Victoria, Australia .....beautiful!!!

Saturday, Feb 5th, as the skies began to clear, we headed out to the Koala Conservation Centre on Phillip Island after an all night rain.  We got there 30 minutes before it opened so while Eugene wandered around the parking lot, he spotted a kangaroo in the bushes.  He grabbed the camera and we spotted several.  Got some good pics.







At the Koala Centre you can walk on raised boardwalks through the enclosure so you have a better view.   A little too close for Tracy.  While she was taking a video, a male climbed down from the tree and walked along the railing right towards her! He looked interested!!!  He walked along the railing, had some pics taken with the visitors close by and then climbed back into the trees.  Their claws are huge!!




The sun came out and we headed back to the west end of the Island and the Nobbies.  There is an education centre there and restaurant overlooking the Bass Strait and Seal Island.  We had fish & chips for lunch.  You can follow several boardwalks along the coast for spectacular views and also see the sea birds nesting grounds including the Little Penguins - beautiful.





Our last stop on Phillip Island was across a bridge to Churchill Island.  This is a working farm museum and gardens.  It was getting late so we headed off to our next camp.  We ended up taking the ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff rather than driving all the way up to Melbourne and around the bay.   We stopped in Point Lonsdale, Victoria.  There is a hotrod show in town so the park manager recommended their other park 2km away to us as it would be much, much quieter.  Royal Park Caravan Park for $30 (powered site).   It's starting to rain again. Very windy and cool at 18C. Thought it was summer here!!

Sunday, Feb 6th, we left Point Londsdale this morning.  It was a cold and rainy night.  The morning was cool but sunny with some clouds 14C.  It dropped down to 10C as we jouneyed north along the Great Ocean Road.   The views along this highway .... AWESOME!!   Every turn was a beautiful view.  The pictures do not do it justice.  Now we know why it is called the "Great Ocean Road" ... absoultely spectacular scenery!!!

We headed a little north into the Otway National Park to the Fly Tree Top Walk for $22 each.  It is a steel walkway 25 metres above the rainforest floor.  It also has a spiral tower 47 metres above the floor where the tree tops were still above us.  There is also a cantilever walkway 33 metres up!  Awesome views of the forest .... did you know the trees sway a lot up this high?











At the suggestion of a tourist centre staff member, we are camped at Bimbi Park on Cape Otway for $25 for a powered site.  It is a small, quiet  family park sheltered amongst the Manna gum trees off the beaten track south on the Cape.  The park is full of wildlife such as koalas, possums, kangaroos, echidnas and about 70 varietes of birds.  It is about 12km off the Great Ocean Road.  We saw a koala on the road on the way in.   If we get up early, we will probably see kangaroos again.  Tomorrow we will continue along our journey for Part 2 of the Great Ocean Road!

Sitting on the steps outside in the park with two sheep saying hi as we try to post this with a good signal!!!  We hope to add pics to these posts when we have a "real signal".  Pics have been added now ... enjoy!