Beautiful Wilsons Promontory

We returned from Wilson’s Promontory this afternoon. Wow! This place must be one of the most beautiful places in the Australian state of Victoria. We hiked 23 miles over three days. The white sand beaches were phenomenal. Mariella and Luke and I started the hike from Telegraph Saddle. From the Saddle we hiked to a place called Sealers cove to camp for the night. The next morning we hiked to Refuge Cove where a sailboat was anchored. We continued to Waterloo Bay to sleep the second night. After waterloo we hiked out through Telegraph Junction back to the car park. Tomorrow we head out for a three-day trip along the Great Ocean Road. Grandma Win will be our tour guide. : )

Hiking Wilson's Promontory

Tomorrow we head off for a few days hiking in Wilsons Promontory National Park. The trails will take us through swamps, forests, marshes and valleys of tree ferns along beaches lined with sand dunes. Hiking Wilsons Prom. was a highlight of my time in Australia six years ago. We hope to give another update in a few days. : )

The Wedding

Yesterday we celebrated the union of our friends Mark and Beck. We enjoyed the unique experience of witnessing an Australian wedding day. Congratulations Mark and Beck!

A Trip into the City

A couple days ago we ventured into Central Melbourne on the train. Emma and Little Josiah were our Australian tour guides. It was Josiah first train ride. He had a blast looking out the window and staring at the people on the train! Here are some photos.

A Weekend at the Farm

Mariella and I had the opportunity to visit the family farm near Phillip Island. The farm is home to many cattle that roam freely on the huge plot of land. I even saw a cow with no legs (ground beef!). It was nice to retreat into the quite of rural rolling hills. A highlight was the crystal clear night sky, jammed packed with stars and solar systems. Most of us do not get to see the skys like this because of light pollution in and near cities. It was humbling to sit under such a sky.

I recently read that President Theodore Roosevelt had a routine habit of stepping outside at dark to look at the night sky. He would find the faint spot of light near the lower left-hand corner of Pegasus and would recite: "That is the Spiral Galaxy of Andromeda. It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It is seven hundred and fifty thousand light years away. It consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our own sun." Then he would say that he now felt small enough. What a good way to induce humility. Earth is certainly a speck in this vast universe.

Under the star filled sky we had fun roasting kebabs for dinner and staying warm by the outdoor fire pit. We also took a day trip to the island where we saw penguins and kangaroos. We capped off the day enjoying an ice cream beachside.

Home Sweet Home

Here is where we are living or at least sleeping while in Melbourne. Each evening a large black possum walks across the tin awning. I will try to take a photo of him and post it to the blog. The awning protected the camper from the crazy hail storm last week. The hail shattered the tiles on peoples houses and shattered car windows. It was "haila" crazy. : )

Hello Susan...

Susan, today we met with your good friend Ann. We had a cuppa in your honor. It was a great delight to converse with her over coffee and lunch. You are blessed to have such a friend. Thank you for connecting us.

From Australia, Melbourne Anne

Fowl Footage

A Visit to Morninton Peninsula

Last weekend we had the pleasure of visiting the costal town of Blairgowrie on Mornington Peninsula. Our friends Drew and Emma have a family holiday home near the beach. It was a nice time with the family. Unfortunately most of the three-day holiday weekend consisted of rain showers. We made the best of our time spending a few hours in the water throwing a "waboba" ball. Waboba's are great fun. You can skip this ball across the water like a flat, smooth rock. Mariella is not nearly as excited as I am about the ball. It is ok because my excitement for playing with the Waboba is more than enough for both of us. : )

Today we went with Grandma Win to have afternoon tea with the good people working at Focus on the Family Australia. It was good to see some of the people I worked with while volunteering for Focus six years ago. After the encouraging visit we went up to the Dandenong Mountains for some lunch and walking through the forest. Along the way we spotted a bunch of birds along the road. We had a blast feeding our "fowl" mouth friends.

We are greatly encouraged by our time with wonderful people. God's providence is clearly evident. Christ continues to work in and around us changing us for the better.

Healsville Sanctuary

Today we drove to Healsville with Grandma Win, Emma and little Josiah. We saw some of Australia's native anmimals. We had some nice pasties near a creek before heading to the sanctuary. Here are some photos of the animals.