Down the Hume Highway

Just a quick post today. We're in the town of Wangaratta (in Victoria), in what may be the world's friendliest McDonalds! The manager just made the rounds with all the customers, just to make sure everything was alright. I think there just may be more McDonalds per capita here than at home...and it's all 100% Aussie Beef! Over the last couple of days, we've probably seen a few of those burgers in their mobile state, as the areas we've been driving through are definitely ranch country. In fact, our motel last night boasted a restaurant--Ewe 'n Me. No kidding.

We have a long drive today, because we changed our minds yesterday and took an impromptu detour to Canberra. The list of sights there calls to mind D.C. and the Smithsonian museums. With just a couple of hours to spare, we could only see one, and chose the Australian National Museum, a history museum devoted to Australia's people, cultures and land. It was a superb museum, and vast--we only had time to take in the section on the Aboriginal peoples and Torres Straits Islanders, which of course was well worth it.

Stopped overnight in the town of Yass. It was much like Lone Pine, without the mountains (California skiers will understand). We had a bit of rain this morning, but it's turned into another beautiful day, with puffy clouds scudding across the sky, and here in Wangaratta, it's quite mild. Ian's entertaining himself in the play area, and we'll head for Melbourne soon!