Hello Mates 3/27/06

                                                  Australia '06
                                                        Hello Mates

Greetings............................and thanx for all of your concerns with regards to the cyclone. It hit Australia way to the north but the implications are being felt all across Australia. Reminds me of what the US went thru with the devastation in New Orleans. Same sort of finger pointing with the politicians trying to explain away the cries of too little too late. Some things are indeed Universal. Its been fun being down here with the games going on in Melbourne. Great pride thru out the country especially since the Australians are winning most of the gold.
The coverage of the games is so one sided that all they seem to broadcast are those events in which the Ausies win gold. The games did end a day or so ago and the country seems to be returning to normal.
When we last spoke, Susan and I had just arrived in Hobart in the southern part of Tasmania. Tasmania has been a real treat...................still no Kangaroo sightings other than those beside the highway with Michelin Tire markings up their backsides. We decided on three nites in Hobart at a great B&B that had been recommended by our hosts from a few nites back.......the referral system continues to work for us. Jeff and Jill, we stayed in the battery district just down the way from Leena of Hobarts........my, you guys spared no expense as that was quite the hotel. We booked a coach tour out to Port Arthur Penal colony and a visit for the day.

Quite a place, never an execution, but nevertheless a real hell hole. For many tho, it was a job training experience for life on the outside. No one was ever sent there directly from England, you had to be a re-offender to be sentenced there. Everyone did 4-12 months in solitary......just so as to get with the program.....then your training began. An awful lot of people learned a number of job skills that were important to Australia. The jail operated from the mid 1800's until it closed in 1877.......very few escapes!
One of the biggest tragedies to take place happened about ten years ago when a gun man came on the grounds to take the tour and ended up gunning down 35+ employees and tourists. Needless to say this put a bit of a damper on the spot as a tourist destination but it seems to have survived as hundreds were touring the day we were. Saturday in Hobart was Market day, and like everything else we seen to find the similarities between the US and the rest of the world most striking. Saw the same Sun Glass displays and Sock displays we find at our swap meets.........some items a bit more crafty but still the items found there for

the most part could be found at any swap meet in the states. My purchase for the day was a CD of Chinese music This guy was playing his two string violin and I was sold.................only problem is that it is so soothing its difficult to drive while listening to this guy..................After the Market we took a day trip out of town to a Town called Richmond and then to the Royal Botanical Gardens back in Hobart. Very comfortable city with a great array of seafood...................got pretty good a driving around in traffic.........Susan lost a few bucks at the waterfront casino and it was time to move on.

Sunday, found us heading to the airport for our 1-hour flight back to Melbourne. Our flight back was un-eventful as airline flights should be and as we were landing back into Melbourne I couldn't help but feel that with Bush's ratings at an all-time low he could use some version of the Pan Am games to rally his supporters. It did wonders for Melbourne and Australia's Prime Minister.......Tony Blair was here........the Queen earlier on and even Prince Charles and Camila showed up for the festivities. Bush could call our games the "American Meddles" and invite athletes from all those countries whose politics the US has meddled in with somewhat questionable results.....

Can't you just picture the Iraqi delegation heading up the opening ceremonies followed by..........the Iranians, the Cubans, not to be out done by the delegations from North and South Vietnam........don't forget the Koreans both north and south...................and we could even field participants from the confederate and rebel states.....

It could be a "lovely" affair and a sure ratings booster for the President. He should really think on it as his ratings are even lower on this side of the Pacific..................oh well, couldn't resist that!

We turned our phone in back in Melbourne as it wasn't working and weren't really using it. Verizon didn't work here like Sprint did last time in NZ. Picked up our rental car at the airport and the gal behind the counter upon seeing our rental agreement asked if Irvine was near Tustin as she had flown to the OC twice to act as a delivery nurse for her girlfriend (what's the word I'm looking for?)........................asked her how she learned how to home deliver and she said she purchased a kit over the Internet..................that was trusting...............she did it twice with both deliveries under an hour.
Made every effort to avoid the city center of Melbourne as the games were breaking up and people heading for home. Circled the city and headed out to the southwest for the "Great Ocean Road" up to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. Took us about an hour plus to reach the surfing beach of Torquay where we had lunch on the bluffs over looking a dismal surf day. Weather was gorgeous and the temperatures in the upper 80's.
Headed out for Apollo Bay and the beginning of the Great Ocean Road......compares in spots to our Highway One up the coast from San Francisco.......................I like ours better but this is pretty spectacular. About an hour outside of Apollo Bay we encountered a terrible motorcycle accident. Two riders dead, covered with make-shift blankets, motor cycles scattered about with the police just arriving...................put a bit of a damper on the rest of the trip................but we arrived safely in Apollo Bay to find a cozy B&B..........................Jeff and Jill, this trip beginning to sound familiar?
Awoke the next day to drizzles and fog.....................not a good thing since we were closing in on the "Twelve Apostles" and good weather is a must to see these magnificent structures along the coast........probably Australia's most photographed rocks along the Highway........................actually make that 11 Apostles as one of the massive rock stuctures fell over awhile back..........................but as they are always being formed and shaped by the sea they are sure to be back to twelve and certainly more in the years ahead. Actually the weather co-operated but was still cold and blustery.
Ended our day at Port Fairy several hundred kilometers from Adelaide. Found another great B&B to lay our heads (actually bump our heads) as Susan went for quaint and booked us into one with ceilings lower than our place in Catalina.......nice place and a wonderful dinner in town.....................still walking to dinner at night for fear of being pulled over....................sober I'm lucky to be on the right (left) side................

Today finds us headed to Robe (another Jeff and Jill stop) still about an 1 1/2 hours away in Mt Gambier (sp) We are headed for the Barossa wine district outside of Adelaide for a Day or two then to Kangaroo Island, back to Adelaide for the flight to Melbourne and then on home on the 5th.......................Matthew.....clean the house up we are on the way home...........................


.gary and susan