Days 211 - 223

Tonight is a time for reflection. It is our last night camping on our trip, "Around Oz on a Battered Fish." Tomorrow, we will be arriving in Sydney at 10.30 am in Sydney Square. This will mark the end of our wonderful adventure. I am feeling a mix of emotions - excitement about seeing family and friends again, relief that we will finally be able to stop living out of a backpack but mainly, a huge sense of disappointment - disappointment that it will be over if I go to sleep tonight, disappointment that there are no more hidden gems of Australia to find on this trip and disappointment that we have to stop what we have loved doing for the last 7 months.

We have had a great final few weeks. It was fantastic seeing a lot of Gerard's relatives and friends in Melbourne and catching up with what they have been doing since we last saw them 3 years ago. We were spoilt rotten by Gerard's Uncle and Aunt who own an Italian restaurant, Casavini's in Doncaster, Melbourne. Each day, our plates would be bulging with gorgeous Italian food and Gerard and I would gobble everything up like two Labradors after 7 months without lasagne, gnocchi etc. We were also very relieved that we were staying in a house rather than being in the camper trailer as it rained non-stop for 3 days. We would have been soaking. All of the locals were extremely grateful for the rain as Melbourne is going through a drought and people are limited to 150 litres of water a day. To us, (we use about 15 litres of water a day for washing, cooking, drinking etc), 150 litres a day seems like a generous amount but just the fact that everyone is restricted proves how desperate the situation is.

From Melbourne, we went to the Southern Most point of mainland Australia and completed our 45 km hike to get to the Southern Most point of mainland Australia (see blog below for further details) and after a stop over at Lakes Entrance, we left Victoria and crossed into New South Wales ("NSW"), and then into Australia Capital Territory ("ACT") to visit Australia's capital, Canberra. Canberra surprised us. It is an entirely purpose built city, with lots of greenery, parks and waterways giving it a bush feel. Compared to Melbourne, there was little traffic on the roads and a healthy feel to the place, with cycle trails everywhere. We attended a media day at Old Parliament House, visited new Parliament House and went to Black Mountain. All in all, we enjoyed our visit to Canberra.

From Canberra, we headed back to the coast and met up with Gerard's sister, Theresa, her son and two nephews, who were joining us for their first weekend of camping. We arrived during a thunderstorm but thankfully, they arrived a day later to sunshine. The weather was great and we enjoyed lazy days on the beach (well, as lazy as you can get with 3 boys aged 5, 6 and 8) playing cricket, football and fishing. It was great to show them where we had been living for the last 7 months and how we had been living.

Our final night is at Royal National Park, the oldest National Park in Australia. We could not have wished for a better place for our last evening as the scenery is stunning, with our camp spot looking right out over the water. This will be a place we will come back to for a weekend trip out of Sydney, as it is only about 40 kms out of the City. It is strange to say that this is our last night and I guess I had better make the most of it rather than being on the computer. One more night only of lingering over the sky filled with stars and hearing the water lapping close by. I don't want to leave!

I will blog over the next few days and let you all know how arriving in Sydney went and what we will be doing next.

I have included some photos of the view of Canberra from the Black Mountain lookout tower, the Battered Fish and Barnacle in front of Old Parliament House, me looking very exhausted nearing the end of our 45 km hike to the Southern Most point of Mainland Australia, Gerard at the ACT Border, kangaroos taking a rest at dusk and the thunderstorm at Batemans Bay.

Take care everyone,

An emotional Rachel and Gerard x

We made it to the Southern Most Point of mainland Australia

After being spoilt rotten and fed to near bursting point with gorgeous Italian food by Gerard's relatives in Melbourne, we set off on our mammoth walking hike to the Southern Most Point of mainland Australia in Wilson's Promontory, VIC.

The trek was 45 kms return and involved two overnight stays along the way. Although we had completed numerous long treks throughout our journey, we had not yet done any overnight hikes. It did not bode well when we both put on our backpacks filled with water, dried food, sleeping bags, tent etc and Gerard nose planted to the floor and I could hardly walk. A bit of readjustment to the packs allowed us to atleast walk but neither of us thought we could walk with this weight on our backs for 13 kms to our camp.

It was a tough trek and our legs and shoulders were really feeling it after the first 4 kms. We munched our way through many brunch bars (chocolate coated of course for the energy, not to make them taste better) and after what seemed like a year, we made it to our camp site. It was a huge relief to take our backpacks off and rest. To celebrate our first achievement, we ripped opened a pack of chicken flavoured noodles - yum yum! Who said camping food was bland.

The next day, with less weight in our backpacks, we treked to the Southern Most Point of Mainland Australia. WE HAD MADE IT! Battling against 75 kmph gusts at the point, we took some photos of us looking rather wind swept at the point (see above).

The journey home was again a really tough trek. By this time, my calf's had completely seized up and my shoulders had been rubbed roar from the weight of the backpack. To top it all off, the rain started and I was wishing that every corner or hill we came to would be our last. I have never been so happy to see the Battered Fish and Barnacle when I reached the car park after completing our trek.

Looking back on the trek now (after a good nights sleep, hiking shoes off my feet, dry clothes etc), I am really pleased we made it and I can now say that we enjoyed it. We had a fantastic remote camp spot in the middle of the forest, saw some echidna's (which we had not previously seen), some snakes on the hiking trail and the scenery was great.

