Where Home!!!

We arrived home at 2pm, after leaving Johanna at 2.30am. A great trip home slowed down a bit by road works on the NSW end of trip.

We have unpacked, washing done (thank God there wasn't much). Boys getting ready for soccer training.

Jamie & Kat arrived here not long after us, was nice to catch up with them. They are here till Sunday when they will both go in their different directions home.

Kate & I have been to seen Uriah, one big bubba that one!!! Brooke and bub doing great :)

All I can say about this holiday is that is one of the best places I have have ever seen and we will be revisiting in the future. We had a tremendous time which was what we wanted as it was the last compulsory family holiday.

Well back to reality now, preparing for work and 2 billets from New Zealand early Saturday morning for 3 nights.

I will upload photos later this evening as I haven't got the energy now.

Keep checking in occasionally....

Day 6

Can’t believe it is the last day of a wonderful week. We have all enjoyed the time away and wish we had a few more days to enjoy this fabulous part of the world. We have been very impressed with what we have seen of Victoria and look forward to planning more trips south to explore.

Today was spent wondering around Johanna, We walked around the property and around the beach area, so much to see and do. All in all today has just been relaxing....

Finnegan has enjoyed another fun filled run through the cow paddocks, and playing with the other visiting dogs.

We have packed up as much as we could till now for our early departure in the morning, we will set the alarm for 2am. The boys want to be home with plenty of time to attend soccer training.

I am very lucky to have been able to celebrate my birthday in such a gorgeous place, with my fantastic family. Thank you to those of you who have called me today, very much appreciated..

Blue Tongue Lizard

Ben being silly, like normal.........

Day 5

Waiting for a platypus!!!

Brooke finally delivered Uriah, nearly 10 pound!!! And 56cm long.... a little over cooked. Both are doing well and I have seen photos already and he looks just like his older brother Taj.

I haven’t slept this great in ages..... First thing we must do when we get home is purchase a new mattress!!

Well lets just say "Platypus hunting sux!"

It is so peaceful here, the wind has finally settled down but still overcast. Today we ventured up to the Otway Tree Top Fly. It is a 600 metre long walkway, 25 metres above the forest floor, made from over 120 tonnes of steel. It was a different way of enjoying the surroundings. Brett, Katelyn and I climbed to the top over the spiral tower which is 47m above the forest floor, Ben & Matt decided to stay on the walkway. Highly recommend visiting this if you come down this way.

From the Fly we walked to the Triplet Falls a 1hour return walk. A few metres in and the steps started, all I could think was what goes down must come up! But to our relief once we reached the beautiful falls the walk back was via a different route, a lot less stairs, phew!! With the high rain fall we have had in the area the falls were flowing fast and were well worth the walk to see them.

To the boys disappointment fish & chips were not had for lunch, we enjoyed lunch at home and so salad was on the menu for me. Matt went for a run up Red Johanna Road to the junction of the Great Ocean Road, roughly 9klm, half of which was up hill. I walked Finnegan down to the top of the beach, we were suppose to go along beach but he made a friend and decided playing with her was way more fun. So I chatted to the other dogs’ owners and wondered back to our cottages. The kids have just walked down to the pool so I don’t know when I will see them again; they were gone for over 3 hours the last time they went.

Brett & I are hoping to do a section of Great Ocean Walk tomorrow, haven’t been able to date due to strong winds, so let’s wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Day 4

Echidna from the other day.

Another night of howling winds but with less down pours. The night sky when clear is the most stunning sight to be seen, over the years we have had the pleasure of viewing the wonders of the stars but this is the best by far.
Today we ventured west to Port Campbell, visiting all the viewing spots of the coast along the way. The high light for me was at Gibbons Steps where we were able to climb down the stairs to the beach and see the apostles from ground level.
I don’t think you could ever become tired of seeing these natural wonders, stunning! With the changes of light, crashing waves always a different aspect to viewing.
Fish & chips for the 3rd day running were had!!! That is what happens when Ben is around, No way are we having it again tomorrow.....And I will ask this question “Why doesn’t any cook the good old fashion potato scallop anymore?? Why do they think the frozen type is a suitable substitute?”
Ben was happy on the trip home as he was able to tick another animal of his list to see in the wild, finally he saw a fox!!
We have enjoyed a Power tradition of cheeses for afternoon tea with a cool beverage in preparation for our 2nd attempt at platypus hunting. Wish us luck.....
Also we have been waiting all day for news of Brooke’s baby but at the time of publishing still no news, so you will have to wait till tomorrow for that news.

The night was spent listening to the pounding rain and ferocious wind howling up the gully. The gale force wind has stayed with us all day, not to mention the cool temperature.
The platypus hunt was a failure last night; we were hoping to go this evening but way to windy. We did stumble across 2 echidnas thanks to Brett spotting them along the fence line. We sat quietly and waited for them to appear but to no avail, and once a down pour came we decided to head home.
We decided to go for a drive, Brett stayed home with Finnegan to do homework. We headed west then up through the Great Otway National Park to do a loop to bring us out at Kennett River east of Apollo Bay. The roads were very winding, even Matt was starting to feel motion sickness and he was driving! The surroundings were beautiful rainforest, lush with tree ferns and tall gums. Once we started the descent into Kennett River we were on the lookout for koalas. Ben was first to spot one and the competition started between him and Matt. Ben was happy when Matt was distracted by a phone call from Claire, so Ben could win.
The rest of the afternoon was spent around the fire watching the huge wave’s crash against the rugged coast, with the kids continuing with their puzzle books. Who needs Playstation when you have a good find a word or crossword book?
Before I forget to mention it, today is Finnegan’s “6th”Birthday.

