Day 16 – Leongatha, Sale, Bairnsdale, Metung

 

We are a well-oiled machine when it comes to packing up ready to move on.  Wayne & Vicky were gone by 8am and we were on the road by 9:30am with Kev & Maz taking a slightly different route to us. I was very keen to visit Leongatha having previously heard the story of nine-year-old Lenny and his pony Ginger Mick who rode solo to Sydney in 1932 to see the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This was his reward for looking after the farm for a month while his father had a broken leg. He was feted along the way, becoming quite famous and ended up being in the procession at the opening of the bridge. He also got to meet Don Bradman and attend a cricket game at the SCG. He was 9!!! Anyway, when I heard a statue had been made in his honour, I had to see it. Unfortunately, there was a gang of workers with diggers working nearby and it was roped off, but I got a couple of shots anyway. The statue is life sized, and it was amazing to see how small they were.

 

Leongatha is also famous for a certain lady who cooked some mushrooms up for her in-laws and allegedly killed three of them ... case still before the courts so I won’t say any more! We continued on out of town and our audio book – The Rosie Effect – finally finished and we put the next one on – The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club Mystery). We really enjoy the books – it certainly makes the time pass more quickly. Our next stop was Sale where we met up with some old friends – Jim & Barb – who we haven’t seen for ages. Although it was just an hour for lunch it was great to see them. Jim is Alison’s older half-brother and used to live in Lake Macquarie but has moved to Sale to be near Barb’s family including their great granddaughters who they regularly babysit.

 

We farewelled them and in only about half an hour were at Bairnsdale where we visited St Mary’s Catholic Church with its famous painted ceiling. It was well worth the stop – very impressive. After that we found a Woolies and stocked up on ingredients for Beef Strog which was my dish of choice to cook for dinner.

 

It was then only another half hour or so to Metung, our ultimate destination. Although perched on the side of a mountain, the house is fabulous. Great views and nicely styled ... and we have an ensuite each! Score! After dragging everything from the car down a mile of steps and unpacking, Kev, Maz, and I headed off the 2km or so to the shops, walking along a lovely boardwalk. It’s a small village but very pretty. By the time we returned I was stuffed but there was no rest for the wicked and meal prep commenced, with a well-earned wine in hand.

 

The dinner turned out pretty well and it all got eaten up (forgot to take a photo!). It was then time for Euchre – Gaz/Kev v Maz/Pen with the boys whitewashing us 2-0. A bit of a very violent movie (The Mechanic) on TV and then it was time for bed.

Day 15 – Tennis, Phillip Island & Penguin Parade

It was up and at ‘em ready for tennis this morning. Everyone seemed to pull up pretty well after a biggish night and we donned our version of athletic gear, grabbed some balls and racquets, and it was off up the track for 100m or so until we got to the tennis court. Wayne stayed home, Russ & Sue joined us, Gaz decided to be an umpire from the bleachers and the rest of us were ready to set the court alight. Kev & I sat off first and the other four began the warm up. It became obvious quickly that there was something wrong with the balls (it couldn’t possibly be the players) and Kev was sent scurrying back to the cabin to gather some substitutes.

 

An incomprehensible rotation system devised by Kevin to try to implement a points scoring system failed early on and the pairing of players became ad hoc. Vicky was the first to succumb to injury, straining her upper calf (we think). I went in as a super sub. Sue was later subbed as she was almost hopping on one leg (she’s due to have a hip replacement shortly), and Russ, Kev, Maz & I settled down to battle. It was a pretty tight match but due to the aforementioned complicated points scoring system I have no idea who won. Sue bravely returned and replaced Russ who ripped off his shirt and dived into the adjacent swimming pool a la Jim Courier diving into the Yarra after an Australian Open win. Time will tell how we pull up tomorrow.

 

After a short rest period everyone headed into Cowes – the girls walked the shops, the boys walked the foreshore and then found a pub, Gaz washed the car. The others grabbed a bite to eat in town but Gaz and I had left over steak from last night to finish off so we headed back. A fairly quiet afternoon. I took a walk and found another games area with another pool, tennis court etc.

Other than that we just rested and then headed to the North Pier Hotel at Cowes for what was a lovely meal for dinner. Gaz had decided he didn’t need to see the penguins again – after all, he saw them 30 years ago – so I drove him home after dinner and headed to the Penguin Parade area on the other side of the island and met Kev, Maz, Wayne & Vicky there. Sue & Russ also gave it a miss as they have been many times.

 

When we went 30 years ago we froze! It is the coldest I have ever been in my life … and we have lived in Orange, Lithgow and Canberra. So, this time I went prepared. I brought my warmest coat on the trip just for tonight and I can’t imagine it will be used again but gee I’m glad I wore it. I also grabbed a picnic blanket from the car which was useful to sit on with the cold stainless steel seats. Did I mention I found a pair of gloves in my coat pocket? I was so prepared! We huddled together as we sat in the stands set on the beach after a reasonably long walk from the car park and visitor’s centre. Poor Vicky was feeling her earlier tennis injury but soldiered on like the elite sportswoman she is.

