WE SAW KOALAS!!!

I know, the title says it all, but I must explain the rest of our vacation, so please, be patient.
So, this weekend, Paul and I made the trip to the state of Victoria, one of the most southern states in Australia. Although it is south of us, we must remember that going south does not mean it will get warmer. In fact, it is equal to our going north. I did not remember this. Things are so backward here. Oh well, I didn't freeze, but it was a bit chilly.
On Friday, we both went down to Chinatown and had some grade A Chinese food. It was funny 'cause the restaurant had tanks of live fish and crabs. They were ginormous! Anyway, we took the airline Tiger to Melbourne (which is now an error we will not make twice) and then drove to Geelong (literally gee as in geezer- long). We stayed in Geelong and in the morning went out on the Great Ocean Road! It is a memorial to soldiers who have died in wars and I think it quite a splendid thing. The road stretch along the southern coast of Victoria from Torquay (surf capital) to Port Fairy (seals live there). From the Pacific Ocean, along the Southern Sea and to the Indian Ocean.
We drove to the town of Anglesea because we had heard of a golf course that has "a sea of kangaroos" grazing on the green. Of course, who wouldn't want to see that? Alas, no kangaroos were chilling that day but Paul and I did not wish to give up. So, we drove around the golf course in hopes to see some roos but just ended up in a nature reserve of some sort. We walked in a circle for a bit and just before we gave up hope, we saw them! A herd of kangaroos were jumping around to the other side of an open space! Nothing is more captivating than watching kangaroos hopping. We of course stalked them and took several photos and videos for your viewing pleasure.
So, Anglesea proved to be fortuitous...now off to Lorne for our wonderful lunch. Our original plans for this place was to go snorkeling. However, I don't know if you've felt an ocean that borders on Antartica as well, but the Southern Sea was freezing and in no way shape or form was I gonna even try to go in there. So, Lorne was just the place to eat. We then continued on to Apollo Bay. We stayed at a bed and breakfast there which gave us insights on where to find the koalas...I know...I can feel you getting excited...we're getting there.
However, our first adventure was to find...GLOW WORMS!@!!! You cannot believe how giddy I was to see some glow worms (insert giddy dancing and squealing). We stopped at Mait's Rest, which had a nice little path with huge, gigantic gum trees! You'll see them in the photos, and they just make you feel so small! Then, we made it to Melba Gully, which is a cool temperate rainforest. That was some scientific explanation for your science people out there. We had our dinner in the car (sandwiches) and waited for dark. As soon as it was dark, we hit the path and found the beautiful and glorious glow worms. They like to hang out on the walls of the path and in the pictures, they look like stars. I love glow worms. They are so romantic! Even in the rain, it was quite a unique sight.
Next day. Sunday we left our lodging quickly in the wee hours of the morn and headed to Cape Otway...for koalas. We scanned the trees with a fervor and I slowly felt a bit deflated since we had not seen one. Then, Paul spotted it. A beautiful koala all alone in a tree, looking miserable that we spotted her. I named her Kimmie. We jumped around and took too many pictures of her. Then we stopped for Theodore (Paul's koala) and took many more. Then, we found the koala equivalent of Buncombe (he was alone in a tree with absolutely no leaves...not smart Buncombe koala). Afterward, we just decided to count all the koalas we found. 21 in all!!! I know Chelsea's mom will be pleased with the spoils of this trip. They are too cute.
We left Cape Otway and ran off to the Twelve Apostles Park to see the rock formation. Supposedly, there are only 9 apostles left, but it was gorgeous. We also saw the Arch, Loch Arc Gorge, and then London Bridge...all huge rock formations. Just a fabulous day. But after visiting the Grotto, we had to return back to Melbourne to catch our 7:30 flight. It was very quick return since we took the inner road. Most of the country of Victoria is farm land and it is beautiful. It reminds me of a combination of the NC mountains and of NY farmland. Really just lovely and I loved just looking out the window at the rolling hills.
So, we make it back to Melbourne. Or shall I say we got Melbourne-d...haha. We made it to our airline at around 5...then the rain began. At 6:30, the Melbourne airport closed, which meant no planes were going to Sydney that night. The line literally wrapped around the building. Paul heavily considered taking a car and driving to Sydney although it would have taken 10 hours to do. Luckily, we got a ticket for the next day at 12 and we got a hotel room for the night. Very stressful end to a lovely weekend. But, we did have a very nice hotel stay and we stole all the Mentos they gave us!! Worth it!!!
Well, that precludes this entry on our fabulous adventure to Melbourne. We will probably have to return again since we didn't get a chance to see penguins or seals. But, over Easter weekend, we are very excited to announce that we are going sailing for 3 days around the Great Barrier Reef!!!!! I am so glad to be here.
Anyway, busy week ahead. Wednesday I have to go see about volunteering for the Red Cross and it is my friend Sarah's birthday. I am making her a cake, even though they do not have Cool Whip here...what kind of country is this? Oh yeah, I did finally try Vegemite. It is disgusting and tastes like tar. I'll bring some home for all to try. Well, hope all is well and I look forward to hearing from you all! Tschues!!!

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