After 19 days in New Zealand, we were on a plane out of Christchurch to Sydney and on to Adelaide Australia; with lesser expectations than New Zealand. On our first day, we were up at the crack of dawn onto a van to a ferry to Kangaroo Island for what turned out to be an outstanding day; kangaroos, scenery, Koala Bears, sea lions and more. That evening was the worst hotel, room and meal of our trip, but it certainly didn’t put a damper on our Kangaroo Island visit.
From there it was a rental car and a four day drive toward Melbourne. Along the way we traveled the Great Ocean Road where we saw some of the most outstanding coastline seen anywhere; stopping at every scenic outlook. After we finally shed the rental car in Melbourne, we experienced what turned out to be our least favorite city in Australia. They did, however, have the most comprehensive Tram system in the world, and in the city proper riding it was free. After a learning experience, we used the tram to go everywhere; mostly to see the city.
Highlights of our stay in Melbourne were a walking tour of the city and the Victoria Queen Market. Meals left something to be desired. Melbourne has experienced significant growrh over the last decade; three million to five million residents with construction going on everywhere.
All in all, our first week in Australia was very enjoyable; probably better than we expected.
I hope the Adelaide to Melbourne photos do it justice and give you some idea of how we enjoyed that part of Australia.
