkelling and scuba diving into the coral reef. I was hoping to go down to the sea bed wearing a large diving helmet, to experience the fish and coral, but I was not allowed for medical reasons. I was disappointed as I had been looking forward to the experience. We went on a glass bottomed boat which was quite amazing seeing all the fish and turtles swimming below us. The organised day then consisted of sailing for another hour on to a large purpose built pontoon from where you can snorkel and scuba dive as well. Brian had booked a scuba dive session. I went on two half hour dives in a large glass walled submersible which was even better than the boat. The coral formations are just breathtaking and there were so many varieties of fish from tiny Nemos to very large fish including basking sharks. Most of the fish seemed to swim in shoals. The colours were not as brilliant as you see in photos of the Barrier reef because there was little sunlight that can penetrate through the water. It seems professional photographers use very strong lights to show up the natural colours. But the shapes and sizes and variety of designs are truely incredible, and to think it is all living animals.

Brian thoroughly enjoyed his second attempt at scuba diving and has a certificate to prove it.
On Tuesday we decided to drive north to Daintree and Cape Tribulation. We travelled the same road as on Sunday . We were within 30 km of Daintree village when the heavens opened and we were in a tropical storm. The roads were beginning to flood, so we turne around and returned to Cairns. A cyclone was threatening. So once again we missed visiting the World Heritage site.Next time we shall have to come at a different time of year.

We went for a nice meal at the Cairns yacht Club with an English couple who have been in Australia over 30 years.

On Wednesday we took a picturesque drive up over the mountain to the Atherton Tablelands which lie in the hinterland behind Cairns. It is a long windy road but once there the scenery is stunning. The land is green and lush - such a contrast from the dry coastal plain. Dairy farming, coffee plantations, sugar cane and vineyards abound. We called in to visit a coffee plantation where the morning coffee was delicious and we purchased some coffee beans for gifts. We visited Malandra where we knew there was a dairy museum attached to a large bottling dairy. We were too late to go on an organised tour of the dairy, but Brian persuaded them to allow us a visit and spent an interesting hour talking to the chief engineer. Brian found it most interesting. We returned to Cairns along a different route maaking a complete circular tour. That evening we had a very good meal at the local RSL - returned servicemen's league. These are rather like our British Legion clubs, but offer excellent restaurants at low prices and are open to the general public. They are subsidised and make most of their money from the "Pokies" the fruit machines which are so popular among all Australians.

On Thursday we went crab fishing on a small boat owned by a Vietnamese man called Henry. We went with Debbie and Dave, an Australian couple we made friends with while scuba diving. We were hoping to catch large mud crabs but the crab pots were empty. Fortunately Henry had brought some live crabs with him which he cooked for us on the boat. These were delicious.There ten of us and we all tried to catch fish with rods, but were not very lucky. We did however, spot a crocodile swimming near the boat which we fed with a fish head.

On Friday we were up early to return our hire car and get to the airport to catch our flight to Brisbane.

We had a good flight to Brisbane, picked up a hire car and were at Susan and Richard's house in Eight Mile Plains within the hour. It was very good to be with them again.

It was Australia Day Weekend which is a popular public holiday and the last weekend before the children return to school.As Richard and Susan were going away for the weekend we spent the weekend with Lorraine and Bryan at their house by the sea in Kingscliffe. Kingscliffe is just South of the Gold Coast and over the border in New South Wales. Lorraine and I have been friends ever since we lived in Brisbane 41 years ago. It was so good to catch up with them. They took us out and about in the local area and we enjoyed some lovely walks and view beside the sea and further inland. They have a huge cactus bush in their garden which is full of tight buds, but after dark the buds open to reveal beautiful flowers, which are closed again by morning.

