Day 2 - Broadmeadows to Hobart

 Didn’t sleep well, a combination of the unfamiliar bed and anxiety over the potential of yet another flight cancellation.
We had an alarm call set for 04:00 but I set my phone alarm for 03:55 just in case.
Woke up, shower, out into the cold and dark and hopped onto the shuttle bus. Checked in, told them the woman yesterday said we would be given breakfast vouchers (she didn’t, but I wanted to see if I could score some more). Got another 2 $8 vouchers, Take that, Jetstar.
Through security, 2 bacon and egg McMuffins later, watching the departures board like a hawk just in case it was cancelled again, but finally got the boarding gate.
Very short flight, they said it was full but there was a row of empty seats behind us so I hopped into that and tried to sleep but didn’t manage it. Stepped off the plane into a cold, drizzly grey morning, 10C - apparently Melbourne was going to be 22C and sunny.
Through to the baggage pick up (we only have hand luggage), and met up with our travelling companion, the friend of the daughter of a friend of Song’s (got that?) who is studying medicine in Sydney who we know very well, she used to live in Melbourne. Her name is Victoria.
Got a taxi to the apartment where we are staying, opened the door and wow. Song booked an amazing place. Just next to the wharf, a 2-bed, 2-bath apartment with a huge lounge and dining room with a laundry.
Made a cup of tea and then headed out to the Salamanca Market, and JB Hi Fi because I forgot to pack a connector to download my TV shows to my Mac.
Weather was cold and overcast, down coats were needed. The market was about a 10 minute walk away, and on the way we saw a cruise ship docked, the SS Covid Incubator (actually the Queen Elizabeth).
The market was packed, obviously people off the ship as well as other tourists like us.
I asked one couple if they were off the boat, they said yes so I asked where they were from - “Melbourne”. Oh. I asked where they were going after Tasmania. “Melbourne”. Adventurous travellers.
I followed Song and Victoria through the crowd, occasionally stopping to present my backpack for them to load up their purchases. By the end of the market I felt like a pack mule.
Went back to the room to dump the stuff, picked up a lobster, some scallops and prawns for dinner on the way and then googled for somewhere to eat lunch, couldn’t really find anywhere that looked decent so Song suggested a sausage from the market, which we did.
We’d earlier booked a trip to Richmond, an old town that just about everyone visits, so after lunch jumped on the bus.
Took about 20 minutes to Richmond, the bus driver telling bad jokes as they do. Stopped off at the oldest bridge in Australia and the oldest Catholic Church nearby.
Back to the main town where the bus parked for a couple of hours to let us wander.
Rain held off, Song and Victoria went into every antique shop in Richmond while I waited outside, nearly falling asleep a couple of times, the early start catching up with me.
Stopped off to have a scone and cup of earl grey tea at a cafe before heading back to the bus and back to the apartment.
Realised we needed something to go with the seafood so walked to the grocers and grabbed some salad stuff, then popped into the place where we’d booked a trip to Bruny Island tomorrow to check on the details. They said we should have breakfast because they don’t serve anything till 10:30, so walked back to the grocer to get some bread and Vegemite for toast.
Had dinner, and had an early night - Victoria had been up since 03:00, we had been up since 04:00 and we were all pretty tired.
Another early start tomorrow, we have to be at the trip place for 07:00, but luckily it’s only a 5 minute walk.

