Rockpooling, surfing and more koalas

A little flashback to Kennett River and the koalas, just because I didn't do it justice in the first blog. And Kennett River didn't just offer koalas - there was also fabulous rockpooling, great surf and tons of birds. 

kookaburra!

Kennett River Beach

Marlo

On the way back to Flinders after our Sydney road trip we decided to break up the journey from Canberra with a night on the coast. That made it about 4 to 5 hours of driving each day, rather than 8 - 9. We chose Marlo rather randomly, but mainly because it is near Cape Conran, which looked a beautiful spot. It's where the Snowy River meets the sea. 

There's not a lot in Marlo itself (it's a big fishing spot, clearly) but we enjoyed the stop - one, because we stayed in a really nice little cabin (Tabbara Lodge - highly recommended!), and two, because the next day the girls and I did a beautiful walk along the shore called The Snowy River Estuary Walk. 

(So, of course, what movie did I have to show the girls upon our return to Flinders? Why, 'The Man From Snowy River', of course. Sigh. Not quite as I remembered it from my fevered teenage days, but very good, nonetheless! Then of course we had to read Banjo Patterson's poem and then listen to a recording of it being performed. See what interest one little stop can generate?)

Looking for the seal who supposedly hangs around the jetty

A rather odd little decoration of hats on posts

The estuary walk

Lots of birdlife to see on the walk

Beautiful boardwalks

Canberra

On our way back from Sydney we drove via Canberra, and managed to catch up with a couple of my old friends. We saw Su Fei, Tony and their son Jonathan for tea and then we stayed the night with my friend Kathryn and her son Max. It was a real scorcher that day - over 40 degrees! - so Canberra felt a bit like a ghost town as no one was walking around the streets. We easily solved the problem by going to one of the many fabulous (and air-conditioned!) museums in Canberra - we chose Questicon, the science and technology museum, and it was AMAZING. Every exhibit was interactive and interesting (and yes, educational...). We could have spent the whole day there, but unfortunately it did have to close eventually. 

The highlight for the girls was probably the 'vertical drop' - a vertical slide that you start by hanging from a bar with your hands and letting yourself drop and 'freefalling' until the slope of the slide finally catches you. 

The next day we took a walk up into the hills with Kat and Max to try to spot some 'roos (unfortunately, elusive) and then had a pleasant lunch by the lake. Then it was on the road again... fleeting, but fun. 

Some of the sculptures on our brief 10 minute walk outside

The vertical drop - I think that's Zoe about to let go

Crappy picture, but you get the idea

Posing at the end - I think the girls did it about 15 times each

Great to see old friends!

Canberra

Looking for 'roos (I think they were hiding in the heat)