Hello there!

we have been driving the 700 miles from Melbourne to Sydney and boy am I glad it's over?! We have split the drive in 3 days to take it easy and discover the coast, unfortunately on the coast there is not much to discover and you don't even get to see it from the Princes hwy.

Day One: Melbourne to Lake Entrance
The countryside bored us senseless for a wopping 4 hours until we reached the loittle town of Lake Entrance, don't get me wrong I love the country side but this was like driving on I-280 in the Silicon Valley for 4 hours + cows!
Lake Entrace is a small fishing town with little to offer, but it does have a pretty impressive beach and we had the best fish and chips EVER!!! We stayed at a YHA stuck in 1952 and run by one stroppiest citizen of Lake Entrance,but we slept well and the TV in our room allowed us to watch one of the greatest tennis match in history:Nadal vs Verdasco, oh my god what a show!

Day Two: Lake Entrance to Narooma

On day two we drove all day through eucalyptus forests, which was much much better than the previous day. Our lunchsto p was in Mallacoota a village surrounded by the Croajingolong Park, I think it caters mainly to fishermen as all it was on offer were fishing trips and caravan parks. We had a lovely improvised pic nic by the lagoon and although the pelicans ignored us the seagulls where all over us in a scary Hitchcockey way.
By early evening we made it to Narooma, another fishing village where finally our culinary luck was going to turn. After many days of sub-optimal dinner choices we have found a loooovely restaurant set in a corner of the fishing port overlooking the the hills, where the sun set, and more importantly 2 dozen oysters cost like a small green salad! It was a great moment, relaxing, romantic, timeless.

Day Three:

We woke up very early, I had forgotten the hated sound of my Nokia alarm. The landscape finally changed into a pleasant green and hilly countryside scattered with small lakes and ponds.
We stopped at Jervis Bay for a quick beach detour and I am so glad we did, the beach was lovely and the water very inviting.
As we relaxed in the shade we had our very first close encounter with a kangaroo, so exciting! He was about 3 meters away from us,Francesca spotted him as we were chilling on the beach, only about a meter tall he was so cute and scary at the same time, it was surreal to see one so near.
That night it was the final of the Australian Open so we slept in a Sydney's suburbs motel and watch the final munching on fresh fruit.
The next day we would be off to Cairns for a week of beaches, snorkelling, diving and more.

Things I learned on the road:
- One should always fly from Melbourne to Sydney
- Kangaroos are cool
- the Gippsland are not cool
- you can't trust the Rough Guide
- always always ask the locals for suggestions and directions it will take you places the guide won't (especially the stupid Rough Guide)