SUPER VARIO WORLD

Hello from Tasmania! Sorry for lack of updates, we have had sporadic internet access, but we should now be back on track and promise to try to be more regular in the future!

Well, first things first, we’ve got Mario through quarantine and we’re back on the road - yay!! We’re both amazed and proud, in equal measures to have achieved our Holy Grail – driving Mario in Australia! It still hasn’t sunk in really!

The import process was a nightmare - a week of red-tape, delays, spurious costs and misinformation, but we just had to suck-it-up and focus on the end goal, getting Mario back – and it was all worth it. We’d read and heard lots of horror stories about theft and damage caused by shippers and we’re glad to say “all” that was taken from Mario was 2 cup-holders and the rear number plate.

While waiting on Mario we were still enjoying the hospitality at Cousin Simon’s and took the opportunity to use the experience-vouchers we received as Christmas presents. First we did the “swim with dolphin and seals” day trip from Caroline’s Mum & Dad. This was amazing, fulfilling one of Caroline’s lifetime ambitions, thus her somewhat emotional state when we first saw them swimming around us. The dolphins were proper wild ones out in Melbourne bay, none of your Sea-World performing in a tank, cruelly holding onto their fins malarkey, this was all done with the dolphins’ interests at heart. The boat manoeuvred to where the dolphins would be and then we were told to slide in and hold a rope as they swam underneath us, within touching distance. We had two dives with them and saw about 20 dolphins altogether, an unforgettable experience.

Arguably, even more enjoyable was the swimming with seals, as they were more interactive and we were allowed to swim and dive freely with them. We were taken to a seal “hauling out point”, like a wooden bandstand out in the bay where loads of bachelor seals hang out. Fair play, it stank of rotten fish, but once we got our masks and snorkels on, this wasn’t a problem, but them pooing and puking off the platform was, as was them dive-bombing us. Further away from the structure was more relaxed and we spent about 40 minutes just swimming about with these super-cute, inquisitive fur-balls – just like sub-aqua Labradors! Thanks Mum & Dad.

Our other pressie was from Simon & Danielle and was a day and a night flight on the Melbourne Star, similar to the London Eye, so we took ourselves off to the big city for a day. It was a great place, very chilled and cosmopolitan, easy to walk around and free trams for the longer journeys. We did our flight on the wheel, getting a great view of the business district, docks and bay area. We then did what we do best, just wandered about and explored, taking in a huge open-air market, Chinatown, street-art, parks, the Southbank area and the “Midsumma Festival – a Celebration of Queer Culture”. A very enjoyable day.

Another fun time was at Healesville Sanctuary, a wildlife zoo containing Australian native animals, including Tasmanian Devils and duck-billed platypus. It also had an animal hospital where you can watch vets carry out ops and even post mortems. However, the most amazing thing we saw was koalas jumping. YES, KOALAS CAN JUMP! Who knew?! We saw not one, but two of the doped-up-tree-huggers just leap from one branch to another. They just went from static to ninja to static in the blink of an eye.

With Mario back, we could plan getting on the road and out from under the feet of Simon & Danielle - what we originally hoped would be a maximum of 2 weeks had turned into more than 4. We have a lot of respect for them for taking on what they’re doing, big house with lots of land shared with parents, lots of jobs to do, in a new country, new born baby and both working – all very stressful individually, let alone all at once. Makes our adventure seem like a drive in the country! So thanks again guys for putting up with us!

So it was back on the road, but not just any road, the Great Ocean Road. Imagine all the best coastline of the UK all crammed into 150 miles, but it’s sunny, the sea is clear and best of all, it’s not total grid-lock. Stunning surf beaches, like Bells Beach of Point Break fame (Ripcurl & Quiksilver started here), beautiful sheltered coves for swimming, dramatic cliffs and awesome rock formations – all backing onto either forests or heathland. We had 3 lovely days just driving around, walking, swimming or chilling on the beach in our newly purchased shelter, which is great for keeping out of the very strong sun.

Then it was back to Melbourne to catch the 10½ hour ferry to Tasmania, which was a little bit choppy. The wine helped us sleep, but was not so appreciated come the 4.50am wake-up call for disembarkation. The reason for visiting “Tassie”? To see none other than our old friends from home, the legends who are Martin & Charlotte, and their beautiful daughters Katie & Emma. As we were negotiating their long and winding drive, we suddenly had the unforgettable sight of Martin running open armed towards us, looking like he should be singing “The hills are alive with the sound of music” – it was the best welcome ever!

Their house is perched on a hillside with breathtaking views overlooking the Huon Valley, which we hope to go kayaking and hiking through. We’ve got a few jobs to do on Mario while we’re here, but otherwise plan to explore the island and enjoy its outdoor activities – including Wineglass Bay and the local cider factory! Tomorrow is Australia Day, so we’ll be standing on the deck (pronounced “dick”) having a Barbie, supping some tinnies and singing “God Save Your Queen”!

Check out the gallery for photos. More to follow...

HooRoo