The Great Ocean Road

Yesterday I went out on my first solo tour to the Great Ocean Road. The scenery was beautiful and it was nice to take a day off and enjoy getting out of the city. The day started early and lasted until evening so I was wiped by the time I was dropped back off at The Blackman.

There were 24 people in the group, guided by Tracy. Representatives from England, Ireland, Brasil, The Netherlands, France, China, and of course, the good ol’ USA (I was the only one however). There were five others flying solo as well. Half the group were college-aged, six fresh out of “uni” (Aussie term). I learned a lot about the backpacking society through the stories they told as we cruised 550 kilometres around Southern Victoria. I can’t imagine staying in hostels, two to three in a bunk bed (often with complete strangers), sharing a bathroom, and not having any solid plans or place to stay. I suppose this is why one would do it in your youth. As you get older, it seems like you would want to know where you will be laying your head and where you will get your next meal.

Bells Beach

We set off from Melbourne CBD bright and early. It was a good thing that we were headed south and west as the traffic into the city was at a complete standstill for several kilometres (the downside of living on the west end – the trains and trams have not been extended into the newest suburbs). Most of the young ones fell asleep promptly as we headed towards our first destination – Geelong (Ja-long). I was surprised how large this ‘small’ city is. It was twice the size of Reno. Next it was Torquay (Tore-key), home of the Rip Curl Pro – the most sought after Surfing title. We stopped at Bells Beach, known for its surf and we weren’t disappointed. There were many out on their boards waiting for the perfect wave.

Next stop was Aireys Inlet and the Split Point lighthouse, built in 1890 after ten shipwrecks off the coast. After taking some photos and taking in the view we were back on the mini bus and off to Lorne (Lorn), Koala Cove, and Apollo Bay. By now, I had a great appreciation for the Great Ocean Road and the men who built it. The shoreline is mostly cliffs, but you do come across beautiful stretches of beach. Just off the beaches, are rocks that are hidden beneath the surface. You can understand why this is known as the Shipwreck Coast. There are hundreds of wrecks up and down the coast, although none are visible.

Split Point Lighthouse

Along the way we also spotted Koalas in the wild, kangaroos laying next to cows, and a lot of unique birds. Just off the coast are dairy farms providing the best milk in Victoria according to our Victorian-born tour guide. [Side note: the Aussies seem to take more pride in their home city/state than most Americans.]

We also stopped at the Maits rain forest trail and went on a short hike through the trees and ferns. It was significantly cooler and was a welcome relief. It is part of the Great Otway National Park (800 sq metres – big? Small? You tell me.). There are numerous hiking and mountain biking trails all along the Great Ocean Road. Aussies love the outdoors and camping and the area can be quite crowded in the summer months.

The 12 Apostles

Finally it was time for the helicopter ride. When we pulled into the car park, our guide asked who wanted to go on a helicopter ride. I was the only one out of the 24. I didn’t let that deter me as one of the best memories of my 2009 holiday was the helicopter ride over the Great Barrier Reef. The good news is I was a ‘single’ so I moved up to the front of the line and joined a couple from The Netherlands on holiday. Fortunately, I also got to ride in the front as a single. We were off and over the coastline in 2 minutes. We flew over London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge and the 12 Apostles. Funny story as the original name of the 12 Apostles was the "sour piglets" but it was decided the name was grand enough nor inspirational so they turned to the Bible. What a spectacular sight from the air. It was a short 15 minute ride but worth every penny of the $75 fee. What a fun and interesting job to have. When I came back, there were 9 people from my group waiting to go up. They said I inspired them to go. This was good thing for me as I got to spend a lot of time roaming the trails along the tops of the cliffs.

London Bridge

Loch Ard Gorge

Back on the bus, we headed for London Bridge, an island that used to be connected to the mainland by a rock arch. It collapsed in 1990 stranding two people on the island who had to be rescued by helicopter. Imagine being stuck on a rock and watching your only way off collapse into the water 45 metres below you. The last stop was Loch Ard Gorge. It is named for a clipper than ran aground on nearby Muttonbird Island on 1 June 1878 after a three month voyage from England (it’s final destination was Melbourne). There were only 2 survivors, Tom Pearce  (a cabin steward) and Eva Carmichael (sailed with 5 family members immigrating to Australia), both 18 years old. Tom managed to get to shore but Eva was floating on debris. After rescuing her, they took shelter in a cave and eventually, Tom realised the only way out was to scale the cliffs. He managed to get out of the gorge and bring back help to get Eva out. Whilst many hoped for a romantic ending, Eva was too distrait to stay in Australia so she returned to England.

Eventually all good things must end as we boarded the bus for the long ride back to Melbourne. We were travelling inland and stopped at Colac for a quick dinner. After dinner, it started raining. It was like a cloud was overhead the entire drive back to the city but I counted myself lucky that we didn’t get one drop during the day. There wasn’t a lot of intermixing during the entire tour but on the ride home everyone was visiting and becoming fast friends. As luck would have it, I was the first one dropped off. By now it was raining hard and I could see the possibility of more flash floods (and there were some flash floods but not nearly as bad as the week before). I did enjoy the thunder and lightning from my balcony.

Best day playing hooky ever!