Week 8 January 11th to 17th

Mossman Gorge

Port Douglas

Crocodile Nursery

Freshwater crocodile

Mangrove Trees

Boy on BMX - Cairns

View from hotel balcony

Zoë on her birthday

Monday January 11th was to be one we would remember. It started very warm and by midday it was 44°. We went out for a drive with Zoë so that we could enjoy the airconditioned car. We spent a lot of time in the pool. We had all the fans running and the air con in the lounge. The temperature during the night hit the headlines as it was the hottest Melbourne night for over 100 years. All the while England was still carpeted in snow. It was cooler the next day and by Wednesday it was really cool in the high teens. Apparently Melbourne is known for having four seasons in one day. Wednesday was Zoë's birthday, and we went out to buy her birthday present. We also went out for a nice birthday dinner at the Wheeler Hill Hotel.. Mike and Mary returned on Thursday and we spent the day getting packed for our month away in Queensland.
We had a good flight to Cairns. It was very warm. We found a super hotel right on the front with ocean views from our 6th floor room.
On Saturday morning we booked a Monday trip to the Barrier reef and went on a Crocodile cruise in the afternoon. This was a cruise along a mangrove lined creek, where fresh water crocodiles can be seen. We landed at a crocodile farm where crocs are reared for the fashion market. These farms have been established since the 80's when Australian crocs were under threat of extinction because of over hunting the wild ones. The farmed crocs are sold but a lot are actually released into the wild where they are now a protected species.
On Sunday we decided to drive up to Port Douglas which is about 70km north of Cairns.In 2005 we never got there because of the cyclone. It is an exclusive resort and a popular holiday destination which boasts the famous Four Mile Beach. The journey along the coast road up is very picturesque, following right next to the sea for most of the way. The countryside is lush and green, because of the heavy rains and the main crop is sugar cane. The road into Port Douglas is attractively lined with Palm Trees. On Sundays there is a market by the beach where all the goods have to be locally produced. There were many varied craft stalls and fresh fruits in abundance. We drove on up to Mossman to visit the Mossman Gorge where the Mossman river tumbles over huge granite bolders and we watched fearless youngsters swimming in the clear fresh water swimming holes. To reach the river we walked along a board walk through the surrounding rain forest. All this area is part of the World Heritage listed Daintree National Park.
We plan to visit Daintree and Cape Tribulation next week.

Week 7 January 4th to January 10th

Sting ray in water at Phillip Island


Captain Ashleigh


Nursery for baby Seals

Seal Island off Phillip Island

Kookaburra - Phillip island

Koalas - Phillip Island

Matthew and friend- Churchill Island

Grandpa's "Dish of the Day"

A Maze' Things. Phillip Island

Matthew sitting on Ice Chair - Sovereign Hill

One of houses - Sovereign Hill


View from Tower Sovereign Hill

Climbing up Mine Tower Sovereign Hill

Local bus at Sovereign Hill

Gold mine Sovereign Hill

Ashleigh and Matthew with soldier at
Sovereign Hill

Panning for Gold.

Sovereign Hill

This is the week we have really been looking forward to - our holiday away with Ashleigh and Matthew. We left Glen Waverley on Monday morning and drove 140 km to Ballarat, a gold mining town NorthWest of Melbourne. We were staying at Sovereign Hill, which is an award winning open air museum, set in the mid nineteenth century. All the people working there are dressed in Victorian costume. We were actually staying in a modern hotel within the compound of the museum. There is a very dusty area of old tents and shacks where you can imagine what it was like in 1851 when the first prospectors arrived there. Apparently gold was first discovered there in August 1851 and just one month later over 1000 prospectors had arrived. Within two years 20,000 miners were working there. The town soon developed.

Ashleigh and Matthew were able to pan for gold, but were not successful!!

We went on a conducted tour down the mine, took a ride in a coach pulled by two horses, watched sweets being made, wooden cartwheels being made, tin and brass plates being turned and gold being smelted into a 2 kilo gold bar, and practiced handwriting with an old fashioned ink pen, dipping it into an inkwell in the wooden school desk in the schoolroom. We visited all the furnished houses, and all the various shops along the high street, drinking in the Victorian atmosphere. We even saw a number of sculptures made of ice.

On the first evening we were booked into the "Blood on the Southern Cross" sound and light spectacular, which was a re enactment of the famous Eureka Stockade story when in December 1854 the diggers rebelled against the increased digging licences imposed by the government.

This was a really superb entertainment with a mixture of different settings moving through the site, culminating in fires and terrific sound effects. I am sure the children will remember the story for a very long time.

After two full days there we moved on to Phillip Island which is a fun packed holiday resort South East of Melbourne. We were booked into an apartment facing the sea, which really impressed the children. They had been on a short stay there last year, so knew their way around and knew exactly where they wanted to go what they wanted to do.

On Thursday we spent much of the day on Churchill Island which is linked to Phillip Island by a bridge. There has been a farmstead there for nearly 200 years and today there are still animals to see. As well as the old farm house to visit, there were demonstrations of milking a cow, shearing sheep, working sheep dogs and black smithing. The children were quite enthralled.

