The Kangaroos are out of their cage!

That is what Hannah exclaimed as we were greeted at Pretty Beach by some Kangaroos and their Joeys. We enjoyed lunch and a swim at this gorgeous location. From Ulladulla we continued south to the seaside fishing village of Bermagui to visit Uncle Allan. It was very dry around Bermi. Most of the lakes had been closed to the ocean for about 18 months and the prawns had mostly died off as they hadn't made their annual trek up north to breed. Simon and Mathias went along with Al one morning on the "Sonya Lea" and witnessed the terrible damage one seal can make to a net full of fish. Simon, Ashleigh and Mathias fished off the Bermagui wharf and caught some Trevally for dinner. We had a yummy dinner at Al's cafe "The Sundeck" where we ate local Wapego oysters and Eden Mussels. There was more eating to be done at the Tilba Cheese Factory (apple box smoked was our fave). Just south of Bermi we visited Cuttagee and Mills beaches with pristine water and perfect conditions for boogie boarding. We've seen lots of wildlife so far - kangaroos, Wallabies (Wobblies says Hannah), Goannas, bats, green tree frog, King Parrots, Butcher Birds and White Crested Doves.

Happy Birthday Mathias

After stopping to visit the stunning Fitzroy Falls (80m drop), we drove down the Yarrunga Valley through Morton National Park to picturesque Kangaroo Valley. It was about 35 degrees with absolutely no breeze, so we had a quick walk through town and headed to Greenwell Point just south of Nowra for lunch and a cool down. Our next stop was Ulladulla to stay with Darryl (Grant's Dad) and Yvonne for a few days. The weather was lovely so we had plenty of trips to the beach and rock platform. Ashleigh was always collecting beautiful shells to put in her "treasure bag" that Aunty Lizzy had made her, while Hannah collected straws, plastic lids and on one occasion a teabag. On Mathias' birthday we made him a special sandcastle cake at Mollymook beach, complete with candle "sticks" and seaweed sprinkles. That night we had a huge seafood feast of local oysters, bbq Snapper and prawns - YUM!

Roger @ Robertson

On Wednesday we took the scenic route along the Grand Ocean Drive from the Royal National Park through to Wollongong. Here we turned right and drove along the Macquarie pass, up and over the escarpment to Robertson - home of the BIG POTATO! The town of Robertson boasts the highest rainfall in NSW but we had two beautiful sunny days. We stayed with Uncle Roger at his AMAZING house (in real beds!!!) high on a hill surrounded by lush green paddocks and patches of forest. Highlights of our visit include bush walking in the forest, seeing the cows, catching trout in the dam and jumping in the plunge pool when you got very hot.

We're Away!

We had planned to drive out at about lunch time on Monday 18th but anyone who saw us that day knew that was not going to happen. Finally, after another full day of packing, cleaning, finalising things with the real estate agent and haircuts for the girls (thank you Shannon), we drove out of the driveway at 6pm. It was a strange feeling saying goodbye to an empty house but we were relieved to get going. Our first stop was only an hour and a quarter away at Ebenezer. We stayed two nights with Don and Jeff and it was very relaxing. Jeff organised stickers for us and our motorhome was formally named "DAISY". Ashleigh and Hannah loved seeing the new foal next door (The Little Prince) and playing with the children next door through the wire fence.

Packing up the House

Clearing out our house has been the most unpleasant job ever! We began months ago to throw out old clothes and junk but the last few weeks have been crazy hard work. We have painted the interior of the house, stored all of the furniture in the garage, re-stocked the Lifeline Balgowlah store, moved Anthony's things to Fairlight, filled all our neighbour's bins with our rubbish and made the house look the best it has in eleven years (just when we're leaving)! Thank you to all our generous helpers (you poor things) and to everyone who minded the girls for us while we did this ugly job.

Goodbyes

In the lead up to our departure we have begun the difficult task of saying goodbye to friends and family. On Sunday 10th January we enjoyed a BBQ at Manly Dam. The weather was perfect so there was lots of swimming and paddling in Grant's kayaks. Ashleigh and Hannah have had several play days with Grannie and Poppa, Nana and Grandad, Mae & Cooper, Jaymee & Baylee and Lola & Evie.

Pa gives our motorhome the thumbs up!

Today Pa and Grandad dropped around for a vehicle inspection. They were quite impressed with how spacious it was - much more room than the Commer Campervan that Grandad took around Europe in 1973 (similar to photo above). We are still packing up the house, doing a bit of painting and buying equipment for our trip. Tenants will move into the house on 23rd January so we have to be organised by then! We are also searching for a name for the van - apparently you have to name it. Hannah suggested "caravan".

First Sleepover in the Van

On New Years Eve we travelled to Hornsby Heights to spend the evening with our very good friends "The Claydons" and test out the sleeping conditions in the van. We were pleasantly surprised to find that it was a very comfy night's sleep, possibly helped along by the celebratory drinks. We did discover, however, that you wake up at the crack of dawn with the Kookaburras and cicadas, so going to bed a bit earlier would be a good idea next time! It was a great 2 days with our lovely friends, and Ashleigh and Hannah LOVED playing with Abbey in her pool.