Even though I've known Richard for more than ten years it wasn't until we went to Oamaru in New Zealand and saw the little blue penguins that he discovered how soppy I can be around animals. When reading in the guide book that Port MacQuarrie had a Koala Hospital I couldn't resist going. The area around the town is covered in Eucalyptus trees and home to lots of koalas. Unfortunately this close proximity means they get involved in road accidents, attacked from...

Having touched down at Sydney airport in May, we completed our circuit of Australia some seven and a half months later. One of the items we inherited from the people we bought Ramsay from was a Santa hat. We've been carrying it around ever since even though it constantly gets in the way when I pack up the car. On Xmas Eve Katy insisted on having a photo taken of herself wearing it on the beach so we took the short walk from our campsite to Brighton beachfront. ...

Canberra wasn't on our list of "things we must do or die" in Australia. To be honest, it probably isn't on the lists of many tourists, given the "worthy but dull" reputation of the nation's capital. We changed our minds about going there when we looked at the map and found that it was only a short diversion inland from the coast road we were travelling. The weather didn't sound promising for a couple of days on the beach and with nothing much...

We're in the South East corner of the country, pootling around the coast road. We crossed the border from Victoria into New South Wales and had earmarked three holiday towns to stop at and have a look round - Eden, Narooma and Batemans Bay. Eden is an old whaling station set on a picturesque bay. We took a walk along the beach road and also went to Benn Boyd National Park to see the cliff which is half red and half white sandstone. We stayed overnight at the a...

Among the huge amount of luggage we carry around with us are both the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet guides to Australia. Between them, they give us a pretty good idea about any location - if one is a bit weak on a particular place then the other usually covers the gap. Neither book, however, makes enough of a park in Victoria called Wilson's Promontory. It's about a three-hour drive east of Melbourne and forms the most southernmost part of mainland Australia. Lo...