The cheese was gone. The traps were still set. We had no mouse. Gross.
We took the scenic route to Augusta and saw the lighthouse, which was supposed to be incredible but they wanted us to pay $5 to walk close to it. So, in order to protest the charges of fencing in an area of land, we didn't go up close. It was right at the point where the Indian Ocean meets the Southern Ocean and has a sign saying 'If you're on this side, it's the Indian Ocean and if you're on the other side of the sign it's the Southern'. Well that was a long sign, you know what I mean though. We also saw an old water wheel that has since been fossilized and is now a big rock in the shape of a wagon wheel. It was a bit weird, but cool to see...and FREE!
Then we took the other scenic route back to a town that starts with a 'P' that I forget the name of. We got a bit lost and ended up way out in the middle of nowhere, but we made it to the P town and there was a 61 meter tree called the Bicentennial Tree that used to be an old fire lookout. The pegs and platforms are still there, so you can climb up it. There aren't any nets or anything to strap yourself into...it's a bit silly really. BUT we did it. I only made it to the first platform which was about 40 meters in the air, but Matt did the whole thing. It was wild. My heart was racing and my hands were shaking. There weren't even warning signs around or anything. It was almost as if they wanted people to fall and press charges....really! I can't imagine why they would have it so set up for tourists, but keep it that dangerous. Not in America, I'd say.
We took Cave Road to Margaret River and wanted to see some caves, but they wanted $19 to go in. So we protested again (We're on a budget here....) and went on our way. We got to Margaret River, parked the van and cruised around town for the evening. It's a cute little town, with a lot more to do than we've seen in quite some time.
Back to the caravan park and the mouse was caught in the trap! Just by his tail, thank God, so we rescued him and dropped him in the garbage bin, thinking he'd be a fat and happy little guy in there. We'll see if he comes back....YUCK!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
October 29th, A Mouse in our House...
We woke up in a very wet and freezing cold day, so we decided to make it a driving day and not stick around Denmark like we wanted to. I spent all last night listening to the storm, wide awake because I swore there was an animal in the van going through our trash bin. I woke up Matt a few different times to make him listen, but he was sound asleep and not able to stay awake for the few minutes it took for the 'animal' to start at it again. He told me it was just the rain and wind and to go back to sleep. HA. A few minutes later it started again. I thought it was funny how every time I moved or said something, the noise would stop....surely it was an animal, so I woke Matt back up. He asked what I thought it was, I said an animal in the car, he laughed really loudly, rolled over and went back to sleep. Meanwhile, I was awake all night listening, until I finally convinced myself it was just the wind and rain and fell asleep for a little bit before Matt woke up at 7 like he usually does and the day began.
I took a shower and was in the bathroom getting ready for a bit while Matt was organizing and cleaning the van. I got back to it and he had a geeky smile on his face and told me he had bad news....he found a mouse in our glove compartment! WE HAVE A MOUSE LIVING IN OUR VAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was freaked out, but convinced that he surely wasn't going to be there while we were driving and that he just needed a safe place from the rain, so on we went.
The guy at the caravan park gave us a map of the area and told us about the things we should do on our way out of town. So we hit up the tourist road and did the touristy things that he told us....the Mead Winery, the Toffee Factory and the Tree Top Walk. We saw the mouse again while we were at the Winery. His tail was sticking out of a crack Matt thought it was a string and pulled it. So gross. So, unfortunately we didn't rid ourselves of the little guy and had to go buy traps. The Tree Top Walk was incredible. It was this suspension bridge built in the canopy of 400-year-old, 60-meter-high Tingle trees. The forrest was so ancient and magical. It was awesome to have a bird's-eye view of the place. It was a bit scary, but so worth it. Then we went on a short hike underneath, on the forrest floor, and got to climb through the base of some of the trees and see them from a human perspective, which was equally as awesome.
We made our way to Shannon NP to stay the night in the forrest and it was a much-needed change of scenery from the usual beach-front spots we have been camping. Ha. OK, it wasn't that needed, but it was really good and refreshing! We had a glass of Western Australia wine and watched Walk Hard (see it, it's funny) then played with the bugs all over our van. Pretty entertaining....
I took a shower and was in the bathroom getting ready for a bit while Matt was organizing and cleaning the van. I got back to it and he had a geeky smile on his face and told me he had bad news....he found a mouse in our glove compartment! WE HAVE A MOUSE LIVING IN OUR VAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was freaked out, but convinced that he surely wasn't going to be there while we were driving and that he just needed a safe place from the rain, so on we went.
The guy at the caravan park gave us a map of the area and told us about the things we should do on our way out of town. So we hit up the tourist road and did the touristy things that he told us....the Mead Winery, the Toffee Factory and the Tree Top Walk. We saw the mouse again while we were at the Winery. His tail was sticking out of a crack Matt thought it was a string and pulled it. So gross. So, unfortunately we didn't rid ourselves of the little guy and had to go buy traps. The Tree Top Walk was incredible. It was this suspension bridge built in the canopy of 400-year-old, 60-meter-high Tingle trees. The forrest was so ancient and magical. It was awesome to have a bird's-eye view of the place. It was a bit scary, but so worth it. Then we went on a short hike underneath, on the forrest floor, and got to climb through the base of some of the trees and see them from a human perspective, which was equally as awesome.
We made our way to Shannon NP to stay the night in the forrest and it was a much-needed change of scenery from the usual beach-front spots we have been camping. Ha. OK, it wasn't that needed, but it was really good and refreshing! We had a glass of Western Australia wine and watched Walk Hard (see it, it's funny) then played with the bugs all over our van. Pretty entertaining....
October 28th, When It Rains....
We left the beauty of Lucky Bay because it was nasty weather…full of clouds, rain and treacherous wind. We thought it’d be nice to have a day full of relaxation with a few movies, a bit of reading and overall catching up on some much-needed R and R. We looked at a map and chose Albany so we started driving. A few miles out of town, we busted out the GPS and realized that Albany was a good 4 hours away. Ha. We ended up driving a bit, thinking that we’d sort of stop when we got tired and ready to relax, but the rainy day made it seem all right for driving through the desert and we finally decided on a town about 50 kilometers further than Albany, called Denmark. It was in one of the books we are living by and said that it was the place to be “hip with the hippies.”
The town is pretty cool, though we didn’t get to do much because of the weather. Tomorrow will be a day of exploration I think. But Denmark is the town you’re probably imagining, with the natural food stores on every corner and the massage therapists on every other. It’s quite nice really. You know I like this sort of thing…..
The town is pretty cool, though we didn’t get to do much because of the weather. Tomorrow will be a day of exploration I think. But Denmark is the town you’re probably imagining, with the natural food stores on every corner and the massage therapists on every other. It’s quite nice really. You know I like this sort of thing…..
October 27th, It's your Lucky Bay!!!!
We left Norseman after a bit of time driving around and running some errands. I met an English guy who ran the local roadhouse (truck stop) who asked me if he were 45 years younger would I take him traveling with me. He was cute and full of information for us. We also did some work on the car and spent some time at the visitor’s center where we collected our certificates that they give you if you make it across the Nullarbor. Pretty funny. Really funny actually. I love being a tourist.
From Norseman we decided to stay at a place called Lucky Bay, which is just east of Esperance. We are so close to Perth and it doesn’t even seem like we left that long ago!
Lucky Bay ended up being the most amazing place so far. Really. The sand was as white as snow and the water as clear as glass. Even the deep parts of the bay were so blue you could nearly see to the bottom. We also went to Thistle Bay, which was just next to it, and it was so pristine I felt like I was imaging it. Really, you couldn’t even imagine it. You know when you see pictures of places and you just know the photographer is a fan of Photoshop…well, yeah, I still got better pictures. (If only I could put them up here!!!!!!!) We set up camp and went for a walk along the long beach. The wind was starting to pick up, so we didn’t get to swim, but we played around for a bit. It was so freaking nice. I can’t even explain. I hope we make it back on the way back east.
From Norseman we decided to stay at a place called Lucky Bay, which is just east of Esperance. We are so close to Perth and it doesn’t even seem like we left that long ago!
Lucky Bay ended up being the most amazing place so far. Really. The sand was as white as snow and the water as clear as glass. Even the deep parts of the bay were so blue you could nearly see to the bottom. We also went to Thistle Bay, which was just next to it, and it was so pristine I felt like I was imaging it. Really, you couldn’t even imagine it. You know when you see pictures of places and you just know the photographer is a fan of Photoshop…well, yeah, I still got better pictures. (If only I could put them up here!!!!!!!) We set up camp and went for a walk along the long beach. The wind was starting to pick up, so we didn’t get to swim, but we played around for a bit. It was so freaking nice. I can’t even explain. I hope we make it back on the way back east.
October 26th, We tackled the Nullarbor today....
The Nullarbor is meant to be a huge feat for the few thousand people who attempt it a year. Apparently it’s treacherous, life-taking and downright dangerous to travel. The sun is hot, the road is straight and the desert is mind-boggling. Or so we heard. Every time I told someone we were driving to Perth, they’d shake their head and ask if I knew anything about the Nullarbor Plain. I heard horror story after horror story….’take plenty of water’, ‘carry as much extra fuel as you can’, ‘make sure you have enough food for a few days and enough extra car parts to get you to the next service station.’ HA! I really was nervous the night before we left and nearly talked Matt out of going. We had a conversation about leaving the car and flying to Perth just so we didn’t have to cross the big desert. It was supposed to take 3 days we were told.
Well, we did it in one. That’s right, one measly day. And it was so easy and we had the whole 5 gallons of water left and we only used one extra can of fuel and that was only because we wanted to use it up. We didn’t need any extra car parts, except a bit of oil, and we didn’t go insane….well not really. We did find ourselves bored enough to come up with some pretty wacko ways to pass the time. Every car that passed us would wave, so we had fun making up new ways to say hello to the passing cars….we went through peace signs, one finger, two fingers, three fingers, an exaggerated whole-hand wave and, finally, we decided to put on hats and tip them at every car that passed. We got a big kick out of it, even if we have no idea if anyone even saw it. It seemed to help the 90 kilometer stretch of straight road.
The Nullarbor Plain is called the ‘treeless plain’ and stretches about 800 miles from South Australia to Western Australia. There truly is nothing to do or look at, except a few hours in, we got to stop and see the Southern Right whales play just off some cliffs on the beginning stretch. There was a massive mother whale and she was clearly teaching her calf the things it needed to know to make the long journey to Antarctica. The small calf was mocking her every move, as it was breaching, splashing its tail and swimming on its back. It seemed like we were at Sea World, as Matt and I were the only two there and the whales were giving us a private show. I swear there was a trainer just out of sight from where we were sitting. The whales were just off the shore, too, so it was extra incredible.
The only glitch in the day was when a ‘road train’ (a semi pulling up to 8 trailers) in front of us hit a kangaroo and we witnessed the whole thing. We pulled over, because the kangaroo was injured, but not dead. The poor, poor animal was run over and both of its back legs were broken. It was either going to lie there in the middle of the road and do major damage to the next car that would surely hit it, or it was going to suffer to death. So, unfortunately, we had to find something to knock it out with and move it away. Who am I kidding, I obviously had nothing to do with it and was actually in a ball in the car about to puke everywhere, crying and screaming curse words at Matt, calling him a kangaroo killer and all sorts of nasty things. Now, though, I am sure he did the right thing, though a tire iron and a 30 second ordeal are not quite the way I pictured the kangaroo needing to be killed, but nonetheless, Matt was the Australian they all are and did the ‘manly’ thing while I bawled like a baby. Ha.
