The towns just get smaller

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Dec 6th - Day 20

The day started a lot cooler today, the sun probably saw my legs and got scared off. Headed off on the Great Ocean Road and entered the Otway National Park. Up here, rolling hills with lush green grass was the norm, unlike the parched grass on route from Melbourne. Turned down a dirt track and immediately saw a small kangaroo and rabbit. Thought better of it and got back on the main road and met another kangaroo trying to cross the road. From being pleased at seeing wild kangaroos I now hoped I wouldn't see anymore, not at least whilst I was driving. WAs making good time and ahead of schedule so decided to detour to the Otway Fyl. Its a series of steel bridges suspended in the rainforest canopy. It was really impressively done, but you don't really appreciate how high you are till you walk underneath the walkways. Then they seem slightly scarey espcecially as they bounce and sway when you walk on them.

Having had enough of rainforests to last me a lifetime, got back on the Ocean Road and headed for my next stop, which was to be the 12 Apostles. These are a series of stacks just off the beach and they strike astunning pose. They are such a highlight that they even warrant a major car park and a visitors centre complete with locked toilets. Slightly further along the coast are a number of other features and landmarks such as the Arch, London Bridge and the Grotto. In the end I started to get a bit jaded by the number and frequency of landmarks and by the need to have the car park so far away. Who's worried about cliff erosion!

The road then darted inland away from the coast passing mile after mile of sun parched land, with the odd cow or sheep valiantly trying to eat the brown grass. It had been houors since I'd passed anything close to a major town, and it just brought home the size and emptiness ogf the country. It was late afternoon when I finally arrived in Portland and found my hotel and was greeted by my first name as if I was expected. Nice touch. The hotel was a complex comprising rooms, restaurants, TAB and bottle shop, and just about the only happening place in Portland. The town was pretty enough but looked like a wokring town that had fallen on hard times. There were lots of empty shops and others just looked a bit tired.

Decided to eat at the bistro on the complex and finally met someone who was keen on my accent. In the end we had quite a good chat and it was nice to talk to someone. Then being early used the bottle shop facilities, and even the 'can you open the bottle for me' facility, which the young clerk was more than willing to help with. I then retired to my room, bottle of wine, cable TV and a flock of pink parrots (Galahs I later discovered) flying past my balcony feeling very content and happy. (thats me not the parrots)

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