After an extended period in Sydney over the New Year Period the three J’s, plus two additions in the lovely Hannah and Tanya, are on the road once more.

Before heading further south, it was a quick two day visit north-west of Sydney to the Hunter Valley, the home of several wineries, as well as local chocolate, cheese, olive and ice cream shops.

After much supping on a variety of reds, whites, desert wines and even a glass of rose, much to Pesky Jamie’s delight, we now find ourselves in sunny Melbourne.

During our drive down we stopped for a night in the Aussie capital of Canberra, spent the evening camping and the next day visiting the very interesting Australian War Memorial museum and the Parliament grounds.

It was then a slow drive through the spectacular snowy mountains, Australia’s highest mountain range and the home for skiiers during the winter months, before heading into Melbourne where on the day of our arrival the temperature reached 41 degrees Celsius, although we arrived in the early hours of the morning at a much lower 29 (I do not lie). Thankfully it is now a much more comfortable 26, although I question the local Michael Fish’s accuracy as it feels a little warmer.

We have spent the first couple of days in Melbourne walking around this big city and, despite its vast size, the transport system once tried and tested by London Mayor Ken Livingstone as a point of research, is so impressive that travel is easy whether by bus, tram, taxi, car or that old fashioned method, walking. The vibes are great and I can already see why so many people rave about Melbourne.

We have already booked ourselves onto the Neighbours tour to visit the famous Ramsay Street as well as watching a bit of tennis early next week in the Australian Open.

Anyways, that is the very latest news as I get ready to approach the heat outside. I hope it is not too cold in England.

Muchos love,

J, J and J

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 12th, 2008 at 12:45 am and is filed under On the move, Australia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.