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Monday 23rd April
Yesterday we left New Zealand and flew to Melbourne. It's a lovely city - very arty and cultural. However, since we're flying to Sydney in 4 days we decide we'd better do the tourist thing and drive down the Great Ocean Road.
It's a lovely drive. We go through Geelong, then stop for lunch at Torquay and go to the golf club to see the resident kangaroos. The members literally play around them. It's very funny. We finally stay overnight in Lorne. The accommodation is wonderful with little wooden lodges and cockateels everywhere. They do make a big noise though but it's a magnificent sight to see them in the trees.
Tuesday 24th April
Today we went to the Skywalk which was situated inland at Lavers Hill. It was fantastic. We walked on tall platforms that are built among the trees so they don't impact on the environment. They go up to 47 metres high and we still weren't up above the tallest tree. We also walked out on the cantilever which is like a long arm protruding from one of the walkways that has no support underneath it. It was amazing.
We then drove on and saw the 12 Apostles, which are large rocks that jut up from the sea. However there are only 9 left now as 3 fell into the sea in July 2005. In addition we saw another rock formation called London Bridge which used to be attached to the mainland but as with all things, time has eroded it and it's no longer connected. Infact when the platform crumbled away a few years ago there were two tourists stranded on the bridge who had to be winched to safety. We stayed our last night on the Great Ocean Road at the end of it in place called Warnambool.
Wednesday 25th April
We drove back through the hinterland to Geelong just outside of Melbourne today. It's the quicker inland route back and was an incredibly straight road with not much to see along there.
When we reached Geelong we went to visit my Great Half Aunt Norah and her daughter Patty. Norah is 82 now and is so fit and spritely. She also sounds exactly like my late Nana so it's lovely to hear her voice as it brings back good memories of Nana and her wonderful scones!
We spend the afternoon with them looking at family photo's and catching up on what life has been like in Australia for her over the last 50 years since she moved here. It's good to meet Patty too. She has her Mum's energy and vibrancy about her. We leave and I promise to return to see them again.
Thursday 26th April
We meet up with Tess this morning - she's one of the girls I met on the Africa trip. It's fantastic to see her and she looks really well. She's very much enjoying Melbourne but has become a door knocker selling green electricity as it paid more than the sandwich shop she was working in. This is the girl who is a qualified lawyer! Hee hee. We meet her in St Kilda which is an area known for drug addicts, prostitutes and backpackers. There's a big childrens theme park there too worryingly and the entrance is a massive scary clowns mouth which you have to walk through.
Tess heads off to work with promises that she'll see us in a few weeks when she moves to Sydney. Simon and I then go shopping for work clothes down Bridge Road in Richmond. Everyone is uber-trendy here so I squeeze myself into one of the new long black pencil skirts that come up to your boobs and a sharp white shirt. Symone would be proud of me. Naturally I need a hangbag and shoes to go with it and a belt to finish the outfit. Sigh - retail therapy - how I've missed it.
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