Queenscliff

This past Saturday we went with some friends to Queenscliff.  To get there we could either drive or take the ferry, which leaves every hour, on the hour.  It's more exciting to take the ferry so that's what we did.  The ferry is in the charming town of Sorrento.  We arrived just after the ferry pulled away and with an hour to kill we had lunch and took a look around.

Here are the boys climbing on the rocks near the beach. 

There were lots of these boats lined up along the grass.  

We had lunch at this fish n' chips restaurant.  The food was very good.  The chips are really just thick cut fries but are they ever yummy.

This is the outside of the fish n' chips place.

This is the Queenscliff-Sorrento ferry.  It goes between the two towns every day from 6:00am to 6:00pm.  As you can see, it takes cars as well as people.  We drove our cars onto the ferry.  I wish I had taken a picture of the inside because it was very cool.  You could take the 40 minute ride inside or outside on the two different decks.  We started on the top deck where it was very windy but gorgeous.

Rob, Kyle's boss who is here from Minnesota for three weeks, Kyle, Sam, Jacob, Analee, and Jackie, who is also here for a few weeks.  If you think Kyle is tall at 6'3 then Rob is a giant at 6'9.  He is such a fun guy, super sense of humor.  We were also with Sheila, who is Kyle's co-worker, and her husband, Jeff and their daughter, Hannah.

These pictures are from either side of the ferry.  Isn't the water beautiful?  I love the beach and the boats on the water.

This is on our approach to Queenscliff.  We were able to get right up next to the lighthouse.  It is on an active  military base inside a fort which is open to the public, with precautions.

We stopped in this shop and Hannah posed with the pirate.  My kids weren't such good sports.

Inside the chocolate shop, I found this amazing shoe made completely of chocolate.  It cost $25.

We stopped at the information center to get a map and I signed the visitor book.  Now there is an official record that I was in Queenscliff.  It's like I'm waving to you from the page.

The fort opens to give tours at 1:00 and 3:00 so while we waited we took some pictures with the big guns on the outside lawn.  Kyle had the other camera but when we tried to look at the pictures he took, we discovered that somehow they had been erased.  We were very disappointed because he had some great pictures.

This is the gate to the fort.  I love the stop signs.

This is the sign you see right as you enter the gate.  Kind of makes you think twice before entering.  Then again, it kind of makes it more exciting too.

Kyle took the picture of the cells so you won't be able to see it but this sign makes for an interesting bit of information.  Talk about harsh.  Follow the rules, boys, follow the rules.  You don't get to pick the consequences.

Here is the lighthouse we saw from the ferry.  It is one of only three black lighthouses in the world.  There is one in England and one in Galveston, TX.  I failed to take a picture of the white lighthouse that is on the opposite side of cliff.  At night, both lighthouses are lit up.  Ships line up the two lights and when the white lighthouse completely blocks the black lighthouse the ships know they are in the correct position to sail out of the harbor safely.  It's pretty cool.  The couple holding hands in this picture are not with our group.

This is one of the underground storage areas. Ammunition is stored in the other storage areas but this one holds the officers wine collection.

This is the main campus of the fort.  It looks like a school.  Our tour guide said that there were soldiers and officers in the buildings that could see us but we couldn't see them.  We all gave them a wave.

The fort used to be surrounded by this dry moat that was 7 meters deep and 3 meters wide.  A  drawbridge had to be lowered to enter the fort.  Now, they get the occasional kangaroo hopping up into the fort.

These are more underground ammunition bunkers.

This is the hole used to haul up heavy ammo instead of having to carry it up the stairs.

We got to go down into the storage area designated for the public.  Of course, ammo is no longer stored here.  This is one of the hallways of the bunker.

It has been made into a display area to show what it would have been like to work down there and fight during an attack.

This "soldier" is wearing what the current Australian soldiers are wearing in Afghanistan.

This is as far as Jacob would go to dress up.

Sam got more into it.

Sam is giving a last salute before evacuating the bunker.

Do you recognize this "party balloon"?  These floating sea mines are on "Finding Nemo". It's easy to see why you don't want to pop these balloons.

This explains how the sea mines work.

This sign was on the Vietnam war display.  I never thought about war and fighting for freedom this way.  I've never had to fight for my freedom so I don't know if this is true feeling for those who have fought.  I'm very grateful for those who keep our country safe and I can only imagine the sacrifice they are willing to give.

We left Queenscliff around 5:30.  We drove home instead of taking the ferry.  It took about an hour and we  stopped for dinner at Topolino's.  It was delicious and it was a great ending to a great day.