Mary and Maurice World Tour 2023

Saturday 25th February held the prospect of light rain in the afternoon so the morning seemed a better time for bush walking, first to Ironbark Falls, then to Carrowong Falls.  Each walk was picturesque and excellent training for the El Camino  The only thing missing was water. The 'falls' were in fact rock piles. Scenic, but dry That issue was resolved later when we borrowed a canoe and paddled down the river to the beach. Water, water everywhere, including steadily falling on our heads We rounded the day off with a reservation for dinner at the local pub.  As we went to order, the power went off to the whole area! Thankfully the bar could still operate so drinks were ordered and nursed as we waited with fingers crossed...  Power was resumed, meals ordered, and all was well with the world. Even better, live music started up.  Live music + gin & tonic = ...

Lighthouses are not only made to be seen, they are made to be climbed This was not the first delight of the day, that honour goes to this cheeky bird hanging around for his share of our breakfast.  Then it was time for a cliff top walk, on the way to which was the 'cottage' in which the first European settler and his wife livrd. Luxury at the time, no doubt The cliff walk involved more stunning views, escorted by our lovely hosts Craig and Claire We finished the day with a BBQ with a kookaburra chorus... 

The guide books all rate the Great Ocean Road as one of the best drives in the world, so we were keen to explore... The first sight was a bit perplexing. What exactly were these at Warnambool ? : They turned out to be old aquariums. The main thing about the road, at least at the western end, is that often the road is not scenic, instead one has to take a gamble on side roads to obscure beaches. Sometimes the view is a bit average, other times the reward is a stunning beach with nobody around : On the other hand, some views were expected and famous, such as the 12 Apostles.  And some views were hidden. We had been advised that the best place to view koala in the wild was the Grey River Road. Sadly, despite intensive searching, only one was evident, and even that one was hiding in the fork of a tree. We still kept searching...  So in summary, how good was the drive? This good:

If you Google 'Things to do in Adelaide', the list tends to focus on food and the Festival. Additional items will include architecture, parks, wine, and museums. And somewhere on the list will be the Botanic Gardens. We wanderered in on Monday afternoon simply to escape the heat. We returned on Tuesday intending to just look around a bit before heading off for other adventures.  Instead we pretty much spent the whole day there, and could have spent longer. Key was tagging along to the free guided tour at 10:30. As well as the interesting botanical information was the equally interesting historical background.  Armed with a better understanding of what we were looking at, and after a very nice lunch at the National Wine Centre, we had a fascinating afternoon wandering around the buildings and exhibitions.  Truly stunning.  And very exhausting... 

It makes me wonder at how 19th century convicts must have viewed the world. Transportation for trivial crimes is (and was) widely condemned as grossly disproportionate and inhumane.  Once in Tasmania, convicts faced brutal treatment and harsh conditions that were in many ways equally as inhumane as the original sentence of transportation.  Yet once here they got fed meat every day, had clothing and shelter, and access to medical care - things they didn't have back in England. Furthermore, once they served their time, they had opportunity for employment in a wide variety of roles, plus they could own their own land - also things they didn't have back in England. Some convicts got both immediately on release, e.g. they were offered jobs as constables and were gifted a parcel of land on acceptance.  Put another way, being transported was horrific, yet staying back in England was even worse, especially for orphans! Yet at the time it is unlikely that convicts viewed it with s...

Thursday 16th February, start of our 2nd week away, and one thing I did not expect to find in my morning shower was a tiny frog.  I knew wildlife in Australia could be interesting, so the echidna and snake of the other day was not entirely unexpected.  But the frog was a surprise.  I carefully put it out in the garden, with some concern that perhaps I should be looking for a pond. However another frog was hopping across the concrete path in the same area so I assume the garden houses the local frog community.  Having dealt with the frog, I looked up in the hallway to see a huge huntsman spider. Possibly the biggest I have ever seen and apparently only a baby!  Our main plan for the day was to visit Stanley and climb The Nut.  Once we arrived we did notice a wonderful new invention that promised to avoid all knee strain when climbing, so we felt it incumbent to test it purely for the benefit of future visitors.  I was...