I have spent the last few days in total awe (and total exhaustaion). I signed up for a 3-day tour of the great ocean road, which is basically a long stretch of highway built along the magnificent southeast coast of Australia. The whirlwind tour started off in a national park called the Grampians. We were picked up at our locations at about 7:00 in the morning, and arrived at the park about 3 hours later. We went on a hike to a beautiful waterfall and leisurely strolled though the forest and made our way to various lookout points. The day ended with our arrival at our hostel for the evening (one bathroom for 18 women…sweet!!!) and me passing out at about 10:00. The next morning was when the action really picked up. We woke up at 5:30am for a 2-hour hike up to he top of a summit in the park. I had slept somewhat decently, so I was feeling good about getting a workout even at that ungodly hour. And a workout it was. The view from the top was breathtaking, even though the photographs really don’t do it justice.
We made our way down and hopped back on the bus to begin our 2-hour trek to the coast. It started off with the bay of islands, one of the coolest rock formations I’ve ever seen. When we passed it on the bus, there was audible oohing and aahing. From there, we slowly made our way down the coastline to view other interesting formations. The day was perfection incarnate, and the blues of the water were unlike any I’ve ever seen in nature. A few of us opted for the optional helicopter ride. It was all of 7 minutes long, but the $60 was well worth it. Here’s are a few shots from inside (I was told to sit up front and wasn’t about to complain!)
The water really is that blue, and if you’re standing on the coast, there’s a long line of dark royal blue that skirts along the horizon line making the sea look hyper-real. The driver wouldn’t stop the bus because we were pressed for time, but we passed some of the most beautiful lookout points I’ve ever seen in my life. I honestly would have been content had she pulled the bus over and left me there on the side of the road. The fact that we couldn’t stop and had to enjoy the views though tinted and grimy bus windows made me more than a little sick. I realized I’d have to do the drive again, but on my own next time.
We arrived at that night’s accommodation and it was a pretty comfortable place. Sunset over the fields was almost a joke it was so beautiful. I ate dinner quickly so I could walk around the tiny town and take pictures. That was the one night we actually had some time in which I could take a breath and walk around at my own pace. I was very thankful for the free hour.
We then left to watch sunset over the Twelve Apostles, probably the most famous of the rock formations along the road. There are actually only 8 of them, as a few have crumbled into the sea, but man, the 8 were working hard. To be honest, I think some of the other stops from earlier in the day would have boasted better sunset views, but this one wasn’t too shabby.
After sunset (which we were really lucky to have seen because the weather has been very unpredictable around here), we went back the hostel and sat around and drank and played cards. I was asleep bed by 11, but wine has the quite annoying tendency to put me to sleep for about 1 hour, then to keep me awake for the rest of the night. I really should have known better, because between the ill effects of the wine, an insufferable snorer, and a mosquito that bit my face not once but 6 times over the course of the night, I got about 2 hours of good sleep. When I woke up at 5:30 with a swollen eye (my eyelids are delicious to mosquitoes), other red splotches decorating the rest of my face, and dark circles under my eyes, I looked like a circus clown. I mean, I’m kinda learning to care less about my appearance anyway as it’s a hassle to wear makeup all the time and all my clothes are stained and worn-out already, but really, I could have down without the facial deformities, thank you.
We headed out of the hostel and once again, passed a sunrise scene over the fields that almost made my heart stop, but we were on a schedule and so I inwardly screamed at not being able to capture that moment. I think I actually wanted to kill the bus driver. Sunrise along the beach was almost as beautiful as sunset, but the clouds started rolling in threatening rain and cold temps. Although the clouds were an annoyance for better part of the morning, as the day wore on they broke up and actually made the views much more interesting.
The next stop along the way was a treetop walk in the train forest. There are huge steel walkways I don’t even know how many feet up in the air that are so high that they put you at eye-level with the rainforest canopy. There are only 2 of these structures int he world, and they are very cool, and very scary (considering the platforms are designed to move as you are walking on them).
We stopped for a half hour lunch at Apollo beach (named for the explorer who discovered it, but I’d like to think it’s because of the otherworldly quality of the landscape and sea). When we arrived at the beach, everyone ran to get lunch as we only had 30 minutes and some didn’t even get a chance to venture onto the beach, but the sun came out as we were ordering food, so I gave my order to a friend and ran outside to take some shots. I almost missed lunch entirely, but it would have been worth it. The dark clouds and the light coming in form the side for all of 5 minutes made the scene so spectacular that once again, the photos barely do it justice.
After that, we made our way to the actual great ocean road, which follows the coastline and you get views of the sapphire ocean all the way down. We stopped at a surf town to do some shopping and I was so irritated that the guide wouldn’t stop the bus at scenic overlooks so that we could have more time in a shopping center. Ouf of protest (and virtually out of money), I refrained from buying clothes, and had a muffin instead. After that, we stopped at a koala reserve to see the cuddly little things in the wild. I had never seen one up until that point and they are SO ADORABLE! They apparently aren’t very nice, but all I wanted to do was grab one off the tree and hug it. If it’s possible to die of an overdose of cuteness, I almost did. The leaves were blocking him, but AWWWW!
So that was the great ocean road. Sorry for the never-ending post, but I didn’t want to leave anything out. I cannot wait to do that road again someday on my own (although I’m glad I did the tour so I know what I want to see and where I want to be next time). I left out a lot of great pics of the ocean at mid-day, but alas, I can't post them all to this blog.
So now, it’s another few days in Melbourne before heading off to New Zealand for a month. I really like this city…definitely very different than Sydney in that it’s got a funkier, more laid-back vibe. The hostel I’m staying at is very posh as far as hostels go (the place I stayed in when I got here last week was a wreck… I got into the room after midnight and it looked like someone had placed dirty socks, cake, empty beer bottles, bags of chips, and shoes into a plastic bag, then exploded it all over the room). I couldn’t believe people, even backpackers, could stand such filth. I would have taken a picture and titled it “oh, the horror, part 2” but I was too tired to think and missed the moment.
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