The weather for the Sydney marathon was perfect. Throngs of spectators lined the roads, ringing cow bells and shouting cheers.  Pat and I kicked back for a bit and planted ourselves on a traffic island at mile 22 so we could hand Desty a bit of Coke when she ran by in both directions.  She had a much better finish than in the Chicago marathon and recovered quickly.

On Monday morning, we were all up and dressed at 4:30 a.m for the sunrise kayak trip through part of Sydney’s harbour. We were fitted with life jackets and lined up behind orange kayaks with blue luminescent lighting. After a quick demonstration about paddling and a reminder to let a cell phone that falls in the water go, we were off.  We maneuvered around many sleeping sailboats while the sky began to lighten.  Our guides, from countries all over the world, kept us safe from the commuter ferries on their morning rounds. shot plenty of photos of us at the halfway point and then shared information about the harbour’s history.  After they pulled each of our kayaks in, we ran for a change of clothes and ordered breakfast.  We were soaked and quite chilled.

It was time to drive south to Phillips Island, about 700 miles away. Pat did the driving and Destyni kept her eye out for kangaroos.  This highway (which does allow cyclists) was two lanes only in most places with no dividing barriers and the road wiggled up and down. By 7 p.m  Pat was fried so we found lodging at a pub packed with serious dart players all On Tuesday, we scrapped frost from the windshield and headed farther south, stopping once at Lakes Entrance, which has a barrier beach that goes for miles without any development.

Once we landed at Phillips Island, we drove to the Penguin Parade grounds  After a walk to penguin viewing area next to the ocean, we waited for the sun to set. And then the little penguins came out of the ocean in droves and waddled up to the grass looking for their mate and using a particular sound to find each other. We learned that they go out and fish for a few days and then it’s party time back on land.  They know the only time to come home is after dark when the predators can’t see them. After 20 minutes, everyone was asked to follow the penguins back through the walkways. No photos or videos were permitted.

Now in the south, the weather was much cooler. On Wednesday, we took in the koala preserve, where we were able to get up close to them on raised boardwalks. They spend most of their lives asleep because they feast on eucalyptus leaves which provide them with little energy.  The next morning Destyni was keen on taking a surfing lesson; to her it Australia was the perfect place to learn.  Regardless of the rainy, windy morning, she had a private lesson on the beach with

a coach and in less than an hour’s time, she was going from a prone position to standing up and surfing. From there we drove into Melbourne, to visit my second cousin and her family. We had planned to stay with them but because of health issues, our visit took place in the hospital.  Later that night, we landed at their home in Shepparton, where their son, John, volunteered to host us for two days. On Friday morning, we explored Shepparton, taking in the city’s art museum, the history museum, the local cows and a walk around Victoria Lake.

During dinner with John, we learned about brown snakes. John said the babies are the most dangerous. And then he told us about the red bellied spider whose venom almost killed him. Thank goodness we purchased gaiters before leaving Waitsfield.

As we drove back north to Sydney, we spotted kangaroos everywhere, in open fields.They, too, can be quite dangerous, when they leap into the road. It’s now time for Destyni to return to Montana and begin her new position as a dentist and time for Pat and me to find the enthusiasm necessary for our 150 mile hike on the Great North Walk.

Shevonne and Pat