We visited Lakes Entrance and stayed at the Silver Sands Tourist Park. We learned that this area provides warmer winters so one can be certain that this is an active place in the season. There are 90 miles of surf beaches, golden sands and Lakes Entrance and this park provides all of the comforts to relax after some busy days of activity.

By this time, we had had the motorhome for two weeks and reluctantly returned it for a rental car. We packed in the luggage and headed on.

We spent time before leaving Australia at Racecourse Beach RV Park at Bawley Point, New South Wales and had a wonderful time. There is no way to describe this place to do it justice ... it just cannot be done. We arrived on Friday afternoon and were quickly escorted to our "unit" to drop our stuff. As soon as we pulled in, there were lorikeets everywhere. These are small parrots of every color imaginable; all on each bird, red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, etc. We unloaded our car and were shown around the park and then to an area where John and Alida, the owners, were certain that we would finally see kangaroos in the wild ... Yeah right! Well, we saw bunches and bunches of them. After that we saw them everywhere and I am now convinced that those signs "Watch for Kangaroos" are not there as a bluff for the tourists.

Our accommodations were knock out spectacular and provided by this couple we met at the Florida Campground Association Convention. Needless to say, we have become fast friends with these folks. We stayed in one of their rental units directly on the beach on the South Pacific Ocean and the front room window had an unobstructed view of sand and surf.

I woke up one morning at 5:30 and had to check outside to make sure it wasn't all a dream. Lynn thought he would sleep so I threw on a pair of shorts, grabbed the camera and took off. The sand was unmarked by any feet, the birds were just waking and the sun was just coming up. I really don't know how far I walked but it wasn't far enough, since I can't wait to do it all again. When I returned and started to open the door, there were two lorikeets that came up and landed on my hand! I was in a daze and sure that I'd had too much fresh ocean air. I had to wake Lynn. There was no way that I could let him sleep any longer so he humored me and got up. We made coffee and toast and headed for the porch.

Lynn was in the midst of trying to put the last couple of bites to his mouth and two more "loris" landed on his arm. They proceeded to finish his breakfast. Two minutes later a King Parrot landed on the porch.

At 9 a.m. John and Alida came to get us and we headed off to see the sights. We saw the ocean from multitudes of vantage points and every one was different and as beautiful as the last. We saw several lighthouses, a magnificent waterfall, the blow hole where water rushes in and blows straight up in the air, lots of enchanting little towns, had lunch and yep, more Aussie beer at The Friendly Pub.

In the eve, we had dinner at The Soldiers Club - this is similar to a VFW in America and very posh! Dinner was wonderful and the entertainment was a blast. Alida and I took off to play the pokies. Pokies are a past time in Australia. In America we know them as slot machines and one-armed bandits. They are common in the pubs but they are different from those we are familiar with in the States. We both won ... yahoooooooo!

The Blue Mountains are the ideal place to get away and escape the city for the peace of nature. The name comes from the tremendous growth of Eucalyptus that flourishes. During the daytime, when the temperature rises, the Eucalyptus oil is released and by nightfall, the sunlight reflects from the leaves casting a blue color. The ancient rock formations are the landscape of deep caravans and magnificent cliffs.

We stayed at the Jemby Rinjah Lodge. This was a soulful spot to unwind and prepare to bid farewell to Australia. Jemby Rinjah is an ecological setting with water conserving facilities, lots of nature and a lodge packed with comfortable seating and all kinds of books about the flora and fauna. We stayed in a two-story cabin with kitchen facilities, loft bedroom, wood-stove and a deck that overlooked the acres and acres of gum trees.

In the morning we were awakened to the song of the galaws and at 8 a.m. we were invited to the feeding area. We were given a handful of sunflower seed and soon the rosellas and king parrots came down from the sky to eat from our hands. Roger, one of the park staff, was readily available and willing to answer our questions and offer insight to the nesting habits of these beautiful creatures.

Our visit at Jemby Rinjah and Australia soon ended and we were forced to bid farewell with a firm promise to one another that we would get back as soon as possible. As we got to the airport ... very reluctantly, we found a shop called Ausfurs that specializes in Sheepskin products; coats, vests, rugs and all sorts of specialty items. I noted their sign and had to comply ... "Take the warmth of Australia home with you". Since I couldn't pack the country, the people, the sites and sounds, we decided to buy a jacket and into it we have stocked memories to last a lifetime ... or until we can go again Down Under. We've left Australia with terrible regret, as we really loved every moment. It is impossible to describe - it was a dream and we are both anxious to go again.

Update ... we are headed back again to Australia on May 12th, 1999. If you are thinking of planning a trip and wish to be in touch with us, please let us know. We would be more than happy to exchange ideas with you or assist in providing some food for thought!

Also, if you have a travelogue to share, we would love to hear from you.