 

We waited about 45 minutes for the penguins to start to appear. There seemed to be less penguins than I remembered but it was still great to see the spectacle, particularly walking back along the boardwalk and seeing them up close. The most bizarre occurrence was a flock of seagulls that kept swooping and hovering over the stands as people started to leave, apparently searching for leftover food. This is such a dangerous place! Possums last night and now killer seagulls!

 

Heading off tomorrow morning and farewelling Wayne and Vicky as they head back to Melbourne. It was great catching up with them again.

Day 14 – San Remo, Rhyll, Cowes

 We were packed and out the door by 9:30am ready to move on to the next part of our adventure. Phillip Island was our destination, but we stopped first at San Remo to witness the midday feeding of the pelicans. We met Wayne & Vicky and Sue & Russ who were also joining us for this sector.  It seemed a nice spot and we took the opportunity to wander up the street and check out a few shops … well the girls did anyway while the boys waited patiently until their patience ran out and they texted the girls suggesting it was time to move on as they were hungry.

 

Across the bridge we travelled in a procession to find ourselves in the tiny settlement of Rhyll. Nevertheless, a splendid café was found and all 8 of us were most appreciative of a fine repast … it was a good feed too.

 

Russ & Sue weren’t able to book where the rest of us are staying so they set off to their digs (aka some upmarket spa suite) in Cowes while we headed to the Ramada Resort where we finally found our 3-bedroom villa, unpacked and settled in. It is a lovely resort set on extensive grounds with lots of walking tracks around it. The cabin is also great and meets our needs perfectly, even with the 6 of us staying together.

 

During the afternoon we went into Cowes to buy some meat and other staples from Coles and then Gaz and I took a walk on one of the tracks to explore. There were lots of animals to see along the way – small wallabies, some sort of weird geese/duck things (Maz named them, but I’ve forgotten), rabbits, and all sorts of birds. Gaz was pretty pleased with his walking effort as we trekked up to the top of the hill and admired the vista below. On the way we passed the pool, spa, gym, indoor pool, and tennis court.

 

Russ & Sue arrived for dinner and a fabulous night ensued with lots of fun, laughter (and alcohol!). Finska and the Celebrity Game were played – the girls won Finska and the boys won the Celebrity Game so lets call it a draw. We had a number of red-eyed visitors with the boldest possums you’ve ever seen attacking the front and back glass doors of the cabin. At one point a possum gained access and ran straight to the rubbish bin in the kitchen – I think he’s been in here before. They have no fear of humans at all and at times we felt we might become prisoners in our own cabin with an army of terrorist possums laying siege at our door! Maz just kept saying how cute they were and making goggly eyes at them.

 

Great night and before the evening was over it was decided … tennis at 10:30am tomorrow. In bed after 11, looking forward to a good night’s sleep!

Dear 13 – Point Nepean & Millionaires Walk

Another fun packed day! We left a bit after 10 and started out by heading to the Quarantine Station on Point Nepean where we left our cars. Kev and Maz decided to hire e-bikes while Gaz and I went for the more sedate shuttle bus option. While the others were getting sorted with their bikes, Gaz and I boarded the bus and headed off to Fort Nepean, right at the end of the peninsula, about 9km away. There were great views and some old remnants of a fort dating from the 1880s. We walked around for a while soaking it in and then boarded the bus again, just glimpsing Kev and Maz arriving on their e-bikes.

 

Back at the Quarantine Station which we had toured a few years ago, we were happy enough to head back to the unit for a bite to eat. I discovered the Knights v Storm trial game on TV and took the opportunity to do some laundry while I watched the game.

 

Meantime, Kev & Maz arrived back and regaled us with tales of their adventures. They loved the e-bikes and enjoyed their 2 hours exploring the various bits of the park. Maz even came across an echidna which was a bit exciting.

 

After the Knights unfortunately went down to the Storm (boo), Gaz and I headed off for the nearby Millionaires Walk, a track that runs along the cliff in front of some amazing old homes. It probably should be re-named multi-millionaires walk these days. Great views and some spectacular houses and estates to see as well. Most of them have private beaches, accessed by stairs (or occasionally a lift), with private jetties, boat houses and sometimes fenced off baths. This I could handle! Thanks for the tip Kev & Maz – great recommendation.

Kev & Maz threw together a sumptuous dinner of seafood spaghetti – they do a wonderful job cooking up great meals for us! After dinner Kev, Maz & I took another walk down to the Sorrento Foreshore – gotta keep those steps up!

 

Back to the unit and it was the regular Euchre tournament – Gaz/Pen v Kev/Maz and, wait for it, we managed to win 2-0 so that ties everything up across the whole trip. I was voted down and there was to be no viewing of the Matildas, but we watched a movie – Family Plan. Gaz & I had seen it before but were more than happy to watch it again – it is very funny. A fairly late night and we need to move on tomorrow. Let’s hope we sleep well.