We awoke in the morning of nearly our very last day for this trip to some very rude comments voiced from within the park. It was the sound of a very loud kookaburra and I swear he was laughing at me because I needed to begin re-packing to head home! If you have not heard this sound, it is one that is worth the trip! Tall Timbers is chock full of birds and some who need special attention due to previous care or injury are comfortable in a spectacular aviary. Interesting story…..They have an absolutely beautiful King Parrot there that was hand raised so is unable to be released into the wild to fend for himself. The fun part is that each day he has not one but two girlfriends (female parrots) who stop by to see him!

Later this day, we visited Kiama, Woolongong and spent our very last night with the campervan at the Parklea Big 4 Garden Village in Parklea, NSW.. This is in a beautiful setting with fabulous amenities and lots of green grass, cabins, pools and the Parklea Markets are just across the street.

We had a special treat with dinner at the Outback Steakhouse…a familiar and frequent place for us in the states and the new and only one in Australia! We took photos to record the spot and prove to folks that it really does exist. The photos have cars with Australian license plates! It seemed so strange and fun to be in an American but Australian themed Restaurant run in true Aussie styles…is that confusing or what? The food was great ~ just like all Outbacks and it was a blast especially when we met the proprietor, Tony Aiken and saw the menu which was slightly modified..I don't want to spoil the surprise…just go see for yourself! We also learned that although this is the first Down Under, it won't be the last! This is one we will follow for future growth!

Tuesday 1/15

We visited the Camping Caravan Industry Association of NSW to visit with staff and to see what the latest camping trends are. We gathered some literature and then returned the campervan back to Maui.

We spent the night at the International Hotel near the Sydney Airport which was convenient with an airport shuttle and thru the night the Australian sky shed tears for our departure.

Wednesday 1/16

We reluctantly flew home and be it not for the fun we had on Qantas and as usual, we would have had a much more difficult time leaving. We had great service and care AND took a very special attachment to two of our attendants, Jane and Judy…what a duo? Lynn tried Vegemite one more time at the prodding of our crew and had a lesson on the proper application and usage…..or how to spread it properly! I also made one more attempt and have to say that as far as I am concerned, I will stick with the orange marmalade!

This was indeed a fantastic experience and although we had just shy of 6 weeks it went all too fast. In traveling approximately 6000 kilometers by caravan (or RV) in the two countries, we saw a great deal, met some fabulous people, learned volumes, experienced much and ate too much! We also realize that there was a lot we didn't see BUT, that is why we will do it all again.