Day 1 - Short trip to Tasmania / Broadmeadows

Finally travelling again after 6 months, spending 6 days in Tasmania.
Packed, discovered that the Skybus has restarted running from near the train station which is handy - 42 minutes to the airport which saves us having to walk - train - change - train - walk - bus; now just walk - bus.  
Having read about all the delays at the airport due to staff shortages decided to get there early, so got the 07:00 bus, arrived bang on time at 07:43 ish.
Checked in the day before, so just needed to get through security and then sit for a while before boarding.  
The airport wasn’t too busy, the queues were small and moving quickly. Just about to queue up when I got a text “We are sorry to tell you that your 09:40 flight to Hobart has been cancelled”. They forgot to add the middle finger emoji but I assumed it was implied.  
Welcome to the new normal of travel, where flights can be cancelled just before they leave.
Went to the service desk and they re-booked us on a flight at 13:15, which was better than I expected. They also gave us 2 breakfast vouchers worth $8 each. Whoopee.
Not a lot we can do, so went through security and sat down for breakfast, we each had 2 McDonalds breakfast muffins each. Last time we had McDonalds was at another airport, Doha 2017.
Settled down for a 4 hour wait - unfortunately they don’t have an open access lounge in the Domestic terminal otherwise we would have sprung for it.
Went for a wander, took about 3 minutes, there’s not a lot at domestic departures. Walked past the busiest place - the bar. People getting on the beers and cocktails at 0900, starting their holiday early.
Read some stuff, watched a TV show, keeping an eye on the departures board. Our flight appeared. Yay! Cancelled. FFS.
Down to the service desk, into a queue of about 10 people. Got to the desk, trying to be polite but was pretty annoyed. She poked on the keyboard, looked at the screen, poked a bit more - “I’ve booked you on the next flight, 06:00 tomorrow morning”. FFS. So we have to be at the airport at 04:00, which means leaving at 03:00, which means getting up at 02:00. Wonderful. She said she could put us up in a hotel, where did we live? Oh, pity you live in Melbourne - if you weren’t in Melbourne, we could put you up. “Did I say Melbourne, I meant Ballarat”.  She booked us into the hotel. I can accept one cancellation, that’s the risk at the moment, but to cancel 2 and leave so many people to have to alter plans is pretty poor.
The queue was now about 200 people long, just as well I went there straight away - I don’t think as many people were watching the board and only realised when it was announced or they got an SMS.
So we were given $20 in lunch vouchers, plus booked into a nearby hotel so we wouldn’t have to get up at 02:00 (04:00 instead). Looked to see if there was a one-way Qantas flight, which there was, but it was $650 ish for the 2 of us. Seriously considered it, thought about it, decided to do it, went back to book and now the price was around $900. Yeah, no.
Called the hotel to tell them we wouldn’t be checking in today, they directed us to hotels.com because that’s who we booked it through, they said they couldn’t do it, so would call the hotel, they couldn’t get through so sent an email. What a pain in the arse. I also had to cancel a restaurant booking.
Went back to the departure lounge to use our vouchers, had 3 banh-mi between us. It was now around 14:30 and I was beginning to feel like the Tom Hanks character in Terminal.
Called the shuttle bus for the hotel, checked in and found out that we also get $60 in restaurant vouchers so booked into the restaurant.
The room was OK, clean and spacious but a bit tired, but probably better than going home and getting up at 02:00.
Moped around for a bit, read and watched a bit of TV, then went to the restaurant and had a passable meal - Song had a seafood risotto-like thing and I had gnocchi with bacon, mushrooms, peas. I also had a Tasmanian beer to remind me that instead of being where we were supposed to be, in a nice seafood restaurant overlooking Hobart harbour, we were in a Motel in Broadmeadows overlooking a carpark.
Went for a walk because we’d been sat down most of the day, then got back to the room and prepared to go to sleep, it was about 08:00 but we’d been up since before 06:00 and were going to be getting a 04:00 alarm call.
This was when we discovered that our room was directly below the function centre where a Christmas party had just started. We may as well have been sleeping on the dance floor. FFS.
Along to reception and told them our sad story, they were very good and moved us to a new room a long way from the function. Opened the room door and…oh. King size bed. Bigger TV. Went in the bathroom…shower, and a spa bath. Yeah, we’re using that, we deserve it.
Sat in the spa, very relaxing and Song said that despite not being in Hobart this is basically what we would have done - meal in a restaurant, go for a walk and if the room had a spa we would have used it.
Went to bed around 21:00, hoping that they wouldn’t cancel the flight for a third time, but the way things are, who knows?