So the Nullarbor was a bit of a learning experience. It was only done in a day because we realized it was Sunday and the road trains have to pay an extra tariff on high traffic days and also it was pretty overcast and not hot at all. I am sure the ride back through will not be as pleasant…..
Well, we did it in one. That’s right, one measly day. And it was so easy and we had the whole 5 gallons of water left and we only used one extra can of fuel and that was only because we wanted to use it up. We didn’t need any extra car parts, except a bit of oil, and we didn’t go insane….well not really. We did find ourselves bored enough to come up with some pretty wacko ways to pass the time. Every car that passed us would wave, so we had fun making up new ways to say hello to the passing cars….we went through peace signs, one finger, two fingers, three fingers, an exaggerated whole-hand wave and, finally, we decided to put on hats and tip them at every car that passed. We got a big kick out of it, even if we have no idea if anyone even saw it. It seemed to help the 90 kilometer stretch of straight road.
The Nullarbor Plain is called the ‘treeless plain’ and stretches about 800 miles from South Australia to Western Australia. There truly is nothing to do or look at, except a few hours in, we got to stop and see the Southern Right whales play just off some cliffs on the beginning stretch. There was a massive mother whale and she was clearly teaching her calf the things it needed to know to make the long journey to Antarctica. The small calf was mocking her every move, as it was breaching, splashing its tail and swimming on its back. It seemed like we were at Sea World, as Matt and I were the only two there and the whales were giving us a private show. I swear there was a trainer just out of sight from where we were sitting. The whales were just off the shore, too, so it was extra incredible.
The only glitch in the day was when a ‘road train’ (a semi pulling up to 8 trailers) in front of us hit a kangaroo and we witnessed the whole thing. We pulled over, because the kangaroo was injured, but not dead. The poor, poor animal was run over and both of its back legs were broken. It was either going to lie there in the middle of the road and do major damage to the next car that would surely hit it, or it was going to suffer to death. So, unfortunately, we had to find something to knock it out with and move it away. Who am I kidding, I obviously had nothing to do with it and was actually in a ball in the car about to puke everywhere, crying and screaming curse words at Matt, calling him a kangaroo killer and all sorts of nasty things. Now, though, I am sure he did the right thing, though a tire iron and a 30 second ordeal are not quite the way I pictured the kangaroo needing to be killed, but nonetheless, Matt was the Australian they all are and did the ‘manly’ thing while I bawled like a baby. Ha.
So the Nullarbor was a bit of a learning experience. It was only done in a day because we realized it was Sunday and the road trains have to pay an extra tariff on high traffic days and also it was pretty overcast and not hot at all. I am sure the ride back through will not be as pleasant…..
Friday, October 24, 2008
October 25th, Sea Lions, but no sharks.
We decided to stay another day in the area, so we could soak up a bit of civilization before we hit the long and treacherous Nullarbor Plain. I guess it's a right of passage to cross it and we're doing it twice! Seriously, they give away certificates at the end. No joke.
We drove down to Point LaBatt where a massive sea lion colony is and sat with the sea lions for a few hours. They are the funniest animals. We were cracking up all day. It was quite the trip back to the conservation park, all dirt roads in the middle of nowhere....back to Australia being really desolate. It was well worth it though.
After we left, we decided to drive up to Ceduna, which is the official start to the Nullarbor. We are staying in the nicest caravan park yet. They have a private beach with access for guests only. It's called Shelly Beach, incase anyone is following on a map or something.
There are so many flies here! It's gross. I feel like I am really dirty all the time. You sort of just get used to the flies in your eyes and all over your face. Yeah, gross, I know.
Tonight we chill out and then tomorrow we start the real adventure! I will be out of commission for the next 3 days at least, so I will be in contact again mid-week.
Have a good one everyone! Thanks for reading...
love.
We drove down to Point LaBatt where a massive sea lion colony is and sat with the sea lions for a few hours. They are the funniest animals. We were cracking up all day. It was quite the trip back to the conservation park, all dirt roads in the middle of nowhere....back to Australia being really desolate. It was well worth it though.
After we left, we decided to drive up to Ceduna, which is the official start to the Nullarbor. We are staying in the nicest caravan park yet. They have a private beach with access for guests only. It's called Shelly Beach, incase anyone is following on a map or something.
There are so many flies here! It's gross. I feel like I am really dirty all the time. You sort of just get used to the flies in your eyes and all over your face. Yeah, gross, I know.
Tonight we chill out and then tomorrow we start the real adventure! I will be out of commission for the next 3 days at least, so I will be in contact again mid-week.
Have a good one everyone! Thanks for reading...
love.
October 24th, A whole lotta driving!
We left Barossa Valley with the intentions of ending in Port Augusta, which was about 3 hours away. We thought we'd stay there a night and see what happened then. We got there and realized it wasn't much more than a drive through town so we skipped in and decided on a place called Streaky Bay which was about another 4 hours away. Good to get some driving under the belt, as we have a very long trip ahead of us...
So, I drove the 4 hours from Port Augusta to Streaky Bay. It was so BORING!!!!!!!!!! There were about 2 small towns on the way there. Neither of which was really on the highway, so we didn't see much. We stopped at one, called Kimba, which was the exact halfway mark from East to West. Pretty cool. It was marked with a GIANT Galah which is an Australian bird. It was pretty impressive to say the least. 8 meters high! So funny.
On the drive we nearly lost our voices because, out of boredom, we were having screaming contests to see who could scream the loudest and who could scream like the opposite sex the best. I won both. It was awesome, but didn't leave many vocal chord action for the rest of the trip.
