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Published: March 31st 2010
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Yes, after our Suffolk fest a couple of days ago, it looks like we’re finding where many Irish settled. I’ve spotted a Coleraine, but have got to say that I guffawed at the thought of Belfast being renamed Port Fairy in 1887 - but I never did find out why. I have got to say Port Fairy is one of the loveliest places we’ve been, with so many historical buildings (50 are heritage listed), it just had such a wonderful feel about it.
The next we knew we were on the Great Ocean Road and being treated to some of the most spectacular coastal scenery Australia has to offer - we’ve seen the Bay of Islands, Martyrs Bay, the Grotto, London Bridge, The Arch and last, but not least, the 12 Apostles (originally called the sow and piglets). I really don’t know how to describe the splendour of the scenery, the colours of the water and the cliffs and the ongoing ferocity of the sea. Suffice to say, it’s a Geography Teacher’s dream, every possible coastal feature you will ever come across along one stretch of coastline!
It was really strange, we pulled into small parking spots for each
of the sights, parked up and wandered up footpaths of varying length to lookout points. Normally we’d see something between 5-10 other cars/vans doing the same. When we got to the 12 Apostles, there was a car park that could probably take 1,000 cars (I could be exaggerating here ... no doubt John will correct me) - and it was full ... there were people everywhere and coaches and noise and Japanese tourists by the dozen (why do they always have to have their photos taken with their fingers in the air?) The Apostles were absolutely fantastic, but the others were pretty awe inspiring too - and we’ve both agreed that the Bay of Islands was probably our favourite ... maybe because it was the first we saw?
I may not have known the words to describe the splendour of the Great Ocean Scenery, but I do know how to describe the weather, which is to say that today has been the coldest and greyest day we’ve had since we left England! I suppose it had to come to an end eventually, but I think we’ve been jolly lucky - the radio today was reporting that Perth has just
suffered the worst storm for over 15 years, so we can count ourselves lucky we missed that. We’re rather hoping that Cousin Steve has sorted the rain situation in Queensland before we arrive!!
And it looks like the Aussies may have discovered another colour in Victoria - I think we call it green! It may not be the deep green of Ireland or the bright green of England, but it’s definitely green - and there are even shades of green! I’ve also been noticing more colour and abundance in the gardens than those we’ve seen elsewhere. It appears that Victoria has water. We were listening to a radio programme discussing the problems with the Australian water supply. You really had to feel sorry for the guest - he’d just spent a year of his life travelling down the Darling and Murray writing a book about the drought and the dire conditions - just as he went into publication the heavens opened and the rain and flooding haven’t stopped yet! Poor chap - he did keep making the point that, despite all the floods they’ve been having up North, the reservoirs are still only 25% full. It’s not all tickety
boo here either - tonight we are camping on the banks of Lake Colac ... except the Lake is, we estimate, half a mile from the bank where we’re sitting!! Got to confess to being a tad disappointed by this! ‘Is it tidal we asked when we arrived’! Someone told us that 4 years ago people would have trailers and boats where we were camping and the water would have been lapping only feet from where we were camped. Someone needs to update our book!!
A few nights’ ago I was chatting to an Aussie mother and her two young sons, Charlie and Connor (8 and 6). They and her husband were ‘travelling round Australia’ and she’d taken the boys out of school and was home tutoring them on their 5 month trip (seemed to me that all she was getting them to do was write a journal) (hey Paul - do you remember the one you did when you were about 5 when we were caravanning with Nanny & Grandad - I’ve still got it!!) (haw haw!). They’d left Melbourne on 18 January (5 days after we left home) and they’d made it as far as Goolwa in
SA (ie not very far), but had zigzagged up and down, visiting Adelaide 3 times and Mt Barker twice. (I’m not sure who was planning their route, but I’m sure I could have helped!). I wasn’t quite sure how well the home tutoring was working when Charlie, the eldest, asked me to point out England on the map of Australia. It probably didn’t bode well when I picked a spot and said ‘start digging here’ and he looked at me blankly. She was telling me that they’d been on Kangaroo Island and she saw the biggest ‘gwana’ ever - she’d pointed it out to the boys and Charlie refused to look, covering his eyes. When she asked why ... it was because he would have to write about it in his journal if he saw it!
I’m sharing this tale with you, dear readers, because there are times when I want to close my eyes too - it’s only the knowledge that there’s still a few of you out there reading this nonsense that keeps us going - that and the knowledge that Dad’s printing it out for us, so we’ll have a record of our trip ...
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