We've had a great week here in Melbourne, staying with Lester and Stephen, friends from home. The weather hasn't been kind though - apparently it's the worst it's been since Lester got here 5 months ago. So that's good then!

Luckily we had a beautiful day for our trip to The Great Ocean Road and had a great time. We stopped at Anglesea golf course first and got really close to some wild kangas. Then we had lunch in Lorne, overlooking the sea, before stopping at Kennett River to try and see some koalas. Little did we know that as well as 2 sleepy koalas, we'd soon have lots of new colourful friends! Initially parrots started to swoop past us at close range, but then they started landing on us, merrily squawking away, even though we had no food. They are as beautiful up close as from a distance and very gentle. Rob's head seemed a favourite perch for one King Parrot and had us crying with laughter as he got comfy. We managed to get as far as Apollo Bay before we had to start heading back to return the car, so we didn't get to see the Twelve Apostles, but still enjoyed a really good drive.

Another highlight was our wine tasting trip in a convertible to the Yarra Valley, a present for Stephen's birthday. We visited a few vineyards and took in some spectacular views as we cruised around. As well as a tasty lunch, cheese tasting was also on the cards, so we returned full, sleepy and maybe just a little bit giddy a few hours later.

We've relaxed in the Botanical Gardens, which were as beautiful as the Lonely Planet led us to believe, and eaten cake on Acland Street as instructed, where there are more patisseries than you can shake a fork at. We also caught up with a friend from our trip to China and introduced her to Rob's culinary expertise - another fan I think! Today we went to the Aquarium and saw some pingus; it was wetter outside than in so we hurried back to the cosy flat.

It's been a great week, lovely to be staying with friends and have a catch up, and a good way to end our trip here before heading over to New Zealand tomorrow. Australia has been an amazing country, with such diverse wildlife and landscapes; five weeks has been nowhere near long enough to explore all there is to see. I think we'd both love to come back here one day and see some more.