Friday 4th of March

I am staying at a resort in Tamar Valley, just northwest of Launceston. I decided to just drive around. I noticed there were many vineyards along the lake.  My first stop (pictures to come later) was at a giant lonely pinetree (sv: tall).  There was a sign saying that it was planted as a memory of a boy who died, fighting in the first world war. This was not an ordinary tree, it looked very beautiful, even after 90 years.

(Yep, it is my car to the left.).
I went down to the beach, and could see some rocks erecting from the water. I could see they were volcanic rocks.
I have always liked the sound of waves against the shore, so I stayed for a while and enjoyed it.
I continued, and when the road intersected, I tried to take the road closer to the lake. At one of the houses they had an upside down boat model as a mailbox! It kind of fit in, so I took a picture of it.
By the way, the lake is surrounded by high hills, and coming from Skane which is very flat, I like those hills.

Further along the lake, I found a port for small boats. Along the shore were extremely many shells, with razor sharp edges. Wouldn't have wanted to walk there!
Finally ended the day at pub/restaurant by the water, and had the most delicious chicken with chips (pommes frites).

Tasmanien / Tasmania

Today I arrived in Launceston, Tasmania. I had rented a small car at the airport. I can tell you it was rather thrilling to drive it in the beginning, considering they have leftside traffic. You get in on the "wrong" side. The first surprise came when I wanted to use the light indicator, signalling to turn right, and turned on the windscreen wipers!

After that I drove rather smoothly to Tamar Valley Resort, where I got a small cabin. Absolutely beautiful surroundings, exactly what I needed to relax!

Next to the cabin you can see a glimpse of my car.

I will do nothing more today, but tomorrow I will visit a nearby waterfall.

Today I was in Royal Botanic Gardens just south of Melbourne. This is a truely amazing garden, with lots of exotic trees and plants. Felt so good, I stayed there the entire day. The first picture reveals what I like to do most... :-)

Here are some of the beautiful birds I encountered:

Yep, it's a pelican. This was the only successful shot, it was rather shy.

After this, just when heading home, I passed a theater play. They were playing Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors in just 30 minutes, so I decided to join. It was fantastic fun! Lots of misunderstandings, and the compulsory happy ending! Unfortunately I was not allowed to take photos during the play :-( .

Tomorrow morning I will go to Tasmania. See you there!

Yesterday (March 1st) I visited the Melbourne Aquarium. Sharks, stingers & other fascinating creatures. I almost got swallowed (see picture). Will write more details tomorrow.

Arrived!

I have now arrived in Melbourne, Australia. The trip lasted for 21 hrs, but felt much shorter. Probably because I was in an ecstatic state during the trip, and I still am. Just one switch, in Doha in Qatar. That was the shortest time I have ever been in a terminal. When I entered there was a massive queue, and only 30 minutes until takeoff. To the far left there was a "quick transfer" lane, where some people were allowed to walk, and bypass the entire queue. Well, I moved towards that lane, and behold, I was also allowed in. 5 minutes later I had passed the gate! Wow!

I arrived at 22pm, which is 12am Swedish time. And yes, they have summertime here!

Tonight I slept at a Ciloms Airport Lodge, a hotel close to the Tullamarine airport in Melbourne. Today I will transfer to a more central hotel, and spend two days in Melbourne. I have a list of interesting things to do here (besides sleeping, I am quite jetlagged), but have not yet decided, and I will not tell you. Yet...

The picture is the sunset seen from the aircraft window, about an hour before landing.

Today at 15.20 the plane takes off from Copenhagen Airport, aiming for Melbourne. I will arrive tomorrow at 12.15 Swedish time, or 22.15 local time. I will check in at a hotel at the Tullamarine airport outside Melbourne. More to come when I wake up... :-)

Idag kl 15.20 lyfter jag från Kastrup, med sikte på Melbourne. Jag kommer dit i morgon kl 12.15 svensk tid, eller kl 22.15 lokal tid. Kommer att ta in på ett hotell vid flygplatsen Tullamarine utanför Melbourne. Återkommer med mer när jag vaknar... :-)

Så var biljetten fixad!
Den 27 februari bär det av till Melbourne.
Snart... :-)