Australia
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Finished my computer work before anyone was
awake. Since we are going away for the weekend, I needed to
make a transfer before we leave. Everyone was rushing around
from the time they got up. Shopping at Prahran Market and
breakfast out was first on our day’s schedule. Andrew Carnegie
and I did the shopping. It is a huge market with various
stalls filled with vegetables, meats, deli items and more.
Lots of shoppers were out with their little trolley carts.
Australians are big on organic and natural foods. Lots of
people in Melbourne would take the tram to the market or walk.
The rest of our party had ordered our breakfasts while we
shopped.
The car was “chock a block” by the time I got the last bag in
the rear. We drove toward Wilson’s Promontory. Some friends of
Michael’s, Marie and David Turner, own a holiday home at Sandy
Point just outside the park. We spent a weekend with them at
Mansfield during our last Australian visit. Their two
children, Nathan and Sara, are now young adults. Making us
feel even older than we do. The trip to Sandy Point went
through some small towns and lots of farmland. This section of
the country is called Gippsland and receives more rainfall
than most of the rest of Australia.
David and Marie have just finished building a very modern
style home on the only high piece of land in this small beach
community. It has allowed them a view of the ocean over the
sand dunes to the west. To the east the house views a tidal
bay and the distant farmlands. David is a builder and spent
weekends for a couple years building the home with their
partner, Marie’s brother. They share the house between
families. It’s a very unique contemporary home.
The winds were blowing fiercely when we arrived and clouds
were developing. It didn’t stop us from a walk on the wide, 10
mile long sand beach. Afterward AD, Nathan and I went swimming
in the surf. The water is colder here than in Avoca Beach but
not too cold to swim. To get back and forth to the beach, you
walk through a tea tree forest which is barrier bush that
holds the dune in place.
Marie and David cooked red snapper on the grill while Michael
prepared salads. We drank plenty of delicious wines. They all
appreciate good wine. Andrew ate fish and chips from a place
down the road. The look of the fish eyes turned him off from
the snapper. We played ping pong in the ground floor garage
through out the evening.
The house didn’t stir early after last
night’s wine fest. Winds still buffeted the windows and some
rain fell. Dianne made breakfast for whoever wanted one
cooked. Marie didn’t feel well and Nathan slept in until 1PM.
How can anyone sleep that late? David drove us to the “Prom”
or Wilson’s Promontory. It has been a National Park for over
70 years and is very special to Australians. The land is
fairly flat until you reach the park and then there is a small
mountain range formed by ancient volcanoes. In some small open
areas we observed a herd of grey kangaroos. One lone koala sat
sleeping in a small tree near the road and a dead wombat laid
along the road. “Not bad wildlife viewing!”
Andrew didn’t want to hike when we got to Tidal River
campgrounds. So I stayed with him while the other went off.
The campground sits on a beautiful white sand beach and has
300 sites. People enter a lottery to be able to get a site
during the popular January holiday month. I’ve never seen so
many tents jammed into an area. It’s a shame the temperature
isn’t higher and the that the wind doesn’t die down. But then
they would be surrounded by flies, so I guess it’s a trade
off. Sites along the road were lined with wind blocking tarps
to protect them. There aren’t any open fires allowed. In 1951
a fire burnt through the Prom and charred the entire
peninsula. AD & I walked the campgrounds while we waited and
visited the information center. There is one beach called
“Squeaky Beach” where the sand squeaks as you walk on it.
Marie had a late lunch ready for us when we returned. She was
feeling better. We played ping pong. Almost everyone had a
small nap. AD watched some cricket on TV with Nate. Some of us
took a long beach walk which warmed me up. I got Nate and AD
to swim with me. The waves were a little quieter. Sara and her
boyfriend Rob had arrived while we were swimming. They had a
game of scrabble started at the big dining table. I’m trying
to finish a Robert Ludlum book so I don’t have to carry it to
Bali. Marie grilled two lamb roasts and DW made deviled eggs.
Nate and Sara had never heard of them. We ended out evening
with some Christmas pudding and brandied cream sauce. A lot of
us were sore from the day’s activities.
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