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Published: December 23rd 2005
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So after two late nights out with Rob, I was very worried that I'd miss my 7 am pickup on Tuesday for the Great Ocean Rd. trip. My alarm clock was so quiet (with no volume control!?!) and I was so paranoid that I barely slept the whole night (or was that because I had no sheets on the bed and there were trains every 15 minutes right outside the window?)...so at 5:30 am I dutifully got up and checked out. I was at the bus station at 6:40; 20 minutes early! I wait....and wait.....and wait some more. I walk around a bit, thinking maybe I am in the wrong spot. I keep looking for the tour logo on any van to no avail. At about 7:20 I am sort of wondering what the deal is. I have the phone number but of course no mobile phone to call. And of course, there is no pay phone within sight. Do I leave to go phone and risk missing them while I'm gone? Finally at 7:35, I do just that...haul myself and all my stuff about 7 blocks to the phone. At this point I am thinking maybe I am not going
on this trip to Adelaide and in fact I'll be calling Rob again in a few hours. The conversation with the guy from the company goes something like this (after explaining who I am and the situation):
guy (annoyed): Why did you wait so long to call?
me: Because I don't have a phone and I was worried about leaving to walk to the closest phone which isn't exactly nearby because I thought then I'd miss them.
guy: Do you have a mobile phone?
(Are you SERIOUS?)
me: no!
guy: Why not?
(Again, are you SERIOUS?)
me: I'm only in Australia for a few weeks!!
guy: Oh, well ok. Well our guy was already there and you weren't.
me: I was there, since 6:40 and walking around the area looking for him. I didn't see anyone with your tour logo.
guy: Well you need to go back to the skylink office.
me: Ok, that's where I was. But there are several offices now since the whole place is under renovation. Are you sure he went to the one where they are actually selling the tickets?
guy: You need to go back to the office.
me: I understand
that, but I want to make sure we are talking about the same office since there are several.
guy: Just go back to the office. He will be there shortly.
Well RIGHT-O Mr.! Thanks for all your help! Ugh.....people!
Luckily, I went to the right place and the group arrived shortly thereafter (the tour guide didn't make much effort to find me as I was 20 ft. away before and he had no logo on his shirt and of course, the van was an unmarked, rented one....). Of course, I don't want everyone thinking I am the obnoxious person who just overslept so I told them straight away that no, that was not the case! There were 16 people in the group including myself: mostly Germans, a few Brits, Americans, Korea, Canada and Sweden, so a good mix of nationalities.
Once we were underway, we headed to the Great Ocean Rd. stopping in a few little towns along the way to admire the views and have lunch. Headed inland for a bit and saw the country and visited a temperate rainforest. In the evening, we had made it to near the 12 Apostles and our beachhouse for
the night. Went for a swim and then all made dinner together which was nice. Afterward, we went to the 12 Apostles to see the sunset. It was.....incredible!! Of course I had heard a lot about it but it truly is amazing and of course, like anything, these pictures do not do it justice.
On a sidenote: the only annoying thing about Victoria (outside of Melbourne) was the flies! Never before have I seen so many hovering around and just basically sitting on everyone. We'd be walking and everyone would have 20-30 flies on their back and they'd fly around you constantly. Wouldn't have thought this would be the case since it was pretty windy the whole time but what can you do.
After quite the long day and having to get up at 6 the next, we were all in bed at 10, no beachhouse party that night! In the morning, we went back to the 12 Apostles and some other coastal must sees, including Loch Ard gorge, where a famous ship sank in the 1870's, and the Bay of Martyrs (similar to the 12 Apostles). In the afternoon, it was onward to Grampians National Park....
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