From Melbourne, we traveled east to the town of Lakes Entrance where you will definitely be at the water's edge:.an inlet divides the land from the Bass Strait. It is a great town for shopping and we stayed at the Water's Edge Holiday Park and strolled the streets. We found a service club, had dinner and played the pokies. It was a blast!

Tuesday 1/8

We were headed back toward NSW when we found Quarantine Bay in Eden, NSW …..we fixed our lunch beside the wharf and watched the fishing club cleaning Gar Fish. We drove on to Bateman's Bay NSW. We had a great dinner at the Bateman's Bay Service Club and chatted with folks about the area. Bateman's Bay is located at the entrance to the Clyde River. It is a bustling town with an extremely comfortable atmosphere. People are warm and gentle, happy and proud. There are lots of businesses but none that detract from the natural beauty.

We spent the night at Coachhouse Marina Resort so we could enjoy more of the water view. They claim that getting down to relaxation is a fine art and I am here to tell you that they have accomplished this task! Pool, playground, beautiful cabins, on site fishing...you name it.

Wednesday 1/9

We visited Birdland. We had such a great time there 3 years ago that we could not pass up the opportunity to return. Steve was still there but this time he had mates to help educate us. We met Scott and his son, Joel and between them as well as others at the well guided park, we learned a lot. This is really a hands on, up close and personal facility and one that should be seen! There are areas to hand feed many animals and signage for information is well placed.

We arrived at one of our favorite stomping grounds from previous visits, Racecourse Beach Tourist Park at Bawley Point, NSW. This resort is directly on the shores of the South Pacific Ocean and offers the most relaxing place for a stroll in the white sand. Since this trip we had campervans, we did not use one of the magnificent villas as before. They are on the waterfront and contain all of the necessary items to stay for a week or more. Instead, we wanted to be out on the caravan park where we could really get to mingle with the masses!

Thursday 1/10

While at Racecourse, we finally had the opportunity to see a Kookaburra sitting in an old gum tree this morning but that was only after we saw a black cockatoo fly over our heads only minutes earlier. This resort is always full of birds…galahs, cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets, king parrots, and many, many more. Even if you are not a birder, you will be while at this resort….

Friday 1/11

We spent the best part of the day exploring Bateman's Bay and Ulladulla. These towns are on opposite sides of the smaller community of Bawley Point and each has its own charm. There are lots of shops and restaurants, clubs and water. Both will take a bit of time to explore properly…Plan for ample time!

Saturday 1/12

Explored more of Bateman's Bay and the town of Mogo. Mogo is a story all of its own and absolutely enchanting! There are all kind of shops and interesting attractions so don't miss it. We found a shop with the name The Carolina Room…so since it sounded so "American" our curiosity took over, We were greeted by Ken and Jodie. Ken is a transplant from Hilton Head, SC, USA and his wife Jodie is Aussie. Together they have created a business that specializes in some of the most intriguing outdoor furniture, decorations and gifts you can imagine. This is a great combination of items and culture.

We had taken notice of the elaborate TENT setups at the various campgrounds we have been staying in and decided to investigate this vacation plan more thoroughly so we wandered the campground

Sunday 1/13

We left Racecourse Beach at Bawley Point and drove north on the Princes Highway to the town of Berry, a country town surrounded by lush green dairy land. This is the place to enjoy the simple charm of country life. We stopped to visitAckroyd Opals which has become a regular stop for us in learning more about the opal mining in Australia. We visited with owner Dallas and chatted about the opal mines, fishing and Berry in general ….Our night was spent at the Tall Timbers Caravan and Mobile Home Park at Shoalhaven Heads.