Finally we got to Streaky Bay and stayed at a caravan park right on the beach. It was low tide, so we walked about 70 meters out into the middle of the bay and it was only up to our knees still. It was so cool. We saw a stingray just beyond where we were, so we didn't go out much further. There were the tiniest crabs everywhere too. We also saw heaps of fish and different birds. It was like our own private wildlife preserve. Unfortunately, again, we didn't have our cameras.
Oh, speaking of, I am trying to put pictures on this site, but it's not being very cooperative, so I have linked my facebook album at the top of the page. You can see them there. I will try to keep putting some up there when I can. Go now. They're beautiful.
OK, so we stayed on the beach. There were a whole lot of bugs and it was really hot. But it was all really good.
So, I drove the 4 hours from Port Augusta to Streaky Bay. It was so BORING!!!!!!!!!! There were about 2 small towns on the way there. Neither of which was really on the highway, so we didn't see much. We stopped at one, called Kimba, which was the exact halfway mark from East to West. Pretty cool. It was marked with a GIANT Galah which is an Australian bird. It was pretty impressive to say the least. 8 meters high! So funny.
On the drive we nearly lost our voices because, out of boredom, we were having screaming contests to see who could scream the loudest and who could scream like the opposite sex the best. I won both. It was awesome, but didn't leave many vocal chord action for the rest of the trip.
Finally we got to Streaky Bay and stayed at a caravan park right on the beach. It was low tide, so we walked about 70 meters out into the middle of the bay and it was only up to our knees still. It was so cool. We saw a stingray just beyond where we were, so we didn't go out much further. There were the tiniest crabs everywhere too. We also saw heaps of fish and different birds. It was like our own private wildlife preserve. Unfortunately, again, we didn't have our cameras.
Oh, speaking of, I am trying to put pictures on this site, but it's not being very cooperative, so I have linked my facebook album at the top of the page. You can see them there. I will try to keep putting some up there when I can. Go now. They're beautiful.
OK, so we stayed on the beach. There were a whole lot of bugs and it was really hot. But it was all really good.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
October 23rd, The most posh day of my life...I'm nearly too good for you.
In wine country there really isn't much to do but drink wine, right? I mean, that's why people come here. So, when in Rome....
We toured the wine chateaus for the day. Yeah, I said chateaus. We spent the day sipping some of the best wines in Australia, I'd dare say the world, and eating cheese platters and playing croquet. yeah, I played croquet on the lawn of chateaus with the regions best wines in hand. Do you like me more now? I would if I were you!!! :)
We bought a few bottles, because, well, ya do that, don't you? We walked a lot. Sweated a lot, took a lot of pictures, ate some homemade gelati and sipped some sweet, sweet (expensive!) wines.
My heaven. Except I lost at croquet.....
We toured the wine chateaus for the day. Yeah, I said chateaus. We spent the day sipping some of the best wines in Australia, I'd dare say the world, and eating cheese platters and playing croquet. yeah, I played croquet on the lawn of chateaus with the regions best wines in hand. Do you like me more now? I would if I were you!!! :)
We bought a few bottles, because, well, ya do that, don't you? We walked a lot. Sweated a lot, took a lot of pictures, ate some homemade gelati and sipped some sweet, sweet (expensive!) wines.
My heaven. Except I lost at croquet.....
October 22nd, Happy Birthday Dad! and a really boring city.
Today we drove from Bordertown to Adelaide. We had plans to stay a few days in Adelaide, but were really unimpressed, so we skipped town after a quick drive-through of the city center. We went out to Port Adelaide which was supposed to be the cool spot, but wasn't really that much better. The books (again) advertised a dolphin tour with 8 different dolphin 'hot spots' but, after cruising around to all of them, we saw none. BORING! It also said there was a ship graveyard with several ships from different shipwrecks in the area. It proved itself to be pretty boring too, so we didn't even stop.
We decided to keep moving. We ended up in Barossa Valley which is where most of the nice wines from Australia come from. It's in South Australia. Yet another state I can mark on my list of places I've been! The Barossa Valley is beautiful, as I'm sure you can imagine. We got in about 6:30 and everything in Tanunda (the central town) was closed, so we ended up having dinner at a pub....unimpressed again.
I'm getting pretty used to these caravan parks!
We decided to keep moving. We ended up in Barossa Valley which is where most of the nice wines from Australia come from. It's in South Australia. Yet another state I can mark on my list of places I've been! The Barossa Valley is beautiful, as I'm sure you can imagine. We got in about 6:30 and everything in Tanunda (the central town) was closed, so we ended up having dinner at a pub....unimpressed again.
I'm getting pretty used to these caravan parks!
October 21st, The Travel Books Are Lying!
We drove from Penshurst through the Grampians National Park, the Little Desert National Park and into Bordertown, South Australia. The Grampians was beautiful! It was a really cultural place where the Aboriginals lived. There was a cultural center/museum and we learned to paint boomerangs in the proper way. Aboriginal art is so beautiful.
We stopped at a few lookout points in the park and took some cool photos, then decided to follow our guidebook that told us to go to the Little Desert NP. It claimed there were beautiful wildflowers everywhere. It lied. We saw one little patch. So boring. So we kept driving, into Bordertown. It was nearly dark so we just set up at the caravan park and went to sleep. Not much excitement today....
We stopped at a few lookout points in the park and took some cool photos, then decided to follow our guidebook that told us to go to the Little Desert NP. It claimed there were beautiful wildflowers everywhere. It lied. We saw one little patch. So boring. So we kept driving, into Bordertown. It was nearly dark so we just set up at the caravan park and went to sleep. Not much excitement today....
October 20th, Shipwrecked!
We woke up at the caravan park in Warrnambool. We went around town running errands, fixing the car and sending letters home. Then we went to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum where we learned about the 80+ shipwrecks that have occurred in this area known as the Shipwreck Coast. The museum has lots of artifacts saved from the wrecks including a statue of a peacock valued at over $2 million, making it Australia's most expensive piece of maritime history.
