Tour du Monde

VG: On a pris l'avion de Brisbane a Melbourne ou on a passe 2 jours avec des amis. Cette ville a ete envahie par les Italiens et les Grecs (entre autres) apres 1945, du coup y'a des pizzerias partout! Et des photos de la coupe du monde de foot aussi. Moi je prefere le cricket ! Nous sommes ensuite partis sur la Great Ocean Road pour voir les fameux "12 apostles", ces formations rocheuses erodees depuis des millions d'annees par le vent et la mer - il n'en reste plus que 5 en fait! On a decouvert sur place que c'etait aussi la saison des mouches, ca bourdonnait constamment autour de nos oreilles. A Philip island on a attendu 1h30 sur la plage pour enfin voir debarquer au crepuscule les plus petits pingouins du monde ! Ils retournent dans leur nid la nuit venue. Juste avant d'arriver a Sydney on a visite le Parc National des Blue Mountains. Elles sont recouvertes d'eucalyptus qui degagent de fines goutelettes d'huile diffractant la lumiere, ce qui les rendraient bleuatres en fin de journee; bon, sur les photos c'est plutot vert qu'autre chose! Une fois arrives en bas, nous avons pris un petit train qui roule sur les rails de l'epoque des mineurs...on est remontes en moins d'une minute quasiment a la verticale! Fin du voyage a Sydney, tres belle et agreable ville (surtout quand on n'y travaille pas!). J'ai ete etonnee par l'Opera House qui en fait est composee de 3 batiments et recouverte de carrelage !
AC: The Aussie adventure continued starting with a visit to a very warm Melbourne. Had a great time with Jodie and Tony (thanks!) and enjoyed some superb food in this funky city. Check out Pireaus Blues if you like to eat Greek! We stopped by St Kilda beach in the sunshine, Luna Park and Lygon Street and Fitztroy. Next stop was the Great Ocean Road drive in our campette van! Fantastic scenery except for the hundreds and I mean hundreds of flies that seem to be invading the Victorian coast this summer! Each stop we made they would swarm all over your head! If it wasn't for the stunning views of the 12 Apostles (rock formations) to distract me from the flies, I would have gone crazy! We drove down to Philip Island to see the 'Little Penguins' parade up the beach from the ocean. It's one of the only places in the world where you get to see them arrive in their ever-so-cute little groups with their ever-so-cute little waddle, walk up form the sea onto the beach and up into the sand dunes to retire for the night. They were amazing to watch. We also checked out some very scenic national parks at Wilson's Promontory and Cape Conran. After the dry landscapes of Victoria (bushfires and droughts!) we drove up the New South Wales coast stopping for some nice relaxing swimming on the beaches, visiting the Blow Hole at Kiama (where waves crash against the coastline and push the seaspray high up through the rocks like a whale's blowhole!) and stopping at the Blue Mountains before heading to Sydney. The Blue Mountains are really something special. Fabulous views of the eucalyptus forests mixed with the rainforests from the Echo Point lookout. We trecked around the walking tracks for hours and took a rather frightening (as I do not like heights!!) trip on the scenic railway that slides up the mountain at 58 degrees, ie. very steep! The light at dusk gives everything a stunning wash of orange-colour across the rocks too. Lastly we stopped in Sydney for a few days to check out the famous Harbour complete with Opera House and the bridge. Thanks to Billy for driving us around all weekend too! So, now...it's 2nd half of the adventure - Asia is next!
:: View the photos from Melbourne & Victoria ::
:: View the photos from Sydney & New South Wales ::

AC: My cousins, Bill and Michael (you both are legends!) graciously offered to take me & V plus Agnes & Julien to Fraser Island for a few days to see in 2007! We were in good hands as the boys know their 4x4 stuff. We had a superb time (after the initial very windy and wet weather) driving up the beaches, & in through the inland tracks to all parts of this fantastic island. We met some local dingoes, swam in the pristine Lake McKenzie & Wabby, enjoyed lots of steaks and beers and lots of laughs! Had a lot of fun in the Champagne Pools in the north as we battled the waves that soared over the edge of the rock pools where we swam! We partied into 2007 at the "Dingo Bar" with my cousins and a swarm of backpackers! It was fun to meet up with Hoops and Anne-Laure too (thanks for the roquefort & foie gras!!). Special thanks to my cousins Kathy & Gina (and Jason) who let us share their resort room for free!
VG: Les cousins d'Alessandro nous ont organise un tour a Fraser island avec 4x4 et tout et tout ! Agnes et Julien (2 amis de Toulouse) sont aussi venus avec nous. On s'est baignes dans des lacs (McKenzie & Wabby) dont le fond est simplement du sable, donc pas de vase! Ballades sur les plages, le long des rivieres, dans la foret tropicale etc... bref un cadre paradisiaque pour le reveillon ! Hoops et Anne Laure etaient aussi de la partie, grace a eux on a eu du foie gras le 31 !!!
:: View the photos from Fraser Island here ::

