AUSTRALIA HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM PMP

Hi folks, a very happy new year to everyone, this is sent 4 pm ish from Tasmania, just finished a day filming the buses here, a bit of a let down, the only unfriendly spot in the country, well that's everyone connected with public transport except the one lady driver who waved this morning, weather also a let down after so ,many glorious hot sunny days. We flew down from Darwin to Adelaide and met up with Alan Mortimer, had a meal in a really cheap and cheerful Italian next to Savilles Apartment Hotel which was a bit gloomy after their Darwin apartment, the flight was good. Adelaide was having hottest weather in Oz, buses looked well, friendly crews and the new trams look the business! Well we only had a few hours there but it was enough to capture the bus and tram scene and we then set off down to Kangaroo Island which turned out to be a dream come true and we stayed at the Kangaroo Island Lodge apartments where we had a splended meal although the New Year festivities were a rather poor follow up with a buffet, never my favourite. Well the island has wildlife coming out of its ears, saw just about everything we could expect with several firsts including a very close up encounter with an Echidna. At night we watched the Fairy Penguins and nocturnal animals along the road, the island about 100 miles log so no little tas getting around, took a few unsealed roads and had superb fish and chips at Peneshaw where the ferry terminal is located and the penguin centre. Sad to leave it but we then had the long drive east to Warrananbool, here there was a very efficient and friendly bus operator and a national park in an old volcano crate which had oodles of wild life, Emus everywhere and we were all Koala'd out there were so many everywhere, never seen so much before. Found a very food restaurant in town as the Irish Pub didn't do food but the restaurant had canned draft Guinness so full marks, a great b& B as well , very comfortable, also did harbour trip by boat in Port Fairy, oh forgot the horse tramway at Port Victor, blistering hot there. The onwards to Melbourne, again still blistering hots in the 90s All the time so far, very tanned and burnt. Melbourne trams operating Sat service but that was enough to get plenty of shots, had a good look around the new dockland routes there then this day trip to Tasmania. Back in Melbourne tonight, more trams Saturday and then a winery tour Sunday and then back through the country up to NSW and a couple of nights near Wagga Wagga and on to Sydney and then home and work, boo. A great time but thinking of all our friends and readers out there, I'll update again as soon as possible and load up photos when we are back.