Then we drove around trying to find somewhere to use the internet. We ended up at a backpackers where we wrote this entire blog up until now and accidentally deleted it all. I wasn't mad at all..........
Then we had dinner. After dinner we went back to Flagstaff Hill for the night time Shipwrecked light and laser show. For the show we pretended it was 1878 and carried lanterns through a replica town from that area to the waterfront theatre to watch the show. The light and laser show told the history of the ship, the Loch Ard.
After the show we decided to keep moving so we drove out of town until we needed sleep and found ourselves in the middle of nowhere in a town called Penshurst. It was dark. We saw nothing. We slept. The End. Seriously.
Then we drove around trying to find somewhere to use the internet. We ended up at a backpackers where we wrote this entire blog up until now and accidentally deleted it all. I wasn't mad at all..........
Then we had dinner. After dinner we went back to Flagstaff Hill for the night time Shipwrecked light and laser show. For the show we pretended it was 1878 and carried lanterns through a replica town from that area to the waterfront theatre to watch the show. The light and laser show told the history of the ship, the Loch Ard.
After the show we decided to keep moving so we drove out of town until we needed sleep and found ourselves in the middle of nowhere in a town called Penshurst. It was dark. We saw nothing. We slept. The End. Seriously.
Monday, October 20, 2008
October 19th, This is Great Ocean Road
We woke up pretty late this morning and freezing cold! It seemed it was going to be a pretty cloudy day all day, but it ended up clearing just when we needed it. We started our day off with a stretch on the beach near our campsite then headed out of the park and back on the Great Ocean Road. We saw a few more koalas on the way out. They are such funny creatures. They’re so lazy. Just out of the park, and for a while on the GOR, we drove through Australia’s version of rainforests. The trees were massive and a lot greener than I’ve seen out here so far. It looked like Jurassic Park.
We finally made it to the 12 Apostles!!!! I’d only heard about them and seen them in pictures, but I never imagined they’d be so majestic. We walked part way down the Gibson Steps to see the first one. The rest of the steps were closed for some reason. I think the sea has been too rough lately or something. I’m pretty sure they don’t want just any random tourist making their way to the tiny, private beach at the bottom. It was way too cold and windy anyway, so we got back in the car and drove to the next lookout spot. There was a trail running under the highway and out onto a cliff ledge. The view of the rest of the Apostles was spectacular. You should look up the 12 Apostles…they’re basically just massive rock formations out in the ocean. Pretty cool.
Another thing you should look up is the Loch Ard tragedy. It was a shipwreck in 1878 (I think) that hit on Muttonbird Island, which is the area where we spent the next few hours. 52 people died and only 2 survived and only 4 bodies were recovered. It’s a pretty amazing story, but I don’t have the patience now to explain it all. Google is good…
We hiked around the cliff-edge trails for a bit, seeing the shipwreck site, the beach where some of the bodies were washed up and the cemetery where the 4 bodies were buried. It was the best part I think…so interesting! On our hike we saw an ocean blowhole that went back into the land about 150 meters. It was all underneath us in a cave. There were signs everywhere warning hikers to be cautious of the fact that the caves and arches we were climbing along could basically collapse at any point in time. It was kind of nerve-wracking, but also well worth the beautiful sights. We also followed along another guided trail that was a self-guided geology tour, full of geological formations with obvious markings from millions of years ago.
So, back to the car and prepared to complete the GOR, we drove quickly by the Arch, the London Bridge, the Bay of Martyrs and the Bay of Islands. All were equally as incredible and full of history. Oh, so this portion of the GOR is called the Shipwreck Trail. Something like 80+ wrecks happened in that area. It’s at the beginning of the Bass Straight, so it used to be a highly traveled spot. It’s all on the Net. Ha!
It was getting dark and cloudy again, so we decided to call it a night and look for a caravan park to plug-in to for the evening. All of our cameras and computers and things were about dead, so we needed a bit of electricity. I’m also pretty stoked for a shower by now. We made it to Warrnambool, the official end of the Great Ocean Road. It really was great…not to be cheesy, but I’ve never seen anything like it. I hope you get at least of a bit of the sensation out of the pictures that we got out of it in real life. Pictures never seem to do justice.
I’ve learned that I can hardly stand not having contact with my family for more than a day. I lost cell phone reception for two days and literally broke down in tears this afternoon. Pretty pathetic, I know. I really could not be any further from home, but today it really felt like it. We’re staying in this town for a couple of days, so I should be good again…
Tomorrow I will write with clean clothes on and with a body that doesn’t stink. Yay!
We finally made it to the 12 Apostles!!!! I’d only heard about them and seen them in pictures, but I never imagined they’d be so majestic. We walked part way down the Gibson Steps to see the first one. The rest of the steps were closed for some reason. I think the sea has been too rough lately or something. I’m pretty sure they don’t want just any random tourist making their way to the tiny, private beach at the bottom. It was way too cold and windy anyway, so we got back in the car and drove to the next lookout spot. There was a trail running under the highway and out onto a cliff ledge. The view of the rest of the Apostles was spectacular. You should look up the 12 Apostles…they’re basically just massive rock formations out in the ocean. Pretty cool.
Another thing you should look up is the Loch Ard tragedy. It was a shipwreck in 1878 (I think) that hit on Muttonbird Island, which is the area where we spent the next few hours. 52 people died and only 2 survived and only 4 bodies were recovered. It’s a pretty amazing story, but I don’t have the patience now to explain it all. Google is good…
We hiked around the cliff-edge trails for a bit, seeing the shipwreck site, the beach where some of the bodies were washed up and the cemetery where the 4 bodies were buried. It was the best part I think…so interesting! On our hike we saw an ocean blowhole that went back into the land about 150 meters. It was all underneath us in a cave. There were signs everywhere warning hikers to be cautious of the fact that the caves and arches we were climbing along could basically collapse at any point in time. It was kind of nerve-wracking, but also well worth the beautiful sights. We also followed along another guided trail that was a self-guided geology tour, full of geological formations with obvious markings from millions of years ago.
