G’Day Mates,

So there I was flying to South Australia. I flew into Adelaide Dec 3, 2001. I really took it easy all week. I just enjoyed roaming the city and saw a couple of movies.

The highlight in Adelaide was getting my hair colored in a salon and spending 2 days on Kangaroo Island, which had a lot to offer. After crossing on the ferry to the island, I went on a 10:30pm penguin walk. It was really great. We saw so many small penguins. We also tried scaring all of the feral cats away, which was an impossible task. I went to Seal Bay and just sat on the beach with hundreds of sea lions, I rolled down the Little Sahara Sand Dunes, which was my favorite. They were very impressive sand dunes with huge hills and you had to hike to the top. So I laid down and let myself roll down. I was so dizzy at the bottom. It was really fun and I just couldn’t stop rolling. Naturally some people thought it looked so good they tried it after me.

I went to the Hanson Bay Sanctuary and it was a true Koala fest. There were a couple hundred of gum trees with about 50-60 Koalas hanging out in them. It was really fantastic. If nothing else, those Koalas made me feel like I was truly in Australia. We went to a spot called the Remarkable Rocks and they were nothing less than that. Those amazing formations have formed above the tide from wind and salt erosion. We just climbed on and around them but we had to be extremely careful, as there are no gates protecting us from falling to our sure death if we fell over into the harsh waves below. I went to Admirals Arch, which is another natural phenomenon that gave a window arch view of the sea and had a huge sea colony all around it. I went to Cape Du Couedic where the next land mass is the Antarctic. And then I went to Parndana Wildlife Park where I got to pet Koalas, hold a baby possum, feed 40 or so kangaroos, see a brand new baby in the pouch as it was held open for us, watch a wombat at play or rather at sleep, play with an Echidna and a rare baby albino echidna and interact with others as well. That was quite good fun. Before heading back to Adelaide there was time for a bit of caving at Kelly Caves where we were fortunate enough to see one of the most deadliest snakes in Australia. As it slept, we just crept closer for a picture leaning over it. Travelling makes you do crazy things. Luckily it decided to move away after the last pic was taken. It moved in the opposite direction of our picnic. Whew!

When I was back in Adelaide where it was much colder (better for me) and rainier (not too bad), I relaxed a bit more saw another movie, The Gingerbread Man, and ran into some people I travelled with in Perth and did a bit more clubbing. They start quite late and we finished at 6am. That was Sat. night. I did nothing on Sun and I’m still tired now, but I am still glad I went out. It was fun.

Well, I flew to Hobart, Tasmania on Dec. 10.  Tasmania was really pretty. The first day we went to Mount Field National Park where we hiked to Russell Falls and then saw the world’s tallest flowering plant the Swamp Gum. After visiting Lake St. Clair the deepest lake in Australia, we spent the day in Strahan a small fishing town.

We journeyed to Tullah, a historic gold mining town and went on a few bush walks and hiked up Montezuma Falls, the highest waterfall in Tasmania. We went horseback riding in Tullah around the lake and the surrounding hills.

We did some bush walking at Cradle Mountain, a world heritage sight and saw Cataract Gorge. The best part about it was the animal experiences I had. My favorite was the close contact I had with Winston the Wombat. I fell in love with him. Now I even carry a mini one in my backpack. It was so sweet holding it just like a baby. It just looked up at me so sweetly as I rubbed its belly.  I really want one at home but I know I would never clear customs and Casper and Spooky would have quite a bit to Meow at. I saw quite a few Tasmanian Devils and they are nasty characters. I played with and fed more kangaroos there as well. I saw more fairy penguins in Bicheno and just enjoyed a fun week on the bus with some really fun people. Some of our favorite nights we sat around a fire at Tullah lodge and just had sing-a-longs with a guitarist and mandolin player.

We did some wine tasting at a few local wineries including Freycinet. I went on the Port Arthur Ghost Tour at the old prison, which was a penal colony from 1830-1877. On a boat cruise around the Port Arthur Harbor, we sailed past the Isle of the Dead where over 1100 convicts and soldiers are buried. We travelled along the Tasman Peninsulas with breathtaking views and a swim in the coldest water I have ever swam in in my life. It took my breath away, but I went all the way in but not without a few yelps along the way. We then returned to Hobart after a great week. I finished Tasmania with a tour to the Cadbury Chocolate Factory where I saw the chocolate being made and was loaded with samples of everything. I was just stuffed and sick but in such a good way. I later boarded my flight to Melbourne that evening which brings me to Dec. 17.

Cheers,

Elisa