Day 13 (04-Jan-2011) Halls Gap - Melbourne

Following another 10km early morning run, we filled tummies with the last of our breakfast rations, and then departed on return trip to Melbourne. With yet another BBQ planned for the evening, we stopped off at yet another vineyard, for yet more wine. During the car journey, ears were again pinned to the radio to monitor England's progress at the SCG. Australia were still batting, but were steadily loosing wickets - come on England!!!

Close to Melbourne, N&N took the ring road back home, while Astrid & I continued into the town centre to drop off the rental car. Having arrived earlier than anticipated, and with the skies sunny and a cool breeze blowing, we opted to stroll through town and snap more photos. We then took the train back to Egelmont and spent rest of the afternoon glued to the TV watching the Ashes test at the SCG – an imperious start to England’s reply, with Cook and Strauss still at the wicket by stumps.

The evening BBQ with more of Nick’s friends was very pleasant, and an excellent way to end a memorable holiday. On arrival back in Singapore the following afternoon, I logged onto BBC World to discover Cook had amassed a huge score at the SCG, with England well on their way to achieving a record 1st innings total - a great achievement, and a great start to 2011!

Day 12 (03-Jan-2011) Halls Gap

Astrid & I awoke at 06:00hrs for hike up to The Pinnacles from Sundial car park, while N&N went for a run instead. The panorama from The Pinnacles so early in the morning was stunning, though a somewhat chilly experience also, given air temperatures were still below 10C. The lack of humidity and air pollution in this remote region made it possible to view landscapes more than 40km distant, into the flat golden farmlands beyond the Grampians.

Following a quick shower and breakfast, we all then headed off for a hike up Mt. Staplyton in the northern Grampians, a moderately strenuous hike, with again great views from the summit. On return to the car, we had a pleasant picnic lunch, before then heading over to Stawall, via Hwy 8, for more groceries. We then dropped by a vineyard for some wine tasting, with the elegant bouquet luring us into purchase of several large bottles - classical Pavlovian conditioning. Throughout the day, the tranquil setting was punctuated by loud riotous shouting each time Australia lost a wicket in the 1^st innings at the final Ashes test at the SCG, which was listened to intently on the radio.

Back in Halls Gap, though quite exhausted (and partially inebriated), Astrid & I then elected to go for one final hike; a circular route from the Brambuk NP and Cultural Centre. This proved to be the most exciting hike of all, involving numerous encounters with various wallabies, kangaroos, different bird species, and to cap it off, a very rare sighting of an echidna – huge wow factor! Fortuitously, Astrid had brought along her Canon D5 MKII, with a high powered lens fitted that would make the Hubble space telescope look decidedly short sighted. We thus managed to capture all on camera and camcorder.

Dinner was (another) sumptuous affair, washed down with some of the wine purchased earlier, leaving time free for the now ritual viewing of more Benidorm episodes.

Day 11 (02-Jan-2011) Lorne - Halls Gap

After (very) early morning 10km run along the coast, we returned for a quick breakfast. Then it was all hands on deck to tidy up the house so graciously loaned to us by John and Kirsty Henderson. We then saddled up for a pleasant cross country drive to Halls Gap in Grampians national park, via Cotac, Mortlake and Penshurst, before breaking north through the mountains at Dunkeld. The trip was interrupted for a pleasant picnic at Caramut, with the open roads, cool winds, cloudless skies and panoramic vistas stretching to the horizon in all directions a stark contrast to the humid, noisy and claustrophobic conditions back home in Singapore.

On arrival at our cabin in Halls Gap, our immediate priority was to provision up for the days ahead – which ostensibly involved a trip to the local liquor store only! During the walk back, we encountered some very cute wallabies, who were obviously very habituated to the presence of campers, and loved having their necks scratched just behind the ears. That said, when startled, the larger males quickly assume very aggressive upright postures, towering menacingly over unsuspecting onlookers.

While Nick prepared a sumptuous curry back at our cabin, the remainder of us drove up to Reed Lookout car park and then hiked the short route to The Balconies. Watching the sunset over the Wonderland Range in the central Grampians from this elevated vantage point, overhanging a large cliff face, was truly breathtaking, with songs and chatter from thousands of exotic birds filtering up on warm air thermals from the valley below.

