Melbourne 2

Little rest as up at 6am to catch the 'Great Ocean Road 'tour, a trip which would take us some 560k (only here once!).The Great Ocean Road was initially constructed to provide work for servicemen returning from the Great War, it stretches for 270km and is just as magnificent as everyone told us - we were so glad we followed advice.

The driver was a bit of a boy and kept us well entertained! Stopped off at 'Bells Bay'; said to be the world's 2nd best surf beach after that of Hawaii and hosts many of Australia's major surfing competitions. Fabulous beach and got to watch some great surfers strutting their stuff. Carried on to Fairhaven beach for a brilliant photo opportunity and to admire the 7k of golden sands. Had another stop at Lorne and then Kennet River where we got to seek out Koalas dozing in their natural habitat, the eucalyptus tree - Sue VERY delighted! It was here in this forest area that we first saw Kookaburras too.

Later we reached possibly the most spectacular part of the coastline; the limestone rock formations known as 'The Twelve Apostles' although 3 have eroded so only 9 remain. We were lucky to have pre-booked a helicopter flight over this bit of coast as there was a massive queue - it was really brilliant to get a bird's eye view and managed to get some great photos.

On the return journey we visited another coastal rock formation named 'London Bridge' due to its likeness although in recent years erosion has meant that the 'bridge' has since collapsed. Drove back along the main highway, stopped at a fast food hell called Colac for dinner !!, we found a pub and had a pint and crisps, arrived back travel weary but well worth it.

Brisbane

Arrived in Brisbane having gained an hour and it being a subtropical region we had 31 degrees with glorious sunshine. Unfortunately the hotel room wasn't as glorious but with Tom's dogged persistence we ended up with an amazing 2 bedroomed apartment looking over the river!

The hotel is situated on the city rivers south bank which is home to a number of lively bars and Australia's only man made city beach! There are some fabulous walk ways and cycle tracks along the riverside and we found out later that, following the catastrophic floods of 2011 (wonderful subtropical climate but susceptible to cyclones) funding was given to restore the riverside and this has given way to some wonderful facilities. Explored some of the river walk and like Melbourne, Brisbane has some free public transport; the river ferry system and city buses so we caught a ferry - great eh?! Finished off in a fabulous seafood restaurant on the river and afterwards got to see our first Possum scooting along the park side.

Following day we decided to take a tour along the river Brisbane and as the temperature had risen to 36c the breeze on board proved most welcome. Fascinating commentary along the way and found out that the river Brisbane reaches depths up to 30 metres in parts and that it is these parts which provide a breeding ground for bull sharks. These sharks can grow to a length of 3 metres and can sometimes be seen jumping out of the water - swimming in the river is strongly discouraged!

Once back on the South Bank we took a ride on their city wheel - much smaller than the London eye so goes much faster and with 4 revolutions there are some great views to be seen although it took Sue 3 of those to open her eyes! Only in Brisbane for 1 full day so once again we took the Hop On /off bus to see more the city. Finished off the day on the city beach for a paddle, sunbath and snooze before catching the evening ferry to the Eagle Street district with its many restaurants and bars - great evening.

We loved Sydney and then Melbourne which goes along at a slower pace, however take it down a few notches and you have Brisbane; a lovely, lovely city with such a wonderful, calm charm.

Really looking forward to our next motorhome stint and commencing our road trip to Cairns tomorrow.