Mercer Travels: Canberra to Melbourne.

We had arranged a visit to Kellie’s cousin in Canberra and thought it would be good to try and check out a couple of the attractions in town, also we were to catch up with an acquaintance whom we believe to have been following us on previous travels!.

So on a hot and dry day we arrived Canberra, stopping off at Sharon and Paul’s we left the kids and checked in at a local caravan park, thinking we would be needing the aircon later in the day this was the best option.

The next day we planned to check out Questacon, this is a science based museum and learning centre for kids but also plenty to keep the adults amused. The highlight for our family was watching Dad hanging from the 3m vertical drop and letting go, quite the heart starter was that one.

Next on the agenda was lunch, first we needed to find a supermarket for supplies, not before sighting the bright orange Land Rover of Julian our desert nomad follower. You can check out Julian’s website www.sports-trek.com, from our first meeting a year ago in Sydney we have since met in the Simpson Desert and now Canberra, a case of who is following who?. After coffee we said our farewells and took the obligatory car photos and went on our way.

Our next stop was to be the Australian War Museum, now I had not done much reading on this and thought it was only the War Memorial and a small museum, WOW, what a surprise this place was, even Fred was taken in by all the stories and military equipment on display, if you are ever in Canberra I would highly recommend this attraction.

So after another yummy dinner thank you Sharon and Paul we were on our way the next day for Victoria, somewhere, planning for Cann River.

Driving out of Canberra the forecast was high 30’C but we were experiencing 45’C at some points, so taking it easy we made our way through Cooma & Bomballa before finally setting up camp at Cann River caravan park. This was a nice little spot with a shallow river running past the park which the kids could splash around in safety, we also took a quick trip out to the coast to have a dip in the ocean, our first of many for this trip.

From Cann River we headed west on the highway through Lakes Entrance where we all had a swim in the surf, Fred and Lil are now starting to like the surf and Fred is getting quite adventurous so will be keeping an eye on him more now. Lunch on the foreshore for me prawn sandwich with oyster entree was a great but we had to push on as Sale was our destination for today.

Passing through Bairnsdale and funnily Stratford (on the river Avon) we arrived safely in Sale, we had read about the showgrounds being well priced so checked in for two nights. From Sale you can explore to the coastal town of Seaspray and check out the towns old swing bridge which still operates.

We were now close to the appointment with the ferry to Tasmania so after two nights in Sale we made our way to Melbourne and a chance to catch up with Kel’s cousin Donna. We had an early dinner knowing it would be an early start in the morning for the ferry.

The Spirit Of Tasmania ferries run overnight most of the year so you have to book a cabin, during the peak holiday times they also run some day time crossing meaning you do not have to pay so much for the ticket, you then just sit in the common areas and take in the views. We arrived early at the wharf so stopped for a roadside brekkie before checking in and boarding the boat. Leaving the wharf the run across Port Phillip Bay was uneventful and it was only on entering Bass Strait that it was found the rest of the family did not share the same sea legs as Dad!. The crossing takes about 9hrs so for some the long low swell could not end soon enough but eventually it did and we approached Devonport and left the ferry to check in at the local van park to rest for the night, now our trip was really happening and Tasmania is to be our home for the next 4-5 weeks.