We can now proudly say that we have made it to the Eastern, Northern, Western and Southern most points of mainland Australia, all in one year.

I have included some pictures of Gerard hiking to the point, Gerard and I at the point and the South Point sign.

Days 197 - 210

In the words of Bon Jovi, (que appropriate music and air guitar), “it’s the final countdown”. We have 15 sleeps left in our little traveller’s world before we hit Sydney, civilisation, hot showers and proper toilets. Are we looking forward to this? NO, long live the Battered Fish adventure we say.

Time is now precious and we have been making the most of each day since we left Adelaide. During our time in Adelaide, we visited the Fleurieu Peninsula, taking in yet more beautiful wineries in Maclaren Vale and the seaside towns of Victor Harbour, Port Elliott and Goowlah, made a visit to Parliament House (see blog posted on 27 November), had a press conference in Botanical Park and caught up with our friends, Noel and Shelia. It was a very hectic 3 days but great fun. Whilst in Victor Harbour, we caught a horse drawn tram (a slower mode of transport compared to the Fish but still sustainable) pulled by a Clydesdale horse called Carmen (so the poster entitled "horse talk" told us) over to Granite Island.

From Adelaide, we headed inland to the Grampians, a stunning area for keen bush walkers and nature lovers alike. We set up camp in an idyllic spot, with only black wallabies (that at first sight we thought were puma’s) for company. We spent our time bush walking in preparation for our hike to the most Southern point of mainland Australia and learnt quite a bit about the rating of certain treks. For instance, when they say something is classed as “moderate - hard, with some parts of the track being difficult to identify”, they actually mean you have to scramble over fallen down trees, over large boulders and wade through bracken to keep on the track. Also, when something has a “Mt” in front of it, one way is going to be purely up hill and the other purely down hill. We amateur bush walkers learnt the hard way, but had a great time in the process and are very much looking forward to our first overnight hikes in Wilsons Promontory next week.

From the Grampians, we headed for the coast and stayed in Great Otway National Park, about 5 kms behind the seaside town of Lorne. Again, we were spoilt with the beautiful location of our bush camp. We had wanted to see wild koala’s for some time and thought that we would get viewings of these adorable creatures in the Grampians. However, the devastating bush fires in Christmas 2006 had claimed the lives of a lot of the koala population and we did not see any. As we were setting up camp in Great Otway, we heard a scrambling noise to the left of us. There, no more than 10 ft away from us, was a koala about to climb its home, a eucalyptus tree. About half way up the tree, it looked down at us and started making a noise like an ape makes. I could not believe that such a small animal could make such a large and strange noise. It pacified itself for a good hour munching on the leaves of the tree before it started up its strange noise again. Was it mating season we wondered? Would we witness something you only see on the discovery channel? Alas not, but we were woken up several times during the night to the koala’s calls.

We drove along the Great Ocean Road and saw the 12 Apostles and other rock formations. On the drive to the coast, the Battered Fish had her birthday. She turned the ripe old age of 400,000 kms. Thanks to the juice she has been drinking since we set out on our trip in May, she is working perfectly and still looks no older than the day she was born. We celebrated her birthday with some good friends of ours, the Vanderkellens. Have a look at the pictures we posted on the 4 December of the morning after. Bear and Rabbit really did overdo it!

The waste cooking oil is going well thanks to the help of some generous people Gerard met through a forum specialising in alternative fuels. Before we left on our trip in May, Gerard posted a message on the forum setting out our adventure and if anyone around Australia could help us out with some waste veggie oil as we visit different places. Many people replied to the message and once again, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the Australian people. Thanks goes to Sandy and Bob from Victor Harbour, John at Morphett Vale and Matt and Barb in the Grampians for supplying us with some good quality WVO to help the Battered Fish on its adventure. Also, thanks to Matt and Barb for dinner and allowing us to use your shower after a long stint without hot water!! We did not know these people but each invited us into their homes. It goes to show that the Aussie generosity is still out there.

We are currently in Sorrento for a few days before we head over to Phillip Island to see the penguin parade at dusk – where little penguins come waddling up the beach from the ocean to their home. From here, we are going to Melbourne to catch up with some of Gerard’s relatives.

I have included some photos of Gerard and I at the 12 Apostles, the view of Great Ocean Road, the noisy Koala we saw at Great Otway NP, the view from one of the "Mt" walks we did in the Grampians, some vines at Maclaren Vale and Carmen the Clydesdale horse pulling the tram.

We hope everyone is well and as always, thanks for your messages and comments. One of our favourite comments has been “never mind about Gerard’s clothing, what has happened to his hair?” Fair point I say!

Rachel and Gerard

Happy Birthday to ...

The Battered Fish!

That's right, the Battered Fish has turned 400,000km.

After such a milestone it was only right to celebrate. Fortunately, we had caught up with our good friends, the Vanderkellen's, who joined in the celebrations.

After last nights celebrations, The Battered Fish is resting up today with his friends Bear & Rabbit - who seemed to have enjoyed themselves a bit too much.

In a week and as a present, we have arranged a day spa for the Battered Fish at one of Melbourne's finest mechanics where the Batttered Fish will receive a full service.

The photos are of the Battered Fish's odometer, the celebrations and the morning after.