Arlo Margaret......

...... our newest darling Grandchild was born on Wednesday 16 June - right on her due date, and according to her very proud parents, Tanya and Geoff, only 4% of babies do that!

One-eyed parental bias aside, I understand she is perfect and beautiful, and already likes watching the soccer in the early hours of the morning and has the requisite negative views of the referee. Don't they say "Out of the mouths of babes...."?

Tomorrow I will be winging my way to Townsville to meet and get to know this latest treasure and spend a week with Tanya and Geoff, and also some lovely 'Grandmothers-together-time' with Geoff's Mum.

Do you think the camera will get a workout? I hope so!

Loch Ard Gorge, Great Ocean Road

Along Victoria's famous Great Ocean Road, between Lorne and Warrnambool, there is a stretch of coastline known as 'The Shipwreck Coast', for obvious reasons. Many ships came to grief along here and it's not hard to understand why when you stand at various points and watch the powerful waves crashing onto the towering cliffs.

There are several sites which have become major tourist attractions such as 'The 12 Apostles', 'London Bridge' (not quite as spectacular since part of the span collapsed into the sea several years ago) and 'The Grotto'.

These photos were taken in the region of Loch Ard Gorge, the scene of one of the best known shipwrecks of the mid 19th Century, and subsequent amazing rescue.

The Razorback.

If you click on the photos of these signs you should be able to read the text quite clearly.

Sheer cliffs rise from the sea.

You can see the crack in the end of 'The Razorback' on the right side of photo. No doubt it will only be a few years before another piece breaks off.

These outcrops would have been one piece a long time ago before being separated by the relentless waves.

You can believe that any ship which founders on these unfriendly shores would mean almost certain death in those early days for passengers and crew.

Caves and grottos carved out by the force of the sea.

The beach looks enticing. However access is difficult and the risk of being swamped is ever present.

A brief outline of the wreck of the Loch Ard.

Amazingly two people survived this wreck and were rescued.

At the end of the Great Ocean Road, in the beautiful city of Warrnambool, there is the Maritime Museum, called Flagstaff Hill. Every evening (except Christmas) visitors can witness after sunset an amazing Sound and Laser Show giving graphic details of one of the most famous events in Australian history. This internationally rated $5m show lasts for approximately one hour, but here is an excerpt of just a few minutes from "Shipwrecked".

Nearly 5000km later ....

..... we're home from our trip to Melbourne and Adelaide.

In the next couple of weeks I will post more photos of various areas we visited, but just for now here is a mini travelogue between home and Adelaide.

On the road to the Yarra Valley.

Tesselars Bulb Farm in the Dandenong Ranges.

The Yarra River from the Swanston St. Bridge, Melbourne. Taken on the way to the State Theatre for the opera, Fledermaus.

The Sorrento to Queenscliff Ferry crossing Port Phillip Bay. Two ferries run in opposite directions every hour, 12 hours a day, all year round. The 40 minute trip saves many kms of city travelling across Melbourne.

Quaint hotel in Queenscliff.

Lorne, a popular holiday town on the Great Ocean Road.

The coast at Lorne.

Along the twisting Great Ocean Road, skirting the cliffs.

A sign that could mean the difference between life and death on this narrow, winding road.

But not all of the Great Ocean Road skirts the coast; much of it runs through beautiful farmland and tall bushland.

Loch Ard Gorge, near Port Campbell, named after a famous shipwreck. (More on that in coming days.)

'The Razorback'

Tower Hill Nature Reserve near Warrnambool.

Emus.

Thousands of birds nest in the cliffs at Tower Hill, an extinct volcano.

Port Fairy.

Wind farms between Port Fairy and Portland.

Overlooking the Portland Harbour from our lunch stop.

The Blue Lake at Mt. Gambier, South Australia.

Mt. Gambier.

Mid 19th Century home of famous Australian poet, Adam Lindsay Gordon, at Port McDonnell.

Approaching sunset over the Coorong, Meningee, South Australia.