The Cool Coast

It was great to finally be out of the hot Outback. When we got to Adelaide, we met Natalie who was lots of fun to visit with. I discovered that I liked meat pies. I built lots of little forts on my bed at Natalie's. We went along the ocean and saw lots of lighthouses and beaches. In Ocean Grove we met Bev and George Long and their family. I wish I could have gone surfing even if the water was cold. I saw a scary sign and some seals. We took a walk through a rainforest on the Great Ocean Road.

We spent a long day driving the windy Great Ocean Road. We saw koalas in trees right beside the road. I saw the Twelve Apostles (there are only nine rocks left), Loch Ard Gorge, and London Bridge. In Melbourne we had a great view from our YHA rooftop. We went to the Victoria Market and saw lots of interesting things to buy. I took a tram ride and saw the Flinders Street Station. I love Australian stuffies and would like to take a whole bunch home. Can you find me doing my schoolwork at the hostel?

In The Middle Of Nowhere

Driving across the Outback is pretty dull because there is nothing to see except roadkill and there is no shade whatsoever. We stopped in a small town called Peterborough where I 'drove a train'. We got to Coober Pedy which is a small opal mining town in the middle of nowhere where we slept underground in a cave and saw lots of underground structures. (I think that is why they call Australia 'the land down under', pun intended.) I met the hotel owner Martin and visited an opal store with Mom. They even had a golf course! We drove past Mount Conner to Uluru where we stayed in a hostel in Yulara. Uluru is very amazing and I explored a few waterfalls, caves, and even saw the 'Brain'.

Kata Tjuta was as beautiful as Uluru and we went on a hike called the Valley of the Winds. There were lots of steep rockfaces and it was fun climbing up and down them. I found tadpoles living in the middle of the desert! Kings Canyon was really hot and we walked along the edge which was a little scary. We visited the School of the Air in Alice Springs and learned how children far away in the Outback were being taught in the olden days before computers. I found yummy-looking kangaroo sausages in the store. We stayed with wonderful hosts in Alice Springs, Mick and Bernadette. The best thing about being in the Outback is that we got to swim in pools almost every day because it was sssssooooooo hot!