Frasering

Because it's still wintry in Melbourne September is the time to go up to Queensland and enjoy some of their year round sun. So we got on a plane and joined the annual Victorian migration to the warmth. We headed to Hervey Bay and swapped our soft roader car and the comfort of our little house for an enormous V8 land cruiser with a tent in the back. The thing to do at Hervey Bay is to ferry across to explore Fraser Island, an enormous sand island and national park famous for sand, dingoes, lakes and having the world's only beach highway. Thankfully the girls found the roar of a meaty V8 quite soothing and combined with gently bouncing over the island tracks were blissfully asleep for much of the driving. Which was more than could be said for us when we settled down for our first night's sleep in the painfully thin thermarests and frankly useless sleeping bags. But saved by some very kind people who lent us spare bags and after we'd made a shop keeper very happy by buying Vics one of his outrageously expensive air beds, things looked up and we were regularly sleeping in till 6:30 am - when the family alarm clock woke up and clambered over us going, 'Da da wha's dis'. Despite certain discomforts, Fraser Island won us over with spectacular blue lakes, crystal clear streams, amazing sand formations (sand blows), the stunning scale of 75 mile beach, more hump back whales than you could shake a stick at and pleasing lack of dingoes wanting to eat our children. We soon settled into a comfortable evening routine of boiling the billy for some tea, cooking up some pasta, cracking open the wine box and turning in to bed incredibly early. Thea's major disappointment was that we had forgotten to buy tomato ketchup so she started tripping round to the neighboring campsites for sauce. She was very effective and neither the young nor old could resist her charms - so the little lady got her sauce every night. Buoyed by a singular lack of dingoes we even camped at the back of the beach on our last night on the island and went to sleep to the stars and crashing waves. Fantastic. Then for good measure we returned home via Tin Can Bay where a pod of wild dolphins come in to feed every morning - which nicely capped off a great holiday in a very special place.

Sounds from a land down under

Gold Digging

We headed east in the footsteps of gold prospector Ned Stringer in search of the remnants of Victoria's richest gold mine and a nice weekend in the hills. Walhalla's population is a little down on the gold rush days, there were over 5,000 then now it's about 8. Still a few of the buildings remain and we stayed in one of them. The old Mill cottage. Once we had got over the initial shock of discovering very little had been done to Mill Cottage since the gold ran out in 1911 and survived the first night's sleep we revived our spirits with a nice morning in the sun on the balcony feeding the parrots. It's a good thing we were blessed with bright winter sun because it made the trip to the dunny in the garden more pleasant and took the edge off the unheated outside bathroom (yes, it was another trip booked by Will). Walhalla proved entertaing with an informative tour of the long tunnel extended gold mine, a great railway trip down the stringer's creek gorge and Ron's 4WD tour, which was particularly enjoyed by Will and largely tolerated by Thea - after driving through the Thomson River Thea was quite persistent in making sure Ron had specifically confirmed there would be no further river crossings. After all that there was nothing for it but to take a walk to the Wally Lodge Hotel (pub) for a pie, pint and a bit of mixing with the locals. Although with its plus points by day the accommodation revealed its most serious drawbacks at night. There was something about every creak, groan and bump of a 150 year cottage in a village that prides itself on its ghost tours that was just a little unsettling. It's amazing how you can hold onto a wee when faced with a night hike to the dunny!

Are you dancin'

It's dancing time again. We put on the glad rags and razled dazzled our little hearts out at the annual Connell Wagner dinner dance. Ably assisited by some wonderful friends who had T and D for a sleepover we had a great time and got home far too late for sensible parent type people. This time we were older and wiser and took the photo before we went out rather than when we got back!
 

Thanks Lizzie

You gotta be rapt that we get a day off for Lizzie's Birthday. Good old Queenie. So it was head to the Dandenongs for a little mountain air and good old family time. You know the thing, kids screaming in the car all the way there, starts to rain just when you're about to arrive, spend ages driving past various tea shops trying to decide which one looks worth spending all day in! Bit like a holiday in Wales really.

Now living in Aus you tend to notice the little differences such as the more informal approach to life here - so you end up with roads with evocative names such as, 'Bonza View'. To be fair, once the mist had cleared a little to an almost penetrable haze there was the vague impression of a fine view.

But the weather did dry off for the afternoon and we made it around William Ricketts Sanctuary and the unusual selection of sculpture in amongst the ferns depicting aboriginal spirituality with a generous helping of eastern mysticism stirred in for good measure.

 
 
 
 

Busy busy world

It's busy being 4. For a start there's all the groups and activities to get to. Then there's the parties. So when Abi and Lia sent out invites for parties on the same day it was just as well that Abi was a doing a brunch party at the playground and that Lia was doing a craft making thing in the afternoon. How much refined sugar can a small person consume? Quite a lot apparenty.

 
 
 
 

Thanks Grandma

We love the new jumpers Grandma