On arrival back at the cabin we gorged on Nick’s curry, washed down with some local plonk, before finishing off the day with yet more episodes of Benidorm.

Day 10 (01-Jan-2011) The 12 Apostles

Following healthy breakfast we embarked on a days drive to see the ’12 Apostles’, a famous geological coastline feature close to Port Campbell, further west along the Great Ocean Road. We first stopped off at Cape Otway for tour inside the most famous light house in Australia, involving 10km detour along a track lined with eucalyptus trees full of koalas. For many emigrees making the 3-4 month perilous journey to Australia, the lighthouse was their first sight of land since departing England. Sadly, many ships ran aground along the notoriously dangerous coastline between Cape Otway and Torquay, drowning many within sight of a new life.

While the distance to Port Campbell is not great, the winding narrow coastal road meant driving conditions were more tortuous than the Monaco grand prix, delaying our arrival until mid afternoon. Journey time would have been much longer, were it not for the expletives hurled by Astrid at grandmothers and other cautious and gentile drivers holding up traffic. However, our efforts (and impatience) were magestically rewarded with fantastic views of solitary limestone monoliths carved out from the cliffs by wave action over many eons. The result speaks more to native legend than grinding geological processes.

To alleviate boredom on the return journey, we left the Great Ocean Road at Lavers Hill, passing through Beach Forrest and thence along an old logging road, through spectacular primary coastal woodland to Tanbryn and sharp right to Skenes Creek. We eventually reached Lorne early evening, after which we cooked dinner, and then watched a few more episodes of Benidorm

Day 9 (31-Dec-2010) Great Otway National Park

Following low calorie breakfast, we drove to Kennett River, a small settlement further west on the Great Ocean Road, to (hopefully) glimpse koalas in their natural habitat. Our efforts were soon rewarded, with numerous cuddly critters spotted quietly napping in the knaves of eucalyptus trees along an unsealed road above the settlement. They are clearly one of Nature’s cutest creations. Unfortunately, they are also very camera shy. Impervious to any type of commotion, no matter how banal or loud, a koala's stoic disdain of attention seekers is legendary, frustrating many a photographer. They instead content themselves with burying their faces into chests and focus on the 20hrs sleep needed per day to cope with their low calorie diet. With that said, we were therefore very fortunate to witness ‘frantic’ activity, when one koala decided he preferred to sleep in another tree, and so slowly descended to the forest floor, lumbered over to an adjacent tree, and then scrambled up to a suitable vantage point. The entire ‘journey’ took about 5 minutes, and was punctuated with frequent rest stops.

All the while the wind had veered round from the south to the north, causing the temperature to soar from a chilly 14C to a sweltering 41C, within an hour! We thus beat a hasty retreat back to Lorne, via short trek to Cumberland Falls. Alas, the heatwave had caused a complete blackout, with N&N opting to ride out the heatwave with an afternoon siesta. Astrid & I decided instead to tour the countryside above Great Otway national park cocooned in the air-conditioned comfort of our car. On return to the house, while the power had been restored, the temperature indoors was still very high. We thus donned our beach gear and headed off for a dip in the Bass Sea - a cryogenic experience, with those in budgie smugglers losing their budgies!!! Suitably chilled to the bone, we emerged for a short hike along the beach to watch sunset. By then the wind had swung back round to the south, with air temperature plummeting back to a pleasant 20C.

Following another BBQ feast, we toasted in the New Year, watching the fireworks display over Lorne, and then played a game of Pictionary. Alas, drunkenness meant that half way through the game we were no longer capable of scribbling our initials, let alone draw elaborate pictures. We thus abandoned the game and stumbled off to bed.

Day 8 (30-Dec-2010) Wilsons Promontory - Lorne

After another early wake-up call, we packed the car and were on the road once again by 08:00hrs. Our meandering route to Lorne, on the Great Ocean Road, via Mornington Peninsula, and car ferry ride at Portsea one side of the headland to Port Phillip Bay, was very scenic. The skies were again sunny, with a cool breeze blowing to keep the temperature at a pleasant 23C. The car journey was interspersed with several short hikes and coffee breaks, with stop-offs made at numerous vantage points to glimpse the stunning land and sea scapes on route. This included a detour to Stony Point, where we were greeted by a squadron of Pelicans, and Coolart Wetlands on the shores of Western Port Bay, which was teeming with bird life; and a very popular destination for many ornithologists. We eventually arrived at our destination, a holiday home in Lorne owned by yet more well-healed friends of Nick, around 19:00hrs. We spent the rest of the evening gorging homemade cuisine, washed down with some local beer and wine – delightful!

Day 7 (29-Dec-2010) Wilsons Promontory

In order to cram in a full days hiking, we set the alarm for 06:00hrs, and found ourselves, alone, inside the National Park at Wilsons Promontory, by 08:00hrs. During the drive from the park entrance to the base of Oberon Peak, we found ourselves under close scrutiny from emus, wallabies and kangaroos from either side of the road. We then hiked to the summit at 585m, hoping to catch sight of koalas on the way up in the tall eucalyptus forest. While we did not see any koalas, the views from the summit, bathed in sunshine, were adequate recompense.

On the way back down to Tidal River, we discovered the road to be almost completely blocked by a rock fall, with roadworks erected preventing anyone else from going up to Oberon peak. We did thankfully manage to squeeze past the rock fall, and considered ourselves very fortunate to have made the early start, as we would not have any other opportunity to ascend the mountain.

At Tidal River, we parked the car, and then embarked on the 2^nd hike of the day, along Lilly Pilly Gully nature trial. This took us deep into wilderness that was savaged by bush fires in 2009; along with much of Victoria. However, Nature has been working overtime ever since, with the blackened tree stumps now covered in new lush greenery, and the forest floor carpeted in 3ft high ferns and grass trees. We also caught sight of many different bird species, though their song was hard to discern from the deafening buzzing from innumerable Cicadas.

On return to the car park at Tidal River we consumed lunch, before then heading off on our third hike – this time to Pillar point; the most southerly point on the mainland. The views there of the rugged coastline either side of the headland are breathtaking, with the Bass Sea still looking menacing, despite the benign weather. The waters also looked rather cold, despite the calm azul appearance; an impression boosted by the knowledge that the only land mass south of this point is Antarctica.

Following quick coffee break back at Tidal River, we then drove to Five Mile Road car park for yet another trek; this time to visit the most southerly mangrove swamp in the world at Millers Landing. On the way, we caught site of more wallabies and also yellow-tailed black cockatoos. Finally, at 18:30hrs, having covered total of 26km on foot, we left the nature reserve and returned to our log cabin for a well earned dinner and early night sleep.

Day 6 (28-Dec-2010) Melbourne - Wilsons Promontory

Following a meagre fibre-filled breakfast, we were dropped off by Nick at the Hertz office downtown to collect our rental car – with many others intent on doing so also, going by the large queue. An hour later, we found ourselves on HWY 1, heading southeast towards Wilson’s Promontory. We chose a cunning scenic route, dropping down to the coast at Wonthaggi, and following the coastline though Fish Creek to Sandy Point. Along the way, we loaded up with provisions for our self-catering itinerary and stopped for number of short hikes. We then retraced our steps to Fish Creek, before arriving at our destination for the day just outside Yanakie.

The log cabin was very quaint, situated a short distance from the cove encircled by Sandy Point. Following short reconnoitre of the cove, we retreated to the veranda to attend to admin. chores and watch the sun set over a glass (or two) of wine. It was then that we realised how noisy, sweaty and claustrophobic Singapore life is compared to the vast open and dry expanses of rural Australia. Dinner comprised of pumpkin soup and ravioli – but no peas :-(

Day 5 (27-Dec-2010) Melbourne

Still giddy with the outcome of yesterday’s play at the MCG, we donned our tourist outfits for a day’s sight-seeing in Melbourne. Although Australia’s 2^nd largest city, it has a very small town outlook, with chic avenues crossed by narrow cafe-filled alleyways, and number of large historic buildings dotted throughout a modern vibrant CBD. Undoubtedly, the most fabulous architectural heritage is the central train station on Flinders St., a magnificent Victorian era building, extending half a mile along the river banks. Melbourne is also renowned of course as a sporting mecca; home not just to the largest cricketing venue in the world, but also the Rod Laver tennis stadium for the Australian Open, the Australian F1 Grand Prix, the Melbourne Cup horse race, and also Essendon AFC. It is also situated on the Bass Straits, and is the starting point for the Melbourne-Hobart boat race.

Melbournians have also spared no expense to honour service men and woman from across Victoria that fought for the British in both world wars, helped defend their own country, and secured peace in other countries under a UN mandate. The Shrine of Remembrance on St. Kilda’s Street was built ostensibly with private donations between WW1 & WW2, with over 100,000 attending the opening ceremony in 1934. It is a massive yet simple structure, filled with personal mementos sent home from the front lines, and adorned floor to ceiling with the service medals awarded to the many brave and courageous fallen souls. However, it is a simple small statue outside the memorial that captures the attention of most and evokes the greatest sense of suffering and loss. Many visitors are simply overcome by the sight of this little donkey, head bowed, carrying a wounded soldier away from the carnage at Gallipoli, leaning on the shoulder of the donkey’s handler, Pte. John Simpson Kirkpatrick. History records that both he and his much loved donkey repeated these evacuations day and night for many days, across steep open terrain, under constant threat of sniper fire from Monosh valley to ANZAC Cove, and carrying essential medical supplies back to the front lines. Tragically, both were killed by machine gun fire, while ferrying two wounded soldiers. It is said that ANZAC comrades, already accustomed to the brutality of the campaign, openly wept on hearing of their deaths.

On return to the Green household we met up with the remainder of the Green clan, who had assembled from across Victoria to celebrate the 60^th birthday of Nick’s brother Tim - involving yet more food and wine! Out of shear disgust at the sight of our now very bloated bodies, we opted to end the day with yet another run along the Yarra river, and then slumped in front of the TV to watch the first few episodes of Benidorm, an ITV comedy about English riff-raff on holiday at an all-inclusive Spanish resort – cringing hilarity

Day 4 (26-Dec-2010) Melbourne - HOWZAT!!!

On Boxing Day the two of us awoke early for a 12km run, before then heading off to the MCG for opening day of the Ashes Test at the MCG. There's nothing quite like the sound of leather against willow, and every cricketing fan will know now that we were privileged to witness a historic result on this most historic event in the cricket calendar. Australia were bowled out for 98, and England replied with a resolute 168-0 at stumps. We were fortunate to be seated in a shady area high up in the stands just behind the wicket, affording us not just a great view of events on the pitch, but of the famed 'Barmy Army' in full song as Aussie wickets tumbled at regular intervals - a truly fantastic day, and a great Xmas gift from Nick!

That evening we were invited to join Nick and Nikki for yet another BBQ hosted by well heeled friends. After consuming all that was on offer, and having emptied our host’s considerable wine cellar in the process, we belched our way back home.

Day 1-3 (23-25 Dec-2010) Melbourne

Flight to Melbourne departed at a civilised hour, on time, with the two of us given an upgrade to business class – a great start to the holiday! On arrival, we were collected by Nick from the airport, who, in a rush to get there, was caught on police camera driving at speed through a red light...not a great start to his holiday! After quaffing several bottles of expensive red wine (full bodied, with notes of apricot dangling tantalizingly from the nose....Blah, Blah, Blah), we staggered into bed. However we suffered severe sleep deprivation at the hands of Crispin, N&N’s 1-yr old B&W cat.

Following morning we watched N&N purchase and prepare food for the 3-day feast planned over Xmas – with quantities involved leading me to wonder whether General Slim and his 14^th Army were invited guests also. In order to work up appetite needed to ingest the ‘mega fauna’ slaughtered for this occasion Astrid and I cycled along the Yarra river into Melbourne and back – a scenic 59km route that took us past the famous MCG to Federation Square. The 3-day feast feast commenced that evening, with a sumptuous seafood BBQ, washed down with the best wines that Oz has to offer, and grudgingly shared with Nick’s boys plus partners. The shovelling session was only briefly interrupted by squadrons of giant flesh-eating mosquitos at dusk, after which we beat a hasty retreat indoors to open mystery Stocking Fillers.

Xmas Day got off to a good start – a 10km run along the Yarra river to burn off the excesses of the night before, and to work up further appetite for the next feast – a Turkey lunch with more side dishes than an IHOP breakfast. The afternoon was spent exchanging Xmas gifts, while simultaneously groaning over bloated stomachs. As partial penance, Astrid & I went for a pleasant late-afternoon stroll through Egelmont, with the evening spent watching a very bizarre (and disturbing) movie.