The Dandenongs Ranges National Park has spectacular Mountain Ash trees, dwarfing anything in our local Ruislip Woods.

We were told that we would see the colourful Rosella birds here. Though we could hear them, we only saw them in large numbers when we were leaving & noticed that some other visitors were enticing them with food.

The Healsville Sanctuary is well worth a visit – but no cuddling Koalas in Victoria! Sharing lunch with the Ibis is OK though.

Tasmanian Devil

Local Winery in the Yarra Valley

We went to Phillip Island to see the much publicised evening Penguin parade. Apparently Australia’s most visited paid-for attraction. However a great disappointment. It consisted of overcrowded benches with a poor view of the Fairy  Penguins rushing across the sand to get to their nesting grounds. We had better, close up views of the scurrying penguins on the boardwalk back from the beach.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Cranbourne specialises in displaying native plants. A very imaginative layout.

Note the sign about snakes.