Today we took a fabulous tour along the Great Ocean Road. It was a long day (beginning at 7:30 am) but
it was so worth every minute of it.
Anyone who is considering visiting Australia and Melbourne should
definitely take this tour. We actually
did the reverse of the tour, starting at the 12 Apostles and then driving the
highway back down to Melbourne. This way
we beat most of the other tourist buses and did not have to deal with a lot of
people at each stop.
The Great Ocean Road is a scenic highway that follows the coastline
west of Melbourne for 151 miles through Victoria (often compared to our Pacific
Coast Highway). It was started in 1919
as a project for returning WWI soldiers and took 13 years to complete. It follows a challenging coastline with
hairpin turns along the edge of sheer and crumbling cliffs of the Otway
Ranges. It is dedicated to the soldiers
who did not return and is said to be the longest war memorial in the world. Along the coastline are some prime surf beaches,
with waves created from the Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea. This area is famous for shipwrecks (about
1200) and surfing. Known as the Surf
Coast, its waves are whipped up across their 2,000 unobstructed mile journey
from Antarctica.
The day started overcast with a very light drizzle. But after our initial 3 hour drive through
rolling hills and dairy and sheep farms, the sun came out as we reached the 12
apostles. The name 12 Apostles is a
misnomer. The original name “Sow and
Piglets” was considered not an appropriate name for such a majestic rock
formation and not a name that would attract tourists. So the Australian government made the change
to 12 Apostles. And secondly, there
never were 12. There are only 8 (#9 fell
into the sea some time ago). These
stacks of limestone are about 15 stories tall and were etched out of the coast
by the powerful surf in this area. Known
as Shipwreck Coast, this waterway in the 19th century was the only
way to reach Melbourne from Europe. With
storm waves more than 50’high, 180 ships never made it to their destination. But the view from the lookout stands is
stunning.
 |
| 12 Apostles |
 |
| 12 Apostles |
Just a few minutes away is Loch Ard Gorge, an area where the waves
funnel through a narrow short gorge before reaching a sandy beach. Its true claim to fame is the story of the
most famous wreck and one of Australia’s greatest rescue efforts. On June 1, 1878, the clipper Loch Ard from
England found itself besieged in a winter storm and crashed into the rocks of
nearby Muttonbird Island. Only one of
the 54 on board –a 17-year old apprentice sailor – managed to reach shore in
the gorge that now bears the name Loch Ard Gorge. When he heard the cries of the only other
survivor, a young girl of 19, he went back into the sea and saved her. She had been traveling with 7 members of her wealthy
family and somehow was able to cling to a piece of wood until she was rescued. Australian would have loved it if the two
young people had married – it would have been the perfect, romantic, ending to
this tragedy. But alas it was not to
be. Both returned to England and married
other people. When asked later in life
why she did not marry her rescuer, she replied that she would never marry a
lowly sailor! So much for Australia’s
love story!
 |
| Razorback Rock near Loch Ard Gorge |
 |
| Loch Ard Gorge |
From the Gorge we drove down the winding coastal road admiring the
truly beautiful coastline. The sea was
many shades of blue, from deep blue to a creamy turquoise blue and several
shades in between. We stopped in the
summer resort town of Apollo Bay for lunch and to admired the large stretch
sandy beaches.
 |
| Apollo Bay |
 |
| Scenic Coastline |
 |
| Scenic Coastline |
Our next stop was another highlight of the trip.
We drove to an area of eucalyptus trees where
koala bears are known to frequent.
Our
guide pointed us to a crowd of people and said that we would probably see the
koalas there.
Unfortunately there were
no koalas, but there were a treeful of King Parrots.
As I was trying to take a picture of one,
another landed on my arm.
They were
definitely not afraid of humans.
Then
someone told us that they had seen two koalas up the road.
So off we went, huffing and puffing up a
steep dirt road for about ½ mile.
But we
were rewarded when we spied the two koalas asleep in the trees.
Our last stop was another highlight.
We drove to a municipal golf course in a small town, and there among the
golfers was a group of about 30 kangaroos.
I don’t know if the PGA has any procedures governing what happens if a
kangaroo hops off with the ball, but the golfers just played through the
kangaroos and the kangaroos just hopped and ate wherever they pleased.
 |
| Kangaroos |
 |
| Golf and Kangaroos |
Twelve hours after we started we were back in Melbourne. This was one of the best tours we have
taken. Koalas, kangaroos, King parrots,
sulfur-crested cockatoos (the bane of local farmers because they eat their
crops), and stunning views of the ocean, shoreline, and sandstone cliffs and rock
formations – what’s not to love. And
best of all – NO SNAKES!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment