3 Months Travelling Around Australia - NSW to Victoria

I'm keeping a paper copy diary while we travel but am also wanting to include some of my photos (James is keeping a blog at https://roundaustralia.thenobles.id.au/) so I'm going to do some summaries and basically 'photos tell the story' from my perspective. It's a nice way for me to look back on the holiday

10th April 

Saying bye to Chilli

Fun holiday socks (the kids love getting fun socks from Auntie Jenny) so we thought it would be fun to get some holiday socks. Did my best to find Australian themed ones

On the road! The start of 3 months. The kids were amazing in the car - looking out the window, drawing, reading, chatting.

Goulburn

First stop and first big thing - the Big Merino. 
Eliza was especially excited to go here because her friend Clara has been to Goulburn a lot of times

Canberra

Lake George - Daniel asked 'Has there been a flood?'
Lots of chats about how much water there is, why there is so much at the moment, if Daddy and I had seen it this full before.

Parliament House

Parliament House - we headed inside and saw the House of Representatives and portraits of past primeministers. A lot of the portraits capture their personality.

The Mint

I loved how the staircase had 15000   5c coins in them. Daniel did a maths task to work out how much money would be in the stairs 

A very fun time at the Mint. Cool to see the robots (need to come back to see them working on a week day), interesting to learn about our original money, and that people initially paid with rum.

Trying to get a 'nice' photo.

Bunny watch when walking back to Parliament House 
(Eliza wanted to catch one and bring it home)

Daniel taught us that the flag is the size of a double decker bus and that it gets changed every 4-6 weeks. Love the chance to learn through my kids.

Childhood tradition - rolling down the hill of Parliament House

First night of diary writing was a success. Love seeing it through their eyes.

11th April

Climbing Mt Kosciuszko

Today we climbed Australia's tallest mountain. The kids did really well considering. They did get tired and hungry but they also made it to the top and back. It was a bit too windy to really celebrate the peak, but still pretty cool to say 'We've climbed to the tallest point in Australia'. Something I haven't done before.

Not cold at all

Chairlift fun and the first sight of snow!! Something Eliza wanted to see.

Eliza started a snowball fight with Daddy (well a 1 sided fight) that the other kids join in too.

At the top of the chairlift (with Stephen the toy from our accomodation)

So beautiful and so much snow!

The kids couldn't help pick up snow along the way.  Then commented that their hands were cold.

I tried to use an old camera for a photo a day. Sadly the lens had an error after Eliza taking 4 photos. Not too sure what happened there. A bit sad that they won't have a camera to take photos along the way, but can't change that now.

Snowball throwing

We made it to the top!

Lunch stop. Thought there was nothing beside us.
Turned out there were mountains there!

Alexander wasn't a fan of the wind!

Back down at the chairlift Eliza was excited to make a little snowman.
She called him Deer.

Chairlift back down for hot chocolates

12th April

Jindabyne to Eden

We stopped to look at the Jindabyne visitor centre and enjoyed looking at a sculpture of old Jindabyne. Daniel especially liked it as he had been asking lots of questions about it. Then we enjoyed small towns, windy roads, park plays on our way to Eden.

Looking at the model of Old Jindabyne and current Jindabyne

Park plays at Candelo

The kids started a game of putting the flying fox out a bit from the edge and needing to jump onto it to ride it. 9 out of 10 times it worked perfectly. This time it didn't so much. So glad that Daniel held on!

13th April

Eden

My day started with a walk to the Lookout to watch the sunrise. Learnt lots about whaling in the area. The day finished with tears, melt downs and big emotions. Tired kids, out of routine, bored at different accomodations = big emotions. Tomorrow is a new day.

Sunrise from the lookout. Not an amazing one, but still pretty

Came home to see a rainbow

Old Tom's skeleton and height of his dorsal fin - huge! I never knew that whale fins were made up like hands with multiple bones

Alexander wanted a photo looking like he was holding the tuna fish

Standing under the jawbone of a blue whale. Huge!

Boyds Tower

These 2 were over looking at and reading information. They were wrestling and playing and mucking around heaps.

Davidson Whaling Station

The kids loved watching the waves crashing against the rocks at Green Cape Lighthouse

Kangaroos on the side of the road

Looking down from Pulpit Rock - so high up and a massive drop underneath

At Disaster Cove

14th April

Eden to Phillip Island

Today was a long driving day to get from NSW to the base of Victoria. The kids travelled very well.

We stopped in Orbost. A cute little town. Love the interactive signs along the street. We found 4/5 banks.

Country town Op Shops are awesome! All these books for just $2!!

The kids were keen to use a payphone so they tried calling Nana and Poppy (the only landline number that I know off by heart). Unfortunately they could just hear static so it didn't work this time. 

All into reading as soon as they got into the car.

We visited where the Snowy River meets the sea. Eliza put her feet into the water but said it was freezing and dirty so didn't stay in there for very long

The kids loved the accommodation in Phillip Island. A tyre swing out the back, table tennis in the garage and chess and checkers board to play inside when they were bored.