Well, actually it will be spring downunder but fall for us folks from Maine. We're still in the planning stage for this trip, our third one, but it's really going to happen. Here's our proposed schedule – splitting ourselves between music, old friends, relatives, and site-seeing:

We fly into Sydney on Friday, October 26.

Sing at the Loaded Dog Saturday, October 27

Feast and sing at Earlwood BBQ Sunday, October 28

Monday through Wednesday in Sydney but unscheduled, October 28 to 31

Thursday rent a car and drive to Melbourne (or take the train to Melbourne and rent a car there)

Saturday and Sunday do workshops with Danny Spooner at Maldon Festival

Monday go driving down the Shipwreck Coast

Tuesday back to Sydney somehow (or maybe fly straight to Port Douglas)

Wednesday fly off to Port Douglas for snorkling the Barrier Reef

Saturday, November 10, fly back to Sydney

Spend some weekend time with nephew and his wife on Danger Island

Back in Sydney, probably Monday (shopping?)

Leave for the States on Friday, November 16

We're hoping to take an overnight train from Sydney and Melbourne and then rent a car once we're there. We may even fly from Melbourne to Port Douglas if that makes more sense than a round-trip flight from Sydney and round-trip train between Melbourne and Sydney.

We would appreciate any advice on what our options might be. We certainly have gotten a lot of good advice in our past trips.

We're now very comfortable with driving on either side of the road, as long as that correlates with the steering wheel and accessories. And we're well aware of the dangerous mythical and less mythical wildlife.

We'll be traveling light most of the time but I bet we'll be sending back a steamer trunk of booty before we finally fly home from Sydney. Of course I will be lugging along my 5-string banjo and maybe my F/C Anglo concertina (they are relatively rare).

Thanks to Sandra, JennyO, Danny and others who are making the musical part of this revisit so interesting.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble and JudyB