Australia update

Sorry for the delay! Internet resources are not easy to obtain, especially in the countryside and outback.
So let me catch you up on my adventure: I am trying to upload pictures. Very slow connection.
Thursday:
After 26 hours of travel I arrived safely in Melbourne. The weather was a bit overcast and chilly. Temperature was between 17c -21c . I went to the beach in the afternoon and collected sea glass. Went to bed early.

Friday:
Great day in the country. The countryside reminds me of Vermont. Beautiful farms (lots of sheep). Visited many of the vineyards. The people of Australia are extremely friendly and let me photograph their vineyards. Saw some amazing birds along my journey today.The weather today continued to be a bit rainy in the morning and overcast in the afternoon. Still cooler then I expected. Wish I had brought more then one pair of long pants. Once I returned back to Melbourne I explored the city. It is a mix of old, beautiful churches and modern art deco buildings. It is known for the arts and offer a variety of shows and cultural activities.

Saturday:
Early start today, heading to the outback. I will be traveling for the few days with some backpackers.Today I left Melbourne and traveled up the Great Ocean Road. This was an amazing day. First, we visited many ocean communities. Along the way we saw amazing beaches and beautiful landforms. I stopped at 12 Apostles and London Bridges. The highlight of e afternoon was a helicopter ride above these rock formations in the ocean. I was able to photograph from the helicopter. Once we left the Great Ocean Road we headed to the Outback...first, we saw koala bears sitting high in the trees. They are so cute. The koala sleeps for about 22 hours a day. I eats no stop while it is awake. The koala is distorting much of the forest due to over population. There are only 2 different varieties of trees that that they will eat. Before dusk we entered the Grampian National Forest. It is a dangerous road to travel at night due to the kangaroos. They are all over the roadsides. There are many different varieties including grey, blacks, and the wallaby. Once we arrived at camp we were great by a large group of kangaroos in the camp.

Sunday.:
Woke up early this morning! 4 a..m. To many unexpected sites and sounds. Our camp was in the valley of the Grampians. As I looked around me I was surrounded by mountains. The sound of the animals around me was amazing. The parrots in the tree tops sounded like a troupe of monkeys. As I drank my morning coffee (only instant since I arrived), I watched the kangaroos in the fields. There were many different sizes and kinds. I especially enjoyed watching the joey in the pouches. Finally, the sun was out too! After breakfast we started our 3 hour hike up the mountain. Who new I could be a rock climber. The view was amazing from the top of the mountain. After climbing back down the mountain we headed to visit the aboriginal tribe found in this area. I was an unbelievable experience. Unfortunately due to tribal custom I was not able to photograph inside the area. As we traveled deeper into the outback we came to Mckensey Falls, a beautiful waterfall. We hiked down to the falls which consists of 356 rock stairs. The hardest part was the steep journey back up. Our guide was waiting at the top with cold juice for us. Did I forget to say it was sunny and 40 degrees celcius. One would think that my day was done but, I still had a 6 hour trip to Adelaide. I just checked into my hotel and it is 10:00 in the eve. I have left my group of backpackers who were from many different countries around the world. Tomorrow I will take the 6:20 am ferry over to Kangaroo Island. So, good night!