Day 6 - Perth to home

Woke up early at 06:00 but then back to sleep for a while, then breakfast, drop bags and go for a walk. 

The hotel was next to a steep set of stairs called Jacob’s ladder which was popular with exercise nuts - people were walking up and down, using twigs to note how many times. 

We went up to get to the botanical gardens, it was over 200 steps and hard work for an unfit 59 year old, but managed.

Walked along path through the gardens , weather was great, sunny and warm and the views over the bay were stunning.

Walked back to the hotel, back down the steps and popped into the cafe next to the hotel for a coffee and ham and cheese sandwich.

Got the hotel to call a taxi and got to the airport and through security early.

Flight was pretty busy but not full, yet when I tried to change my seats online earlier it showed as full. 

There was a big guy sat next to me who spilled over into my seat but moved to an empty one once we'd taken off so Song and I had a seat between us.

Flight was uneventful, went quickly and we were back into the Melbourne cold, on the skybus then the train back home to the cat who meowed when she saw us and the dog who didn't seem too bothered.

Had a great time, saw lots and drove a lot.

Day 5 - Rottnest island

Song woke up at 05:30 and therefore I woke up at 05:30 but I tried to sleep a bit more which I managed, got up at 06:30. 

Walked down to the ferry, got there in plenty of time so sat with a coffee. Weather was chilly and overcast with rain threatening.

Managed to score a seat right up the front of the upper deck because it was open and the seats were wet, but Song put her raincoat across 2 of them so we were ok.

We’re going there mainly to see the Quokkas and I fear Song’s phone will explode with all the photos.

Ferry trip took about 90 minutes, the first hour a cruise of the Swan river with commentary which was interesting. Saw a dolphin on the way.

Got to the island and it was a bit cold so put on our jackets that we’d only just put away. We had 30 minutes before the bus tour so wandered around and saw our first Quokkas - cute and tame, lots of photos were taken. 

The bus tour was good, the same guy who did the boat commentary was the guide and it was fun. Stopped at a lookout and saw a couple of humpback whales, unusual for the time of year. Also saw 2 Osprey nests, one with an Osprey sitting on it. The nests were huge piles of sticks.

The island has some spectacular beaches and coastline.

Got dropped back at the main part and grabbed a roll from the bakery, more Quokkas and more photos.

I didn’t know much about the island, I thought it was mostly empty and mainly a wildlife reserve but it’s basically a resort island with coffee shops, restaurants, shops and even a small cinema for the kids. It gets packed out during peak season and you have to book a year and a half in advance for some of the accommodation.

Had a couple of hours before the boat back so went for a walk, the sun came out for about 10 minutes and then it got chilly again. Song decided she wanted more Quokka photos so I decided to get a beer and sit down with a view of the bay with Perth in the distance.

Started to rain heavily so couldn’t go for a walk so just sat undercover and waited for the boat back - a bit disappointing but can’t do anything about the weather so just relaxed.

Song went to take more photos of the Quokkas.

Back on the boat and back to Perth, decided to look for somewhere to eat rather than go back to the hotel. Tried a seafood place where we got off the boat but it was fully booked so decided to go back to the tapas restaurant we went to the first night and have the set menu again because we’d only had a roll for lunch and were both hungry.

Over full again, walked back to the hotel and watched tv before sleep.

Day 4 - Cervantes to Perth

Not much done today; woke up at 06:00, earlier than expected, packed up and drove down to the beach to have a look and then on our way back to Perth. 

Same as before, roads good and very little traffic. 

Stopped off for a pee and a coffee, then another look at the beach, then back on the road.

Needed to fill up with petrol before dropping the car back, had to turn off the freeway to find a station but still had plenty of time to get the car back for 11:00.

