Nothing in Australia is small. Things are big, massive. The main island is colossal and distances are huge. There are vast "empty" tracts of land between places of interest and towns. Here is an island that has three time zones; where those on the East side (where most of the population lives) forget about those on the West side because they are so "behind" the times (Actually, they are 4 hours behind when various states employ their daylight saving hours in summer)!

Egos are huge too, but they ARE Australian, after all and can be forgiven that. (Having said that, every Aussie we met was warm hearted, friendly and generous with their time and advice and conversation!) And big egos need big food to match. It is not uncommon for food portions in restos and the like to come in massive sizes! So much so that you can have a full meal at the resto and take the remainder home for ANOTHER full meal! It is SUPERSIZE me out here.....as the norm! A piece of chocolate cake on a Melbourne street could feed three (but, you could argue that you do get value for money out here!)!

Not to be outdone, the country towns have all decided to get in on the action of "big things". Eastern Australia is dotted with oddities like the giant gumboot, pineapple, sheep and other strange items. The big things are the size of houses or even medium size buildings, but are generally associated with the town in some way. Pineapples for a town that farms pineapples, etc! So how can you not stop and stare, and perhaps stop and spend some money while you do so....and tell your friends about what you saw?!

So it was with great anticipation that we headed north inland away from coasts clear and dry, after another awesome night stop complete with red wine, take away fish and chips and a coastline all to ourselves. In the next town from where we stayed was Larry the Lobster! Shellfish and seafood are renowned here and Larry the Lobster just reminds you of that fact! He is even painted red to remind you of how he should look when you boil him just before serving! How about that?

Not to be outdone further inland was the giant rocking horse! Yep. It was massive; three stories at least! And very popular. Right next door was a "proper" size horse that Ing couldn't get enough of! Come on Ing, time to go! We can get one soon! And even further was Map the Miner; an 8m high Cornish tin miner who commemorates the contributions that the Cornish, and other immigrant miners made in establishing these towns in days gone by. Map the Miner seems to have ready to step into the mine and is complete with his "helmet"(actually a hardened hat) and attached candles and handy pick!

Not to be outdone were the Lutheran immigrants. But instead of building a "big thing", they built a stunning little town called Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills. A little town not far from the city of Adelaide, nestling in rolling hills covered in vines, or orchards, or remnants of the old blue gum forests and, in some places, with pastures and paddocks full of fit and healthy livestock (despite the fact that there has been a prolonged drought across most of the southern region of South Australia for the past five years or so). For the South Africans, think Stellenbosch and Franschoek to Cape Town. For the Europeans, think.....think....think......I can't even think of anything remotely like this for you guys. Sorry (is there even a place like this....hmm, me thinks not! Ed: For those of us Europeans ACTUALLY, think Bordeau or the Loire Valley)!

Hahndorf is now a place where Adelaidens go on the weekends to enjoy a little of the country and maybe enjoy a glass of wine after a late breakfast on the way home. Here is a place where the main street is picture postcard perfect, complete with overhanging trees providing much needed shade and well maintained shop fronts that are sometimes houses and homes for the descendants of original families. Plenty of the houses still had little veggie patches outback with a few resident chickens and ducks.

So pleasant was it, that we decided to "splash out" and join the other urbanites chic sophisticates and yuppies, reading their Sunday papers over a latté or cappuccino, for a much needed bacon and eggs(campervanning in some impressively beautiful places certainly takes it out of a traveller, you know! Plus we had to line the stomach for an afternoon of winetasting...yes, please!)!