Great Ocean Road: Part II

Hola from Adelaide! It's been a little while since my last update and we've done so much since then that I can't fit all the pictures into one post! There is very little free wifi available in this country and most places want to charge a small fortune for the pleasure so I've been left high and dry without recourse to internet access. This, of course, is not such a bad thing, but it means that I can only update my blog sporadically. Not to worry. Currently I'm sitting in a beachfront pub at Glenelg in Adelaide using the free wifi that is available in their bar. Thanks goodness for forward thinking publicans, and Macca's of course (gotta love Macca's free wifi!).

Anyhow, the second half of our journey along Great Ocean Road turned out pretty swell. It consisted of viewing some of the most beautiful coastline and well-known geologic formations in the country. On our way to the more famous bits we discovered some hidden gems. Mait's Rest, just out of Apollo Bay is a beautiful rainforest walk through a lush, beardy forest full of giant ferns, imposing trees and tangled roots. Not far from there is the turn off to Cape Otway and the road that leads to the lighthouse provides for a real treat. The twisted branches of eucalypts create a canopy over the road and one need only look up to spot sleepy koalas resting in the tree tops. I spotted 24 of them within a distance of about 5 kilometres. That's far more than I've seen in the wild in the past 35 years! There were 5 in just one tree! After getting our fill of koala spotting we headed towards Cape Otway to see the lighthouse but got deterred by a pretty hefty entrance fee (I'm not that into lighthouses anyway!) and decided to go on our own adventure down one of the dirt roads we'd spotted earlier on. We definitely made the right decision as we ended up at a pretty spectacular secluded beach called Crayfish Bay. Being the only people there we spent a good hour exploring rock pools, playing with seaweed and watching the wild waves.

The 12 Apostles (of which there are only 8 or 9 left) did not disappoint. On our first day of viewing, we woke up while the world was still sleeping to arrive at the viewing platforms just before sunrise. It was such a majestic sight  - the soft pink light on those sheer, great limestone walls. Yeah, it was pretty spectacular. 

I have since become a little bit obsessed with early morning light. The other thing about the wee morning hours is that the earth is still damp and there is quite often fog and dewy droplets hanging around. The world is so incredibly pretty on the morn of what promises to be a sunshiny day. I, however, am not so pretty in the mornings...this makes for a conundrum which I am yet to sort out.

Wildlife. Alive. Dead and dead. :( The world is a cruel and unforgiving place. I find the juxtaposition of the drowned bird and stranded puffer fish rather poetic. One died underwater and the other died because it got stranded above the water. They were literally a couple of metres apart. How startlingly melancholy. It was, really, quite a sombre moment when I saw them there void of life...

But never fear! I soon recovered from my dreary reverie with a walk amongst the stone towers. They look so much bigger from the beach! We also returned to one of the lookouts near Muttonbird Island at sunset to take in the evening return of these most remarkable birds. Apparently they migrate from this little island to Alaska every year. Alaska is 15,000 kilometres away! And this is a return trip! Whilst in Australia, they mate and have one chick which they fatten up with fish they've caught on their daily fishing trips. Just after sunset they return from their fishing adventures en masse and their arrival on the island is quite a spectacle. They circle the entire island before they retreat to the safety of their burrows. I watched the first bird come in and 40 minutes later we were surrounded by thousands and thousands of birds circling around us - it was extraordinary - certainly one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed. But I'm a bit of a nature doco geek so this kind of thing really gets me excited!

The next morning Benny woke me up far too early. After a few terse words from me he explained that he'd booked a helicopter flight for us for Valentines Day. I apologised rather sheepishly, feeling like a douche but excited as hell. Thing is I've never had much luck with helicopter flights. Every time I've gone to do one it has been cancelled due to bad weather. This started in New Zealand over a decade ago when I had my heart set on seeing Fox Glacier from the air. Well, things worked out rather beautifully for me this day - there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the air was still - perfect! My first time on a chopper was pretty awesome, I wasn't one bit scared, which is a miracle given my phobia of heights! It was the perfect way to finish off our time on Great Ocean Road...

Great Ocean Road: Part I

Now we're into the guts of our holiday, doing the bit we really desperately wanted to see - Great Ocean Road. Known as one of the most spectacular scenic drives in the country, GOR is renowned for its beautiful and rugged coastal landscape. Thus far it has certainly lived up to its reputation. I have been blown away by the majesty of the southern coastline. It's far prettier than I'd imagined with soft undulating hills reaching down to the waters of the Southern Ocean. Hundreds of bays and inlets line the road's path and we're constantly stopping to check out the extraordinary view from roadside lookouts. We have a lot of time to explore so we're taking it easy and cruising at a relaxed pace. It's blissful and a complete luxury. To be here in this iconic party of the country for the first time feels rather strange - I never knew Australia could look like this. Being from Queensland I'm more than familiar with beaches and the coast, but the landscape down here is foreign, which makes it an adventure to explore!

There is a seal sitting on the rocks in the picture below. Not that it's easy to spot. I was hiding in the bushes in a makeshift 'ladies room' when Ben started pointing like a madman at the rock. I thought someone was swimming in the water and they'd seen me with my pants down, haha! Turns out I'd walked straight past this little fur seal who'd been sunning himself on the rock. At Ben's crazy waving and gesticulating the poor frightened creature slid off into the water and then proceeded to give us a big 'up yours' by showing off some pretty impressive water acrobatics. Then I got all stupid excited about the whole thing - "We saw a seal man, like a real life wild one! Awwww!" I do love a good wildlife spotting.

Yesterday afternoon we took a northern turn and ended up in the mountains at one of those tree top experiences. One thing you must know about me is that I am absolutely terrified of heights. It's irrational and crazy but I haven't been able to overcome it no matter how many times I've attempted to face my fears. So, I can't say I enjoyed the tree top experience all that much and the $24 entry fee was completely wasted on me. I just got dizzy and panicky and sweated like crazy the whole time. To get through I kept my eyes on the horizon and put one foot in front of the other. Benny took his time behind me and got the wonderful pictures below. On terra firma we encountered a few snarly dinosaurs. Between them and the heights thing I had a pretty stressful afternoon! I was glad to make it out of there alive!

Oh, and on a drive to the beach yesterday we came across this little dude shuffling around on the roadside. He (or she - I can't be sure) let me come up real close to take this picture. Echidnas are so freaky huh? It's nose was stuffed in the dirt sucking up ants most of the time. I got lucky when it came up for breath. Cute!

All of this is to say that we're having a swell time down here in the south. So let the adventure continue...