t of Victoria/Australia and has beautiful views of the coast. It is similar to Highway 1 in California.So our first stop was Bells Beach. Is it Australia's most famous surfing beach. They were setting up for a surfing tournament so we could not go down to the beach, but we were able to see it from above. After Bells Beach we headed to the Split Point Light House. The light house was built in 1891 and still operates today! It was in the movie Mad Max as well.
From the light house we stopped at Memorial Arch, which is an arch over the road which acts as a memorial for all of the soldiers who came back from WWI and built the Great Ocean Road, as well as a memorial for the soldiers who did not return from war. There was a beach right there so we got to take some pictures and enjoy the scenery.
After the Memorial Arch we went to a town called Lorne. There we had morning tea and cookies in a park overlooking
the beach. The weather was perfect and we sat and relaxed for a while. Our next stop was Kennett River, where we were able to observe wild koalas! A few were actually really low to the ground in some trees and we were able to get close-up pictures! We lucked out and even saw one that was awake. There are also a lot of parrots in the area, and I got to feed some with seeds in my hand. I was really scared at first because they just fly at you and land on your arm, but after a while I got used to it and it was fun.
Once we were done feeding the parrots and taking pictures of wild koalas we headed to Apollo Bay for lunch. From there we went up to the Otways mountain ranges and stopped at Mait's Rest. We took a 20 minute walk through the rain forest. It was fun- unfortunately there were not any animals out, but I got to see really huge trees with big roots and some fun plants.
Next came the highlight of the trip- the Twelve Apostles, which is a group of limestone rock formations off the coast. It is probably the most popular spot on the Great Ocean Road Tour, and there were a ton of tourists there. There are only 8 apostles left because a few have crumbled due to erosion. It is one thing to look at pictures of them, but to see them in person is truly breathtaking!
Our group had an op
tional helicopter ride over the coast, and so I decided to do it! I really wasn't scared at all - I guess being 10,000 miles away makes you more adventurous. The ride was much smoother than a plane and it was incredible to see the coast from 500 feet in the air! I was able to see a lot of rock formations that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to see. The helicopter ride was definitely the highlight of the trip! It was a little shorter than I was expecting, but I am really glad that I had the experience.After the helicopter ride I went to Lock Ard Gorge- an area known for a famous ship wreck. There were only 2 survivors and they washed up right there on the beach, and the area was named after the ship that sank. The waves were really big and powerful- it is amazing that anyone could have survived! Our last stop was at London Bridge, another limestone rock formation. It us
ed to be connected to land but in the 90s (i think) the land the connected the coast to the rock formation collapsed- while people were on the London Bridge side! The two people were stuck there for a few hours.. camera crews showed up and the couple was all over the news. Unfortunately for them they were having an affair and they got busted!We stopped in a small town for a quick dinner and headed home. We had a very long day and were able to see so much. I was impressed with the coast around Sydney, but the coast along the Great Ocean Road is truly one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. And in time with erosion more of the Twelve Apostles might disappear, so I was glad to have seen them when I did! It was a great experience and well worth the money.
Sunday was a much shorter day. Charity and I went to Eureka Tower - It is roughly 930 ft tall and has the tallest observation deck in the Southern Hemisphere. We got free passes to do the "edge experience" which is a glass cube that moves about 10 ft out from the building. It was cool to be 930 ft in the air in a glass cube. I lied down face first, which was a little scary, but an awesome look down!
As you can see, we did a lot in the mere two and a half days that we were in Melbourne. The city was pretty cool, but the Great Ocean Road tour was incredible. We were extremely lucky and had beautiful weather the entire trip. It was definitely a nice way to enjoy the weekend :)
Here is my second facebook album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2061796&id=15508583&l=da7104f7ad
In non-trip related news I decided to join the cooking club. There will be 3 more cooking classes throughout the semester, as well as a couple of pot-luck dinners. The next class is this Thursday so I will let you know how that goes.
I leave for the Outback in less than 3 weeks! I can only imagine what an adventure that will be.
Love,
Becky
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