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Monday 19th was when I left Sydney for Canberra. Stupidly I sat at West Ryde Stations waiting for the 10.06am train and when one arrived at 10.04 I figured mine was the next train so I didn't get on it was only after it pulled out of the station and the info board updated I realised it had been my train! So panicking for 12 mins until the next one arrived that I wouldn't get to Sydney Centre Bus station in time I sat at the platform, then worried a little more all the way into Sydney. Luckily I got there 10minutes before my bus was supposed to leave but I had no idea where the bus terminal was so I got pointed in one direction and pegged it over to the buses but they were local city circuit buses and then I got pointed in another direction - turn right at the traffic lights...but there were 3 sets of traffic lights!! Eventually I just ran up to a bus driver and jumped onto his bus, I must have looked pretty desperate as when I explained I was going to Canberra he just said get on I'll take you there. Two seconds around the corner there was my lovely Murrays bus waiting for me, perfect timing literally on the dot of 11am.
Just over three hours later and I was jumping into Garry's truck to go and stay with Gary and Lorna. It was so good to see them and they literally spoilt me whilst I was staying with them. After a couple of cups of tea and a catch up it was time to grab some tucker as they say at the 'Club'. Unfortunately, I didn't have any i.d. so they refused to let me buy any drinks or even drink any drinks, oh well that's what looking youthful means.
The next day Gary gave me a tour of Canberra, it was freezing cold so we drove around the sites. But I got some great views over the city when we visited Mount Pleasant and Mount Ainslie. Then some even better views from the top of the Telestra Tower on the Black Mountain. We even sent Nanny and Pa a postcard from a postbox at the top of the tower, it's Australia's highest working postbox, 58m high from the land but something like 880m above sea level! Then after a yummy hot chocolate and banana muffin at the Botanical gardens I went for a walk around on my own and spotted so many unusual birds and ended buying a book to identify what I'd seen, my favourites were the red-wattle bird who had two weird turkey looking sacs hanging from either side of its beak and the honey eater. Next we visited the Carillion and Aboriginal Tent Embassy (a group of tents and a camp fire....very strange!) really good day though finding out what's in Canberra.
As it was only a fleeting visit to Canberra Gary and Lorna suggested I check out the coast so we went on a two day road trip to Bateman's Bay and Narooma where we stayed the night and back over the Brown mountains. It's so cool driving through Canberra and seeing all the hundreds of Kangeroos in the fields, not so cool is seeing lots of roadkill although did manage to spot several wombats that way. Narooma was gorgeous, we spotted dolphins and seals playing by the coast and apparently if you keep a look you can spot whales too! It was such a relaxing way to spend a couple of days, well not for Gary as he was driving, but it was really enjoyable to get out of the city and see Australia!
Friday was my last full day in Canberra and we dropped Gary off at the airport early morning as he was following the Brumbies to Melbourne. So the girls decided we should visit a winery near the airport! Only problem was it was 9am!! Drove there anyway and thankfully the Lonely Planet guidebook was right and they were open. I managed to suggest to the chef that we were hungry and he ended up baking us fresh homemade scones and strawberry and fig jam, Lorna and I couldn't believe our luck! I tried a few of the wines and we ended up leaving with a bottle of Shiraz which we shared that night in the Vietnamese restaurant with Lorna and Gary's friends, Mel and Kirsty (and kids), it went down very well!
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