Day 2

We woke to a dreary wet miserable morning, with misty rain and fog. The weather here changes so quickly that this soon lifted and the sun started to break through. We headed off as we planned last night to head towards Apollo Bay including visiting Cape Otway.
OMG!!!! Seeing wild animals in their own habitat is sensational, today we witnessed an abundance of Koala’s. The road into Cape Otway was just koala after koala, totally amazing!!!! Brilliant!!
We climbed the Light house and were nearly blown off the top. The scenery was beautiful. And Kate managed the best photos from this location.
We headed east more until we reached Apollo Bay and enjoyed fish & chips for lunch in the park by the water. We were kept amused by the tourist doing their version of the Toyota jump for all their photos. The afternoon has been a little spoilt by constant soccer updates about the boy’s team playing like trash!!! 2 unhappy campers here now...
Now home for a coffee, upload photos and wait until time to go platypus hunting.

Great Ocean Road, Day 1

It was so worth the wait.... the countryside is magnificent, very diverse.
We left Campsie at 1.50am Thursday, a very easy drive down with what seemed like 90% on dual roads. Once you cross the border into Victoria the roads are well defined and not littered with billboards.
Ben set up the combustion fire to keep us snugly warm all night, yes wasn’t cold but cool. The first sunset was disappointing, but to wake up to a colourful sunrise made up for it. The day looked promising but to Victorian tradition the rain came but it didn’t stop us at all.
Ben & Kate had time reminiscing in the Vegetable patch about Currell Pa, who did love his veggie patch. Ben was too chicken to collect the fresh eggs so like any big brother sent Kate into the pen to get. Ben turned his fresh collected veggies into a scrumptious salad for us to enjoy at lunch time.
The Bell’s Beach Rip Curl Classic surf competition was transferred from Bell’s to Johanna so we had the world’s best surfers on our doorstep. So our plans changed a little to sit and admire the surfing.
This afternoon saw us head west to the 12 Apostles, in the rain, but nothing could spoil this natural wonder. Absolutely beautiful!!! Seriously nothing could spoil it. The great thing about staying on the road is that we can always go back which we will.
The kids have headed off to the indoor heated pool for awhile, Matt to check out more of the surf comp and I am suppose to be preparing dinner.
What will tomorrow bring........

12 months on,

Wow!!!

It has been 12 months since we set off on our adventure to raise awareness and funds for Crohn's Disease.

I have found myself reflecting over the past few days, wondering how I ever put such an event together in such a small time frame. Still to this day I hold the walk as the best thing I have ever done apart from getting married and being a mum that is. The relationships with my boys have grown immensely since, Ben still refuses to go on another bush walk though.

So what has been going on in our lives since:

Ben: Has been well up until last week when he got a viral infection and has been off school for a week, exact same time as last year. He has retired from soccer and plays tennis twice a week. He has enjoyed another fun filled season at Ashfield Swim club. He was awarded the Cantabrian award for Year 8 in 2009 a wonderful recognition of his year. He is progressing along nicely in year 9. He is on 3 monthly clinic visits for his Crohns and is relieved to be in remission.

Brett: Has even thought of going on another hike with me!! He is going well in year 12 and still has no real idea of what he will do when his school life is over. He is loving his soccer, this year he is able to play along side Matt and Jamie in Premier League 2's, they are all are as happy as pigs in mud. He has just had surgery to remove a plunging Ranula (Dr still not sure) from in under his tongue, he spent a night in hospital then a week off school on a liquid diet, the worst part for him was missing soccer!

Claire: Gave birth to a beautiful baby boy Cobalt in December, Yes she was pregnant on the walk but just didn't know it!!! The family is doing great :) and she is back playing soccer in 2010.

Jackie: Still talks about the walk, it made her stronger then she already was, she now knows she can face anything thrown at her, you go girl!!!! She is still teaching dancing, that will never stop, it is her life.

Peter: Enjoyed a dream trip to Europe in September with his wife Kim, A little different to his time hiking with us. The walk was good practice though for some of the steep stair cases they had to climb in Italy.

Stuart: Still admits to complaining!!!! He enjoyed a trip to New Zealand last year with His wife Vicki. Plus a milestone birthday!!! He is also working on a walk on our weekend away in May with the Click Group, looking forward to that. But remember Stuart ,only an hour or two.....

Me: well i wish i could do it again, but be fitter from the start and not exhausted on return to be laid up in bed for weeks! That part i regret. I will do another hike like that again and not in the too distant future! I am playing soccer in Claire's team this year, a bit fun and to get fit. I have a lot of goals to conquer this year.

Matt: is still busy with the soccer club, he does wish though he had more time for his boat.

Katelyn: Dancing, dancing, dancing, and no she is not playing soccer!!! She too enjoyed Ashfield Swim club this year.

So that is about it, I will keep this blog updated from now on, so check in occasionally to see what we are up too.

We are off to The Great Ocean Road in Victoria next week. Can't wait even Finnegan is coming, he wants to swim in the Southern Ocean-he did ask nicely!!! Brett and I will do a couple of day walks along the the Great Ocean walk, will then decide if that is next!!!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter, and once again Thank you for your continued support!!

Be Good!!

Total $$$

By Jo,

I have just sealed the envelope to send to the Foundation.

$7887 Plus a chq for 40 pound not sure what this will equate too.

On line total is $6077.15 so all together minus pounds we are at:

$13964.15

We are over the moon!!!

Thank you everyone who helped us reach this total....

As for us Ben is well just getting over a bout of conjunctivitis, Brett is coughing and sputtering, Kate & Matt are fine, and I'm nearly 100%.

"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy"