On to Melbourne to arrive on the 17th Dec2007

So we had a big drive in front of us. Its about 1500 miles and the heat across the Nulabor this time of year is the hottest at about 40'C. We were a little worried about Rocky and really did want anything to happen to us, as most people we have spoken too has warmed us about it. So we drove south to the most south west part of Oz and had a something to eat in the last restaurant (a fish and chip shop) before you reach the south pole. After that I climbed a tree over 61 meters in Pemberton. The tree didn't have a lift, I climbed up pegs that have been hit in to the sides of the tree. Its was really cool and the views were great. Hannah thought it was scary and just filmed it and took photos as I climbed into the clouds.
Also the bottom of WA towards the border we stopped at Albany and bumped into Mike and Sarah again. Then we started to cross the Nulabor. People have said that this is one of the worst drives in Australia and it has has a lot of nothingness again. It also has the straightest road in OZ, its 90 miles long and has a sign to tell you its the longest, so we got a few photos. We crossed the border at border village and we made it to Ceduna in only 2 days. The drive was really good and the temp was strangely low at about 20'C. So we were happy and Rocky had no problems at all. Along the way, on this trip, Hannah started making our Christmas decorations and sticking them to the windows on the van, making us really festive.
All the way to Melbourne we started doing more free camping at rest area, we used the water we carried to wash and brush our teeth. After starting our South Oz exploring we crossed Spencer gulf to Adelaide by ferry. Once there we visited the Clare Valley and Barossa Valley both well known winery regions. Hannah tried a few and we bought some more wines and spent the afternoon in Adelaide, we strolled around the famous "Central market". For you mum, we visited "Jacobs Creek" while in the Barossa Valley.
After Adelaide we climbed the hills surrounding the city and started our last bit of the drive to Melbourne. We stopped in Victoria at the Grampians. A mountain range with Aboriginal and European history. We did a few short walks and explored the area for a few hours and then drove in to Melbourne. We arrived around 5pm and got stuck in rush hour traffic again, but at last we're here. Sue, Hannah's mum was in and waiting for Scott (Hannah's Brother) to get home from work, so was surprised to see us. Yeah!!! Christmas can start now!