So, back to the car and prepared to complete the GOR, we drove quickly by the Arch, the London Bridge, the Bay of Martyrs and the Bay of Islands. All were equally as incredible and full of history. Oh, so this portion of the GOR is called the Shipwreck Trail. Something like 80+ wrecks happened in that area. It’s at the beginning of the Bass Straight, so it used to be a highly traveled spot. It’s all on the Net. Ha!
It was getting dark and cloudy again, so we decided to call it a night and look for a caravan park to plug-in to for the evening. All of our cameras and computers and things were about dead, so we needed a bit of electricity. I’m also pretty stoked for a shower by now. We made it to Warrnambool, the official end of the Great Ocean Road. It really was great…not to be cheesy, but I’ve never seen anything like it. I hope you get at least of a bit of the sensation out of the pictures that we got out of it in real life. Pictures never seem to do justice.
I’ve learned that I can hardly stand not having contact with my family for more than a day. I lost cell phone reception for two days and literally broke down in tears this afternoon. Pretty pathetic, I know. I really could not be any further from home, but today it really felt like it. We’re staying in this town for a couple of days, so I should be good again…
Tomorrow I will write with clean clothes on and with a body that doesn’t stink. Yay!
October 18th, Drive Left in Australia
We left Melbourne today. We drove through Geelong into Anglesea where we met two more of my mates from Utah, Tristan and Millie. It was equally as good to see them. We had lunch and then headed out again.
We stopped by Bell's Beach, which is the most famous surfing beach in Australia. Then we headed onto the Great Ocean Road.
On our way, we stopped at a trail to hike back and see a cool waterfall. The road was winding around the cliff edges all along the ocean. It was incredible. Towards the end of the day I spotted a koala high in a tree above the road. We stopped to take some pictures and realized they were everywhere! I guess it's pretty big because most everyone I know has never seen a koala in the wild!
We stayed the night at Otway NP. On our way in, we saw about 30 more koalas. We even saw a mama koala, with a baby on its back, get in a fight with another one. Again, National Geographic.
We went back, way off the main road, through a closed gate and onto a beach, where we set up camp and stayed the night. It was called Blanket Bay and it was such a good spot. I hope to make it back there again.
We stopped by Bell's Beach, which is the most famous surfing beach in Australia. Then we headed onto the Great Ocean Road.
On our way, we stopped at a trail to hike back and see a cool waterfall. The road was winding around the cliff edges all along the ocean. It was incredible. Towards the end of the day I spotted a koala high in a tree above the road. We stopped to take some pictures and realized they were everywhere! I guess it's pretty big because most everyone I know has never seen a koala in the wild!
We stayed the night at Otway NP. On our way in, we saw about 30 more koalas. We even saw a mama koala, with a baby on its back, get in a fight with another one. Again, National Geographic.
We went back, way off the main road, through a closed gate and onto a beach, where we set up camp and stayed the night. It was called Blanket Bay and it was such a good spot. I hope to make it back there again.
October 17th, Playing the Typical Tourist
Still in Melbourne.
We walked from Port Melbourne (Matt's place) to the city and decided to climb the Eureka Tower. It was 88 stories high and from the top you could see EVERYTHING! It was an amazing view from up there. It was the highest public viewing point in the southern hemisphere. So cool.
When we came down, we went to St. Paul's cathedral in the city and spent a bit of time in there. It was such a beautiful church. It made me reallllllly miss my Grandpa, so we didn't stay too long.
After that we caught the city circle tram to the Queen Victoria markets where we walked around a bit and decided to save our money. So we got back on the tram and went to the Docklands. There we went to the James Squire brewery, which is a pretty big brewery in Australia. We stayed for one and then went back to Fitzroy to meet up with our friends again. We found them in an alley outside our friend's apartment, so we hung out there for a bit.
My friend who I met in Utah lives near there, so he came and hung out for a while. It was great to see him!
Then we had to say goodbye to everyone and catch a cab back to Matt's where we sat in the backyard for a bit and then went to bed.
The end.
We walked from Port Melbourne (Matt's place) to the city and decided to climb the Eureka Tower. It was 88 stories high and from the top you could see EVERYTHING! It was an amazing view from up there. It was the highest public viewing point in the southern hemisphere. So cool.
When we came down, we went to St. Paul's cathedral in the city and spent a bit of time in there. It was such a beautiful church. It made me reallllllly miss my Grandpa, so we didn't stay too long.
After that we caught the city circle tram to the Queen Victoria markets where we walked around a bit and decided to save our money. So we got back on the tram and went to the Docklands. There we went to the James Squire brewery, which is a pretty big brewery in Australia. We stayed for one and then went back to Fitzroy to meet up with our friends again. We found them in an alley outside our friend's apartment, so we hung out there for a bit.
My friend who I met in Utah lives near there, so he came and hung out for a while. It was great to see him!
Then we had to say goodbye to everyone and catch a cab back to Matt's where we sat in the backyard for a bit and then went to bed.
The end.
October 16th, I Want to Ride My Bicycle
Today we rode bikes through the city. We rode into St Kilda and went out on St Kilda pier, followed by lunch in Ackland Street. Then we went and sat in hammocks and drank a beer on the St Kilda foreshore while we waited for Matt's friends. I got some more peace and quite when the guys showed up and rode BMX for a bit.
We cruised around the city some more then returned to the pier for sunset as we heard earlier that penguins live there. As the sun went down and the fishermen reeled in their catches, we were fortunate enough to catch a sight of a few fairy penguins. Who would of thought you could see penguins in Melbourne?!?!?!
