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Thurs 17th
Had to get up really early today at 5:45 as it was the start of our next tour! We got on out minibus which was better than the last one and met our tour guide Squatter. We drove for a couple of hours and then stopped to get some breakfast and food for lunch (as we planned to have a picnic on the beach). We got chatting to Claire and Backy who live in Walderslade near me. Back on the bus we drove out to Wilsons Promontory National Park and Squatter told us all about it and the animals, etc. We stopped for a photo by a cool roadsigh and it then began to rain!
We drove to the car park and began our walk in the rain with our rainjackets on! We climbed up some massive rocks for group photos and then carried on hiking in the rain through woods, etc. Eventually ended up on Squeaky beach (named because it squeaks under your feet when you walk). On the beach, there was a dead seal with no head, which was a bit gross! We continued over the beach in the torrential rain and ended up eating our lunch on the minibus. Then we drove out of the national park and towards Lakes Entrance.
Squatter stopped the minibus at the side of the road, and took whoever wanted to go looking for kangaroos. We stayed on the bus, and as we were soaking wet we went and changed into dry trousers at the side of the road. A car drove past and beeped at us! In Lakes Entrance we went straight to the restaurant type thing and had dinner. We then drove to the YHA hostel and we were staying in little chalets. Later on, some of us went and sat in the communal area and we drank some goon.
Friday 18th
Had to get up at 5:30 today as we were leaving early as we had a 5 hour journey ahead of us! Today we headed up into the Australian Alps, over a bumpy dirt track for lots of the journey! Stopping at Suggan Buggan school, Snowy River and Wallace Craigie Lookout. We had lunch at Jindabyne and then continued driving to Thredbo. We were staying at a 4 and a half star hotel here, we dumped our bags and then met for our walk.
We got the chairlift up a little bit and then walked 6.5km to Mt Kosciuszko summit. This is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland at 2228m. It was a very tiring walk but so good to reach the top! We even saw snow, which had gone a reddish colour from the dust storm a few months ago. Two of the girls took off their tops and posed in their bikinis and then one of the guys stripped and posed on a rock! It was so funny but very cold!
After walking 6.5km back , we still had further to walk as the chairlift had now shut. Squatter said it was 2km down and would take 20-30 mins, but it in fact took much longer! When we finally reached the bottom, we had walked for about 10 miles in total that day! We had dinner and later on some shots of peach schnapps, yum! Then went for a walk to look for wombats and when we were about to give up, we saw one!
Sat 19th
Got up at 7 this morning, which is much better than the last two! Had pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast, so yummy! I ended up having 4, oooops! This morning we drove to Canberra, stopping at the Australian Capital Territory sigh and Mount Ainslie Lookout for views of the city from above. We then went to the National Museum of Australia and looked around. Me, Becky and Emma found this radio studio thing "Radio Goolarri", went in and the door closed behind us! We then recorded our own snippet of radio show and it was so funny to listen to it back!
After lunch, we went to Parliament House and going in was like going through airport security. Inside, Squatter gave us a tour around and it was much more interesting than a regular tour as he told funny stories. Me and Becky then got dropped off at the YHA as we were staying in Canberra for a couple of nights, as well as two others on our bus. The kitchen at the hostel was a bit of a nightmare and so we ended up cooking our noodles in a frying pan! In the evening, we drank goon in the room with others and later me, Becky, Linn (from our bus) and Alanna (from the dorm) went down to Transit Bar under the hostel. We ended up getting pretty drunk and getting back late!
Sun 20th
We woke up and felt pretty hungover today so we didn't go out to do any sightseeing! Or do much else except relax! In the evening we went down to use the spa, but it was rubbish and not very warm, so disapointing!
Mon 21st
We had to pack this morning as we were getting picked up at lunchtime. We checked out and walked to the War Memorial and had a look around. We then walked to Lake Burly Griffin. After lunch, we were off on the bus again and headed towards Sydney! Stopping off at a bakery halfway for a snack. We got off the bus at the Oz Experience office and walked to our hostel "Westend Backpackers". From the outside it looked really rundown, but the reception area looked OK. Our room is ok too, nothing special though but we have an ensuite. The kitcehn here isn't great at all, not much stuff and the towels are like bath towels and look so dirty!
Love from Fran.... and Becky
xxx
- comments
Squatter Awesome Blog. Thanks for the kind comments. The girls in their bikinis were great, but it sure did take a bit longer than 30mins to walk down the ski run. Glad you had a great tour, I love the Melb-Syd sector. Best Regards Squatter