Now on way to Lakes Entrance - decided to head straight there - are stayingtwo nights so gives us plenty of time to explore and have fun and swim in our wetsuits more! Looking very forward to this.

So far - I'm having a great time - seeing much that I've never seen and generally ejoying the scenery, the discovery and the company.

Okay - its currently 3.05am on the first day of the new millenium. I'm typing, mikey is sleeping. The decision was made to spend a few extra nights in Lakes Entrance.

29th the 2nd part

Arrived in Lakes after a rather nice drive despite the lack of overtaking lanes on the highway ensuring certain going slow trapped behind traffic bits. This was kind of annoying as the new car's engine was finally pronounced run in, and we could go fast, instead of the frequently altering speeds we had been doing to wear in the new engine. Mind you, never having run in a new car before, I'm highly impressed by the change in the engine from the first days drive to this one. Quite interesting. Hopefully Mikey will continue to occasionally. let me drive his car - so I can continue feeling how it changes and settles over time.

Really nice hotel. My favourite so far. Or maybe I'm just getting used to them. Its a four star. And has a couch as well as a single and queen size bed. A really nice size shower (I could get used to this large shower thing quickly) Its also got cable, and a heated pool and spa. You can tell its made for beach accomodation - as there is a strip of tiles along one side allowing you to walk to the bathroom. Oh for those of you that are interested. It's called the Sand Bar Hotel - its on the Princes Highway and really close to the footbridge.

I like Lakes Entrance it feels nice. As the name implies. This is the entrance to the gippsland lakes and were they hit bass straight. So there are many lakes and 90 mile beach is along the edge of one. So outside our motel, there is a lake with a foot brigde that you then cross to walk to the beach. The fishing fleet is also parked in this lake.

I guess what we really wanted to do was go swimming. We checked in, and then I think we went down to the supermarket to get some supplies - left shampoo etc in Moruya :(. Mikey also took this opportunity to go to the bottle shop.

I then stopped at a surf shop wanting either a rashi or a pair of bathers. I ended up buying what is essentially a baby wetsuit - basically some low cut in the leg, high cut at the top and still shows off my tatt bathers made out of wetsuit material, so warm body. Wear this under my wetsuit and I'm plenty warm enough - and really happy with both purchases.

Swimming. Wetsuits on. between the flags. Really strong undertow that keep washing me left, away from the flags. Hard to stand and harder still to keep between the flags - but we managed it. Much splashing, occassionally picked up and thrown at shore by wave. I'm in love with the beach.

Decided to stay an extra day so we could take advantage of having a base camp (motel room) and not having to drive.

Went to an incredibly yummy mexican place for dinner, ate far too much but was worth it. Good chilli sauce - not pissy weak one as expected.

Watched last half of 'The Committments' on tv, I love the movie, Mike had never seen it before, but I think it interested him enough to keep watching.

30th

Slept in - hooray!!!

Hired a peddle boat and spent a wonderful half hour paddling around the lake and generally being silly. I decided to be captain, and give the orders, Mike was first mate, navigator, engineer and any other title we cared to give him. Made all sorts of silly star trek parrelels, and discussed port and starboard - i'm not much better than left and right at remembering however. Paddle boats are fun, light hearted tourist stuff, but I enjoy playing tourist on occasion. Do that half hour paddle once a day and I'd soon be much fitter.

I also got a leather band plaited onto my ankle. Not really sure why, other that I wanted to. I've never been much of a jewellry person, however, I wore hair extensions and friendship bands and stuff like that on my body for months. This leather band doesn't come off unless I cut it. It's not really jewellry, more semi permanent. ANd as such becomes part of me for some time. I think its prolly the closest to a daily reminder of this trip, memento sort of thing. As its something that will be me, even if only for 6 months.

Had a long fanciful talk with mikey about 'lets move here and live by the beach' ANd what sort of wages and work we'd need, and what sort of house. I like dreaming.

The concept of living near a beach makes the idea of moving somewhere like south melb/ albert park/ st kilda appealing. Of course, I'm a northern suburbs girl at heart.

Went swimming again - ever harsher waves this time. Still much fun. Now if I went swimming everday I'd be alot fitter as well (well, fitter or dead) We rinsed off in the pool here and then off to the showers.

Then we had a sort of rest/nap/reading time. I could get used to mid afternoon naps.

Winery cruise time. Now I had some doubts about this. It's not very goth, still trying to figure out if its scarily suburban or something. The joke from Red Dwarf about Lister going into a winebar and betraying his class concienseness kept coming into my head.

