This morning I woke just as it was starting to get light. I filled my go cup with coffee and set out on a walk. It was not raining and I was just so happy to get outside and get some fresh air. It was so quiet and peaceful and there was a nice chill to the clean, crisp air that reminded me of mornings in Colorado. I walked to the top of the driveway and sat and watched the sunrise and watched my surroundings get lighter. I finished my coffee and hiked around for about an hour watching the kangaroos. Everywhere I looked I could see a family or watch a mob hop across a hill. It was so fun. Feeling energized I went back to the house to pack up.

Today we moved on to Greenwell Point which is down by the coast. It was a 125 kilometer drive that took us to some interesting places and through beautiful scenery. I am amazed at how unpopulated Australia is. Even on the coast within an hour or two of Sydney there is lots of open space and farm land.

A few kilometers from the house we encountered an Emu running right down the middle of the road. We were trying so hard to catch up to him to get some photos. At one point we clocked him at 40k per hour and he looked like he was just out for a morning jog. We finally were able to snap a few pictures and chase him off the road. We were so worried that he would get hit by a car so we were all relieved when he ran into the trees and disappeared.

Our first stop on our journey today was Fitzroy falls. I had read online that it was a 200 meter walk to the lookout from the visitor center. I figured we would stop for tea and look at the falls and move on. I had no idea that there were several falls and an amazing hike to go see them all. It was cold and damp but we all decided we needed the exercise. We put on the warmest clothes we could find in the car and set out hoping the rain would hold off.

The rain did hold off and we had an amazing time. Ray, Lesley and I laughed and admired the views and stopped to take hundreds of pictures. Fitzroy falls was beautiful and energizing. It’s one of those places that is hard to describe but it feels really good there. I could have spent the entire day exploring but we had other places to see today so reluctantly we turned back towards the carpark after about 3.5 kilometers.

We left the falls behind and continued on towards a small town called Kangaroo Valley. To get there we had to drive up a long winding mountain road and then back down the other side into the valley below. There is a river at the bottom with an old bridge that crosses. We stopped to view Hampden Bridge and the river and then drove a few more kilometers into town.

By now we were all starving so we went to the pub to eat lunch. We really lucked out. The food was amazing and they the coolest wood tables and chairs. After lunch we popped into a few shops and then moved on towards the town of Berry. Berry was like a lot of other small towns we have been too. The town was lined with shops, pubs, cafes, bakeries and tourists. We walked around for a bit and then decided to finish the drive into Michael and Karlene’s house in Greenwell Point.

Michael was not with us tonight so we did not go anywhere near the tv. We put on some music and opened some wine and had a very pleasant evening chatting in a normal volume. We eventually made ourselves some salad wraps for dinner but tonight was mostly about hanging out and relaxing. It was an all around fun day.