Back home again

Saturday I finally made it back home after a terribly long and uncomfortable flight.

In retrospect I have to say that the trip was wonderful. There were so many new impressions and I've learned so much about Australia. It was great fun!

During my stay I knitted 5 pairs of socks. Here they are, guarded by my lovely echidna, one of several little beanies I bought. Just can't resist a cute face and soft fur ... ;)

Some of the yarn I brought with me and some I bought in Melbourne and Sydney. Both cities have some lovely yarn shops.

In Melbourne we got to me a knitter group. They were very nice and welcoming. Unfortunately we didn't get the chance to meet the Sydney knitters, but I like the idea that you can connect with people all over the world through a shared passion for knitting.

The Blue Mountains

In Sydney we rented a car and drove along the Great Western Highway into the Blue Mountains. There we stayed in Katoomba, a little town right near the Three Sisters.

The weather was great, sunshine and cool winds, and the view absolutely fantastic.

To get down the mountain and take a rainforest hike I had to go down by cable car and go up buy the worlds steepest train. But it was worth it.

















Now we are back in Sydney for the last 5 days of our Australian adventure.

Sydney

We spent a whole week in Sydney and had a great time. The city is great and has so many wonderful things to offer. The harbour is a sight to see, the botanical garden is lovely, they have very quaint shopping centers in old Victorian buildings.

I've taken hundreds of pictures and when I get back I will upload the best of the best so everyone who is interested can have a look.

Great Ocean Road

At the moment we are in Port Campbell on the Great Ocean Road. On my birthday I got to ride along that beautiful piece of country. I will certainly never forget that ...

We saw the 12 Apostles, London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge and many other gorgeous sites. The weather is great, not so hot and always a nice wind. Tomorrow we are heading back to Melbourne, so we can catch the train for Sydney on Friday morning. They predicted a high of 39 degrees Celsius for that day, so I am glad that I will be sitting in an aircondition train heading for cooler parts of the country.

Greetings from Melbourne

We've been here in Melbourne a week and I am having a great time. It is a bit hot for my taste, about 30 degrees Celsius every day, but luckily our nice hotel does have air conditioning.

The main subject that everyone talks about are of course the bushfires near here, which are the worst that Australia ever had. Luckily we have not been anywhere near there.

Besides seeing many of the sights Melbourne has to offer, we've already taken two daytrips into the surrounding areas.

One to the Grampian Mountains. The hiking there was very strenuous and the flies a real pest, but it is a beautiful place.

Another trip was to the Dandenong Ranges. There we travelled through the bush via an old steam train called "Puffing Billy". Lots of fun!!

Today we will be spending in the little town of St Kilda. It is supposed to have a lovely beach. That will give us a chance to relax a bit. Monday we are leaving to travel the Great Ocean Road.

Of course we also met the Melbourne Knitters. They were a nice and welcoming group of people and we had a good time knitting and chatting.

Unfortunately I have not yet been able to upload any of the photos that we took, so there is no shot of me in my 'lovely' sun hat. ;) Maybe next time!!

And I'm off ....

This is my last entry before I start my trip to Australia.

I am so looking forward to it and I am really excited now.

First stop will be Melbourne. We will spend 8 days there to really get to know the city.

Then we are driving down the Great Ocean Road to Port Campbell for a 4-day stay. From our hotel room we will be able to see the 12 Apostles.

From there we are taking the train to Sydney. We will stay several days in the city, but we are also renting a car to explore the surrounding area. Of course we will visit The Koala Park Sanctuary to see and hold the animals close up.