So after the disaster of Wollongong, we headed south along the Grand Pacific Highway. Needless to say it was grand, and not grawwwnd. For most of it we were surrounded by forest either side of the road, and couldnt see the ocean at all, but it was still nice. It was somewhere along this route that we started to realise that Australia is much much different to New Zealand. There is something more to this place, I am not sure what it is, and I think it might be just something that was lacking in New Zealand.... sort of like a personality. We have talked about it in the car a bit, and I think that just now typing this that the idea of a personality is probably the most accurate. New Zealand was sooo stunning in its landscape, but it was just a bit dull otherwise, where as there is something deeper going on here. Well thats enough hippy talk for now... back to the blog writing

Next stop along the line was the coastal town of Batemans Bay... I think, it was about two weeks ago and our brains are fried from sitting on the beach (with sun block) since then. It was a nice little town, not much to it really. The hostel was in a caravan park, which was made it a bit more authentic aussie I think. We had a cabin to ourselves for the first two nights of the three we spent there so it was even better. I cant unfortunately remember any of the interesting things that might have happened while we were there, since it was ages ago. We borrowed a body board (they only had one), and went to surf beach and got bashed around in the sea a bit... lots of fun. We also went for a hike out the road in part of a national park. There is a beach called Pebble Beach (its all coming back to me now by the way). On the beach there was a few Kangaroos just sitting around the beach, our first sitting in the wild I reckon. They were just hanging around anyway so we took some photos and decided to go for our hike. We got to the start of the hike and there was a junction in the road. To the left was Mount Bishop (no giggling please) and to the right was Snake Bay. I figured we would go up the mountain as Regina has more or less screamed everytime she has heard the wind blow since we got here and a bay full of snakes just didnt sound on the cards. How wrong was I, turns out she is even more afraid of mountains than she is of snakes, so off we went to snake bay!!!! As we walked along the trail the noise of the crickets or grasshoppers or whatever they were as was absolutely deafening. It came in bouts, as if different groups were realising we were there but it was so loud we actually had to shout to each other at one stage. It might only have been one little guy for all we know. I recorded a video on the camera which I havent posted yet, and it probably would have to be turned up full blast to really appreciate it. I have never heard anything like it in my life.... poor Regina still shudders at the thought of it.

I probably forgot to mention, that while in Wollongong I maybe saw our first snake of the trip. I am not to sure, because I was out running and I saw something disappear into a gutter that could have been a snake, or a lizards tail. I reserve the right to remain indifferent to this sighting. Anyway, we didnt see any snakes in Snake Bay either, so Australia ain't so scary so far!!!!! It was a really nice walk with some lovely forest and beaches and things along the way. Then it was back to the town and to the beach again.... ahhhhh the lovely beach. This time it was the main beach in town, where the waves are nicer to poor Regina. There isnt really much else that I can think of for this place.... hold on, one more thing. In the caravan park there was a caravan up in the corner, it was clearly lived in permanently and had lots of little trinkets and things outside. It also had a wooden bird feeder nest thingy outside it with about 30 parrots dropping in for food every day. The lady who lived there started talking to me one evening on my way out for a run, she and her family came over from France a long time ago and started feeding the parrots, she didnt know what she had gotten herself in for as they kept coming back with more and more. I even got to rub one on the head!!!! She thought I was from Holland.... because I said I was from Ireland and it obviously sounds like Holland to a crazy old french bird lady.... oh well!!! The birds were cool!!!

Right thats it for Batemans Bay..... unless... no thats it

Actually there is more, only briefly however but I thought of this late last night. The other thing was the thunder and lightning storm that passed over on the second night, it was big and very very loud. It passed right over us at about ten at night, lit up the whole sky and rumbled off inland within about an hour. After the rain stopped I went out to have a look and you could see it flashing away in the clouds off inland, pretty spectacular, but sadly not as impressive as the ones we used to see in France when we were younger (or maybe I am all grown up now!!!!!!). Anyway, that was it, if I think of anything else from anywhere else I will pop it down and maybe nobody will ever realise I have updated the page