Cradle Mountain, Grindelwald, Tasmania

On Friday we had our last Zone Conference. Saturday we drove to Cradle Mountain and on to Launceston where we would fly home to Sydney on Sunday. It was a long day's drive through beautiful country and mountains of Tasmania. We liked the road signs, the beauty of foliage. Nelson Falls was a spectacular side trip of 15 minutes.
We spent the night in Grindelwald, Tasmania, 15 minutes from Launceston in a Swiss Village, reminicent of Switzerland. The cabin was rustic, supposedly new, but quite poorly constructed. A kangaroo could have come in through the crack in the door.
Upon our arrival back in Sydney our good friends, the Warbys had decorated the door of our flat and our office door. We loved it and were glad to be home.
Cradle Mountain, Lake St. Clair
Nelson Falls.

Cradle Mountain Lodge.
Cradle Mountain Lodge.
Speed sign along the way.

Grindlewald, Tasmania
Grindelwald, hotel where we spent our last night before flying home to Sydney.
Office Greeting
Flat greeting.

After the Zone Conference in Melbourne on Wednesday we flew with the Lees to Hobart for the Zone Conference there. When we arrived it was late in the evening. They had booked us into a smoking room. I requested a change. The only rooms they had available were on the top floor, one of the suites. It was some room with a sitting room, large conference table, huge bathroom with big tub and separate room with shower, toilet, two sinks,etc. The view of the harbour was fantastic. On Thursday President Lee conducted interviews all day so we had a day off to see Hobart. We drove to the top of Mt. Wellington, then to Port Arthur where the main convict prison was in the early days of the colony.

View of harbour from our hotel room.
Sunrise over Derwent River in Hobart.
Night view of harbour from hotel room.
Grand Chancellor Hotel. Our room was on the top left the last two windows. It was a fantastic suite.
View of Hobart from Mt. Wellington.
Convict and Jay.
Visitors Center At Port Arthur.

Main Penitentery.

Helicopter Views.

We took a 12 minute helicopter ride that took us over many of the formations along the Great Ocean Road including the Twelve Apostles, the Visitors Center, Port Campbell, London Bridge before heading to Melbourne where we had Zone Conferences scheduled the next day.
Twelve Apostles Visitors Center from the air.
Twelve apostles from the air.
London Bridge.
Port Campbell
Formation in the ocean.

Twelve Apostles Motel and Twelve Apostles.

Early the next morning I got up to do my walk. I started out down the dirt road to the ocean. I decided to go all the way to the Twelve Apostles Park and take early morning pictures. It was 3 km down and back but I made it before Jay called the police. Just kidding.
Twelve Apostles Motel.

Our Room

Twelve Apostles at my morning walk. 3 km from the motel.

Twelve apostles later in the morning.

Sunrise.

Same formation later in the morning.

Melbourne West Zone Conferences

We left Perth on Monday morning January 26 and flew to Melbourne. We rented a car and drove to the Twelve Apostles area of the Great Ocean Road where we had reservations for the night. After checking into the motel we visited a few of the scenic areas like Loch Ard which was a sailing ship in the late 1800's that shipwrecked along the coast here. We also visited Thunder Cave. Jay read a book as a young boy entitled Thunder Cave and wanted to see the area.
By this time the sun was setting so we viewed a specatcular sunset over the Great Ocean Road.

Loch Ard
Loch Ard
Thunder Cave
Thunder Cave
Thunder Cave. Sunset over the Great Ocean road.
Sunset.

Sunset.

Finally set.

Weekend in Perth

We went to Church and then drove to the Pinnacles, a park north of Perth about 3 hours. It truly was an amazing area. I took pictures of how the Pinnacles were formed. I hope you can read it. The shapes looked like people, some looked like a nativity scene, some looked like figures from Star Wars. You could almost feel a spirit about the place as you looked at these forms that seemed to take on a life of their own.
Pinnacle story #1
Pinnacle Story #2 Pinnacle Story #3

Weekend in Perth.

Okay. So I don't seem to be able to limit my pictures. On Saturday we took a cruise to Rottnest Island, a favorite vacation spot for Western Australians. In fact it is so popular now you have to submit your name and it is decided by lottery who can get rooms on the Island. We travelled down the Swan River to Fremantle, then across the very rough Indian Ocean - 45 minutes. Upon arrival on the Island we took a bus tour which was included in our ticket and after that we had lunch at the Rottnest Lodge which was a buffet and very good. Jay had a headache after lunch so he rested in the lobby while I went in search of good bargains. There was not a lot. It was very hot and I wished I could have gotten in the water. The water surrounding the Island is unbelievably beautiful, shades of turquoise blue and green everywhere you look. These pictures try to do it justice and some do a good job.
Our boat.
Perth skyline from the Swan River.
One of the ferries going to Rottnest Island.
Maritime Museum at Fremantle.
Freighters waiting to get to the port at Fremantle.
Map of Island held by our bus driver and guide.
Lighthouse on Rottnest Island
Lots of boats in the harbors along with a dolphin.
Elizabeth and Jay on Rottnest Island. Dolphin inside sharks net on the beach.
Tons of people on the beaches
Beautiful water.
Indian Ocean
Huge bird's nest.
Skink. Large lizard found all over Island.
Cove at Rottnest Island
Turquoise blue, green water with great waves.
Funny marsupials, Quokas, on the Island.
Lunch at the Rottnest Lodge around the pool.
Headache Jay. Shopping. Obviously recovered from his headache.
At the anchor before boarding the boat for Perth.