My husband, myself and 3 friends flew into Sydney to start our trip!  Once there we did a Hop On/Off bus tour.  One of the highlights was going to Sydney’s wonderful Fish Market which has almost any kind of fish you would like and with many varieties already cooked!  Another great stop was Paddy’s Market, which is inside ChinaTown.  The best prices for a great souvenir was at Paddy’s!

Our next stop was to Melbourne which we stay in for 8 days. Melbourne was known at one time as Batmania after John Batman who settled there in 1835.  In Melbourne we did the Puffing Billy. It is an old steam train. It only runs once a day.  Begins at the Belgrave station, stops to take on water and ends about an hour later at the Lakeside station.  This was an adventure that I had always wanted to do since my first visit to Australia in 1998!  Even though it was chilly (Melbourne’s weather is very changeable) it was a lot of fun.  Being wrapped up in a blanket watching the scenery fly by.  

We also visited The National Rhododendron Gardens in the Dandenongs with large Rhododendrons and Azaleas; beautiful pinks, purples, red, and white flowers everywhere!  Since we were there in early Spring, not everything was in bloom, but we did love the smell of flowers in the air. It just takes away your cares!

Little café’s and different coffee shops can be spotted everywhere in Melbourne along alleyways.  You need to look for some of them, and they really come alive in the evening.  It is interesting that they tend to use instant coffee packets and yet it tastes like fresh brewed.  It was easy walking around city center and seeing a lot of the historical buildings or riding the Circle tram which is free to just hop on and off as it stays going in a big circle around town.  

We also visited the Otway Treetops walk.  An interpretive walk in rainforest out off of the Great Ocean Road. It was a steel structure about 600 yards long and close to 100 feet above ground. We enjoyed all the foliage the rainforest has to offer.        

After our stay in Melbourne, we flew to Launceston, Tasmania.  Tasmania is the most rustic of Australia.  We visited Cataract Gorge which is a mere 15 minutes from city center and yet you are in a wilderness area with again some great flora and fauna.  As we were walking along out came a wallaby, but it paid no mind to us.  There are hikes into the hills.  As we strolled along one path we saw an echidna which looks similar to a porcupine.  There is a suspension bridge over the Tamar River.  From there we drove a ways to Strahan where we did the Gordon River Cruise which lasted 4 hours with lunch included.  This is in a World Heritage Area where the rainforest is so thick in places you cannot see the sun. The reflections were beautiful.  Included in the cruise was a visit to Sarah Island which was once a convict settlement and shipyard.   

A visit to Tasmania would not be complete without a visit to the Salamanca Saturday Market in Hobart with their over 300 vendors. This is every Saturday and has been going on since the early 1970’s.  They offer fruits, vegetables, crafts and many items made of Huon Pine which is a tree that can only be found in Tasmania.  Since we did not have much room in our luggage by this time, we purchased Huon Pine coasters.  They offered beautiful Huon Pine writing pens, bowls. and carvings.  Tasmania is beautiful and I would love to go again.  

So many beautiful & interesting places to see in the world.  Until next time, Hooroo (Australian for goodbye).