From Batlow To Port Germein

Well its been some time since our last blog post. Horrible I know. Sadly we don’t often get access to internet and when we do its usually in the parking lot of a McDonalds so the connection is super slow uploading pictures is not really an option.
We left Batlow almost a month ago now and its crazy to look back at everywhere we’ve been and all the things we done. It was sad leaving Batlow but the season there was just not good this year. We started having to many days off and not enough days working to make it worth it to stay. During days off we managed to get away a bit and visited some nearby towns including Cabramurra which is the highest town in Australia. It was nice to get away from the Caravan park for a few days. Once we got back we picked our best day and filled 12 bins which equalled $420 for one days work. There was only a few half days after that though and then we were told there would be up to ten days off before the next variety was ready which we figured would only be a few days of crap picking anyways so we packed up and said goodbye to everyone. It was a really great first working experience for us and Jeff our supervisor advised us and filled out paperwork for a visa extension in case we decide to stay a second year.
We headed for the Snowy Mountains where we had our first encounter with hail and snow in Australia. I took a hilarious video of Francis that I can’t wait to share. We also got to observe Kangaroos up close for the first time and Francis conquered Mount Kosciuszko.
From there we decided to head to catch up on some ocean time after being beached inland for so long. On our way we passed through Bega where we encountered our first cheese factory. Totally worth the visit! We had the best milkshake ever and got tons of cheese for super cheap. After that we finally saw the ocean when we arrived in Tathra. That is where I ate my first bacon and cheese bun. Super delicious. We stopped by a family owned oyster farm that has the highest award winning oysters in all of Australia. We bought a bakers dozen of oysters there for $8. That night we had raw oysters for the first time. Francis is a natural at shucking oysters and we ate half raw with a little bit of lemon. We loved them. We put the other half on rocks beside the fire and within minutes they popped open and we were even more impressed.
We kept following the coast line after this and soon passed into the state of Victoria. We were so elated to be on the ocean coast and spent a lot of time on walks and beaches checking out all the small tourist attractions in our travel books. A lot of the sand is make of equal sized pieces of quartz which squeaks when you walk on it, which I videotaped Francis doing during a little jig. One night I had a very real dream in which I conversed with my passed Grandpa and I woke up to the dim mornings light and decided to take a book and chair to the beach where I was alone for hours. Just my thoughts and the sound of the sound of the surf. At Wilsons Promitory Francis was in his element when he decided to take on a three day, two night hike. During his trek he reached the southern most part of Australia which is only accessible by walking.
We stopped a lot of places along the way but my favorite part of the trip so far came next. We woke in San Remo and watched Pelicans being fed beside the docks. Then we crossed the bridge over to Phillips Island. We went for an awesome walk at the Nobbies where we saw penguins nesting under the boardwalks and I got caught in a rain storm by ignoring the weather signs in attempt to photograph a baby penguin in his nesting box.
That night we went to watch the penguin parade. We were the first ones in line and so we had the best seats. There was a television crew there filming for a show called Hughie’s Kitchen. We waited until dark and then saw penguins coming up on the surf. At the waters edge they would huddle together until they were all there and then they would scurry across the beach to their nesting holes. We watched for about an hour before deciding to head back up the boardwalks where the best part of the night was waiting for us. We got to be right up close to the penguins waddling around looking for their nesting spots. They were absolutely everywhere and so adorable being the worlds smallest penguins standing only one foot tall. I never wanted to leave.
The next day I begged Francis to take me to a wildlife park where I read you could feed kangaroos and get close to koala bears. Before we even passed through the doors leading to the park we could see little wallabies pressed up to the glass waiting for us to bring them treat. I melted in delight. Right away they were surrounding us eating from our hands and snuggling up to us. The Koalas had just been fed so they were super lively and I took the worlds funniest video which I’ll show you all when I return. The wildlife park had so many animals including dingoes which just look like big yellow dogs to me and I swear I saw them eating kibble. Hmm. My favorite part though was a humongous enclosure where the big kangaroos and emus live. There I found myself a little pet who hopped after me wherever I went. He would jump up at me like a little puppy and was a super cuddle bug as he ate from my hand. Francis took videos of him chasing me around and pulling on my clothes and standing on my feet. It was so amazing to sit there with the kangaroos and have them come up and snuggle with you and kiss you. Yes, they even kiss you. They are the sweetest most loving animals. It was an experience neither of us will ever forget.
After Phillips Island we decided to skip past Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula as we plan to come back this way at the end of our trip to take the ferry to Tasmania to pick cherries. We took the ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff and I promised then to never make fun of BC Ferries again. We stayed overnight in Geelong to have a radiator leak fixed and then headed down to Torquay which is the surfing capitol of Australia. After which we took on the Great Ocean Road.
The Great Ocean Road reminded of us of when we did the coast of Australia. It was really gorgeous and we stopped to take in all the sights along the way such as the 12 Apostles. We made our way through to Port Fairy and then up to the Grampians to take in some more hiking. From there we quickly crossed over into South Australia heading straight for Adelaide to catch up with old friends we met along the way.
We spent almost a week in Adelaide. There was so much to do and we really needed a break from days and days of driving. The truck also required some more maintenance. We spent a lot of time at the different city markets picking up fresh produce and delicious cheeses at a good price. We had our haircut in the Chinese Market which is something I don’t really care to elaborate on :(. We spent the night at Port Adelaide where Francis took part in yet another sample paddle of microbrewery beer. We visited Glenelg and ate fresh donuts and great fish and chips after strolling the boardwalk. We caught up with old friends on Rundle street and spent the night at our friend Kath’s house whom we met in Sydney at a hostel. We visited Mount Lofty’s summit and watched the sunset together. It was a great stay and we really loved how easy the transit was there.
Yesterday we left Adelaide and stopped to spend the night in Port Germein. This town boasts the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere. It was a kilometer and a half long but the water was shallow the whole way out. We watched the locals fishing and casting their crab nets. It was great because the water was so close you could watch the crabs dancing around the nets unsure of whether to scoot in or not. We watched the sun set into the water and took some gorgeous photos. This morning we ate breakfast by the beach and talked with some people who have been traveling as we are for a few years.
Now I’m waiting for Francis as he calls Diane for Mothers Day and then I will be calling my mom. Then its off to Port Augusta where I hope to find a connection strong enough to post this and maybe a few pictures. :)