Wow!

So I'm back in Melbourne after two days in Torquay (Tor-key) and Anglesea at Camp Eumeralla. The camp is on the coast, in the bush, with quite a lot of land. I did see kangaroos - two quite large ones (red?) and then several smaller ones. Its really exciting for all us Americans, but the Australians seem rather non-plussed.
Our first night, we went into Torquay, which is the surfing capital of Australia, and watched two "extreme" movies - one was about surfing enormous waves- like 30 ft high, and the other was about mountain biking. Then we all went out for pizza.
Yesterday we went for a 2+ hour mountain bike ride in the bush, from our camp to Bell's Beach. It was really fun, though I was skeptical at first. We were on bikes with absolutely amazing suspension and shocks, so the rough trail wasn't too much of a problem. Then in the afternoon we went surf kayaking, which was a blast. Kate and I were on the same kayak and pretty much spent the entire afternoon in hysterics, but we did manage to catch a few waves in.
This morning, we went surfing. It was a bit ridiculous, but fun. I spent a lot of time getting turned head over heels in the waves, but I did manage to get part-way up once! I am hoping to try another time, and maybe with the basics under my belt I will be able to get up all the way.
Even with the careful application and reapplication of sunscreen, I did get burnt. They really aren't kidding about the strong Australian sun. I am not as burnt as some others, but!
I'm trying to figure out pictures but haven't had much luck. . . I'll upload them as soon as I figure it out.