After this it was of for some Mexican food, which I've been craving!!!! I ran into another American the other day who said the two things he missed most were his family and Mexican food. It seems I'm not the only one. Then we road along the water back to Port Melbourne where we stayed the night.
We cruised around the city some more then returned to the pier for sunset as we heard earlier that penguins live there. As the sun went down and the fishermen reeled in their catches, we were fortunate enough to catch a sight of a few fairy penguins. Who would of thought you could see penguins in Melbourne?!?!?!
After this it was of for some Mexican food, which I've been craving!!!! I ran into another American the other day who said the two things he missed most were his family and Mexican food. It seems I'm not the only one. Then we road along the water back to Port Melbourne where we stayed the night.
October 15th, New City, New Adventures
We are in Melbourne! YAY! I LOVE this city! We took off this morning from Josh and Liz's and made our way to a place I've wanted to go since I stepped foot in this country. There is so much culture and diversity, I just love it.
We got to Matt's house (Jess' brother who lives here) and settled in a bit. We walked through the city, through South Bank and to Fitzroy where we met a few of Matt's friends named Travis and Jen. We sat on the corner for a bit, watching the characters go by. It was pretty funny. We had dinner at this really cool vegetarian restaurant. It was more jam-packed with people than any other restaurant in the city I'd say....for all you meat-eaters out there. :)
We were pretty tired, so it wasn't a very big night. We just hung out at Matt's in the backyard for a bit and then went to bed.
We got to Matt's house (Jess' brother who lives here) and settled in a bit. We walked through the city, through South Bank and to Fitzroy where we met a few of Matt's friends named Travis and Jen. We sat on the corner for a bit, watching the characters go by. It was pretty funny. We had dinner at this really cool vegetarian restaurant. It was more jam-packed with people than any other restaurant in the city I'd say....for all you meat-eaters out there. :)
We were pretty tired, so it wasn't a very big night. We just hung out at Matt's in the backyard for a bit and then went to bed.
October 14th, Shock Me Like an Electric Eel
We woke up. I stayed in the most comfortable bed ever! It beats the van by far!!!! We had a really nice breakfast and I Josh went to work and Matt and Liz went into town to hang out and run some errands. I FINALLY got a day to myself. I haven't been able to be alone since my grandpa passed, so it was good to have a day to myself and finish my tears and do some reflecting. I wrote some letters home and did some reading. It was so nice.
When everyone got back, we loaded the boat trailer on the car and put their boat in the nearby lake. We spent the rest of the day, and into the night, on the boat, exploring some islands and doing a bit of fishing. We weren't having much luck and the sun started to go down, so we went back in and took the boat out of the water and did a bit of fishing off the pier there. It was way better. I ended up catching two Brims, Liz caught 3, Josh caught one and Matt caught an eel. It was a pretty fun excursion.
We went back to the house, had dinner and went to bed again. Same as it ever was....ha.
When everyone got back, we loaded the boat trailer on the car and put their boat in the nearby lake. We spent the rest of the day, and into the night, on the boat, exploring some islands and doing a bit of fishing. We weren't having much luck and the sun started to go down, so we went back in and took the boat out of the water and did a bit of fishing off the pier there. It was way better. I ended up catching two Brims, Liz caught 3, Josh caught one and Matt caught an eel. It was a pretty fun excursion.
We went back to the house, had dinner and went to bed again. Same as it ever was....ha.
October 13th, A Great Start
WOW!!!!! WHAT A DAY!!!!!!!!!
I cannot even begin to explain the magic that today was. I won't do any justice! Nor will any pictures, but here goes...
We woke up EARLY (with the sun) to get to the boat on time to see some whales. We cooked a bit of breakfast (baked beans on toast....yeah, i know, weird) and took it down to the beach. When we got to the opening of the trail, we saw kangaroos all over the beach, which I guess is pretty special. We were the only ones on the whole massive beach and the sun was just rising, so the sky was bright orange and fresh to a new day. You know how early mornings feel....
Just off the beach, in the water straight ahead of where we were, there was a pod of dolphins playing in the surf. We were watching them for ages and then we looked a bit further out and there were two whales playing just out from them!!! It was just like National Geographic style. I was speechless. You really couldn't ask for a more dreamy scene. I mean it.
Unfortunately we had to run. We ended up a bit late to the boat, but luckily it was still there....though the engines were running and we got some nasty looks as we climbed aboard. Nonetheless, we had an amazing time. We saw about ten whales total. There were some mamas with their calves and some massive males who were lunge feeding. It's sort of a weird thing...they jump up, open their mouths and skim across the top of the water to eat. Not sure...just going by the guide's terms.
After we got off the boat, we drove to Matt's friends, Josh's. I was driving and Matt was asleep, but his last words were that I could stop anywhere I wanted to and do anything I felt fit for the duration of my drive. So I followed some signs to a very touristy publicized place. It seemed like the thing to do, but I ended up way off the highway and in a town where the only way out was the way you came in. Not good. It didn't even end up being that cool of a place, so Matt wasn't thrilled when I woke him up, told him we were nearly out of gas and that we were about 40 kilometers off track. Ha. So, no more driving for me (THANKFULLY!). We decided that something needed to be done in this tiny town called Malacoota, so we had a cartwheel race. It was fun.
Then we headed out. We ended up at Josh's and his girlfriend, Liz the chef, made us a nice dinner on the barbie and we hung out and talked and played with their dog, Zipper.
Josh and Liz live on this big farm in Bairnsdale and it is so cool. They are nearly completely self-sustainable with their own water collection, huge garden and solar panels. They also have a pet pig and 2 goats. Their names are Miss Piggy, Benny and Kenny.
That's it.
