Brrr, but it's cold outside.

Well, it's been 2 weeks since our little sojourn in the warmer weather and we have come home to a winter in full swing. Not that I am complaining, I love winter but it does seem like a shock to the system to be so cold so quick. The winter woolies have been dragged from the cupboards and are keeping the cold at bay. The hats, scarves and gloves have also been unearthed and are getting worn on a daily basis.

Has this put a halt to our adventures you wonder. Of course not, winter in Melbourne is a time to throw a few extra layers on and get out amongst it. Our first foray into the cold was to the Whitehorse Club on Sunday night last week. We met Verity, Astrid & Hans there to see Il Dago 2 - Now with Noodles. It was a fabulous show, think Wog Boys, and you have it. Verity's friend, Jason Chong, was the new boy in the act (Asian/Australian) and was the MC for the show. And the Whitehorse Club (an Italian Club) with an audience predominantly Greek & Italian made the night even more memorable as the place was just a riot of laughter. Hilarious.

Monday night we donned the hats, coats & scarves again and met Astrid & Hans at the Duke of Kent Hotel in the city to see Bianca, their daughter, in Fresh Science @ the Pub. It was a great night where 16 of Australia’s top young scientists talked about their discoveries over a drink. The very funny MC challenged this year’s Fresh Scientists to describe their work in less than a minute, in rhyme, reason or verse. It was an excellent night with everyone having a great time helping the Fresh Scientists come up with their rhymes or songs. Some of the work they are doing is just amazing. If you look at the Monash Uni website you will see a piece on Bianca & her work with Insulin, www.monash.edu.au and type Bianca Van Lierop into search.

We had a great night on Friday with Nolan visiting from Darwin and dinner downstairs kept our wanderings in the cold to a minimum. We still needed the coats to get there though. After saying goodbye to Nolan at the airport on Saturday morning we were off on our next big adventure. The Otway Ranges for the long weekend.

We stayed at a great little farmstay in Pennyroyal. A tiny little dot on the map just 90 mins from Melbourne & about 30 mins inland from Lorne. We seemed to be in the middle of Dairy & Sheep farms but our farm was stocked with Alpacas. We were able to wander around the property and see these cute creatures up close. There were 2 babies and some more due but no deliveries, so to speak, during our weekend. It was very cold up in the ranges but between the roaring log fire and the electric blanket we were cozy & warm for the weekend. We spent Sunday exploring the Great Otway National Park which is Victoria's newest National Park. It links what was the Otway National Park, Angahook - Lorne State Park, Carlisle State Park, Melba Gully State Park and state forest areas. It is a lovely part of the world and quite different from the farm land and coastal parks that border it.

There are many waterfalls to be found throughout the ranges and we visited two of them. On Sunday we explored Hopetoun Falls. These falls, plunging 30 metres into the Aire River are pretty spectacular. You can see them from the top, so if you don't want to take the long walk down to the bottom you can opt out. No we didn't. Well worth the trek, just as the drive through the ranges was too. I think the drive along the Turton Track is almost as beautiful as the drive through the Black Spur.

We spent Sunday afternoon at the Otway Fly, a 600 metre tree top walk. It ascends 25 metres through the Mountain Ash, Blackwood & Myrtle Beech Forrest. At its peak there is a Springboard Cantilever taking you out over Youngs Creek if you are brave enough to walk out to the edge and if you can cope with heights then you must climb the spiral staircase to the tower in the middle taking you to a height of 47 metres above the forest floor. We did both and loved it. The gentle sway of the walkways gives you the impression of being a tree just blowing in the breeze. The prehistoric walk through the understorey make for great adventures for the kids as well. After our walk Bill got up close & personal with lots of the beautiful Rosellas which had come in to feed outside the cafe. Not tame but not the least bit intimidated by the many tourists. A great photo opportunity.

On Sunday after a leisurely morning and a final goodbye to our Alpaca friends we headed home via Erskine Falls & Lorne. These falls cascade over one of the highest drops in the Otways with a 38m fall into the Erskine River. They can be viewed from both the top and bottom but anyone not venturing all the way down is really missing out on the most spectacular sight. The views along the Great Ocean Road were somewhat diminished as it rained all the way to Anglesea. We have seen it on much better days though we did see lots of tourists along the way who no doubt were disappointed with their sightseeing trip. Winter eh!

So with our weekend finished and another little piece of Victoria discovered and explored, it was time to head home for another week at work. Though with so many more Waterfalls to visit I guess it won't be long before we return to the Otway Ranges. Perhaps we'll wait until Springtime.

until next time............