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Published: April 26th 2009
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We finished the 2009 grape harvest and were ready to hit the road! Before leaving Mildura, we decided to take a day trip to Mungo National Park. Remote and isolated, the park is home to at least 40,000 years of continuous human habitation. Human remains found on site in the 1970s that have been dated at over 40,000 years are not only the oldest archelogical findings in Australia, but is also the oldest known cremation in the world. Geologically, the park is centered around ancient dry lake beds, and the large sand dunes called the "Walls of China." We took a tour with an aboriginal park ranger, who led us around the grounds pointing out ancient artifacts exposed in the sand. We felt privledged to be walking amongst such significant cultural history. It was amazing to see a 20,000 year old kangaroo jaw recently unearthed by wind erosion lying in the sand where it fell rather than in an exhibit in a mueseum. We spent hours walking around, taking in the unique features of the sand dunes, and looking at the archelogical remains. Our car blew a tire on the long and bumpy route back to Mildura, but with a quick
roadside change we made it back safe and sound. In true aboriginal spirit, we dined on kangaroo steaks that night at the hotel... surprisingly very tasty!
The next day after we said our goodbyes and got a couple new tires, we headed for Melbourne. Andrew was very excited to get his didgeridoo, an aboriginal Australian wind instrument. He bought it from an aboriginal man named Yaramunnua who has played with many artists worldwide, including Stevie Wonder. With didgeridoo in hand, we were ready to hit the Great Ocean Road. As we drove into Torquay, the official start of the road, we were blown away by all the surf shops. The entire town revolved around surfing, and to our surprise, we learned that the Rip Curl All Pro Surf Competition happened to be on while we were there. This event at Bell's Beach is the longest running Pro Surfing Competition in the world. The atmosphere was electric, and we were having a great time before we even saw a wave. We stayed until the surfing was finished, and then continued down the road where we found a bush camping site in the rainforest. Kilometers away from town and all
Playin' Didge in the Bush
It was pretty peaceful till I started playing! on our own, the isolation was perfect for practicing the didgeridoo. We spent the morning hiking to waterfalls in the area. The next part of the Great Ocean Road, on the way to Cape Otway, was filled with spectacular coastal scenery. The cape itself was lush temperate rainforest, where we found our first koalas near Kennett River. Cute but lazy, they just sat in the lower branches of the tree munching on eucalyptus leaves while we admired them. Later, we stopped in the small town of Apollo Bay before spending the night camping with more koalas.
The second half of the Great Ocean Road was more countryside than cliffs, but was equally scenic. We were excited as we approached the Twelve Apostles. The skies were bright, the water was a brilliant blue, and the views were breathtaking. We had looked at the photographs of these unique rock formations in the sea for many years, but they were much more beautiful in person. Apparently we weren't the only ones fascinated with the Twelve Apostles - the viewing platforms were absolutely packed! We decided to spend some time in nearby Port Campbell and return to the Apostles for sunset. Again, a
Sunset
The Twelve Apostles
Great Ocean Road, Victoria lot of other people seemed to have the same idea, but we arrived in just enough time to secure a front row seat to the nightly performance. It was a beautiful sunset. It was awesome to watch the sun disappear beneath the flat and distant ocean horizon; we could literally count down the seconds until the last sliver of it vanished.
The next day we reached Warrnambool, and the official end of the Great Ocean Road, though we still continued along the coast. Stopping at a dormant volcanic crater called Tower Hill Reserve, we were treated to some interesting views as we climbed to the peak, and some interesting wildlife as well! The emus here were about as friendly as the wallabies were in Tassie, and seemed to hang around the picnic areas. It's unfortunate that people encourage these wild animals to have human contact, but it was a guilty pleasure to see them up close! Later, we got a little off track and ended up in Portland, where we saw a restaurant called "Canadian Rooster." Of course, we had to check it out - I wouldn't say it was distinctly Canadian by any means, but it sure was
Umpherston Sinkhole
Mt. Gambier, South Australia good! As we continued up the coast, we eventually crossed into the state of South Australia. Hooray for a new state! We stopped in the town of Mt. Gambier, built on old volcanic craters. Blue Lake sits in one of the craters, and turns a bright colour of blue every summer, though no one can figure out why. We caught it just at the end of it's blue season, and the colours were quite impressive. The town had an Easter Horse Show going on, so we went to see some of the Show Jumping; which certainly made us feel at home! From there we continued up the Limestone Coast, touring the small fishing towns of Robe and Kingston, before stopping in Coorong National Park. A coastal park with lots of sand dunes, many people were out with their 4WD vehicles for Easter weekend. We made it up the bumpy road to the campsites, and then decided to park the car and walk to the beach. The next day we headed for Adelaide....
We're currently travelling through the South West of Western Australia, and will update you with our travels shortly. Thanks for reading! 😊
With love,
Cass
Beautiful Beaches
Robe, South Australia & Andrew xoxo
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luke
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Hi! I found racoon skull that looks like the kangaroo skull. Bye!!!