I cannot even begin to explain the magic that today was. I won't do any justice! Nor will any pictures, but here goes...
We woke up EARLY (with the sun) to get to the boat on time to see some whales. We cooked a bit of breakfast (baked beans on toast....yeah, i know, weird) and took it down to the beach. When we got to the opening of the trail, we saw kangaroos all over the beach, which I guess is pretty special. We were the only ones on the whole massive beach and the sun was just rising, so the sky was bright orange and fresh to a new day. You know how early mornings feel....
Just off the beach, in the water straight ahead of where we were, there was a pod of dolphins playing in the surf. We were watching them for ages and then we looked a bit further out and there were two whales playing just out from them!!! It was just like National Geographic style. I was speechless. You really couldn't ask for a more dreamy scene. I mean it.
Unfortunately we had to run. We ended up a bit late to the boat, but luckily it was still there....though the engines were running and we got some nasty looks as we climbed aboard. Nonetheless, we had an amazing time. We saw about ten whales total. There were some mamas with their calves and some massive males who were lunge feeding. It's sort of a weird thing...they jump up, open their mouths and skim across the top of the water to eat. Not sure...just going by the guide's terms.
After we got off the boat, we drove to Matt's friends, Josh's. I was driving and Matt was asleep, but his last words were that I could stop anywhere I wanted to and do anything I felt fit for the duration of my drive. So I followed some signs to a very touristy publicized place. It seemed like the thing to do, but I ended up way off the highway and in a town where the only way out was the way you came in. Not good. It didn't even end up being that cool of a place, so Matt wasn't thrilled when I woke him up, told him we were nearly out of gas and that we were about 40 kilometers off track. Ha. So, no more driving for me (THANKFULLY!). We decided that something needed to be done in this tiny town called Malacoota, so we had a cartwheel race. It was fun.
Then we headed out. We ended up at Josh's and his girlfriend, Liz the chef, made us a nice dinner on the barbie and we hung out and talked and played with their dog, Zipper.
Josh and Liz live on this big farm in Bairnsdale and it is so cool. They are nearly completely self-sustainable with their own water collection, huge garden and solar panels. They also have a pet pig and 2 goats. Their names are Miss Piggy, Benny and Kenny.
That's it.
October 12th, Slowly But Surely
So, we finally left today! We didn't get out of town until nearly 5 because we procrastinated our way through the weekend and had a lot to do at the last minute. Plus a lot of friends were in and out to say goodbye.
Jess Jones, my best Australian friend, and her brother Matt were around throughout the day, which was great. Jess works at the local bakery and brought us a care package for our trip, full of veggie sandwiches and lots and lots of treats. It was awesome because it saved us from having to go to the grocery tonight.
So we left! We drove just a few hours to the coast to stay the night at this incredible spot nearly right on the beach in Tathra. Tomorrow we are going whale watching so we wanted to find a cool place near where the boat would launch.
We pulled back into our spot off a bunch of dirt roads and there were kangaroos everywhere! I haven't been that close to kangaroos so it was really good. We pulled in and sat quietly with the doors open, so they were coming about 2 feet from where we were. It felt like the zoo.
Just for your info...the speedometer read 247,078 when we left. That's kilometers. We're keep track, so this might be interesting later, I promise.
First night in the van! It's been pretty good so far. Not that we've really used it much, but I am definitely excited for the next few weeks and really wish that everyone could be here to experience this with me!
Jess Jones, my best Australian friend, and her brother Matt were around throughout the day, which was great. Jess works at the local bakery and brought us a care package for our trip, full of veggie sandwiches and lots and lots of treats. It was awesome because it saved us from having to go to the grocery tonight.
So we left! We drove just a few hours to the coast to stay the night at this incredible spot nearly right on the beach in Tathra. Tomorrow we are going whale watching so we wanted to find a cool place near where the boat would launch.
We pulled back into our spot off a bunch of dirt roads and there were kangaroos everywhere! I haven't been that close to kangaroos so it was really good. We pulled in and sat quietly with the doors open, so they were coming about 2 feet from where we were. It felt like the zoo.
Just for your info...the speedometer read 247,078 when we left. That's kilometers. We're keep track, so this might be interesting later, I promise.
First night in the van! It's been pretty good so far. Not that we've really used it much, but I am definitely excited for the next few weeks and really wish that everyone could be here to experience this with me!
October 11th, Not Quite There
We got back from the Central Coast and Sydney where we spent some good, quality time with friends and my Australian family, the Maynes. It was great to catch up.
We were supposed to leave yesterday and today, but decided to go to our friend's birthday party instead. It was a Simpson's theme party. In Australia they call costume parties "fancy dress", which really makes me laugh because I used to always think that people had parties where everyone would fully dress in formal get-up. I just couldn't understand why there were so many of these parties at people's houses. It's created quite a few funny conversations and a lot of laughs. They really love their costume parties here. There seems to be one every weekend or so and everyone goes ALL out. They just don't party like that in America....
So the party was really fun. I didn't stay for long, as it's not my scene these days, but the costumes were ridiculous and I only included this post so that I could put up some pictures of my friends. So there.
Maybe we'll leave tomorrow....
We were supposed to leave yesterday and today, but decided to go to our friend's birthday party instead. It was a Simpson's theme party. In Australia they call costume parties "fancy dress", which really makes me laugh because I used to always think that people had parties where everyone would fully dress in formal get-up. I just couldn't understand why there were so many of these parties at people's houses. It's created quite a few funny conversations and a lot of laughs. They really love their costume parties here. There seems to be one every weekend or so and everyone goes ALL out. They just don't party like that in America....
So the party was really fun. I didn't stay for long, as it's not my scene these days, but the costumes were ridiculous and I only included this post so that I could put up some pictures of my friends. So there.
Maybe we'll leave tomorrow....
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