Day 8
Today had an early start of about 5:45a. I woke up and got ready to go and headed out the door to meet the bus at 6:45a. I was sad to find out that a girl in my room who was taking the same tour happened to have been booked through a different tour operator and we wouldn't be on the same tour. I saw her when I returned at night and she had a great tour, as well.
Our tour guide today was Tegan with Autopia tours (just bought by Wildlife Tours. the other company) and she was great. We headed off, and with a smaller crowd of about 15 people (opposed to a full 24), we were able to make more spur-of-the-moment stops, like wild kangaroo spotting. At every stop, the sun seemed d to follow us, even if it had been raining, except for the [temperate, not tropical] rain forest, but it's a rain forest so was supposed to be drizzling all the time.
Our tour started with about a 50km drive west out of Melbourne. When we finally reached the sea, we stopped for tea and biscuits (cookies) for our first official photo op. (We actually stopped for our very first photo op about 5 minutes earlier when we spotted wild kangaroos! How exciting!) Our next stop was at the official start of the Great Ocean Road, where a sign hung over the road.
A bit of history: If you weren't aware, the Great Ocean Road serves as the largest war memorial in the world. It is a tribute to the fallen Australian soldiers of WWI. When the soldiers returned, there was on-going debate as whether to build such a road heading west from Melbourne to connect the beach towns on the way to Adelaide. When the returned soldiers found work impossible to find, the debate was over and it was decided the soldiers would be put to work building this road. It gave the soldiers work and provided transportation to the secluded townships, so everyone was satisfied.
Many more stops were made along the coastal drive after those first few, and eventually we had lunch at a lovely little township called Appollo Bay. The sun had been shining the entire morning and the views were spectacular.
After lunch we left the coast, but still following the road, we ended up in the rain forest. We stopped for a walk through a portion of it and saw some of the largest trees in the world. One, in fact, had been measured as one centimeter shy of the tallest tree in the world.
When we got to the 12 Apostilles a bit later, it was raining very heavily, but I'd come this far so I figured I may as well open the umbrella, hop out of the van and see them. Almost at that moment, just as I stepped out of the van, the sky opened up and beautiful sunshine shone through the clouds just long enough to take in the beauty. I headed down to the coast from the parking lot and saw yet another of the most beautiful places in the world. Just as I got to the end of the walk way out on the cliffs, the brilliant sunshine created a full side-to-side double rainbow. Now, now I know what lies at the other side of rainbows... complete magnificent beauty. I feel very blessed to have been able to see everything at that moment. Breathtaking.
There were a few more stops after that, each with beauty rivaling that of the 12 Apostilles even if the drizzles had returned, and then it was on back to Melbourne, which is on the bus where I write this blog. We will make a stop soon for snacks or a quick dinner, and be back in Melbourne in about 2 hours, or sometime between 9-930p. It's been a long day with kangaroos, koalas, and spectacular rock formation sightings, and even a rare black carnivorous snail sighting in the rain forest. It was more wonderful than I had dreamt. It is definitely a must-do for anyone traveling to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
I plan to spend my last day in OZ wandering about St. Kilda, a beach suburb of Melbourne, and taking in the arts, culture, and maybe even a gourmet bite to eat along the ocean.
Today had an early start of about 5:45a. I woke up and got ready to go and headed out the door to meet the bus at 6:45a. I was sad to find out that a girl in my room who was taking the same tour happened to have been booked through a different tour operator and we wouldn't be on the same tour. I saw her when I returned at night and she had a great tour, as well.
Our tour guide today was Tegan with Autopia tours (just bought by Wildlife Tours. the other company) and she was great. We headed off, and with a smaller crowd of about 15 people (opposed to a full 24), we were able to make more spur-of-the-moment stops, like wild kangaroo spotting. At every stop, the sun seemed d to follow us, even if it had been raining, except for the [temperate, not tropical] rain forest, but it's a rain forest so was supposed to be drizzling all the time.
Our tour started with about a 50km drive west out of Melbourne. When we finally reached the sea, we stopped for tea and biscuits (cookies) for our first official photo op. (We actually stopped for our very first photo op about 5 minutes earlier when we spotted wild kangaroos! How exciting!) Our next stop was at the official start of the Great Ocean Road, where a sign hung over the road.
A bit of history: If you weren't aware, the Great Ocean Road serves as the largest war memorial in the world. It is a tribute to the fallen Australian soldiers of WWI. When the soldiers returned, there was on-going debate as whether to build such a road heading west from Melbourne to connect the beach towns on the way to Adelaide. When the returned soldiers found work impossible to find, the debate was over and it was decided the soldiers would be put to work building this road. It gave the soldiers work and provided transportation to the secluded townships, so everyone was satisfied.
Many more stops were made along the coastal drive after those first few, and eventually we had lunch at a lovely little township called Appollo Bay. The sun had been shining the entire morning and the views were spectacular.
After lunch we left the coast, but still following the road, we ended up in the rain forest. We stopped for a walk through a portion of it and saw some of the largest trees in the world. One, in fact, had been measured as one centimeter shy of the tallest tree in the world.
When we got to the 12 Apostilles a bit later, it was raining very heavily, but I'd come this far so I figured I may as well open the umbrella, hop out of the van and see them. Almost at that moment, just as I stepped out of the van, the sky opened up and beautiful sunshine shone through the clouds just long enough to take in the beauty. I headed down to the coast from the parking lot and saw yet another of the most beautiful places in the world. Just as I got to the end of the walk way out on the cliffs, the brilliant sunshine created a full side-to-side double rainbow. Now, now I know what lies at the other side of rainbows... complete magnificent beauty. I feel very blessed to have been able to see everything at that moment. Breathtaking.
There were a few more stops after that, each with beauty rivaling that of the 12 Apostilles even if the drizzles had returned, and then it was on back to Melbourne, which is on the bus where I write this blog. We will make a stop soon for snacks or a quick dinner, and be back in Melbourne in about 2 hours, or sometime between 9-930p. It's been a long day with kangaroos, koalas, and spectacular rock formation sightings, and even a rare black carnivorous snail sighting in the rain forest. It was more wonderful than I had dreamt. It is definitely a must-do for anyone traveling to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
I plan to spend my last day in OZ wandering about St. Kilda, a beach suburb of Melbourne, and taking in the arts, culture, and maybe even a gourmet bite to eat along the ocean.
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