The main attractionof Phillip Island is the nightly "Penguin Parade", where each evening at about 9pm the world's smallest penguins (about 30cm tall) arrive home from the sea and waddle up the beach to their burrows in the sand dunes. As they are wild animals and must be protected, this nightly outdoor event is strictly regulated and no photography is allowed. Up to 4000 people attend each evening. We booked in for Thursday evening and got there at 7pm in order to get a good seat. We took a picnic and wrapped up warm under a blanket. It was so worth the wait and Matthew and Ashleigh kept spotting more and more rafts of penguins coming on to the beach. Most people didn't bother to stay, once the first few had arrived, but we stayed on and were rewarded by seeing so many of them coming up the dunes and into their burrows.
On Friday we took a cruise out to seal island and had another great treat, watching thousands of seals basking in the sunshine, preening themselves, swimming in the sea and even a "nursery" of babies learning to swim in a shallow pool on the rocks. The children were also invited on to the boat's bridge where they could steer the boat.

Our nature trip continued on Saturday when we visited the koala sanctuary and walking along a board walk at tree branch height we spotted a number of koalas, mostly sleeping, though one decided to perform for us and move to another branch. It was actually Matthew and Ashleigh who kept spotting them. Apparently kookaburras do not share trees, so you only ever see one at a time. Matthew then spotted a lone kookaburra and then a second one. Matthew and Ashleigh both have cameras and took literally hundreds of shots far more than Grandpa!!

A Maze'n Things is another attraction which the children love, where there are lots of fun things to do including Mini/Maxi crazy golf. And of course we had to spend time on the beach.

The children were an absolute joy to take away and the time passed all too quickly.

We had a good journey home stopping off at the chocolate factory and Zoë was pleased to have her family back. Mike was in Sydney with Mary for a few days.

Week 6 December 28th to January 3rd 2010

Sebastien Guesney and Lara Jaillon

Following in footsteps of Burke and Wills

On Monday 28th Mike took Mary, Peter and children to the coast and we decided to leave Zoë in peace so we went to explore the wineries in the Yarra Valla. This is a beautiful region north of Melbourne where they have been growing vines and making wine for nearly 200 years. There are so many wineries to visit and taste the wine. It was a beautiful sunny day. We stopped for lunch at the Tokar Estate, where we learned that rose bushes are planted at the end of each row to give an early warning if there is a problem with the soil. If the rose bush becomes diseased then the vines could follow. We also enjoyed blueberry muffins at a blueberry farm. On the way home we drove up Mount Dandenong and enjoyed a fantastic panoramic view over the city.

On Tuesday we drove up to Bendigo where Brian's cousin Jean and husband Mick are spending Christmas with their son Kevin and family who emigrated 4 years ago. Jean and Mick live quite close to us in England. Bendigo is a very interesting old town, which was founded on gold. We went on the historic tram ride where we learned all about Bendigo's fascinating history. We also visited the beautful Catholic cathedral, the largest Gothic church in the Southern Hemisphere.

Staying at our motel was a French couple who are trekking from Melbourne to Gulf of Carpentaria on thr North coast in the footsteps of Burke and Wills, two nineteenth explorers. Apparently no one has ever done it since. They are going by foot each pulling a cart. See photograph. If you are interested in following their progress their website is http://www.terraincognitatrek.com/.

On our way back to Melbourne we stopped at Hanging Rock of the Picnic at Hanging Rock Film. We couldnt really see it properly as neither of us felt like climbing 1800 metres up a steep footpath to the top in the 39°heat. There was an interesting discovery centre there.

We arrived back on New Years Eve. We all went into Yarra Park, in the city where there was a free concert and entertainment for children' The park was packed with families. We needed umbrellas to shield us from the scorching sun. A storm was forecast and just before the fireworks were due to go off at 9pm, the heavens opened. The display was postponed, so we headed back to the car, but as we reached the car the fireworks began, so we stood and watched them before driving home. We then saw in the New Year with the children, watching the fantastic Sydney fireworks on TV.

Week 5 December 21st to 27th.

Pool showing Reserve behind House

Enjoying the Pool at Christmas

We flew back to Melbourne on Monday 21st - our 46th wedding anniversary. We had various problems with the hire car which were finally resolved the next day. We finished our Christmas shopping. Brian did a grand job cleaning the pool which was full of stuff caused by the men laying the tiles. On Wednesday the temperature soared to 39°and we all enjoyed swimming in the sunshine. Mike's mum, Mary, and brother Peter arrived on Christmas Eve. Ashleigh and Matthew were very excited about Santa coming. Christmas Day was cooler which was good because Zoë cooked a traditional Turkey Christmas dinner, apart from sprouts which are not available in the summer.

On Boxing day we called round to visit Zoë's English friends and spotted a poisonous red back spider by the patio window. Sue and Brian caught it and after identifying it killed it. A bite would have necessitated hospital treatment.