Geelong and the Great Coast Road


G'day everyone! 


After we said goodbye to Ken and Maureen at Woodend, it was time to make our way to Geelong where we were going to stay by the seaside for a few days. 


When we got to Geelong, we were reminded that it was nearly Christmas when we saw the Christmas decorations up. But there's something missing isn't there?

No matter how close you look, it doesn't seem like Christmas without grey skies and a few snowflakes! We kept forgetting it was the week before Christmas. 

After we checked in at our hotel, we had a walk around Geelong. Everywhere you go on the sea front there are funny statues carved from wooden poles. The ones below are surf life-savers. They always wear the same red and yellow uniforms so that they can be spotted on the beach if anyone needs help. They look out for sharks and jelly fish that might hurt people and they scan the sea for anyone who might be drowning. The coast of Australia is swept by very strong currents called rip tides that can sweep away the strongest swimmer. The waves are often very high and can knock over even people who are just paddling. When they spot someone in difficulties, the life-savers stand in a line holding a rope over their heads. They wear those funny hats so the rope doesn't get caught in their hair. One person swims our holding the end of the rope and ties it round the person who is drowning. Then everyone pulls them to the shore. 


Every Australian kid would like to be a life saver; I know Chelsea does. They run clubs called Nippers so that young people can improve their swimming skills and become Surf Life Savers when they are old enough. There are Surf Clubs near every beach in Australia. It's where the Life Savers keep their equipment and train but there is usually a bar and a great restaurant where you can get a good meal.   

These statues are at the pier entrance in Geelong. 


We got another reminder that it was Christmas when we saw the lions outside the Art Gallery in Geelong. 

They were all wearing Santa hats like this. I think it would be a good idea if the lions outside the Town Hall in Leeds were dressed up the same, don't you? Perhaps you could write to the Lord Mayor about it. 


The next day, we set off to drive along the Great Ocean Road which takes you past a lot of very spectacular scenery. The road was built by soldiers who had returned from the first world war and could not find work. The project was designed to create work for men who had risked their lives to fight in the war and to provide a monument for those who had lost their lives in the war. When you see the pictures of the scenery that the road allows you to see, I think you will agree that it is a great monument. 

Our first stop was at this light house at Flag Staff Hill. From the coast, we could see this rocky island that is part of the cliff that has fallen away. 

This was pretty spectacular but there was more to come. The Twelve Apostles are twelve rocky islands like this that have been created in the same way, by coastal erosion. There aren't twelve any more, some have been swept away by the sea but they are still called that. 


Here I am in front of the Twelve Apostles. 

And here they are without me in the way!

 Here I am in the same place with Mrs P . . . 

And these are some more Apostle rocks. 

The cliffs nearby are very dangerous but we did what it says in the notice and we were ok. 


Next we moved on to another part of the coast where you could see these beautiful cliffs. 

It was time to go home as it had been quite a long drive but there was more excitement to come. Mr and Mrs P told me that I was going to get a surprise . . . and I did - look:

Here I am outside Cobden Primary School in Cobden, Victoria, Australia. Can you see the name on the wall? 

Here I am in front of the big sign.

And here's a shot of the playground. Unfortunately the school was shut because it was late in the day and they may have already started their long Christmas holiday. Christmas comes to Australia in the summer so Australian children have their long summer holiday at Christmas time. Perhaps you could e-mail the Head Teacher and tell them I called! 


Well, that's all for now. next time I'll tell you about meeting up with Chelsea again and meeting a very well known person whose initials are SC. Can you guess who it is? 


Hooroo!

Click here to find out about Surf Life Savers and Nippers

Click here to find out about the Great Ocean Road

Click here to find out about Cobden Primary School, Victoria

Picnic at Hanging Rock


There is a famous novel that tells a made-up story about Hanging Rock. The story has also been made into a film. Hanging Rock is such a mysterious place, it's hard to believe the story is not true. 


Here I am in front of the rock formation where Hanging Rock is to be found. 

This rock formation was once a volcano, which is now extinct. Wind and weather have worn away the rocks into strange shapes. Some of the rocks look as if they were piled on top of each other by a huge giant and might roll down at any time. In actual fact they are perfectly safe and have been piled up like this for ages and ages. 


Here we are a bit closer up.

It was quite a climb to the top. Looks like Brimham Rocks, doesn't it? 

Here I am sitting under the famous Hanging Rock. 


