Driving through the outback in search of the elusive kangaroo. “Kangaroo Crossing” signs are everywhere, but still no kangaroo. We keep saying, “This looks like the perfect habitat for spotting a kangaroo”, but the truth is, we know little (or nothing actually) about the perfect spot for kangaroo. Nevertheless, we have spotted vibrant colored parrots, huge cockatoos, lizards, and a couple of dingos.

We are traveling around the Aussie way - in a campervan. It suits us well. Paul is driving and that is not without its challenges. First of all, they drive on the “wrong” side of the road and in the “wrong” side of the vehicle. The most frequent utterance from me these days is “Other side!”. Only once though did we wind up in the wrong lane when there was traffic. A scary few seconds. A couple days ago, we were attempting to enter a plaza to do some grocery shopping. Our van was too tall to enter under the metal barrier (a lightning speed metric conversion occurring) and we had to back up the one-way road. Picture me guiding the incoming cars. The amazing thing was not one car honked at us, swore at us, or did anything of the sort. These people are simply delightful.

We toured the Blue Mountains and saw some beautiful waterfalls and dense rainforest- like scenery. I have started collecting the different types of ferns. Yesterday we had to cross a wide river and drove our car onto a ferry. A new experience. We have mostly been in small towns the last few days. We marvel at the fact that there are almost no restaurants around here. Today we are touring the Hunter Valley wine country where there are hundreds of wineries due to the perfect conditions for growing grapes. The next several days, we will be venturing up the eastern coast (called “The Gold Coast”) and camping on the beach. Internet access may be difficult.

I have been practicing my Aussie accent daily, but find it rather tricky. I pretty much have the “Mornin’ mate” down with a perfect guy accent. The women’s accents are not nearly as strong as the men’s though and so not as fun to attempt.

Off to hunt down a kangaroo. Later mates.