A relaxing day spent mostly by the pool and in the pool to keep cool. Explored options for the evening and looked at a Dhow cruise with dinner. Unable to book online so chanced a trip to the 'marina' to board it there- no chance! Not able to do that so spent the evening around the mall- took the lift up to the sky tower and then a taxi to the Emirates Palace- absolutely splendid.

Flight in landed after 11pm- the humidity hit us coming out of the airport. Met by a cheery man with a name board and taken to the taxi rank. Picked up by taxi- nice journey to the hotel- buildings lit up and looking quite magnificent. Arrived at the hotel which was covered in scaffolding! Pleasant decor- room ok but a bit below standards in our opinion. Breakfasted early- very good choice of cold (fruit, vegetables, meats etc) and a variety of breads & cakes...

An early start for our drive along the Great Ocean Road recommended by family, friends, and the tourist board! Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and dedicated to soldiers killed during World War I, the road is the world's largest war memorial. Winding along the coast and providing access to several prominent landmarks, including theTwelve Apostles limestone stack formations. A whole days worth of driving and drinking in the spectacular coastline w...

We decided to visit Phillip Island today and took Max (David's young son) with us. Max had visited the island previously with his school so was able to tell us all about the animals and birds, and show us the cliff paths and the best ways to go. The wind was cold but it stayed dry and sunny for us to make our way the the western tip of the island, Nobbies (see photo). The waves crashed onto the rocks and we saw some young penguins recently hatched in their boxes...

With the sun shining brightly and the forecast good, we decided to visit this National Park- Wilson's Promontory today. Affectionately known as 'The Prom', it is one of the state's best loved parks and is a refuge for an array of native wildlife including kangaroos, emus, wombats, echidnas and vividly plumed birds like rosellas. As we witnessed over lunch, the rosellas flocked to anyone with food- we had chips at the visitors area at Tidal River, and we're mobbed...