Visit from Nanny
Our return ferry journey to the mainland was a sight different to our outbound crossing. Staff of the ship told us it was the roughest crossing they'd ever experienced. Being a big vessel it held the swell well - I've had Kangaroo Island ferry crossings that felt much worse - but it certainly had us feeling woozy. Luckily none of us actually got sick. It was also a lot less busy than our journey over. Kids had returned to school. The face painting ladies had next to no customers, meaning my kids returned about five times each, getting just about every visible surface of themselves painted.
We arrived after 10pm into Geelong and were glad to have a spot at the Showgrounds Caravan Park to roll into. It was a simple, convenient and peaceful campground, apart from the colony of corellas that squawked at all hours.
The moment that Claire had been anticipating (probably since we left Adelaide almost four months earlier) was almost upon us. Nanny and Joddy were making their way over on the ferry from Sorrento to meet us in Queenscliff. Our return from Tasmania serendipitously coincided with a wedding Mum and Dad were guests at on the Mornington Peninsula. The kids and grandparents were thrilled to be reunited. Dad joined us just for the day, which we filled with flashy "Hot Rod" cars, steam trains, fish and chips, the Geelong botanic gardens and finally dinner on the water front, timed (to Hugh's very vocal excitement) with the arrival of the Spirit of Tasmania. Joddy then left us to catch a flight back to Adelaide while Nanny returned with us to the showgrounds for an unsettled night in the camper trailer.
Over three nights, Nanny got a good taste of the kids' exhausting insistence for attention; something Oma had endured for seven weeks. And like Oma, Mum’s capacity to deliver was admirable. The kids had a ball and Matthias and I enjoyed the short reprieve.
After we left Geelong, we stopped at Serendip Sanctuary for lunch and a wander. The wildlife wasn't remarkable, but the bird hides were great and we saw lots of Cape Barren geese, black swan cygnets, prolific red-browed finches and we were entertained by a roaming emu as we ate.
Our camp for two nights was the quiet Treetops scout camp in the Mount Macedon area. While Mum pampered the kids with foot spas, Matthias and I had the luxury of going for a short bush walk just the two of us.
We had a fun day exploring the literary landscape of Hanging Rock. Although only a small reserve, the rocky outcrop was really impressive and it was easy to be transported to the ethereal picnic scene of the classic novel. We also stopped in at Mount Macedon and walked up to the giant memorial cross.
On our final day with Mum we bravely drove the camper trailer into central Melbourne and scored an excellent park at the Botanic Gardens. After lunch and a stroll through the gardens we ducked into the National Gallery of Victoria and tried our hand at digital pop art. With the big farewell looming and anxiety to make the airport on time we jumped on the hot and noisy tram to Southern Cross station. Hugh was devistated to say goodbye to Nanny, turning on a big display tears and tantruming. Luckily, sushi at Federation Square and a stroll along the Yarra helped to heal the trauma. It was a gorgeous sunny evening of Melbourne showing us her finest.
As the sun set and the kids slept, we drove on to the Mornington Peninsula, arriving late into pre-booked Rosebud campground.