Decided to drop the bags at the hotel first and I took 2 wrong turns for which I blame Google, the directions weren’t great. Managed to get the car back at 10:58, making the most of the hire period.

Walked into the city stopping to look inside the cathedral, then wandered about the shops a bit before looking for somewhere to eat. Settled on a Vietnamese place but when we got there saw it was more of a takeaway place and also had a big queue, so decided on the Japanese next door. Good choice, it was really good, I had a special lunch box which had miso soup, tempura, sashimi and teriyaki beef. Song had a sashimi and tempura plate. 

Wandered around the shops again and sat down for a coffee before heading back to the hotel. 

Spent a couple of hours watching tv downloads then went out for dinner, chose a Vietnamese place and had pho, mine was ok, not great, and the place was pretty busy for an early Tuesday night. 

Walked back to the hotel, did a lot of walking today, then watched more tv and slept, up early tomorrow to visit Rottnest island.

Day 3 - Geraldton to Hutt Lagoon and back to Cervantes

Didn’t sleep too well, bed was very soft and the fridge in the room kept buzzing every so often and woke me up through the night. 

Woke up at around 06:40 and tried to sleep more but gave up and got up at 07:00. 

Had a shower and breakfast and went for a walk on the beach. It was warm but overcast and then started raining so sheltered under a tree. A guy in his yard asked if we wanted to shelter under his house which was nice of him, but the rain wasn’t too bad so we thanked him but didn’t bother. 

It stopped after about 5 minutes and we went back, packed up and drove off towards Hutt Lagoon about an hour away. It’s a pink lake, and if you’ve seen the new Qantas ad, it’s where the kids are singing. 

Roads in WA are really good, probably spent some of the mining money - all in good condition and no potholes, not like our trip to Sydney. 

Not much traffic again, and we noticed most vehicles are white (probably because it gets so hot here), and are mostly Utes, camper vans, caravans and trucks. The weather was what we were getting used to - overcast, sometimes sunny, sometimes raining.

Arrived at the lake, there was a lookout with a few people, but it wasn’t very high and the lake didn’t look particularly pink.

We got back in the car and drove up the road to a toilet and got chatting to a retired couple who had a caravan and spent about 20 minutes talking about travel, camper vans and cruises, a very nice couple.

Back to the lake and there were a few more people there, including an “influencer” in a bikini with her boyfriend taking photos, because of course there was. 

The lake looked more pink now, I think it depends on how sunny it is, the time of day and the cloud cover. 

We walked around a bit, spoke to a guy who had a drone and his photos really showed how pink it was from a high vantage point. 

Song took loads of photos, it really looked amazing, quite unusual. We’re now thinking of getting a drone.

Back in the car, back to Geraldton for lunch. Seemed to be quicker getting back, pulled in to search for a place to eat and found somewhere that looked decent. 

Turned out to be a great find. I had beef cheeks in a ginger and soy sauce with black rice and asian slaw, Song had Brussel Sprouts with aioli, prosciutto and pomegranate. Both were excellent.

Went for a quick walk and Song found a jewellers, I waited outside and wandered about, waiting for her to come out with a big grin and a few bags, but she didn't buy anything and my wallet breathed a sigh of relief.

Back in the car, a 2 hour drive to Cervantes - we need to drop the car back to Perth by 11 so the closer we can get, the better.

It was an easy drive again, not a lot of traffic and I think I went about an hour without seeing a car going in the same direction, just put cruise control on and followed the road. 

Got to the motel just as it was getting dark and starting to rain at around 17:30, checked in and looked on Google for something to eat. The good news was that there was a restaurant just opposite the motel that did a nice looking seafood platter which we decided we would share. The bad news was that it was closed even though Google said it was open. Looked at Google again and most places were shut or back in a town we'd passed 30 minutes ago, but a lot of them were also closed because it was a Monday.