As it turned out it was heaps and heaps of fun. A tour of the lake, and commentry from the captain (tommy?) about the town, and the fishing fleet. It was facinating to see the different sorts of fishing boats and how they catch stuff. The squid boats have amazingly bright lights to attract squid. I keep toying with the idea of eating seafood despite the fact it repulses me. I hate being a fussy eater, I feel I'm missing out on lots of new and wonderful things to eat. Added to the fact that my doctor, arthritis diet book and prolly my body are telling me i should.

The boat took us to a very cool winery. The place was decorated by some very funky artwork done by the owners wife. The deal was three course meal at the winery cafe, free glass of wine, port and tea/coffee. And in between all the wine tasting you could manage. So we ordered our meal, and then wandered off to try the whites. Some very yummy whites, I'm definately going from a red to a white girl. We then had the entree. Then off for more wine tasting - the reds this time! A wonderful main course - of which I ate about half - had to leave room for desert. By this time we were quite full, and still had a fair bit of time, so decided to have a wander around the grounds of the winery and work of food. I really like this way of eating. With the breaks between courses, moving around, chatting, wine tasting, and the peacock, there was also a pig, but it didn't move and mike declared it dull. I decided to identify all the different tree types, which prolly annoyed mike.

We tasted the fortified wines - all a bit sweet for me, so I decided to forgo the glass of port. Desert was a gippsland cheese platter and a wonderful mud cake. We shared both, and pronounced ourselves more than bloated - and if it had of been ancient rome it would have been off to the vomitorium. The people at the winery were very friendly, and chatty, so had some good conversations. We brought a fair bit of stuff, sauce, wine and cordial. So it turned out to be a very expensive evening. But very very much worth it. And I'd definately do it again.

Boat ride back into town and amazing site of lights over the lake and the fishing fleet.

31st

Sleep in again!

Build sandcastles. I build a sculpture of a naked chick, partly inspired by the art I saw at the winery the nite before.

We also built fortifications around the chick and mike built drainage, which was pretty Successful, right up to the large wave that destroyed us. It was still much fun, and my naked lady scuplture was pretty good - well I thought so - and I'd like to build a larger one.

Long futile search for food. Afternoon nap.

Spa! just us - purr!

Went swimming, quite late so no life gaurd, and not crowded beach. Just a few people. Some of the nicest waves yet. Again, strong undertow pulling me sideways... gotta be a way to not have so much trouble with it.

Dinner. more chinese.

New Years Eve celebrations. Many unofficial fireworks going off. Still the occaisional loud bang and its quite late/early now.

Brought a glow stick! Went and sat down on the foreshore with a blanket, and a bottle of champagne. Sat around talking and crowd watching. Okay to be honest, it was mainly me talking at mike and most likely boring him. I tried to get him to talk.

Not a really packed out standing room only sort of crowd. But still alot of people. Would be curious to note how many were locals and how many tourists. How much of this towns population is swelled by toursits - it has enough motel/parks etc, and they all say no vacancy.

Interesting to note the lack of people our age there. It was either young teenagers, or families. Very few 20somethings to be seen. Wonder why?

No countdown which was a shame - but a cry of happy new year once the official fireworks started.

Mike pops the cork on the champagne bottle!

1st

Lots of bangs and pretty lights in the sky - I mean what can you say, fireworks are always fun, and these were no exceptions. What was new and interesting was the proliferation of flares being set of, fired into the sky and also on boats and the foreshore. Lots of boats on the lake and all lit up in a way that was amazing to watch.

Chat with a friendly policeman about why the footbridge was closed (mainly to stop drunken louts getting on the beach and causeing damage, apparently had lots of trouble in past)

But he said we could get across the footbridge at about 5ish, its my intention to wake up and watch the sun rise.

We also lay down on the grass for a bit and admired the stars and talked about them, well astrology in general I guess. I want a star map and prolly a telescope.

megan called me - party at morgans sounds like ppl having fun.

I've really enjoyed my new years and holiday.

I want to know more about how mobile phone and networks work.

We've noticed a really bright light in the sky near the moon over the past few days, and our supposition is that its the international space station.

Anyway - outside is still random bangs. Its 4am, I'm going to save and go curl up and cuddle mikey a bit, because thats the nicest thing I can think of to do right this minute.

Well its now hometime - and you now what, I started this trip as Dorothy at our Party, and when it comes right down to it, traveling is fun, but there's nothing like that feeling of coming home!