A drive that takes you through a city and its suburbs to near-deserted beaches, verdant hills and valleys, dirt-tracks across mountains and across flat plains with grass so dry its turned into hay while still in the earth. We've only seen a small segment of this country but have already experienced a range of vegetation, animals and birds.
The first night was spent at Murramang National Park in a 'cabin' at Depot Beach where
wild yet very friendly Eastern Grey kangaroos let you pet them as they graze. Possums entertained us in the evening and brightly coloured birds wheeled about in the morning light. However idyllic the setting, sleep was hard to come by that night. There was a huge storm that pebble-dashed the roof and it sounded like various animals were sheltering underneath the cabin (I wouldn't blame them). Furthermore I had the weirdest dreams, from which I wake up abruptly, needing to pee and starting to over-analyse: are there spiders on the floor? Should I turn on the light? Why do things seem so different? etc. etc. etc. Back from the bathroom I lie there a long time, fermenting everything in my mind, tossing and turning in the heat, hiding from the lone buzzing mozzie announcing its hunger. Sleep is hard coming, but when it does I have a great dream that settles me nicely.
Being in Sydney (or any urban conurbation) it's easy to forget that wildlife here can kill you. Redbacks...Huntsman...Blue-ringed octopuses...box jellyfish...water snakes...sharks... Nature here really is dangerous. It can also be cute and cuddly. Kangaroo steaks are lean, delicious meat, but seeing a kanga lean in to your hand as you scratch under its neck does bring a nice warm feeling to your heart. And koalas hugging tees while sleeping or munching or sleeping are perhaps the most squidgy, cuddly creatures. With rip-arse claws. Maybe marsupials are the prime cute creatures. Wide-eyed, furry and pouch-endowed, their sweet little features beg you to hug them, stroke them, hold them...or maybe I miss Morpheus.
The drive to what ended up as Mallacoota was long but diverse. We passed vast stretches of beautiful beach with barely a soul on them – one had sand that squeaked! - and there were very few people on the roads. There is a motorway that can get you from Sydney to Melbourne in 12 hours, but the old coastal road is far more appealing if you have the time. Passing through several small towns, you can take 'tourist detours' (signposted with brown markers that show the length of said diversions) that take you through tiny villages or to incredibly scenic spots.
Having been advised to stay in Mallacoota (just across the border in Victoria) we stayed on the road (beleaguered with signs telling us to dump any fruit we had from New South Wales) until we got there, and it was quite a sight. This town has very few inhabitants (in the hundreds) until the tourist season begins around Christmas/New Year when the population swells to thousands. There is one of the largest caravan parks in the country here, and it seems to be inhabited most of the year round. The prime industry probably used to be fishing but in these hard times I'm not sure how much money the people are pulling in. The lakes on one side and the sea on the other make this a pretty little town, although it appeared that dining options were scare that night – only one place other than a small noodle house was open, and that was the restaurant at the motel we were staying at.
It was an interesting night. The whole town and its in-laws flocked to this bar/eatery and we were treated to a slice of life in small-town Australia. Girls wearing their best clothes out on a Monday night, a bunch of student-types, some older men wearing mechanic's overalls and those Aussie hats with the corks... lots of young families and several hardened gamblers.
Many pubs and bars in New South Wales (less so in Victoria I found) have this thing called TAB installed in them. Australia loves to place a bet, and TAB is the easiest way to do so. There are computer screens where you can make a myriad of wagers on anything from horse racing to the NHL, World Cup, boxing, probably even bowls. After a few drinks we got talking to some locals and ended up having a fun night before heading out on the next leg of the trip in the morning.
This is when we encountered the arid fields of Victoria. Hearing about bush fires, you can't help but wonder how anything can be so flammable. Driving across the small part of the state that we saw, it seems almost miraculous that it hadn't all gone up in flames. The grass and trees at the side of the road were so dry they looked close to the point of desiccation. These were no longer living plants – they were tinder. If someone chucked a glass bottle out of their car and the sun hit it the right way it would all go up in smoke. Add to this the eucalyptus trees that release highly flammable vapour up into the air and you can see why a bush fire here can spread in such a devastating, deadly manner. As we drove further into Victoria there were frequent fire warning signs, most of which were on amber or orange, though a few we passed were set to red.
Our destination was Philip Island, south of Melbourne and home to a race track and the Penguin March. Every night, around 8pm, the penguins come up the beach from the sea to socialize. They look hilarious...waddling along at a (generally) slow pace they often stop and just stand, sit or lie there before eventually becoming animated again and waddling off a little bit further. We were told it was their moulting season – it takes a lot of energy to rid themselves of those old feathers which makes them even slower than usual. Although the main attraction was down on the ground, one look up at the night sky was breathtaking. The skies were so clear and lacking in pollution that you could see the Milky Way spread out above you... such an awe-inspiring sight.
Melbourne was the final destination and it was reached the next day, after driving past the magnificently named Giant Worm attraction. I was hoping to see a huge Dune-like worm heaving its way through the ground but it appeared to simply be a man-made creation for children to walk through, so on we drove. As we got closer to Melbourne the roads got busier...and weirder, with tram lines, car parking in the left-hand lane (this was on a major road) and all manner of confusing signs. Eventually, with the help of our none too detailed map and a phone call to the hotel, we arrived. Time to explore Melbourne!
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