Asked at reception and she said there were 2 options - a burger / pizza / kebab place or the service station that sold burgers / pizzas / kebabs. Not feeling like any of these, but bereft of choice, we headed in the pouring rain to the cafe, only to spot a grocery store that was open but about to close, so decided to do it ourselves. Grabbed some sausages and veg, then I spotted some cans of soup and Song found some instant noodles so decided that was good enough. Lucky for us we didn't pick the sausages because when we got back to the room we discovered it only had a microwave. So a bit of a low-rent dinner but that's the risk when you stay in a small town off-season. The room was also a bit basic, even though it was the best in the area. I can see why most people around here have a campervan or a caravan, the accomodation options are limited.

Checked on the cat - we left the cat at home and the neighbour kindly agreed to go in twice a day to feed her and keep er company for a while - we'd set up a couple of webcams so we could see what she was up to, plus I'd bought a gadget that allowed me to turn the reverse-cycle AC on and off remotely, and I could also VPN into my PC and play videos for her to watch. I think she was having a better time of it than us.

We need to get up early tomorrow to make sure we get to Perth in time to drop off the car, so would try to get a decent night's sleep.

Day 2 - Perth to Geraldton

Slept well but woke up early at around 6 which was 8 in Melbourne. Pottered around for a bit, had cereal for breakfast which Song had bought in Coles the day before then checked out, dropped the bags and walked to pick up the car. The weather was overcast but warm, with dark clouds over the bay heading towards us. 

The car pick up was a bit further than I thought but we got there just as the rain came down, pretty heavy. 

Not sure what it’s going to be like out of Perth but we can’t do anything about it so will just have to see.

Drove back to the hotel to pick up the bags and grab a coffee then we hit the road.

Traffic wasn’t too bad, but it was raining quite a lot. 

It was about a 5 hour drive, but with stops would probably be nearer 8.

The road was good, but after a while the rain really came down and I had to slow to around 70kmh because visibility was really bad, but luckily there wasn’t much traffic.

It eased up after a while but it alternated between rain and sun for a while. 

We pulled off at a place called Lancelin to look for something to eat, it was a small town so didn’t expect much and we were right, but found a cafe that was decent enough and I had a BLT and Song had a chicken wrap with salad, both were good considering. 

Had a quick look at the beach which was a bit smelly due to some large piles of seaweed, and there were more dark clouds threatening,

Back in the car and on the road again, heading to The Pinnacles, a load of stones (much more interesting than it sounds. 

The landscape along the drive was a bit dull, just scrub and bushes for the most part, but very green, it seems like it rains a lot. There were also the occassional white sand dunes which were nice. We also saw a couple of wild goats, so there you go.

By the time we got to The Pinnacles the weather had cleared up and the sun had come out, but it was still a bit cloudy.

The Pinnacles were amazing - thousands of standing stones, some a few centimeters tall, others a couple of metres and everything in between. You are allowed to walk among them, but not allowed to climb or sit on them - which of course we saw people doing. Arseholes.

I'll post some photos, it's well worth visiting if you go to Perth, you can get a coach trip.  

Back in the car and then a non-stop drive of about 3 hours to the hotel in Geraldton. I did consider stopping for a break but didn't need it, the road was good (one stretch was just straight for miles), not much traffic, no rain and if I did stop I might have ended up driving in the dark which isn't a good idea.

Got to the hotel just as the sun was setting, dropped the bags and looked for something to eat, decided on a place right next to the hotel - decent enough again, I had fish and chips and Song had a seafood platter. Both meals were good and it meant we didn't have to drive anywhere.

The hotel was comfortable enough, had a bit of an 80s / 90s vibe and was OK, but places in this area are limited so it was fine.

Watched a couple of episodes of The Crown (we've just started to watch it in honour of Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee - not really, we've just run out of stuff to binge) then slept.

