So we arrived in Sydney to clear skies and beautiful sunshine...... or not.... it was actually cloudy and raining. So much for getting away from the New Zealand winter! We picked up our hire car and headed South to Woolongong where we stayed overnight en route to Jervis Bay. Unbeknown to us it was the day that New South Wales switched to daylight saving, so when we got up early the following day to go whale watching it was an hour later than we thought?! Thankfully we arrived in Jervis Bay with about five minutes to spare and boarded the boat. The whale watching was good, we saw a mother, infant and calf, but unfortunately we didn't see them breaching. Apparantly they often stop in the bay whilst migrating to have a rest and hence they are not very active. There was quite a swell in the bay and by the end of the trip almost everyone was pale, and about half of those onboard were nursing sick bags!! Mark and I were two of the few that felt OK - the others were the crew!!!

We continued along the Pacific Coastline staying over in Bega and Bairnsdale before arriving in the metropolis that is Melbourne. After an overnight stop we headed out to a beautiful small town in the Dandenong Ranges, called Olinda. We stayed with our first HelpX hosts, Belinda, Robert and Poppy (the spaniel). We had a great week in Olinda, riding around on the sit on mower, chopping wood, gardening and plenty more besides. Thanks to Belindas fantastic cooking we put on a couple of pounds and picked up a couple of delicious recipes - we've had thai sweet green curry more than a few times since. Whilst staying there we had our first encounters with Aussie wildlife - a possom which we fed each night and the Huntsman spider which nearly gave me a heart attack when I opened the curtains one morning!!

We returned to Melbourne a week later and had just a couple of days to do all the usual touristy stuff - Queen Victoria Market, Captain Cooks Cottage, Chinatown, Federation Square, Melbourne River cruise etc etc etc..... One day we met up with Clinton (a friend we met in Fiji) and went out to St Kilda for the afternoon. Clinton took us for lunch in a quirky restaurant called Lentils & Anything, where you order off the menu and then pay what you think the meal was worth - an interesting concept eh?! Afterwards we walked across the beachfront and down the pier, before admiring the view of Melbourne over an ice cream. We then headed back to the CBD to check out some aboriginal art at the NGV and went for a couple of drinks to round off the day. A great afternoon had by all and an 'awesome' chance to catch up.....

The following day we went to the Australian MotoGP at Philip Island - it was a long day to say the least. The bus picked us up at 6:30am, we arrived at 8:30am and the main race wasn't until 4pm! It was worth the wait though as it was a close race with Stoner & Rossi battling it out for first place after Lorenzo crashed out. In the end Stoner won at his home track - b*****d!!

Our next stop was Mount Gambier to meet Marks Aussie relations - again we picked up a hire car drove for six hours just over the border into South Australia. Here we met Marks great aunty Shirley and her daughter Marie and partner Ken who kindly put us up. Over the subsequent four days we met about 30 family members for the first time - what an experience. We were made very welcome by everyone and are delighted to have brought the family closer together. Marie kindly showed us around the 'Mount' and even took us to see some real life kangaroos!! We also had a real Aussie BBQ at Sues' house and even a welcome cake. Shirley arranged a farewell meal for us on our last evening which was an emotional end to a wonderful four days.

We drove back to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road and were disappointed to find that many of the infamous 12 Apostles have collapsed. It was a spectacular drive none the less, but did not top the Californian Pacific Highway in our opinion. Whilst at the 12 Apostles lookout we encountered another Aussie native, an Echidna - it's a bit like a hedgehog but with a long pointy nose.

After returning the hire car in Melbourne we picked up a campervan on a relocation deal to Sydney. Again we headed back along the Pacific Coastline stopping over in Lakes Entrance where we spent the day fishing off the pontoon. Later that evening we went to find the site recommended by the Tourist Information Office, only to find that it was down a 2km dirt track in dense woodland - think the Blairwitch Project and you're about there!! Needless to say we turned back halfway and found an alternative site for the night - beside the lake. We continued onto Sydney where we dropped off the campervan and booked into a YHA for a much needed shower.......