Four seasons in one month!

Where to start - since Melbourne there has been more dirt, rain and freezing mountain air than I could have imagined! We left Melbourne and rode along the coast to Bairnsdale - the view over Wilson's Promontory was just gorgeous. Just out of Bairnsdale we encountered our first puncture - well Tille did, on looking at it I announced it was 'fine' and we rode a bit further, oops. On changing the tire we headed into Bairnsdale and had awesome wood oven pizza and wine - it is all about the food!

The motorbike atlas we're following then took us on a crazy journey into the snowy mountains - we rode on a one car wide gravel track through the mountains with sheer drops down the side. Breathtakingly beautiful but a little bit scary - Tille rode like a star whilst I had my heart in my throat and hung on tight! That night we camped next to the snowy river - just perfect.. Then into NSW - enough gravel road and winding around the mountains that I started to think would bring us out out the top of Australia! Spent a few nights in Mount Koziosko national park, this time next to the Thredbo river and climbed the mountain (2233m - Australia's highest point), well, we caught the ski lift half way and then hiked the remainding 13km (alright - that was the return distance!). Unfortunately there was no view at the top due to cloud and Tille started to grow ice on his beard and look like a yetty so it was time to return!

Out of the mountains to Canberra through 14mm of rain that decided to bucket down whilst we rode along - never have we been so incredibly wet! We upgraded that night to a cabin (lush i know) dried everything out and enjoyed a night of tv before heading back out to the tent site the next day. We had mixed up our messages with Kev (that's our Prime Minister for the non-aussies) who was in Adelaide to see us so our dinner date with him didn't come off, but it was great to see Parliament House - I was surprised to feel quite patriotic and had a run around on the grass roof to prove it.

From Canberra to here - Katoomba where the air is REALLY cold but the mountain views are just awesome, a must for anyone visiting Australia although I vowed to tille that next time we'll be staying in a hotel and making the most of the restaurants and not just the camp ground.

The bike is definitely a diva but the three of us are forming a relationships. She has expensive taste and rides best on the extra premium petrol, she doesn't like the hot weather too much, especially when stopping and starting through city traffic and sometimes she is in two minds whether she is hot (fan on, temperature guage not up or vice versa) or not. But I figure if someone loaded me up with 220 odd kilos of luggage and human and made me ride up and down mountains, on gravel roads, over funny litle wooden bridges, in 40 degrees weather and rain then sometimes I too would be a bit of a diva!

We head over to Sydney this afternoon to catch up with Belinda and Darius which we are looking forward to. For those of you who got ot the bottom of this well done, sorry it is so long - will try to right shorter and more often!

Oh I forgot to mention, the bike was losing coolant and I, yes I will now be adding mechanic to my CV after working out what was wrong and saving the day - well, something like that..