Farm Stay @ Kangaroo Valley

The Cedars is over 1200 acres in area and is surrounded mostly by Morton National Park (http://www.cedarscottages.com/cedars-kangaroo-valley.shtml)

Again we were in a big group, but this time all family ppl (4 fmly's). It was a cool and fun trip, with daunting nights. It was very relaxing, the only activity we did was couple of 4WD drives. Our first river crossing experiance.

McMahons Lookout (4x4 Drive) !!

A 26 Km drive from the Wentworth falls, A 4wd road (mostly unsealed) takes us to this reservoir. A good scenic lookout.The Kings Tableland Road is an unpaved road that runs south from Wentworth Falls along the clifftops above Kedumba Walls. The road ends at McMahons Lookout, where you can stand some 500 m above Lake Burragorang and survey the huge reservoir that supplies most of Sydney's water. Access past the lookouts is restricted, as it is within the 3-km stored-water zone of the the Sydney Catchment Authority. Do not venture past the fenced lookouts.

Walking in the Wentworth Falls Tracks

Just west of Wentworth Falls Railway Station, on the southern side of the Highway, is Falls Road which heads south out to Wentworth Falls Reserve. Near the end of Falls Rd, Fletcher St heads west out to Valley of the Waters Reserve. These two reserves are the starting points for the walks in the area. The booklet, 'Walking Tracks in the Wentworth Falls Area', prepared by the National Parks & Wildlife Service, provides an excellent contour map and details of these walks.From Valley of the Waters Reserve it is possible to take the 3-km Nature Circuit Track (medium difficulty with steps) which is a scenic walk taking in Asmodeus Pool and Edinburgh Castle Rock. This is the logical departure point for the Queen Victoria Lookout, Lyre Bird Lookout, Empress Falls, Sylvia Falls, Lodard Falls, Vera Falls and Gladstone Lookout. Den Fenella Lookout, Lady Sees Lookout and Breakfast Point Lookout lie along walking tracks which run between the two reserves.

Either reserve is a suitable starting point for the Over/Under Cliff Walks (3 km one way, of medium difficulty), the National Pass Circuit Walk (4 km) and the 5-km Wentworth Pass Circuit Walk. Both of the latter are difficult going involving many steps and, in the latter case, ladders.

On our way we saw rock climbers trying to reach the bottom of the falls thro ropes.

Erskine Falls

A short drive out of Lorne on Erskine Falls Road. They are one of the most popular falls in the Otways and easily accessible. A five-minute walk from the car park brings you to an overlook of the falls, cascading 30 metres into a beautiful tree fern gully. You also can take steps down to the Erskine River to view the falls from below.
Experienced walkers can follow the river from Erksine Falls to Lorne. The 7.5km one-way walk takes about three hours and passes Straw Falls and Splitter Falls. It should not be attempted when water levels are high.

Twelve Apostles from Helicopter !!

A helicopter ride over the twelve apostles is one breath taking experiance. Couple of snaps from air :-)

Great Ocean Road ;-))

As seen on the hindi and tamil movies, the mighty Twelve Apostles are world-recognised icons of the Great Ocean Road. These giant rock stacks soar from the swirling waters of the Southern Ocean and are a central feature of the spectacular Port Campbell National Park that extends from Princetown to Peterborough.
The dramatic and imposing limestone cliffs that are the backdrop to the Apostles tower up to 70 metres, while the tallest of the rock stacks is around 45 metres high.
The Apostles had their beginnings up to 20 million years ago with the forces of nature attacking the soft limestone of the Port Campbell cliffs. The limestone was created through the build up of skeletons of marine creatures on the sea floor. As the sea retreated, the limestone was exposed. The relentess, stormy Southern Ocean and blasting winds gradually eroded the softer limestone, forming caves in the cliffs. The caves eventually became arches and when they collapsed, rock islands up to 45 metres high were left isolated from the shore.

Puffing Billy - Melbourn !!

Australia's century-old steam train is still running on its original mountain track from Belgrave to Gembrook in the scenic Dandenong Ranges, just 40 km east of Melbourne, Victoria.

Info @ http://www.puffingbilly.com.au/

It was a nice trip and the weather was chill and good. It is more like the train from Mettupalayam to Ooty. But we were allowed to sit outside the train, we did it for sometime and got back to our seats due to the smoke.

Indian Head and Diamond Head

The Crowdy Bay National Park, runs over 5000 hectares up the coast from Harrington to Crowdy Bay and up to Indian Head and Diamond Head.

The park combines beaches, beautiful sand dunes, coastal forest, heath lands and swamp areas. The lagoons in the park are noted habitats for water birds and the beaches are quiet and peaceful.
Access to the park is via Crowdy Head as well as from Moorland on the Pacific Highway north of Coopernook.

With all main areas open to car access, Diamond Head shines as a spectacular outcrop 113 metres above sea level. Just south of Diamond Head is Indian Head, a small stack out to sea, named by Captain Cook when he sailed up the coast in 1770. He had sighted Aborigines, whom he called 'indians', on the craggy headland.

Ton O Fun

Ton O'Fun Family Park is just 10kms north of Forster/Tuncurry on the Mid North
Coast of New South Wales. Ton O'Fun is indeed a 'Ton Of Fun', offering a great day out
and value for money.

Ton O'Fun offers hot shop Super Karts, Bumper Boats, Lunar Quad
Bikes, Zippy Go Karts, two giant Waterslides each over 100 metres long,
Paddleboats, Aqua Bikes, Canoes, Mini Golf and Volley Ball. For small children
there is a Mini Train, Merry-go-round, Jumping Castle, Pedal Cars and much
more.

Old Bar Beach Trip !!

We stayed at The Meridian Beachside Resort Old Bar which is on the beach.

Located an easy three hours’ drive north of Sydney and just two hours from Newcastle this stunning beachfront resort will take your breath away.

It doesn’t get much better than this! Old Bar Beach is the jewel in the crown of the magnificent Manning Valley A charming coastal town with natural beauty and top-class facilities.

We did our travelling during the day to the nearby attractions and started our evening with a dip in the pool. A relaxed game of Phase 10 and Dumb C.

We were a team of 4 families (10 Adults and 2 kids).

Sand Dunes @ Port Stephans

It was a sudden plan, with last minute accomadation booking (was a good one). Joji n Aparna, Pratap n Sumi n Rohit, ram and Us were the team this time. It was a great weekend, we spent a lot of time in the beach (over 3 hrs !!) and did sandboarding in the dunes (it was fun to slide down, but walking up tested our stamina) and a half day 4WD trip (a tag along - our first time, own jeep). We also went dolphin watching (in wild) and returned wet on the bum boat (sitting on a net behind the boat !!).

Port Stephens is located approximately 2.5 hours drive north of Sydney, in New South Wales, Australia.

The Stockton Bight Sand Dunes need to be seen to be believed . . . covering an area of over 2,500 hectares along the 32km long Stockton Beach. Dunes of brilliant white sand climb up to 30 metres high with slopes up to 60º (just waiting for some sandboarding action).

Ovi in Ozi Zoooooo !!

Taronga Zoo is the nation's leading zoological garden, featuring Australia's finest collection of native animals and a diverse collection of exotic species. What makes Taronga something special is its location. It is situated on elevated land along the waterfront, in one of the most beautiful vantage points on Sydney Harbour overlooking Sydney Cove, the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

As you zigzag your way up along the paths among the animal enclosures, you are able to enjoy magnificent harbour views. The Taronga Zoo has its own jetty and you are able step off the boat and walk directly into the zoo.