Wombat Tales

I’ll bet some of you have been wondering what Harry and Wally have been up to. (Harry is Bern’s wombat and Wally the one eyed wonder is Jenn’s wombat) This Easter Break Harry went off to Sydney to check things out while Wally went to Melbourne. They met up in Hobart and the adventure began. First they HAD to go shopping at the Salamanca Market. There were just so many amazing things there. Wally’s owner has a thing for wooden crafts and there were many great things to choose from. Harry’s owner found some beautiful hand painted art cards. Of course there were nice things to eat too like salmon and prawn pie and chicken satay. Yummy. Then it was off to the Museum and Art Gallery. The film footage of the Tassie Tigers was fascinating. The Wombats had to endure another bit of shopping as Jenn’s memory card for her camera was full. The afternoon was spent discovering the delights of the Cadbury Factory. The wombats left the factory with several purple bags-I did wonder what they were up to but everyone had a big smile. We did find out that the chocolate produced in Oz is sweetened with cane sugar while the chocolate in North America is sweetened with corn syrup. That explains the different taste. Don’t tell anyone but Bern prefers the Aussie chocolate now, but she had to eat lots of samples to be sure. One of the highlights of the Tassie trip was the Tahune Airwalk. The Huen Pine Forrest was remarkable. These brave wombats not only did the air walk but went on the swinging bridges and the cantilever bridge as well. Good on you mates! On the way back to Hobart we stopped at a roadside market-since it is autumn the apples are in season. There are many "honour system" road side stands. Bern has seen these in the Annapolis Valley of NS but Jenn from Winnipeg was impressed by them.We bought a bag of bright red apples with the very controversial name of "Geeveston Fanny Reds". Wally and Harry being natives were shocked at the name but Bern, Jenn and Danna(Jenn's daughter) just thought they were really really good eating apples. On our last day in Tassie we went down to Port Arthur to see the Port Arthur Historic Sites. On the way we made a detour to the Tasmanian Devil Conservation Park. We had been told by some other travelers to time our visit at the Devil's feeding times. Interesting Dinner parties those devils have. they live up to their names. They are nearly as civil as Harry and Wally are when they eat. In fact the noise they make is outright scary. It was also mating season for the devils and they bite each others faces. Apparently the more scarred the better the love life. Hmm not sure it works that way with humans. We were able to hand feed some Forester Kangaroos and some Pattimellons( you will have to google them or wait for the pictures). We also saw some Eastern Quoll's, Red-Necked Wallaby's and Green Rosella's. There are some fascinating creatures living here. The route to Port Arthur is referred to as the convict trail. While I know the gals enjoyed their day visiting this historic site I know Bern found that there were no real "vibes" there. Australia is a young country-and many things have been destroyed by bush fires. After the prison was closed, the town was renamed and the buildings that were left were mostly moved or destroyed in an effort to rid the place of the stain of the prison. When we arrived at the site we were delt a card from a deck that represented a real prisoner at the site-we could then find and follow our prisoner to see what happened to him. Neat idea. Bern liked Tasmania. I hope she will come back and I hope she will bring her furry friends with her. The next part of our journey involved a flight to Melbourne and a road trip down the Great Ocean Road. That is another story for another day. I hope you folks back in Canada are enjoying spring.
G'day eh!
Harry, Wally and Bern

Carpe Dium

Hey Gang,
I am just back from my Easter break. I needed to come back to Adelaide so I could have a rest. I have a full photo card so you will have to be patient, the photos will come but I thought I would tell you about my latest adventures in the land down under. I had the pleasure of the company of my dear friend Shelly Pye, her mom Shirley and her son Brian for the last little while. We flew off to Sydney together. We did the town. Sydney is a beautiful vibrant City. We stayed right downtown in Wooloomooloo. We were within walking distance of the Opera House, the Botanic Gardens, the Art Gallery, the Gallery of Contemporary Art and the Cirrcular Quay. We went sight seeing and shopping-I had a hard time keeping up with Shirley. We spent a day at the Toranga Zoo which is an incredible zoo but I wanted to set the aninimals free. We also made the trek to Darlington Harbour and went to the Aquarium-that was facinating. I saw Dugongs and Sharks of all kinds. We even managed a day trip to the Blue Mountains where I was scared to death looking out over some ledge-you may not be able to see the fear in my face in the pictures but then again maybe you will.LOL. I did go in the sky car to see the Three Sisters and went up a train on the worlds steepest incline. Yes I was having some fun. Heck you only live once. We also discovered Harry's Peas and Pie stand near the harbour. This is THE place to go after a night on the town. There were long line ups of very happy Aussi's waiting for pies and peas. We decided we had to try them too. I had a Tiger Pie-pastry with curried beef, topped with a layer of mashed potatoes, then a layer of mashed peas with an indent filled with gravy. Yummy. Shelley had the chicken pie, topped with chili-well she had hers on the side but I understand it was yummy. I said fare thee well to my friends very early Friday morning as they headed off to the airport for the long journey home. Thanks so much guys, I was great to see you. I then went off to Bondi beach with my new friend Katie and 2 year old Jessica. We watched the beach patrol rescue some silly man who was swimming outside of the flags and got into trouble. The surf there is amazing- I guess that is why it is so popular. We had lunch at a great club-I think it was like a legion. Everyone had to sign in at the desk. Then we went into the eating area-what a beautiful view of the ocean. I was introduced to another popular Aussie dish-wedge fries and sour cream and sweet chili sauce. MMMmm. I also tried a midi of beer-Blue Toungue Beer. Mild, cold and refreshing on a hot day. I may learn to like beer afterall. Katie gave me a driving tour of Sydney and then dropped me off at the airport where I headed off for the next part of my adventure-Tassie. That's right I was going to Hobart Tasmania! Stay tuned for the next part of my adventure. Term 2 has started at school and my little possums were happy to see me and tell me of their holiday adventures. I found a copy of the Three Kangaroo's Gruff on my trip-I could not resist. Might be time for a drama unit.
Time for this teacher to hit the books so until next time take care,
G'Day eh!
hugs,
Bern

Hoppy Easter!

G'day friends! Look at the lovely selection of choccies I received as gifts from my possums. The Haighs chocolate Bilby is a special SA treat. I can't wait to nibble it's ears. The large colourful circle is called a chocolate freckle-hand made! Those Lindt bunnies can hop everywhere-even to island nations. I guess Easter would not be complete in SA without some of the Cadbury's Chocolate eggs. I am heading out tonight to a lamb BBQ at my school mentor's home. The warmth and hospitality of the SA Aussi's remind me very much of the folks on the east coast. Must be living by large bodies of water. The ion therapy makes everyone happy. That and the really great wines. Whatever you do this Easter weekend I wish you good health and happiness! Lots of love and hugs.
G'Day eh!
Bern