Australian Adventure 2007: Great Ocean Road

This past week was another fun one. During the week we stayed late at the office and I planned to stay longer to skype with Celine. When Saleh, Heather and Stephany were about to head home, someone gave them two HUGE free pizzas! SCORE! They came back up and we had our

free dinner up in the office! Also, on Friday, we met up with one of our friends Xaiomin who goes to Monash. She recently moved to an apartment close to campus so we went to check it out. We went out for Pizza (I guess we just can get enough) and we decided to try the Aussie pizza. In other restaurants and stores we have seen "Aussie" things like sandwiches or pizzas. We found out to make it "Aussie" you add egg; the reason why... no clue. But it was good! Then after our meal we called it a night and headed home to wake up early for another day tour that started at 7:00 am. (I wanted to sleep in!)

When the bus arrived we hoped the doors would open and our old tour guide Peter would be in the driver's seat; but Eddie was there instead. At first we thought that he did not come close to

the caliber of Peter, but as the trip continued, we grew to love him. :] This tour had a lot more driving compared to the one to Phillip's Island. Our first stop was Bell's beach. It is the start of the Great Ocean Road and is a big surf area. Just like in California, the cold did not stop the surfers to come and catch a wave. With their wet-suits on the locals jumped in the COLD water and surfed the small waves. We enjoyed the view and played on the beach. There were tide pools but I did little exploring; I have had bad experiences with tide pools! Instead I collected some cool seashells like I always do. Then we hurried on the bus after Eddie informed us that "This is NOT a two day trip!" He was on a mission to be in front of the long line of tour buses that stop at the same stops.

The next stop was the arch of the Great Ocean Road. After a Australian politician visited

California and traveled up and down the Pacific Hiway, they decided to make something similar in Melbourne. To help employ service men after WWI, they started the road and was completed in parts which was finished in 1930 something.. I forget. But anyways, they made this arch to mark the start of the road. Its been rebuilt a couple times because of fires in that area.

Because we did not have a chance to stop for "tea and bikkies" at Bells beach, we stopped at a place not too far down the road. We

looked out on a beach that had about 5 people walking up and down, bundled up in jackets and scarves. Eddie said that in the summer the beach is PACKED with umbrellas, tents, towels and beach bums. It reminded me how Capitola could get on a hot summer day but since it was about 10 degrees Celsius there was no one around. After everyone warmed up from their tea and coffee, we headed up the road to see koalas in their natural habitat!

Eddie just pulled over on the side of the road and we went searching for koalas in the eucalyptus trees. Since it was raining earlier, they were lower in the trees and we even saw one with its little baby! It was so much better than the wild animal park. We got closer to them at the park but I liked it better when we got to see how the are in nature. After taking a ton of snap shots of the "mum" and her joey, we carried on up the Great Ocean Road.

Not too long after it was another look out stop called Cape Patton. We could see the rest of the

surf coast from here. It was beautiful! I love the ocean. We took more pictures and then drove for a while until we reached Apollo bay for lunch. Since Eddie still wanted to be the leader of the pack, we only had about a 30 minute break, but if that meant being at all the stops without a million tourists, it was fine with me. Apollo Bay was quaint and had one main road with a deli and a few restaurants. We ventured down to the water again, and it was really calm. I didn't even touch the water because I knew how cold it was going to be!

When the bus was full we headed over to the rain forest. It was filled with ferns and two types of protected trees. I guess earlier in the 19th century they started to log the area and the environmentalists were afraid that the species were going to go extinct. So they saved a little part of the land for that species of trees. Around the area it was very clear because of all the trees that they chopped down. So now it is used for farming and that meant a lot of sheep and cows. :]

We then drove for about an hour; which was really fast because Eddie was passing cars and even bigger tour buses! Since he has been doing this tour for about seven years there was faith

in him; but if my Nana was in the bus she would have been holding on for dear life! ha ha.. So then we got to an area called Mutton Island. We were on the part of the Great Ocean Road called Shipwreck Coast. I think over the last 40 years there as been about 180 shipwrecks! Eddie told us a story about a ship trying to go to the port of Melbourne and since it was so foggy they couldn't see 2 feet in front of them. They heard crashing waves and tried to turn around but it was too late. They hit this island, and there were only two survivors. They named the island after the ship. The view from this part of the coast was spectacular! The water was so clear and the beach had

the sand that you see on Hawaiian beaches. We absorbed the view and explored the caves with their stalactites. (like the restaurant we like!) But luckily we returned to the bus on time because Eddie got tired of counting and left without 2 guys on the tour! Realizing this, he dropped us off down the road at another scenic lookout and went back to pick the guys up! After that, everyone made sure to be at the bus right on time!

Then we went to the 12 Apostles... or should I say 6 Apostles. Over the years the rock

formations have fallen. I guess last year around this time one fell over. The view was yet again beautiful, and the sun was just setting so it was a postcard picture opportunity. We then headed to our last stop which was a beach not too far away from the Apostles. The waves were pretty big and the color of the water was turquoise. I could have stayed there all day. This is what I thought of Australia before I came and I finally got a taste of it! I

am realizing that I could not live in the city for a long time. I need views like this and open space! After a long day of jumping in and out of the tour bus and making sure Eddie didn't leave us behind, we headed back for Melbourne and our nice warm bed.

Our adventurous weekend did not end there. The next morning we woke up "early" to go to St.

Kilda and rent..... excuse me "hire" bikes for the day. David likes to cycle and he was kind enough to invite us on a ride with him and his friends. The weather was perfect and we rode along the coast line. We stopped once Thomas got a flat tire and one of David's spokes broke! While they were getting fixed we had a

coffee and chatted. Instead of slowing David and his friends down, we took the bike path on the way back and also took our time! There were stops with great views and since the last time we were in St. Kilda we could only see rain clouds, we wanted to enjoy the beautiful day. After our long ride we took our sore bums down the street and got a bite to eat. Exhausted, we walked around a little but then took the train back home to rest.