Southern Victoria Saturday 2/16/08

John has two new best friends, our Glen Isla hosts Maddie and Ian. Maddie was our breakfast server and she pointed out all the cereals, fruits and homemade compotes, then she started offering cooked breakfast choices of this or that or this and finally said "or you can have all of the above." Those four little words, "all of the above." Mary selects the poached eggs, dark toast, mushrooms and tomato; John, making up for the last week of morning nibbles, has "all of the above." Ian is our chef this morning and does a wonderful job of delivering the goods. Mary eats most of her sensible breakfast while John has licked his plate.

While checking out John and Ian start discussing the "business" and pretty soon the boys are in the kitchen looking under the hood at all the equipment. Mary has the luggage in the car and Maddie has finished checking out the other guests and now the boys are going through the coolers. Maddie suggests that Mary and John could come and run the place so they could travel and Ian suggests that Mary and John could actually buy the place. John assures them that one is much more likely than the other. It is after 11:30 when Ian walks John out to the car where Mary is working on her tan and we’re off.

This just another travel day. All we need to do is cover ground today as we continue East towards Canberra and eventually Sydney. We decide to stop at Yarram, which is the biggest circle on the map, around 2:00 for a bite. It is a sunny summer Saturday afternoon and the town is virtually empty. The stores are all closed as are most of the cafes so we get some avocado spread, some skinny crackers and cheese at the grocery. The combination reminds John of lard on a communion host but maybe he isn’t hungry yet. We eat at a picnic bench in the park and the only life is coming from the adjacent bowling club where all the fellas are out in their whites for a collection of matches.

We think it will be another three hours on the road but it is an easy and fast drive and we arrive in Lakes Entrance at about 5:00. There are three large lakes here just inland from the ocean (actually we are now back on the Tasman Sea) that were all fresh water at one point and now, due to rising ocean levels, are mixed fresh and seawater. The result makes for great fishing and boating and this is a destination for Aussies who like those things.

We are the only room next to the pool and we grab a couple poolside recliners for some reading and computer work. It is 7:30 when we head out to dinner and after checking a couple menus decide on the recommended Merriam’s. The hostess tell us that we are unbelievably lucky because a table just freed up on a busy Saturday night right next to the window overlooking the harbor. We told her that we know. Mary has a great chicken stuffed with the usual cheese and spinach with garlic mashed, and John opts for the whole flounder that comes piled with shrimp, scallops, bugs, veggies and roasted potatoes, all while watching the setting sun over the water. We thank our hostess who is an education major at university, and we chat a bit about the teacher strike in Melbourne. She has a better future in hospitality.

We grab a beer at the "Lakes Entertainment Center" and Mary plays pretend Keno to see if her luck has returned. It is inconclusive. A short stroll home to bed.

Today’s local headline: AFL to add two teams Herald Sun Weekend (Aussie football league to add two teams for a total of 18, almost one for every million people)