Western Australia Take 2

Last year we nearly got to travel to WA; we managed to get as far as sitting on the plane before seeing news that WA would turn interstate travellers back, resulting in us getting off the plane before it left.

We’ve decided to try again and are currently sitting in the airport at the gate waiting to board.

We have 6 days, booked a car and a trip to Rottnest Island with a day or so in Perth.

The flight is just over 4 hours, hopefully we’ll get to actually take off, our first domestic flight for 10 years and our first flight for about 3.

Ah the joys of air travel I’d forgotten about - the plane was delayed by about 50 minutes, there was a screaming baby a couple of rows behind me and a few people who had their masks under their chin the whole flight. Arseholes.

I had a beef pasta thing on the plane which was ok, and a glass of wine because why not?

Got out of the airport and it was raining heavily but not cold. Took a taxi to the hotel, and discovered the bin in the room was full of empty KFC and McDonalds rubbish - luckily the cleaners were just outside and they were very apologetic but it wasn’t a big deal, just lucky I found it straight away.

Dropped the bags and walked into the city, just 10 minutes away. 

I wondered if Perth was still in lockdown and nobody told us because it was empty. Everything was closed and there were about 5 people around. 

Walked a bit further and more people started to appear, but still pretty quiet considering it was a Saturday afternoon - a lot of the restaurants were shut, and looking at Google most of them didn't open till 17:30 / 18:00. We were 2 hours behind Melbourne, and it was now 16:00 which was approaching dinner time for us in Melbourne.

We walked around a bit and found a Tapas place attached to the Intercontinental Hotel, and it looked OK so we went in to ask if we could book a table for when they opened, but it turned out they had just started serving, so we sat down and checked out the menu - looked pretty good and in the end opted for the 'Madrid Menu' which was a set menu for 2 with lots of different dishes. I was tempted to order a side of something because it didn't look like it would be enough. It was $65 each, which wasn't too bad. I also ordered a beer, because why not?

The first course came out, a plate of toasted bread slices with tomato on top plus a bowl of olives. Very nice.

Then a plate of bread with the thinly sliced ham from Spain, with a small piece of cheese. Very nice.

Then a plate of patatas bravas, and one of calamari, and one of chorizo. A large amount of chorizo and potato. 

Feeling a bit stuffed, Song said the last thing was a plate of churros, the doughnut things.  

But instead came a plate of steak, and one of tomatoes.

Finally out came the churros, 8 small doughnuts filled with chocolate. I really couldn't eat anything else, then I realised they were doughnuts filled with chocolate so forced myself. Song said she would have one and I could have the rest, but she had 3, obviously saving me from myself.

Hoping that was the end of it, paid the bill and left before they offered us a wafer-thin mint.

I usually over-eat on holiday, but not usually for the first meal.

We were the first there, but when we left it was pretty full, popular for a reason.

Really nice and great value. 

We walked back to the hotel, it was still warm and lightly raining.

We pick up the hire car tomorrow, will probably skip the next 5 meals.

