Day 5: Museums, Garden and Bluff

Happy birthday Callum! Our baby is 13 today!

Well we thought that today would just be a bit of a look at the museums in Geelong, but we ended up walking around for 5 BLOODY HOURS! It's all good exercise, I know, but I had to mutiny at Barwon Heads Bluff when Duncan suggested walking to the cliffs for a look. My aching feet were sending me messages saying "Enough already" and who was I to argue?

The morning started off with our usual routine of leisurely breakfast and then the general iFamily scenario: Duncan checking stuff on his iPhone (news, weather, where to next, etc), me trying to achieve the next level in Peggle (on my iPhone), Callum and Andrew comparing notes in Cartoon Wars Gunner (on their iPod Touches). iTime is really quite peaceful...but very geeky looking so I am pleased no one can see us. (We do this behind closed doors.)

The Ford Discovery Centre was first on the agenda, with one of the guides honing in on the boys, who then became his personal project in terms of helping them with the (optional) quiz of stuff in the centre. Not really the sort of questions that will help you remember the important stuff, but nonetheless kept them occupied. They did get a badge and certificate at the end.

The National Wool Museum was next, providing valuable insight into the wool industry.
Did you know...

• that two rabbits left to their own devices in a paddock for three seasons can produce 62,000+ other rabbits, while two sheep can only produce a further 5-6 sheep in the same time? No, I didn't know that either...(the mind boggles)
• or that the most expensive bale of wool sold for over a million dollars here in Victoria? Amazing!

Our day was filled with these little gems of information. We also now know how socks are made and would be able to identify a sock making machine if ever confronted with one again. Andrew and Callum took turns making the longest fish net stocking you ever saw, but it was quite hypnotic so I understand why they didn't stop.

By this stage we were all eyeing the sheep/rabbit hides with ominous intent, so we headed off to the Botanic Gardens and had a lovely lunch picnic after pausing momentarily to check out the South African plants clustered together on route to the nearest bench.

We stocked up on supplies, as Halls Gap does not seem to have a Coles (gasp, horror). Tomorrow we leave this idyllic place for the mountains. Apparently quite a few hours drive away...better get those iThings charged and ready.