We're nearly in Tasmania...

   Well, here we are, world wide web, nearly in Tassie and yet no one knows anything about the travelling Woodleys'  Victorian adventures...


   So here goes...


   After we left Mount Gambier, we felt that we were really on the road. Previously knowing where we were going to stay, we were now following the whims of our heart (i.e. the weather, the toilet breaks, and the capacity of four children to cause slight insanity in their mum and dad!).


  The first stop for six days was the beautiful free camp of the Fitzroy River Reserve (well, twenty dollars a week, but who's arguing with that? - certainly not the gentleman who'd been there for seventeen months)...

...where the highlight was travelling on the old-fashioned sightseeing cable tram around Portland before visiting the Botanical Gardens...

(and when Nick informed the kids we were going to the Botanical Gardens, Levente responded with 'The Mechanical Gardens?' to which Nick explained, 'No, the Botanical Gardens - where there are plants...from the word botany', then Izzy clarifies: 'The Lobotomy Gardens?' You can imagine that Nick was incapable of explaining further as he was literally ROFL.) (aah, how did that
acronym slip in again?...)

...and we sailed our ship for the first time...

...along with many other pleasurable pastimes...

...then said farewell as we travelled on...

...to our next stop at Warrnambool (where the 
potty saga unfolded)...

...and felt very urban after our previous rural setting; however young and old did enjoy the adventure playground...

...as well as the very satisfying museum and recreated maritime village where we were personally conducted around by the village parson (yes, Mrs Latham, not exactly Amish but decidedly close)...

...and Nick caught his first fish of the trip which we had for tea
(mmm hmm)...

(and of course Grumpsy and Oma visited us)

   Now, don't think I've forgotton, world wide web, that you want to know why 'The Travelling Sabbath'?...soon all will be revealed...

We're not really that hungry...

   Thanks Grumps and Oma for driving three hours (each way) on a one night stopover to visit us in Warrnambool!...


   And thanks for taking us out to dinner at the posh(ish) restaurant where [of course] we wanted to take home all our leftovers...

   Yes, the travelling Woodleys are not going to let any food go to waste; so when it came to the end of our meal and everyone still had plenty of food left over - and it looked like the restaurant was a 'no doggy bag policy' type of restaurant - what was there to do? but have Oma run back to the caravan for our ready-for-any-opportunity plastic leftover containers so that we could pack up the yummy remnants of our meal.


   Now, even though as adults we can take responsibility for our own spunging (hmm, I believe I made up that word - or at least the spellling of it...) of food, here's how it went...


   Oma has the containers spread out in front of her on the table, and starts filling them with our leftovers. Me (yes, Renee): 'Mum, that's so embarrassing...'; so Oma pops the containers on her lap to continue filling them...'Now, that's embarrassing' says Grumps. Me: 'Just fill them Mum, after all we have paid for it so I guess we can decide if we want to take it or not, and we're not planning on doing a runner.' Grumps: 'Actually, I haven't paid for it yet; I think I'm going to ask for a discount because of all the food we didn't eat!' 
   
   Meanwhile, we are nearly rolling on the floor laughing (i.e. ROFL - silly silly silly acronyms, never again will I demean myself to use them...) as the posh(ish) waitress walks by while Oma is trying to fit the full takeaway containers in her backpack (yes, and taking the photo made the 'hurrying up' take even longer)... 

Postscript: like Grumpsy, like grand-daughter...

We're not going to leave you hanging about the rest of South Australia...

(warning: this post is excessively long...oops!...better get the big mug of coffee and wait till the kids are in bed...)

   Well, here we are, world wide web, in the beautiful Johanna Beach free campground (thank you for the recommendation, Mr and Mrs Brauer) in the middle of the Great Ocean Road [updated to Kennett River as battery charge and wireless range both ran out at Johanna Beach...] and as far as you know we are still stuck at our friend's farm near Robe! So some updating is in order...


   ...Our generous friends put us up inside their house (the last picture in our last South Oz post was still at Salt Creek) and as they had four kids close in age to ours the torrential rain which was the edge of the storms causing havoc elsewhere in Australia only had us glad that we were in a house...aah, real coffee...aah, real showers...aah, real room!... (if you deciphered that sentence then accolades to you...)
   
   The kids staged three performances - including a magic show. One of the days we headed out to Kingston to check out the giant Lobster (go Australian high culture!) but mostly we stayed inside chatting, eating chocolate, and working out skype!...

   With the weather clearing, we were keen to head on 

(although rather loathe to leave our friends as we were having 

an awesome time with them - thank you 

Mr and Mrs Parker)... so off to Beachport...

...where we celebrated someone's thirty third birthday 

with a play at the playground...

...and who can argue that our kids are the cutest ever?...

...and then worked Mum and Dad's leg muscles 

with a ride on a bicycle built for six...

...following which Dad took care of the kids so Mum could have 
an afternoon out in Robe...

...and while in Beachport we also found time for a walk to a lighthouse, a scenic drive, a swim or two, and some fishing for Daddy before heading on to Mount Gambier...

...where our wonderful friends and Trinity's godparents Mr and Mrs Horn were so kind to let us stay for eight days while visiting the dentist and doctor, completing errands, starting this blog, and generally having an extremely busy week...

... however, Mr Horn managed to exact revenge by 

putting Nick to work (hard work!) landscaping, roofing, and concreting...

...but this was balanced out by a very social week, 
where we caught up with many friends many times 
(lovely to see you Nan and Pop Wiltshire, 
Grandpa and Grandma Albrecht, 
our great good friends Mr and Mrs Lambert 
(thanks for the singstar memories); 
our new homeschool friends from Langhorne Creek free camp, 
and Nick's chaplain colleague and her husband)...

...when someone turned eight...

...and the whole busy and social week culminated in a gloriously weathered Australia Day breakfast barbie...

(aaaah...{deep breath}...finally finished this post!...see you soon, 

world wide web, for more adventures of the travelling Woodleys...)