East around the coast from Melbourne

The rest day in Melbourne... never enough time in a big city to do everything...


Melbourne skyline, station in foreground

One of Melbourne's famous arcades decorated for Christmas

shopping for winter gear in Australia...
Isn't that what anybody would do while riding a bicycle through
a place that's supposed to be a hot climate?

Reception that night hosted by Tony Wheeler, the founder of the Lonely Planet travel guides. He and his staff participated in the Cairo-Capetown excursion the year after we did it and was very enthused about the TdA travel formula.

The following day was a wet ride. Too bad, because we left Melbourne on what would have been very pleasant bike trails were it not for the rain. The day was truly disrupted when the ferry that we were supposed to travel on at the end of the day was not running.

The next day started with drizzle, but improved as the day went on...

...and was nice enough to go for a swim at the campsite... 

sunset on the beach at Inverloch

sunset on the beach at Inverloch

...then a decent day with a very pleasant thirty kilometre stretch on a rail trail... we're all coming home with 'G'Day' as our standard greeting...



rules of the trail

Ursula on the rail trail

some of the staff  also riding the rail trail...
Henry, Chelsea, and Max

...and finally today into Bairnsdale for a day of rest...



results of some heavy rain in the last few days

Aussie Christmas tree of beer bottles...
But what's becoming of Australian beer ?
These bottles are all imported. 

...and a few more birds brightening the sides of the road this week...