Day 7 - Lakes Entrance to Home

Usual bad sleep, woke up early and then down to Lakes Entrance to have a look around.
Parked in the shade to make sure the cat was OK, it was a glorious day again; we've been really lucky with the weather, only 1 overcast day and 1 day with very light rain for a couple of hours. Almost every day has been sunny.
Had a wander, took some photos and a guy asked if we wanted him to take one of us. Well, I say a guy, it was the Chapter leader of the Newcastle branch of The Longriders Motorcycle Club, a huge guy with several piercings in his face and ears. I wasn't going to say no thanks, and thought I can always buy Song another Iphone when he decides he wants to keep it.
He was actually a nice bloke, had a little chat about where they sleep, where they were going and what's the going price for a murder these days.
Looked them up when we were a safe distance away, they are actually called The Longriders Christian Motorcycle club. So there you go, don't judge a book by it's piercings.
Crossed over the bridge and to the main beach, stopped to chat to a couple of blokes fishing - country people are very friendly. 
The main beach was spectacular, the sea quite rough but the beach is the longest I've ever seen, it went miles in both directions.
Walked back to the van, cat was fine. We debated whether to stop and stay the night at Warragul on the way home since we didn't have to return the van till Saturday, but in the end decided it wasn't worth it so would just get home to leave us plenty of time to clean and tidy the van.
Drove to Bairnsdale and put some diesel in - we'd paid $139 so that we didn't have to return the van full, or the gas bottle either, so it was a calculation to see if we could drop it back with as little fuel as possible, but we over-compensated. Still, it saved us having to fill it up.
Stopped off at Sale for a walk around a lake, then again at Traralgon to stretch the legs, have a coffee and do a bit of shopping.
The road turned into 4 lanes from Traralgon and was straight most of the way, so it was easy driving after the twists and turns and forests of the previous few days. Cruise control on and just stay in the lane.
Hit some road works on the way back, but not too much of a delay and arived back home at just after 19:00.
Spent the next hour and a half unloading all our gear - I couldn't believe how much stuff we took, and a lot of it not used.
So that was our first experience in a Motorhome - it was certainly an experience and we learnt a lot.
We stayed one night at most places, but the everyone else books into a site for a week or two. In our case the main point of the trip was to see if we liked the #vanlife - which we did for the most part. We had never intended to stop for too long at any one place, we didn't have the time, plus we don't do that when we travel, we tend to stay in a place for a day or two then move on. We might have to change that if we get a van.
Driving it at first was very daunting and nerve-wracking, worrying about the size, was I going to clip the wing mirrors again, will it tip over (there were a couple of scary moments going around corners on a slope, even though I slowed to a crawl). But by the end I was more confident and relaxed about it, although it did take a lot of concentration.
We made a long list of things that we would put into any van we buy - and we're going to the motorhome show next month to check out ideas. We probably won't buy one in Aus, but wait till we go to Europe in a couple of years.
So things we learnt - don't park on the grass, park on the slab or the astroturf. Plug in the power, water and waste pipe when you arrive. Get to the park when the staff are on site. Remember where you put stuff; the amount of time we spent looking in all the cupboards for something was ridiculous. Don't drive at night. Don't leave your toiletries in the shower block. Check everything before you leave - it didn't happen to us, but it would be easy to drive off with something plugged in or not locked.
Our next trip is probably a weekend in Canberra, then this year we might go to Queensland and hopefully Europe in October or over Christmas.

Day 6 - Merimbula to Lakes Entrance

Still didn't sleep well, not sure why, could be the bed, could be the changes, could be the temperature fluctuations, who knows?
Finally got a call from the guy at the camp site we had to leave, I said it's a bit late. He said Wednesday was his day off, I said where does it say that, he said it doesn't say it anywhere, I said so how am I supposed to know then? I also asked why he didn't answer the phone, he said it was for emergencies only; I said all he had to do was call me back or send an SMS. Long story short, he said he wouldn't give a refund so I said I'd raise a dispute with the credit card company and he could argue with them. He called again later and apologised for not answering the phone and said he will refund the money because he didn't realise I'd booked that day, he thought I'd booked a while ago and wanted to cancel at the last minute.
We'd set the alarm for 0800 so that we could be out by 1000, which we were, and headed off to Eden because Song wanted to go, and it was on the way, so why not? Parked in the main car park, then walked to the lookout, which we found out was down a huge slope and up another one. The weather was a bit overcast today, and the further South we went, the colder it got.
Eden is known for it's Whaling history and now Whale watching, but that happens between August and November so we didn't see any. Had a look from the lookout, then went back to the van.
Song also wanted to go to Malacoota for some reason, and it was on the way (sort of), so why not?
Turned off the main road to get there, and it was another twisty road through a forest, not the easiest to drive, especially with big trucks that insisted on going over the speed limit and stuck close behind me until I got to a passing place to let them overtake.

