Philip Island

17.11.2011 - 20.11.2011

Another exciting place on our trip! Philip Island, about 140 km S-SE from Melbourne, is a very laid-back place with friendly locals and plenty to see and do. Tranquil beaches in the north, beautiful rugged coast in the south, good walking trails, lots of wildlife, nice cafés and restaurants... we loved it!
The absolute highlight here was the famous Penguin Parade. Every sunset, thousands of wild little penguins emerge from the sea and waddle across the beach to their sand dune burrows. We sat down on the beach with little Eva and Alexander on our laps, slightly nervous about the fact that it was WAY past their bedtimes (usually resulting in tantrums, crying or screaming). But it couldn't have been more perfect! We were staring at the beautiful ocean for a while, enjoying the sunset. And suddenly, thousands of little black and white creatures popped out of the ocean in front of our eyes and walked straight past us to find their little bedrooms on land. This clearly made a big impression on Eva and Alexander, as they were still right awake at 10 pm, with Eva waving at every single penguin and wishing him/her goodnight!

Feels like we're in Japan (Eva@the penguin centre)

Watching a penguin sitting on an egg is way more exciting than going to sleep

Impressive scenery at The Nobbies

The Nobbies boardwalk

Embracing the Aussie coffee culture with a daily babycinno

Long Black please

Wilsons Promontory National Park

15.11.2011 - 17.11.2011

by Siegmund

Welcome to the Prom

It’s only one page in the Lonely Planet and many people wouldn’t bother stopping here on their way to Melbourne but the “Prom” as it is called is probably the most beautiful and unspoiled piece of coast between Syndey and Melbourne. From the moment we drove through the entrance gate we had the feeling we were in a remote part of New Zealand. Green hills rolling into a wild ocean without any signs of human presence. We set up camp at in the Tidal River campground next to the river and beach. Plenty of wildlife to spot around here: rabbits, lizards, wombats, deer and  German tourists in big Maui campers. A sundown walk along the beach shows us what the Prom is all about.

The next day we head out to the shallow beach at the tidal river and are surprised by the colours and waves in the water. Never seen a river with waves before. For some of us the sand here is even tastier than in Lakes Entrance. After saying goodbye to the local wombats we break up camp to hit the road towards Philip Island.

Tidal River Beach

                                         

Yoga on the beach

Tidal River

Me and my pink truck

Going for a bushwalk        

Full body workout

Can you spot the deer?

Gotta get me one of these

Squeaky Beach

Wombat magic

Lakes Entrance

 11.11.2011 - 15.11.2011

I realized that I have become a city girl. After being in charming Mallacoota for a couple of days, with its 3 streets, 2 groceries and 1 bakery, I thought it was time for something bigger again. I love nature, but ONLY nature is just a bit too much for me. So off we went, heading for popular Lakes Entrance, 320 km east of Melbourne. I couldn't wait to have a coffee in a trendy cafe or stroll along some fashionable shops for some serious window shopping. Instead, all I found was an overrated holiday town with not that much too offer, apart from beautiful Ninety Mile Beach.
But, as always in Australia paradise is just around the corner. We discovered the quaint village of Metung about half an hour away, which happened to celebrate its 140th anniversary. The atmosphere was great: live country music, about a hundred happy locals and a sausage sizzle which served the best sausages I had in a lifetime.

Stunning Cape Conran, somewhere between Mallacoota and Lakes Entrance: 

desolate, idyllic and perfect for a little stroll on the beach

Morning fun in bed

Even more fun: jumping on the jumping pillow in the holiday park where we stay. 

HUGE success with the kids no matter what time of the day!! 

Having a yoghurt after dinner (and before the shower)

Eva coming back from her daily shower

Best sausage sizzle ever in lovely Metung

Stroll in Metung

Lakes Entrance

Going for a walk in Nyerimilang Heritage Park

Learning about caterpillars (live version sitting on the paper)

Fearless Eva practicing her climbing skills

Lake Tyre

Our worst nightmare: Alexander LOVES eating sand

Nope, doesn't bother him at all!

Mallacoota

Sun 6.11.2011 - Wed 9.11.2011

by Siegmund

Next stop, right in the middle between Sydney and Melbourne is the sleepy coastal town called Mallacoota. In contrast to the Big 4 Narooma Caravan Park with all the facilities we decide to take our chances in the no facilities Shady Gully Caravan Park about 2 km out of town. Who needs facilities when you have guitar playing/singing hippies as neighbours. And again: Hey Jude,…

Great nature walks, great views and lots of pelicans who continue to entertain the kids.

The morning of our last day it is raining cats and dogs and it turns out that our Jayco Eagle is not as waterproof as the brochure claims. We go out for breakfast in the local bakery and get in touch with the local church group who invite us and the kids for a sing and dance in the community centre. This weekly event called “ mainly music” turns out to be a great success with the kids and more importantly we score an extra cup of  coffee under a blessed waterproof roof. We decide from now on to go out for breakfast each morning it rains.

"Shabby" Gully Camp 

Professional dishwashing team

Going for a cruise on world's smallest cruise boat

Real tough guys wear life vests

Narooma

Sun 6.11.2011 - Tue 8.11.2011

Next stop on our trip is Narooma, about 340 km south of Sydney. 

We are now 2 weeks on the road and in true "camping mode". 

We have become used to the mozzies and flies, and Eva evolved from squealing in a high-pitched voice by the mere sight of an insect to simply waving them away. 

We are now also used to living and sleeping in one single room, having sand in our beds and taking showers with our slippers on.

Further we learned our first major lesson about picking the right camp spot: NEVER choose a site with a muddy underground if your child likes to eat dirt! (no matter how perfect the ocean view) 

Same goes for loose pebbles, sand, trees with little stingy leaves and nearby stairs or ditches!

"Steve dangerous" is alive and has 2 little fans

Morning swim

Watching the ocean in our backyard before going to sleep

Jervis Bay

Thu 3.11.2011 - Sun 6.11.2011

Jervis Bay is about 200 km south of Sydney. It's known for its beautiful white sand beaches and clear waters, and the bay is home to many dolphins. We have been here a couple of times before so this time we didn't feel the urge to do a lot of sightseeing. We mainly focused on relaxing, having fun with the kids and enjoying our new home.

Enjoying life

Chasing the seagulls... or not

Turned out Alexander was heading for the french fries that a man was feeding the gulls! (he was happily chewing on one about 10 seconds later...)