Phillip Island

I had a very relaxing time down on the island. The beaches down there really are fantastic. The surf beaches along one side are huge, especially at Woolomai where we were staying. They're not really suitable for swimming as the current is very strong but it's okay to get your feet wet on most days. The other side of the island is where the sheltered, swimming beaches are. It doesn't take much time to get from one side to the other so it's no problem.
The house we rented has only one bedroom and that was the preserve of Ma'n'Pa. The kids, Georgia, Holly and Georgia's friend, Soul, shared the little cabin on the property, except for when Paula and Phil were there for a few days. Clare and I had tents, though Clare ended up sleeping on the futon in the lounge most nights.
I nearly got blown away one night - very strong winds coming off the ocean. I was getting seasick :)
Most days consisted of a stroll along the surf beach - just a few hundred yards from the house - a trip to one of the other beaches for a proper swim, relaxing around the house reading or doing the jigsaw puzzle. In the evening we'd stroll the beach again with the dogs (allowed on the beach between 7am-10am and 5pm-8pm) and then settle down to a game of cards.
Thursday was mum's birthday. My brother and his family came down for the day and we all took mum out for dinner. I was cursing that I left the camera at home that night because there were half a dozen black swans on the water, just across the road from the restaurant. I went back the next night to see if I could snap a few pics but they weren't there :(
On the Saturday night I took Georgia and Soul to the carnival that operates on the island over the summer period. There was a great fireworks display as well. I didn't take the camera with me so, sadly, no photos of fireworks. I still don't understand what possessed me but Georgia and I rode the Kamikaze. A cage that holds about 12 people, well and truly strapped in, that swings up and back and then does a complete circle or sometimes just stops at the top and swings back in the opposite direction. I screamed. A lot.
I took over 700 photos for the week. Some are good enough to post. Unfortunately there were no spectacular sunsets like last year. But, I think I got a few reasonable pics that I'll share - mostly on flickr, but I'll put a few here too.