All along the road the trunks of the trees were black - a reminder of the forest fires from 2020; we also notice most of the house were new.
Decided we would eat at Malacoota, so parked the van and walked around looking for a nice seafood place, but what we found was a pizza and fish and chip shop, a cafe that did Eggs Benedict and bacon and egg sandwiches and a Chinese restauarant. Campervan to the rescue - Song finished off the prawns she'd bought the day before, and I had some soup and bread we bought from the IGA. Decided to have a big meal in the evening.
Back down the twisty forest road to get onto the main road, for some reason it seemed a lot quicker and less twisty on the way back.

For miles and miles all of the tree trunks were black, a huge area was affected by the fires - but there was also new growth as well, it was quite green so they were recovering.
We're now back in Victoria on the last leg of the trip. We were heading for Lakes Entrance, which was about 2.5 hours away, just about as far as I wanted to drive, and also to make sure we got there when someone was there to avoid the dramas we've experienced. Stopped off at Orbost to stretch our legs (nothing there), then got to the camp site, checked in and drove into the main part of town to look for something to eat.
Parked up in a side street, then Googled for restauarants - Fish and Chips, Pizza, McDonalds, KFC. Oh for god's sake. There was one place that looked decent, called Sodafish, so called them and asked if they had a table - they said we could sit outside but it might be a bit cold. Faced with the other options we agreed.
Best meal for a long time. Still fish, but a proper meal. We chose the Chef's choice; starters of scallop, octopus and baby carrot (more elaborate than that but I can't remember); then I had the King George Whiting and Song had the Flounder with a vege dish to share. It was a bit cold, we were sitting on the deck overlooking the lake with some moored boats, but they put on a heater and it was really pleasant.
Since we were on holiday we both had a dessert; I ordered the white chocolate mousse with Pear sorbet and Song ordered the chocolate and hazelnut praline - which we swapped.
Finally a nice meal.
Walked back to the van, pretty cold by now, drove to the park and connected up and settled down for the night.

Day 5 - Jervis Bay to Merimbula

Didn't sleep well again; packed up, disconnected, dumped the toilet, went to leave but the code didn't work for the boom gate. Went to reception, apparently check out time was 10, and it was now 11. Oops. But luckily they let us out.
Got back on the main road, Princes Highway, which you'd think was a major road but it was single cariageway with passing places. Quite difficult to drive.
Followed the road along the coast, crossing over some narrow and rickety bridges now and then, then arrived at Bateman's Bay where we stopped for lunch - Fish and Chips. Song also did some shopping and bought a support for my back - the van seats aren't great.
Song wanted to see the Horse Head rock which is a rock in the shape of a Horse Head, obviously. So we turned off the main road and headed (ha!) towards it, but drove past a sign for Camel Rock. Checked Google and the Horse Head rock was nearby, so we parked up and walked along the beach, saw Camel Rock, then followed a path and saw Horse Head rock.
Back to the van, we decided to stay at a park nearby in Bermagui so that I wouldn't have to drive in the dark again. Unfortunately I booked for the following night by mistake, the web page defaulted to it for some reason. I called them but the office was closed, so I left a message and we thought we'd drive there and swap the nights - it was only 15 minutes away.
Got there, left another message and sent an email, told them we were sat outside so could they please call us and let us know the code and the site number. There was also an emergency number, so called that.
And called it again. And again. After waiting about an hour decided we couldn't wait any longer so called a place about an hour away, the guy said he would be there to check us in.
So I ended up driving in the twilight and the dark along the worst possible road - twisty and through a forest. We saw some kangaroos in a field, as well as a couple in the bushes at the side of the road - if they had decided to jump across the road I wouldn't have been able to avoid them. Very scary.
Eventually arrived and the guy checked us in, when he saw our address mentioned he used to live nearby and frequented the local pub. Small world.
Set up and went to sleep.