Advertisement
Published: December 4th 2006
Edit Blog Post
After one day in Adelaide I departed for the final leg of my Australian journey. I had reluctantly chosen to join another tour but this time it was only for 3 days and 2 nights. I say reluctantly because I would much rather have done this section in a car but at the time of booking I had no such options and was running out of time before New Zealand. Luckily some of my friends from the previous outback tour were also joining me on this next section so there were some familiar faces.
Our first stop was in a small town called Bordertown (near the South Australian/Victorian border) to see some white kangaroos. To be honest I am quite sick of seeing kangaroos, especially the ones that are caged. Seeing these white kangaroos made me really sad because they are not naturally white, they have been bread that way for tourist purposes. Also the kangaroos behind fences are extremely lethargic and barely hop or even move. I still enjoy seeing the ones along the road (and there are lots!) because they seems so happy bouncing around.
Next we started to pass through the Grampians which is a mountain
Mnt. Hollow
We made it to the top! range with lots of hikes, wetlands, waterfalls, canyons and rocky escarpments. Unfortunately 60% of the Grampians were destroyed by a massive forest fire last February so there are burnt trees everywhere. A lot of the wildlife was wiped out such as koalas, kangaroos, possums and 6300 sheep! Our guide told us that after the fire they had to send rangers out with guns to put the injured animals that weren't going to survive out of their misery. What a horrible job and one that I could NEVER do.
Our first stop in the Grampians was a climb up Hollow Mountain. It was definitely one of the steepest climbs I've done so far with many parts so steep we had to scale with our hands. I was feeling quite energetic as we had just done a long bus ride so I really enjoyed the exercise and certainly the view at the top. Next we went to McKenzie Falls and with vivid memories of the outback I found myself once again appreciating an outdoor setting with water.
The following day after a few more stops to see more of the Grampians we made it to the Great Ocean Road. This
The Grampians
What happened?
Charred to a pulp but starting to come back. windy road was built right along the ocean on cliff faces and I suspect it was a good introduction to roads I will be seeing in New Zealand. A word of warning: if you get car sick, sit near a window. The Great Ocean Road was built by soldiers who returned after WWI only to find that there was no work for them. They were given a pic and a shovel and told to build a road. Construction began in 1918 and after a lot of blood and sweat the road finally opened in 1932. A lot of the men who built this road died doing so which I found really sad. They returned from war to no jobs and eventually died building a road. However, it isn't called the Great Ocean Road for nothing. It is a world famous coastal drive that gives access to spectacular views, beach towns, cliffs, rock formations and shipwrecks. There are many stories (some of them romantic that I won't bore you with) of shipwrecks along what they now call "shipwreck coast" which has claimed more than 180 ships. Our bus basically spent the next two days driving up and down this road stopping
The London Bridge
It used to be attached to the land on the left. at various spots along the way; the Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs, Peterborough Beach, London Bridge, The Arch and the famous 12 Apostles.
I will tell a story about London Bridge (see the picture first). About a year ago London Bridge was actually attached by rock to land so people could walk out onto it. One day the rocky attachment collapsed without any warning. Miraculously no one was injured as one family had just made it to the other side and the only two other people around were still standing on the other side. However, this meant the other two people (a man and a woman) were stranded and had to wait for a helicopter rescue. This of course attracted a lot of media attention but after being rescued the man hid his face to the cameras and refused to speak. This of course intrigued the media and it was later released that this man was a politician of the state of Victoria and the woman he was with was not his wife but his secretary with whom he was having an affair. Talk about karma!
The other notable stop we made was at the 12 Apostles.
It is debated as to how many Apostles there actually are, I certainly didn't see twelve. However, there is one less apostle than all the current postcards show because one has recently collapsed into a pile of rubble. Note to self: don't trust the rocks along the Great Ocean Road.
The next day we returned to the 12 Apostles for those who wanted to pay $60 for an 8 minute aerial view via helicopter. Apparently this is a great backpacker price, and it probably is, but it's still too expensive for this backpacker! We visited a few more caves etc. and then moved on to the Otway Fly Treetop Walk over the rainforest. This walk is the world's longest and highest at 600m long and 47m high. It sounds impressive but to be honest it felt too safe to be very exciting. Now something like this in Asia....!!! The steel did shake a bit as you walked and there was one catapult like section where you could really get the steel swaying but it wasn't enough. I guess I've been to Canada's Wonderland one too many times. I have also noticed that Australians like to make a lot of
claims beginning with "best in the world." They say it so often that you really start to wonder where these facts come from.
We arrived in Melbourne December 1st and I still can't believe its December. Every time I see the date on my watch I think surely it must be a joke. Melbourne did feel a little bit more winter like though as the temperature has not yet exceeded 20C. I am ashamed to say that I have lost my Canadian, or should I say Sault Ste Marie, winter tolerance. At 20C I had to pull out my pants, fleece and jacket. However, despite the cold, I was quite relieved to arrive in Melbourne. After 10 days on tour I was ready for some time to myself and looking forward to being on my own schedule. Unfortunately my schedule has mostly consisted of sitting in front of a computer screen and grudgingly completing my physiotherapy applications. Man it's hard to get back into it after so much holiday time!
I did get a few minutes to do some exploring in Melbourne. The Victoria Markets, which are right behind my hostel, are amazing! They sell everything from clothing, souvenirs, cloth, animal hides, fresh fruit, meat, baking, and jewelry...really everything! It's so fun to walk around and hear people yelling out prices and things like "best quality in Australia." Melbourne also has a free bus set up for tourists that takes you on a loop around the city and stops at various tourist attractions. I thought this was a great idea and decided to take a break from applications one day to go exploring. I hopped on the bus and nearly turned around to walk off thinking I must be on the wrong bus, surely this must be a senior’s tour. Turns out I was on the right bus, so I spent the next hour listening to senior’s extremely amusing banter. I should also note that most of them spoke with an Aussie accent. I wonder if some seniors just fill their day by riding a free bus.
I only have a few more days left in Australia before I fly to New Zealand December 6th. I'm really looking forward to starting a new part of my journey and seeing a new country, new landscapes and new people. I find that I'm not appreciating the sights of Australia as much as I think I should, which probably means they have become too familiar and it's time to move on. New Zealand here I come!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.064s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 8; qc: 24; dbt: 0.043s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb
Tim
non-member comment
Early goodmorning
Good morning heather! Its 7am here and I've been up at at it since 6 (back to my old habbits I guess). It was great going to school this morning though cause there was finally snow outside! It was one of those good snows; only a good solid dusting, but the snow was still coming down as big dry flakes. haha not to try to make you jealous of home or anything though, just thought I'd let you know what it was like here in London. Yet another busy week here with TAing, lots of class (finishing neuro and starting psychiatry), meetings and whatever else I can work in. Its been great as always to read what you've been up to and it does sound like you're ready for a change. I hear the people in New Zealand are extremely nice so I'm sure you'll have a much easier start there than you did in Aus. Hope the applications are going well and let me know if I can be of any help. Until next time, enjoy the last bit of Melbourne!