Snow Holiday Continued

So we packed up and left our lovely house in Jindabyne and hit the road.  Next stop: Canberra.  It was a dull, grey day when we got there and it stayed that way until we left.

We stopped in to see Julia but unfortunately she wasn't in.

 We met up with our friends Cimone and Darren and their kids Christian and Emma.  We had dinner at their local Club.  It was a great night.

Strike a pose!

 We found Canberra quite dull (sorry if there are any Canberra residents reading this).  It possibly could have been the weather and our crappy accommodation which caused our lukewarm response to Canberra.

Our next stop was much more convivial - Hunter Valley.  We got a great 2BRM apartment on a golf course.  We did a bit of sight seeing.  The highlights were the Chocolate Factory (wine tasting tours just don't work when you have 3 kids in tow) and dinner at a beer brewery, which had an open log fire, very cosy and lovely.

The Chocolate Shop - anticipation mounting...

... and - success!  Chocolate dipped strawbs and marshmallows, yummy yummy.

Checking out the vineywards

... and the function room / restaurant.

Check out the moosh on Ella.   Those cheeks were just made for squeezing.

It was very brisk at the vineyards so we did lots of horsing around to keep warm.

The potters barn brewery we went to for dinner was great.

 Back on the road again, this time on our way to Coffs Harbour.  We stopped at a few places off the highway .  We stopped at tea rooms which was a bit like stepping into the twilight zone.  It was in a tiny town and the shop sold everything from magazines, to postage stamps, to drill bits, to angle grinders,to Akubra hats, to kids toys, the list was endless.  We marvelled at the variety.  An old lady was running the shop and she made a mean cheese toasty for us for lunch and milkshakes for the kids.  She told us she was "new" to the area - she'd only been there 28 years. 

We also stopped at this river bank for a leg stretch and toilet break.  Liam and James attempted to scale this structure.

 ... while Zane and Ella looked on with some concern.



Here is a quintessentially Australian shot for you. 

We finally made it to Coffs and of course our first stop was a trip to the Big Banana.  Ella was very happy with the bag of banana lollies she got to hold.  The boys loved the toboggan ride they had there.

 Zane and Liam were a bit under the weather with the flu, so while they tried to get some rest in the afternoon, James, Ella and I went out exploring.  We visited an aquarium and a playground.  We did some people watching. 

Before we left Coffs we went to the yacht club for a great brekky before hitting the road again.  Here we are outside the Maccas in Grafton enjoying the sunshine. 

We passed a giant prawn along the way.

... before arriving at the Macadamia Castle, which was awesome!

James meeting the locals.

A spot of mini golf.

Ella was our caddy.

So that ends the tale of our epic journey.  Whilst we loved it (for the most part), we have decided the next holiday will involve a beach, a swimming pool, and not doing much of anything at all!  Fiji, here we come!!!