Yesterday was spent poking around and hiking the Sapphire Coast, an area  of incredibly rugged and gorgeous coastline. We started the day in Batemans Bay, approximately 150 miles south of Sydney, where we’d driven the night before.

What’s so fantastic about Australia is that the beauty is everywhere, and they haven’t spoiled it. In every town, the nicest natural areas are open for the public’s enjoyment and are beautifully maintained. It’s as though everyone is invited to share in what’s so special and revel in it so that things can be kept that way forever. What a great plan.

I’ll let the photos do the talking:

No Koala Bears on this hike (and we searched the Eucalyptus trees quite a bit, where they live and eat the leaves, which get them high – tough life), but pretty great scenery:

Matt just before getting attacked by giant man-eating ants:

Dusk walk in Mallacoota before dinner:

Look what we found. Kangaroos walk and run so strangely that it’s hard to believe they made it in terms of evolution. They’re pretty shy, but allowed us to get within forty or so feet. We didn’t want to push our luck, as we’ve heard that they can rear back on their tails and kick you across the street if necessary to defend themselves.

A great day. Tomorrow we’re heading towards Melbourne on the Victoria coast. This is my third Australian state so far after Queensland and New South Wales. What a great place. Hope to catch an Australian Rules football game tomorrow night. Supposed to be legal murder on pretty grass…