Here's a picture of the lady who wrote the story:

The story is about a group of girls who go to Hanging Rock on a trip from school. They stop to picnic here: 

This funny little building is a ladies' toilet that was built in about 1910 - quite historic for Australia! 


The girls were told not to stray away from the picnic grounds but one girl, Miranda, encouraged some of her friends to climb up to the Hanging Rock. 


Here is a statue of Miranda that is in the Visitors' Centre:

If I had been with Miranda, I would have told her to listen to the teacher! But I wasn't there, and Miranda and her friends could not be found. People searched and searched and after a few days, one of Miranda's friends was found. She could not remember what had happened to the others. It was as if they had been swallowed up by the rocks . . . like this:

It's quite a scary story, isn't it? But don't worry, it's only a story. I tested to see if the rock would swallow me up: 

But nothing happened. Here I am, safe and sound:

On the way back down the hill, something REALLY exciting happened. We saw a Koala Bear!

That's him - the ball of fur in the fork of the tree. 


Here's the other side: 

I know it doesn't look like much but we were very excited. Koalas are shy creatures and you don't often see them. 


After all that excitement, it was time for lunch:

Australian tukka is fair dinkum!


Hooroo!

My Christmas


G'day everyone and Happy New Year!


I hope you are all enjoying being back at school. It seems ages since I last spoke to you but, when you see all my adventures, you will understand why I haven't had time to blog. 


Just before Christmas, we went on a trip to Victoria. I now understand why Victorian number plates have this slogan on them: 

After landing at Melbourne Airport, our first stop was Woodend, where Mrs P's friends Ken and Maureen live. 


Have you ever seen such a cute little cottage? 

As you can see, the cottage is mostly made of wood but there is a stone chimney. Houses in Victoria often have chimneys because the climate is quite a bit milder that in Queensland and it can sometimes be quite chilly, even in summer.

This is the front veranda. Those basket chairs are really comfortable!


Although the house is small, the garden is HUGE and I went off to explore as soon as I could. 

The first thing I did was to help Maureen feed the cockatoos. No, they are not pet animals. They are wild birds. They've got Maureen well trained though. They wait for her to feed them every day. The one on the left is in charge. If Maureen doesn't feed them at the usual time, he follows her around the garden until she remembers. All the birds have a certain order in which he allows them to feed.   

If any of the birds don't wait their turn he shoos them off.

Of course, it's Mr Boss Bird's turn all the time!

The other birds have to wait their turn on the ground. 

This Rosella has to wait his turn a bit further away. 

Now he's got a friend with him and he's crept a little bit closer.

"I haven't finished yet!" says Mr Big Boss. 

Now it's time to change over. 

And then feeding time was over. 

Next I found some new friends and had a game of cricket. 

I'm not sure who won! 

When I was looking at the side of the house, I noticed a funny square of corrugated iron so I decided to have another look. 

What could it be? 

I got Mrs P to help me lift the lid and inside there was a step ladder leading down. 

Maureen explained that this is a fire shelter. Bush fires are a big problem in Victoria and many houses have been burned down and even some people killed. To keep people safe, the government encourages everyone to have an evacuation plan. If it looks as if there is going to be a fire, people get a text to tell them to get away. The people who lived in the house before Ken and Maureen built this fire shelter as part of their evacuation plan. It can hold four people and there would be enough oxygen inside to last two hours. After two hours, the bush fire would have passed on. 

These beautiful eucalyptus trees that grow all around Ken and Maureen's house are one of the reasons why bush fires are a problem in Australia. They produce a highly scented oil in their leaves which turns into a cloud of gas in the hot sun.  If a fire starts, this gas burst into flames into a huge fireball which quickly spreads the fire. The plants and trees in the bush are used to fire and quickly grow again. Unfortunately houses and people aren't quite so good at coping with fire. 

Phew! After all that scary information, I was glad to relax by the hot tub. No wonder Australians are always on about doing it tough! 

Hmm . . . at least there is plenty of water in this garden!

And this is the water tank. 

 At last! I've found a ute that's teddy sized! 

These beautiful flowers are called Princess Lillies. So Here I am, a Prince among the Princesses!

Because the climate in Victoria is so much milder than in Queensland, Maureen can grow English flowers like roses in her garden. 


In my next blog I will tell you all about my trip to Hanging Rock, one of the most mysterious places in Australia!


Hooroo! 


Watch firefighters dealing with a bushfire here.