Kieran’s Arrival … and Melbourne to Sydney Road Trip …

Thu, 13th Dec: BIG4 Cowes Caravan Park, Phillip Island, Victoria …
Kieran’s Arrival in Melbourne … and the Penguin Parade …

It’s an early start to pick up Kieran. After a little debating, we decide to go to the airport in the Motor Home – BIG mistake! Firstly, we need diesel and, on the way to the airport, stop at a garage only to find out that they have run out. Secondly, airport information misinformed us that there was not a height restriction in the short term car parks. We pull into the garage instead to ‘rethink’ the situation and get some now much needed diesel only to find out they have also run out – apparently there is a shortage of diesel in Sydney. AAARRGHHH we have visions of Kieran’s first night in Australia being stuck in the motor home on the airport ringroad. On contacting Britz, they rang us back with the numbers of garages who still had diesel – we located one close to us who said what they had would probably be gone within the hour. We decided to try and get there, refill and be just back in time for Kieran. As we pulled in, the cones were being put up in the diesel lanes and we were told to go to the regular pumps. We did so and filled up; $112 worth- disaster 1 averted! We check on the time and note that Kieran’s plane has landed – we just need to park up now!!!!! On locating the long stay car park we drive in just as a courtesy bus arrives. Neil calls through the window to check if they’re dropping off or picking up – the driver says if I’m quick I can jump on and he’ll drop me off at arrivals – bless him 🙂 I was out of there like a rocket and left Neil to park the motor home – he would meet me as soon as he could. I get to arrivals and seconds before Kieran appeared, Neil was by my side – phew, we’d done it and it was only 8.30am!!!!!!! Disaster 2 averted!

Kieran arrived and it was so great to see him. After an emotional reunion, we could see he was shattered – it made us realise just how long his journey had been; Birmingham-Dubai / Dubai-Melbourne via a stop off in Singapore. I don’t know whether he appreciated the makeshift welcome sign lol, but I enjoyed making and waving it!!!!!!

One hour away from Melbourne we reach Phillip Island, where the landscape transforms into a ruggedly spectacular coastline changing to a wild, windy, awe inspiring spectacle. Just over the bridge into Phillip Island is Cowes Caravan Park, tonight’s stopover. This beautifully landscaped beachfront park is an ideal base for us for our short experience of the Island.

After chilling out we venture up the island to watch the Penguin Parade 🙂 There are penguins nesting here as are the seagulls – thousands of them and, before going to the Penguin Centre we take a stroll around this harsh, rugged bit of coastline taking in the salty air.

The binoculars enable us to view Seal Rock and we are rewarded with sights of the seals in the distance albeit not in the numbers usually here. Arriving one hour before sunset we experience the magic of the iconic little penguins (the smallest in the world) who return to the shore and begin the long journey across the beach and rocks in search of their burrow for the night. It is comical as they warily to and fro from the waves in a ‘will they, won’t they’ scenario in an effort to make a break for it across the sand to safety. This continues until most of them have arrived and, as we make our way back up the hill to the Penguin Centre, some of the little ones are still waddling up the hill to their burrows. So cute!

Fri, 14th Dec: John and Leonie’s, South Leongatha, Victoria …
Having been in touch with friends from our tour in India, we are catching up with them at their house tonight. They have been very kind in inviting us into their home for the evening.

There is plenty to do on Phillip Island but we are strict on ourselves and again, it is a reminder that we can only do so much. Before leaving the island for the countryside that is Leongatha, we decide to go to the Koala Conservation Centre – with unique treetop boardwalks where we strolled around eucalypt woodland and view close up the koala in its natural habitat.

We also visit Heritage Farm on Churchill Island. Just off the coast of Phillip Island it holds an important place in the history of European settlement in Victoria. The tiny island of 57 hectares is now open to the public as an historic working farm that boasts significant natural and cultural values with world class wetlands, ancient moonah trees, heritage gardens and historic buildings.

Our final stop of the day is the new Phillip Island Chocolate Factory ‘Pannys’ where Neil and Kieran seem to really enjoy the interactive ‘chocolate games’ lol. I think they just wanted the chocolate prizes 🙂

En route we take a scenic drive to Cape Paterson where we have fresh fish and chips for dinner. Neil has flake – which is a type of shark. Kieran ordered fishcakes because he didn’t fancy shark but we were told they contained flake anyway, lol. Everywhere is still so quiet, waiting for the holidays to happen, and this isolated place feels very very remote.

Leonie greets us as we arrive at 5pm. Their home is in a most beautiful stunning setting in the countryside and is truly delightful. We immediately spot a kangaroo in the distant field and wildlife is in abundance. Kieran soon settles in and sleeps all evening finally making an appearance just after John’s arrival home at 9pm

Leonie does herself proud and we devour the meal she has prepared. We share stories and have a right good catch up over a good few drinks before climbing into nice comfy beds … ooh what a luxury … for a great night’s sleep.

The morning is spent sharing photographs of our trip in India as well as our experiences since then. Neil and John take a ride on the buggy around the boundaries of their property whilst I finalise our Sydney Bridge Climb booking for Christmas Eve. YAY!

Sat, 15th Dec: BIG4 Lakes Entrance, Victoria …
Today’s drive is a 4hr trip to Lakes Entrance – our last stop in the state of Victoria. Here the magnificent Gippsland Lakes meet the allure of the ocean and a short walk away there is great swimming and surfing at Ninety Mile Beach.

Leaving John and Leonie’s later than we expected, we say our farewells. They have been the perfect hosts; nothing was too much for them – it was lovely to catch up with them and we hope we can return the favour one day 🙂

Kieran takes to the wheel and does a fab job as we head off following the coastal roads to Sydney. It’s a late arrival for us at Lakes Entrance and we have an en-suite site to pamper ourselves in, lol. It’s been an overcast day and a cloudy evening awaits us. Lakes Entrance is situated where the magnificent Gippsland Lakes meet the allure of the ocean and a short walk away to Ninety Mile Beach. The boys bbq us a lovely steak dinner which we enjoy over wine and beer. They head off for a few games of pool and table tennis before we hit the van for bed.

Sun, 16th Dec: BIG4 Merimbula Beach Holiday Park, South Coast, NSW …
Up early and on the road at 9.20am I took the wheel for the 130km drive to Cann River.

Parking up in a park in a small town we commandeer a BBQ for our brunch – bacon, mushroom, egg rolls. Kieran then took the wheel for the 200km drive to Eden where we make a stop and visit the Eden Killer Whale Museum. Established in 1931 it is one of the oldest museums in NSW and records the incredible battle between intrepid men in row boats armed only with hand harpoons and the humped back whales they were hunting. It also gives us a glimpse into Eden’s history.

A further 30km drive gets us to our destination of Merimbula, known to the locals as the gem of the Sapphire Coast. Nestled between Merimbula Lake and the town’s main surf beach, it enjoys a perfect position above the cliffs of Short Point Beach on the NSW coast and has breathtaking ocean views. Once parked on our site we take a walk to the beach to stretch our legs before the boys again hit the table tennis. We spend the afternoon in the clubhouse with the locals listening to the live entertainment and playing cards. Its been a long days travelling today and calls for an early night – but not before Kieran catches up with the lovely Emma x

Mon, 17th Dec: BIG4 Island View Beach Resort, Narooma, NSW ..
We wake up to sunshine today – Kieran’s first good day of weather 🙂 – and Kieran takes the wheel again for the 3hr drive towards Narooma, a small ocean inlet. En route we call in at a ‘cheese factory’ and are disappointed as you don’t actually see the cheese making process – it’s really a cheese shop and restaurant. However, the cheese tasting is enjoyable and delicious but it’s not long before we are leaving with our purchases.

Narooma, a natural oasis overlooking an island is on the Eurobodalla Nature Coast. This lush spacious park has breathtaking views of Montague Island. We stretch our legs and take a walk via the small harbour and up the hill into the main street, a few steps away from the pristine beach. In this quiet solitary place we do manage to find a bar – overlooking the ocean – and retreat inside to entertain ourselves with a game of pool or two!

We have decided to eat out tonight and our recky of the town enables us to find a chinese restaurant which we decide to come back to tonight. It’s solitary when we climb back up into town and by now it’s also raining again! Kieran certainly hasn’t had the weather yet 😦 We think life on the road is a little quiet for Kieran but he is doing well. It’s not quite holiday season yet so there is not a lot going on nor is there much atmosphere in the towns. We are the only people sitting in the restaurant so it’s not long before we head back to the Motor Home for games and bed.

Tue, 18th Dec: BIG4 Broulee Beach Holiday Park, NSW …
HURRAY … it’s Kieran’s first beautiful sunny day in Oz!!! We were beginning to wonder whether he’d see any sunshine – and Kieran also joked that we’d sent him around the world on a plane only to arrive back in Cornwall in the winter lol. It’s a short drive (1hr) to Broulee Beach via Moroya where we stock up on fresh meat, fruit and veg. Mid-way between Batemans Bay and Moruya, the park is very small and quiet, in a most beautiful location – a stunning natural bush setting. The park also has its own private entrance on to sparkling Broulee Beach. Heading off to the beach for a walk around the bay we enjoy the warm sunshine.

