Melbourne to home

When we were arranging to see people in Melbourne some friends asked if we'd like to go to an AFL game at the MCG... how could we say no! We had a great time, even though we don't follow either of the teams that were playing (Hawks and West Coast). We loved the atmosphere, and the half-time hot dogs out of a thermos!

Our next lot of uni marking started while we were visiting, and kept us busy the whole way home. Lake Cargelligo was so beautiful we decided to stay an extra night and spend the whole day working.

Mendooran was just an overnight stop. The sunset looked promising but this was as good as it got.

Since we were driving right past we stopped in for a quick game of cricket...

After a few longer driving days we were pleased to stop at Glen Riddle Reserve. The weather was nice and sunny and it was really quiet so we ended up staying three nights and pushed through a lot of work.

We're back home now... but the next adventure is already planned for the winter school holidays... stay tuned!

Marlay Point, Lake Wellington

After a 400km drive from Cooma we were looking forward to two nights in a quiet spot before continuing on to Melbourne. The weather was forecast to be sunny and still... and it was so quiet that we slept in and almost missed the sunrise!

During the day the wind picked up and the peace and quiet was broken by some jet skis. We didn't mind watching this one, though, as he practiced his flips and tricks.

The second morning was forecast to be cloudy with showers, so we weren't expecting much of a sunrise, but it turned out to be a stunner!

Jindabyne and Thredbo Take II

The caravan park at Jindabyne was right on the lake. The first afternoon was a little cloudy but the light was pretty.

 There was also a sculpture festival on over the Easter weekend. This one was amazing!

After using the best day to climb Kosciuszko we weren't expecting to get out on the lake in the kayaks, but Saturday turned out to be really calm. We couldn't resist paddling around the islands or taking photos from the water.

On Sunday there was an Easter treasure hunt at the top of the Thredbo chairlift, and some of the eggs came with good prize money. Nathan was also keen to go up Kosciuszko again, and we thought it would be a good day to go because most people would be aiming for the midday treasure hunt and not trying to fit in a 13km hike before it... turned out that there really weren't a lot of people up there - because it was cloudy, 5 degrees and 60kph winds (making it well below zero with the wind chill!). He made it, though, and got back for the treasure hunt with 15 minutes to spare. 

Unfortunately his gem hunting skills didn't translate into the big dollars to pay for the holiday, but he did find some chocolate:) Hardly surprising, though, considering the number of people!

We had no intentions of climbing the mountain again, but did enjoy a short walk around the top of the chairlift while we waited for Nathan.

On top of Australia

This holiday had its origins last July when Nathan asked if we could climb Mount Kosciuszko in the Easter school holidays, so as fun as the wake boarding and surfing was, the climax of the two weeks was still to come. With five nights and four full days booked for Jindabyne we were able to pick the best day, and were very pleased to see some high pressure systems headed for the region. Good Friday looked to be the best, and it certainly disappoint. What a way to celebrate a God who gave his Son for us, and 'along with him, graciously give us all things' (Romans 8:32).

The highest point in Australia.

Surfing

My surfing instructor was clearly very capable...

... but this was as close to standing up as I could manage.

It turned out those face-plants while wake boarding strained a whole lot of back, shoulder and neck muscles, so I really didn't have it in me to persevere with the surfing. Dazz keeps reminding me that I'm not 16 anymore!

Wakeboarding adventures

We're staying at Elizabeth Beach, a little south of Forster, with good friends from Sydney. They have boys and toys, and the toy for today was the boat and wakeboards. The weather was forecast to be calm, and it was... all the way until about 11am. That was plenty of time for everyone to have a go.

The 'pros' showed us how to ski and wakeboard first...

Then Nath had a crack and was getting some air after a few goes.

I face planted trying to get up the first two times, and said that if I couldn't get up the next time I'd try the ski... but somehow I managed to end up on top of the water.

Unfortunately this is as far as Dazz made it before straining his forearm...

I'm hoping for a surfing lesson tomorrow...

It's school holidays...

... and Nathan wanted to climb Mt Kosciuszko, so we've headed south. Our first stop was Glen Innes, to see what the sapphire fossicking is like. The fossicking is nowhere near as good as central Qld, but the fishing wasn't bad! A mad-keen fisherman friend offered to take the boys out and Dazz landed a really nice cod.

Nath had plenty of driving practice as we explored the area, including the 4WD track to Tommy's Rock lookout. Nine years ago we tried to get up there, but the recently-serviced low-range gear box in the old Jackaroo didn't have oil in it, and we ended up being towed out by NRMA. The track was steep and quite narrow, but Nathan took it in his stride, getting us up and down safely.

We also enjoyed a picnic lunch at Mann River.

Cotton Tree

It's not often that the camera comes out at Cotton Tree, but the sun on the sand with the storm in the background was really pretty...