Planning a roadtrip from Melbourne to South Coast, New South Wales

Bush and Bay Cottage, Erowal Bay, South Coast, NSW

This is what I will probably be doing next week. We have decided to leave on a holiday for the next 2 weeks after Australia Day on 26 Jan.

This time we are planning to drive up to New South Wales along the coast on the Princes Highway. It's good to get a few tips from friends who have been there before as it is difficult to trawl through hundreds of websites. Most people are willing to tell you what they like and what they don't like on their trips and why. We would usually confirm these information with our own research.

We would set up a table on an excel worksheet (we are quite organised when it comes to trip planning) detailing the places to see and the things we want to do. After this stage we determine the driving times between these towns, adjusting to ensure it is reasonable drive times whilst catering for ample rest and recreation. Typically 6-8 hours drive with occasional stops for bio-break and town browsing is comfortable driving.

Some of the things we are hoping to do:

- Coastal and bush walks on the Booderee National Park and Seven Miles Beach National Park. There are altogether 30 national parks within NSW South Coast region to choose from.

- A game of golf

- Sea kayaking or canoeing in Kangaroo River.

- Hunting for seafood gourmet in St Georges Basin

- Wander around Hampden Bridge which the oldest suspension bridge in Australia in the Kangaroo Valley

- Browsing in antique and local crafts shops

- Cooking and enjoying fresh organic produce from the region

I'm looking forward to putting up my feet up on a hammock and throw myself into juicy novels and perhaps some photography books.

Now we just need to find out where we are staying.

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Tesselaar Tulip Festival in Silvan, Victoria

Tulips are grown commercially here in Victoria. Every year, the largest grower Tesselaar opens up their fields to the public around mid Sept - mid Oct. To spice it up, they add food stalls, music, sculpture exhibitions of local artists spread all over the fields, farm animals for the kids and have their staff sell tulip bulbs in pots to visitors.

Tulips are special because they come in so many different colours, and are relatively rare & costly compared with the other type of flowers. I remember the happiness I felt receiving a bunch of different coloured tulips from a friend I met on my Contiki tour to New Zealand. I started analysing what the different tulip colours meant.

Red tulips - Believe me, Declaration of love
Variegated tulips - Beautiful eyes
Yellow tulips - There's sunshine in your smile.

If you are looking to go, remember to go early. The crowds start to stream in around noon and you have to park really far away from the entrance. There is an entrance fee but it's well worth it.

Tickets sold here

These baby llamas are so adorable

Gnomes live here but they were out on that day

Maybe the gnomes are hiding in the tree, you reckon? they dont like crowds

You can bring your own picnic

One day we might adopt a SEDA Labrador (Seeing Eye Dog for the Blind) but I cant let them go after a year being their momma. If you want to do some good and you love animals, this is a very rewarding voluntary work.

Some sculptures look evil

Yummy little pancakes

http://www.tulipfestival.com.au/

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A midsummer dream: snow, rain and a micro storm

Grand Canyon skywalk in Dec 09

A week after Victoria experienced the hottest night in >100 years, snow has fallen in the Alpine region and a windstorm down in the south.

Today is a wintry day for us in Melbourne, we got up to a wet morning with the temperature dropping to 11degrees from the summery mercury of 30-40degrees. But I didn't mind a bit as I am accompanied with God praise music in my ears as I sauntered down from the train station to the office, passing St Francis Church and having the rain falling softly on to my thick rain coat and my little nose. It truly felt I was rained down of His blessings.

Lost in wonder looking upward

Into your eyes of fire

God so holy so full of mercy

You draw me to your side

What can i say to such a One

What can i sing that hasnt been sung

What can i offer you in thanks for your love

I will join the songs of saints and angels

Holy Holy Holy Jesus You are Holy

i will sing the song of endless ages

Worthy Worthy Worthy Jesus You are Worthy

i will shout with every generation

Mighty Mighty Mighty Jesus You're the Mighty God

Bob Fitts "I will join" from the album of I will bow to you

Bushwalking on Macedon Ranges

This is our second visit to the Macedon Ranges, the Macedon Regional Park has lots of walking trails and other activities for the adrenalin seeking people like rock climbing, mountain biking, four wheel driving, rafting and abseiling.

We only covered two walking trails and by the end of the 2 hour walking, I wish I could part with my legs, they were killing me. We walked the Camel's Hump trail and then from Camel's Hump, we walked to Sanatorium Lake. The trail was for moderate walkers - with really good inclines and declines enough to give you and your pooch a good workout.

I took 4 separate photos of the lookout point at Camel's Hump and had them stitched using Autodesk Stitcher, the result was not so bad.

Lookout point from Camel's Hump

I love trees with lichens and moss grown on them

 Gum Trees just have the most beautiful bark

Someone scratched their name on a rock, howya do dat?

Our very own Simba

Gum tree again

The route climbing up

Some exploring shots, it was bright day light but I managed to make it look like a night shot - aperture at f22

Wild flowers abound

Another shot at f22, this is a killer weed but the flowers were mesmerizing

Car Park

Just love moss covered things

This tree is still alive

Tree Canopy

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A walk in St Kilda Botanical Gardens

It was a very very hot day on Sunday when we took our walk at the St Kilda Botanical Gardens. The gardens were nicely tucked away from the Nepean Highway, which is one of the main highways connecting the bayside suburbs and Melbourne city.

By no means St Kilda gardens can be compared with Royal Botanic Gardens, this little garden is still worth the visit.

There is a tropical rainforest conservatory, a fountain with a sculpture of the Rain Man, a giant chess board squared by a line of tables and benches. On the tables, regular sized chessboards are set into the table tops for players to bring their own chess pieces.

What I love most is the high dome cypress hedge enclosing a very big rose garden.

If you like what you see, it's located in St Kilda, bordered by Dickens, Tennyson, Blessington and Herbert Streets. Or use the dynamic map below.

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