We didn't get very far today. I suppose that's one of the nice things about being on vacation -- there’s not that much we really have to do each day. Our only deadline right now was getting to Helen and Shane’s house on the 25th, so we could all spend the long Australia Day weekend together in the Snowy Mountains.
We left from our Phillip Island campground around 9:45. Since we had also bought tickets for the Koala Conservation Center (along with the Penguin Parade from last night), that was first up on the agenda, and what fun it turned out to be. The conservation center is really just some groves of Eucalyptus (the type the koalas like) with a few low fences around them. I'm not sure if the fences were meant to keep the koalas in or other animals (foxes?) out. To our delight, the normally lethargic koalas were surprisingly energetic -- moving around, climbing up and down trees, and even walking across one of the paths so close we actually had to move out of the way. Even better was meeting Mike and Maude with their five year old daughter, Millie. Originally from France, Mike had lived here for 13 years, were hard working French language teachers, and just happened to be showing Mike's parents around for a few days.
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| Mike and Dex |
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| Kylie and Millie |
Although we were somewhat anxious to start making our way north, we had heard so many good things about Wilson’s Promontory, that we just couldn't pass it up. Mike and Maude, in particular, recommended the Lilly Pilly Gully hike. Once we got there, however, with the temperature at 33C (91F), we instead selected Picnic Beach to cool off at. The cool waves were a welcomed relief from the heat. The giant “March Flies” -- think horse flies -- however, were decidedly not welcomed. In any event, we made the 'executive decision' to skip the hike until tomorrow.
With the long Australia Day weekend just approaching, we weren't able to find a campsite inside the park. Instead, we grabbed a spot just outside at Yanakie. Our camp neighbors, Gordon and Cheryl, from Sydney, were delightful. They said hi just as we were putting the water on for our tortellini dinner. Meg quickly invited them over to join us. We filled our small camp table with chips, salsa, hummus, and a few tomatoes, plus the white wine picked up at a market earlier in the day. Gordon offered some of his "red," and we all crowded around the table to avoid the few sprinkles. They were a great couple, easy going, ready with a joke, and they got on great with Dex and Kylie. They too had just spent a few days at the Australian Open and talked about travel in the US years ago. What a fun evening. Thanks for the company, Gordon and Cheryl.
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| Dex, Cheryl, Kylie, and Gordon |
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