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Here I am in front of the iconic ``Coat Hanger`` Bridge in Sydney
Today we took the subway into downtown Sydney.  Some very nice person left three half used week long passes for transit and kids under twelve rode free so we all got to take the train and ferry for free.  When we got downtown we walked to the "Rocks" where we bought some mangos and had a picnic.  We explored this area a little which was made up of tiny allyways.  Then we took a ferry (for free) over to Manley beach which is at the entrance to Sydney harbour.  Manley is on a thin long peninsula where . . .


 
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Here I am enjoying a cup of coffee while tr;ying to spot a platypus
We have spent about five days driving along the Great Ocean Road and have headed back towards Melbourne where we stayed two nights at Phillip Island which is just south of Melbourne and saw the nightly ritual of the Little Penguin.  It was fantastic to see these little creatures waddle up from the ocean to their nests on shore. After our stay on Phillip Island we started the drive up to Canberra the capital of Australia.
After a long days drive we came across a sign that pointed us to a Platypus Reservation and stayed the night.  This was totally unexpected and we had the privilege of seeing . . .


 
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     This morning we saw quite a few koalas. There were about four koalas to a tree and there were a lot of trees. I befriended a koala, it was so cute!  I got to feed it and touch its head. It was quite an experience, and the best part is, it was a wild koala. Koalas are my New Favourite Animal (NFA). Later we went to the Twelve Apostles and played on the beach. When it got dark we saw some. . .


 
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This is our home in Australia
 We have arrived in Australia and we are exploring the Great Ocean Road which is a beautiful stretch of highway that follows the coast west of Melbourne. This is our second day here and we have parked our camper van in a small parking lot that is just off the highway and is surrounded by a protected forest.  When we drove in last night it was dark and just after 9:00pm, we already had our dinner and decided this was a good place to stop for the night.  After getting through the routine of converting our van from a vehicle of transport into a mini hotel we all settle in to sleep.  Carolyn and Allegra are sleeping in a double bed that folds out inside the van and Birch and I are in . . .


 
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Today we went to a golf course with one thousand kangaroos. I almost touched one. Later I had a traumatizing experience with some cockatoos. They started out nice. I was feeding them and admiring how beautiful they were when one landed on my arm. I wanted to get some pictures, of course, but I winced at the sharp talons jabbing into my arm. Next one landed on my head, this one didn't hurt as much because of my toque. Then they . . .