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Published: December 2nd 2006
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The Great Ocean Road 1
The impressive 12 apostles Noooo! I didn't want to leave Melbourne and this wasn't helped by the girls' encouragement for me to stay! But, there was still more to be seen and so on Saturday morning we bade a fond farewell to Kate and Claire as they headed off to the races again and we set out for the Great Ocean Road .
We were very lucky to have 2 clear sunny days for the drive down the ridiculously beautiful Great Ocean Road. Whilst it's not very long (only a couple of 100 kms, if that) there's a breathtakingly gorgeous photo opp at every turn and lots to see along the way, so we took our time to enjoy it.
Our first stop was Aireys Inlet and the lighthouse that is used in the kids TV programme 'Round The Twist'. Neither Seamus nor Bulk could remember this classic so were fairly bemused by my excitement over it! From there we drove on to Lorne where we climbed down to the base of Erskine Falls and then ALL the way back up again - ouch! We also checked out the stunning Teddy's lookout - placed above a corner in the road, and spotted our first wild
Great Ocean Road 2
One of the many beautiful beaches along the road Echidna (a bit like a Porcupine) and 2nd wedding of the day - it's such a picturesque place I'm not surprised so many people choose to get married there!
Day 2 and it was my turn to drive 'The Beast', and it's not just a clever name - this car is the size of a jumbo jet and despite pulling the seat as far forward as it would go, my feet only just reached the pedals and I needed to sit on a pillow to see over the steering wheel!
We started the morning at another obscenely gorgeous lookout which afforded us views of the seaside town of Apollo Bay where we'd spent the night. From there we took a slight detour out to Cape Otway, but being skanks, dodged going to see the lighthouse there when we realised we had to pay for it, and turned around immediately! The detour was worth it though as on the way back we spied 3 wild Koalas chilling in the trees - they're so cute - I want one! Next up were the most famous landmarks on the Great Ocean Road - Gibsons Steps down the the beach and the 12 Apostles
Lighthouse
The 'Round the Twist' Lighthouse - actually only 7 massive rock formations jutting out of the water. They used to be attached to the land many years ago, but the constant battering they received by the waves has meant that they've now separated and stand alone in the water. It was a very impressive sight and the contrast between the greens and blues of the water and the yellows and duns of the rocks was beautiful. Suitably awe inspired we spent the rest of the afternoon checking out other rock formations in the water including Thunder Cave, The Arch and London Bridge. This stretch of water is nicknamed the Shipwreck Coast as so many vessels have come to ruin here, and we saw the site of the Lord Ard Shipwreck and the gorge that caused it, along the way.
Whilst we were lucky with the weather during the day, this definitely wasn't the case at night. On our first night at Apollo Bay we were hit with a huge thunder storm which made sleeping in the tent virtually impossible - especially with the water continously dripping on your head, and on the 2nd night we had to endure winds so strong I genuinely believed we'd
Lord Ard
The site of the Lord Ard shipwreck wake up in a strange land with a yellow brick road! Still, it's all part of the fun isn't it, and it was worth it for the stunning stuff we saw during the day. However, these freezing conditions coupled with having to drive with the windows open the whole time meant I got a stinking cold and was glad to reach Adelaide on Monday and the sanctuary of a hostel!
We stayed at the very cosy 'My Place' hostel and were invited on a free sightseeing tour of the city that evening. So, we dutifully turned up at 8pm, only to be told it was actually 7.30 - we'd driven so far through so many states that we'd crossed a time zone without realising it! The city tour was good - we were taken to a lookout point to see the city lights and then drove back via the old Formula 1 track as well as the Library and Church. We also learnt that the hostel used to be Adelaide's most famous brothel and the owners sometimes have trouble with people not wanting to stay there because of it! That evening we cosied up in the TV room, pleased to
Great Ocean Road 3
The view from Teddy's lookout. be indoors as it was so cold out again, and watched The Wedding Singer.
The following day we took a whistle stop tour of Adelaide. It's a very pretty city, quite reminiscent of Darwin, and is very small meaning that everything is within walking distance. Bulk chose to check out the cricket ground whilst Seamus and I went to see the Library, Museum and Art Gallery - some seriously schmancy buildings! There was a Rodin exhibition on at the Art Gallery and wanting to educate myself further on the sculptor's work, I dragged Seamus along for a gander. Sadly there was quite a steep entrance fee, so I decided to postpone my education for another day! Having met back up with Bulk we went to see Victoria Square Fountain and the Central Markets before having another chilled evening at the hostel.
With the lads being keen to get back to Sydney and source some work, we left Adelaide the next morning and decided to take the top road back, stopping in at Canberra along the way. My God, it was cold, grey and wet, so we drove for as long as we could so we wouldn't be sitting around and
In the cabin
Seamus gets a little over excited at the prospect of goon and the 'pimp' cabin! freezing to death at a campsite. 800kms and one speeding fine later we arrived in a small town called Hay where we decided to call it a night. By this point it was about 8pm and so unbelievably cold that none of us could stomach the thought of camping. We plotted to take advantage of my cold in the hope that the caravan park owner would take pity on us and give us a cabin at a discounted rate and bingo - it worked! The cabin was ideal - a small unit with a double bed and 3 bunks, cooking facilities and a TV - it was so nice to have warmth and shelter as well as our own space!
The following morning we heard that it had snowed in Victoria, Canberra and New South Wales that night - what was going on with the weather - it's supposed to be summer in December, and this is Australia for God sakes! Another day long drive to Canberra ensued with the inevitable search for warm accommodation looming ahead of us. We weren't quite so lucky this time, but after some shopping around settled on an even nicer cabin with its own
Adelaide
Victoria Square Fountain ensuite bathroom, camping again being out of the question with the forecast for that night being 2 degrees!
Friday morning was spent mooching around the capital. We planned to do the Lonely Planets walking tour of the city, but it was about as successful as when we tried to do one in Saigon and we were soon bored and decided to ditch it! We visited the main attraction of the city - Parliament House and as Parliament weren't sitting that day we got to look around the Senators Room and the House of Representatives. We also went up to the roof where there are some pretty impressive views of the city. After visiting the Library, mainly because it had free Internet, it was time to head back to Sydney to be reunited with Wigg and Christophe.
Gone with the wind
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