It’s a vibrant beach area with surfing school taking place and youngsters out enjoying the weather. We cool off in the pool before another gorgeous bbq dinner. This outdoor life is just brilliant and we cannot imagine ever being ‘stuck inside’ so much again. Bellys full, we chill the evening away with a few beers and plot our final route to Sydney in preparation for Lauren’s arrival.

Wed, 19th Dec: BIG4 Batemans Bay, NSW …
Mogo Zoo is the ‘must do’ attraction en route to Batemans Bay today and we are not disappointed. Mogo Zoo was fab; providing us with the rare chance to see white lions and snow leopards as well as endangered exotic animals. There are also various primates, giraffes, tigers and red pandas and the white lions are not to be missed.

Batemans Bay is set on the pristine beachfront of the Eurobodalla Nature Coast and once we are settled in, the boys head out for a drink or three whilst I take advantage of the time to try and sort the iPad out!!!! I have 7000 pics on there that have synced from my PC at home. I now have limited storage space and cannot remove them!!!!!!! I am therefore using Kieran’s laptop so I can transfer our trip pics onto a storage device so I can at least remove them from the iPad. It’s a ball ache of a job but one that’s got to be done 😦

They return a bit merrier than when they left with a Dominos Pizza which doesn’t last long 😀

Thu, 20th Dec: Easts Beach Holiday Park, Kiama, NSW …
Kieran drove today and it is here where we join the Grand Pacific Drive into Sydney and he did a really great job especially on some of the smaller winding roads! It’s another early start heading for Kiama so we make a stop at the local bakery for coffee and croissants. The bakeries and butchers here are to die for.

We continue to pass through many quaint places and opt to pull up at picturesque Berry – names in 1890 in honour of Shoalhaven’s first European settler Alexander Berry. We stock up on fresh groceries and, $100 lighter for not much at all!, we carry on to Kiama, the first country town south of Sydney. As we curve around the highway the outlook offers the first sense of relaxation with views over the ocean to Kiama’s headland, its characteristic pines and iconic lighthouse.

We are chuffed to discover the Easts Beach Holiday Park. The 35 acre grassland park is nestled in a valley with mountain backdrops and absolute beach frontage. Easts Beach is a natural bay of golden sands, sapphire blue waters protected by two headlands. Unfortunately, the rain sets in as we walk down to the beach area – by now it is also very windy and we do an about turn back to the van.

We decide to book ourselves on the RSL courtesy bus to spend a few hours at the club in the town. It is a great free little bus service. Hourly, it collects its members in the town and takes them to the door of the RSL Club. The Clubs are super clean ‘upper class working mens clubs’ where you can eat and drink (cheaply), be entertained, partake of a game of pool or bowling, or just gamble on the fruit machines. Many many many sporting clubs are run from the RSL clubs and trophies are in abundance.

After a drink we walk around the quaint town of Kiama. Located on a harbour, Kiama is also home to the Region’s best known natural rock formation, the ‘big’ Blowhole. We venture up the headland to the Blowhole which puts on regular displays for visitors spurting water 20m or more into the air and we are not disappointed! Blowhole Point also offers spectacular views up and down the coast. Back in the town we see many fine old buildings; the imposing Old Council Chambers, the iconic pink Italianate Post Office and the oldest surviving building on the South Coast of NSW, the Kiama Court House which was completed in 1861.

On our return to the Club for another drink, we book ourselves on the bus back to the park and order our wedges and chips – NOM NOM NOM – tasting lovely, they were great portions and reasonably priced indeed!

Fri, 21st Dec: Sheralee Holiday Park, Rockdale, NSW …
A lazy start to the day before Kieran’s last drive 😦
Before hitting the road, we stop by in Kiama at the travel agent to discuss some ideas for New Zealand. From 13th January we are on our own and have no itinerary! We manage to pick up a great brochure and Stacey Kruyf, a young girl from New Zealand, agrees to email us some ideas.

We take the remainder of the Grand Pacific Drive to Sydney before heading to Sheralee Holiday Park in Rockdale. It is a stone’s throw away from the International Airport in readiness for Lauren’s arrival tomorrow 🙂

Kieran drives well again today and, after stopping and we make good progress towards the City. The park is not the best of places but serves its purpose well. It is only 10mins from the airport but commands a $25 taxi fee!!!! Anne, the Manager, is a lovely friendly lady and very accommodating – her veranda is constantly buzzing with friends and neighbours.

After a couple of hours in Rockdale, we return to the van and catch up with Lauren before bedtime who is horrified to find out that the second leg of her journey is a flight of 13hrs – Dubai to Sydney, lol. Everything is well and she should be with us on time in the morning, OMG / YAY!