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Published: October 30th 2008
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Great Ocean Road. So many bays & beaches. Never crowded like Margate.We’re off on our travels again with no surfboard between us! We have seen lots of kangaroos & several wombats beside the road, results of accidents but even though there are signs saying take care, look out for wildlife, we never see them hopping around when we’re driving. We’ve seen plenty of koalas in the gum trees though.
Even had to stop while one crossed the road - slowly.
Since parting with Nibby & Matt we’ve talked to them on the phone & on the laptop but we went to different places. We went along the Great Ocean Road, stopping to see the Otway lighthouse & the Twelve Apostles (huge, strangely worn rocks standing high in the sea). It was 35 degrees that day.
We then headed inland, found a lookout point overlooking a volcanic area & a huge lake then stopped overnight in Winchelsea. The next day was only 14 degrees & we drove all day to get to Wagga Wagga where everything was closed the next morning as it was a Monday! We moved on.
Griffith was the next stop & it was so good there we stayed 2 nights. The town was full of a
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A house with a view. citrus display. Needless to say citrus is the local crop. We went into the hills to see a hermit’s lookout & cave dwelling then on a farm tour - a fruit salad farm - meaning mixed fruit. We were given various things to taste, eg wines, mustards, jams etc. They were famous for prunes! The other visit in Griffith was to a Pioneer Park Museum. SO much there to see. The history being relatively recent means that lots of towns have loads of artifacts. This was no exception.
Our next challenge was to find some weirs which Paul wanted to see as they provide irrigation in the area. We drove miles along dust tracks & we did find them. However the flies were ready to greet us in their millions.
Next stop Cootamundra, visited the birthplace of Donald Bradman (famous Aus cricket captain long ago, with average of over 99). We went to a super park with a Walk of Captains - a wonderful display of sculpted busts of all Aus captains.
Donald Bradman had interrupted Paul’s search for irrigation. We drove across country over a Snowy Mountain (no snow) unmade road through a place called ‘Wee Jasper’
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Must look out for kangaroos & emus. to Yass. En route we did see kangaroos & nearly hit some. The scenery was changing all the time.
We drove on to Boorowa then to Young, the cherry capital of Aus. Soon arrived at Cowra where Japanese POWs were held. There is a beautiful Japanese garden there.
Bathurst was the next place then by the time we reached Oberon we’d seen 2 dams, both short of water as Aus has been suffering drought for some time. At least Paul was happy.
We were heading for the Blue Mountains & stopped, we expected briefly, to look in the Jenolan Caves. It was fantastic. We had a guided tour then booked for a concert by the Paganini Duo - violinist & guitarist, in the Cathedral cave in the afternoon. WOW! It was superb. We were then treated to an alternative route out of the caves & it was even better than the first tour we had done.
Stayed in Katoomba ready to take on the Mountains the next day. We crossed a massive drop by cable car & walked to lots of lookout points. The Blue Mountains are breathtaking. Then we took another cable car down into the
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Wombats too. trees below & walked under the canopy. Walkways that couldn’t be seen earlier from above. Finally we rode on the world’s steepest railway. We took the children on it in 1987 but it’s much safer now.
The final drive in our hire car was back to Sydney where believe it or not, we met up with Nibby & Matty again & went out for a farewell meal. That was a bonus. We’re off to Singapore next for a few days before our flight home.
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