Another home-cooked breakfast and we were out the door. Our first stop was back at the Twelve Apostles, since Barry thought the light would be better for photos under the somewhat cloudy skies. The rest of us stayed in the car, hiding without success from the flies (the moment Barry opened the door, a bunch came in). The flies are absolutely horrible, swarming and landing on eyes, mouths, and noses. Yuck! They are the worst we've seen in any country on our entire journey. Some people told us it was usual, but others told us they were in plague proportions this year and that it had even been reported in the news. We are hopeful that once we have moved up to Cairns, it will get better.

After Barry returned, we headed for the Otway Fly Treetop Walk. When we arrived, we again fought the flies. However, the moment we started the walk, the flies - perhaps on orders from the department of tourism - left us alone. The next hour was awesome as we first walked down the forest trail and then ascended up a steel walkway to emerge amongst the tops of the trees. It is the longest (over 600 meters) and highest (averaging 25 meters) walk of its kind. We enjoyed reading the display boards along the way, which described the profuse plant, animal, bird and insect life found in this cool temperate rainforest. The walk ended too soon and we headed back for the car.

Last night, Connor realized he'd forgotten a number of items (Ipod charger, Nintendo DS charger…) in Lorne, our first night's stop. At first, we considered driving at least an hour out of the way to retrieve the stuff. However, when we got to Colac, we stopped at the Target department store and Connor bought a replacement charger. Relieved that we didn't have to rush the drive, we headed on through lovely farmland.

When we saw a computer shop along the road in Geelong, we stopped to have our laptop inspected. In addition to having a broken lid hinge, the power supply is shorted out and a replacement in Australia would cost $150. We opted not to buy one, as we have a spare one at home. In the meantime, we'll get by using computers at hostels, internet cafes, and friends' homes!

When we got to Melbourne, we returned the car, got to the airport and headed for Cairns. The flight was easy and when we landed, we had no trouble getting to the Cairns City Backpackers hostel. It was a really trendy little place and we were happy to settle in.