December 31, more...

This is a nativity scene, AU style, just had to take a photo. The little critter at the front, left, is an echidna, and an emu is on the right side. Mary and Joseph are koalas and there is a kangaroo and some type of bird in there too, wearing those little hats with dangling corks to keep away the flies. This was in an antique store window, and notice the price, $180.







We tried to make a "booking" (reservation) for dinner, but since it was New Year's Eve, everything was full, so we bought stuff for a picnic and hiked out to the dunes. The B&B owner suggested we go to see where the dunes are literally "eating up the forest," at the rate of about 4 meters per year, or approximately 10-15 feet per year. The second photo shows where the dunes currently meet the forest road. We passed a large lake on the way to the dunes, and it is estimated to be completely covered by the dunes within 50 years. If you double click on the first photo, you can see the lake on the right side, and it is a long ways from the edge of the dunes. The other photo shows the tops of very tall trees sticking out of the sand, and the dunes extend for miles.