AC: Back home in Australia for 6 weeks! Cool! Time to show Virginie the great things it has to offer. We arrived into Brisbane and it was fantastic to see all my family again and we spent the first few days just chilling and catching up. Then began our Queensland adventure! We flew up to Rockhampton (where I grew up) and checked out some of my old haunts, and caught up with some friends. We had a quick stay on Great Keppel Island, a really nice little island with stunning white beaches. We then drove up the QLD coast to Airlie Beach, and to take a 3 day sailing cruise around the Whitsunday islands!! Superb weather, a nice old style sailing boat, and a very relaxing few days where we were lucky to see some dolphins and huge turtles hang around our boat. We also drove further north to check out Cairns, the Daintree National Park and Mossman Gorge. I hadn't realised just how naturally beautiful the north of Queensland is! On the way back down south we stopped in Mackay and checked out Eungella National park (where we saw the shy little Platypus!!). Next stop was back in Brisbane for Xmas with all the family, and then Fraser Island for New Years! My cousins Bill and Mick took us 4-wheel-drving (photos in the next update) and we also caught up with Hoops and Anne-Laure from Canterbury. Next we're off to Melbourne and Sydney.. Happy New Year!
VG: Noel au soleil, ca fait bizarre ! Nous avons passe quelques jours a Brisbane avec la famille et les amis d'Alessandro, et ensuite nous sommes partis vers le Nord: Great Keppel island et puis mini croisiere de 3 jours sur un bateau autour des Whitsunday islands. On y a vu pleins de poissons de toutes les couleurs, des tortues, un dauphin (et oui, un seul!) et de magnifiques coraux. Quelques centaines de kilometres quasi desertiques plus tard, nous sommes arrives a Cape Tribulation dans la foret tropicale pleine de cassowaries (ces especes d'autruches avec une tete bleue et une corne sur la tete - voir photo). Ensuite nous sommes redescendus a Mackay ou nous avons vu des ornithorynques qui ne sont en realite pas plus grand qu'une main! Juste apres Noel nous sommes partis a Fraser island avec les cousins d'Alessandro et Agnes et Julien, 2 toulousains qui nous ont rejoints en Australie! Les cousins etaient tres bien equipes: trois 4x4 avec CB, boussoles, cartes etc... ca tombait bien puisqu'on ne peut aller sur cette ile qu'avec un 4x4, il n'y a pas de route, seulement la plage a maree basse! Et le 31 decembre on y a aussi retrouve Neil et Anne Laure (pour ceux qui les connaissent!). BONNE ANNEE !!!

:: View the photos from Brisbane, Keppel Island, & The Whitsundays here ::
:: View the photos from Cairns region, Eungella, Xmas & Alma Park Zoo ::

AC: We only had a week in NZ, so we decided to just try and see as much of the north island as we could. While it's officially summer it was certainly nice and cool, perhaps a little too cool. We hired a 'sleeper van' to travel around. We started in the Bay of Islands in a lovely little sea side village called Russel, and made our way around the north island. The scenery is just stunning with giant ferns everywhere. Highlights for me were the giant ancient Kauri trees, sand boarding down the huge sand dunes, the very cool (although stinky!) thermal springs in Rotorua and driving the 100 km/h on the 90 mile beach! Also, if you do use a sleeper van and park by the side of the road, just remember that it's better not to tie your plastic bag full of chicken scraps to the windscreen!! Otherwise your van will be attacked by ferral cats during the night (though it sounded like a crazed lunatic scratching at the door!!)

VG:Nous avons passe 8 jours en Nouvelle Zelande (ile du Nord seulement) avec un van, tout comme les 45000 Hollandais et Allemands que nous avons croises! Au menu quasiment tous les soirs: cotelettes d'agneau de NZ au barbecue - elles sont excellents, malheureusement pour eux, pauvres petits! Les paysages sont superbes et intacts, avec de jolies maisons en bois qui se fondent dans la nature. La mer bleu turquoise contraste avec la vegetation luxuriante ! Nous avons pris un bus sur la 90 mile beach qui est une route officielle - vitesse limitee a 100 k/h ! Nous avons fini a Rotorua ou quelques geysers sont en activite, il y a des mares de boue qui bout, et on peut prendre des bains dans les sources chaudes !

:: View the photos from New Zealand here