First up was the Grampians National Park, a series of impressive sandstone mountain ranges. Unfortunately all of the original planned itinerary had to be scraped due to the recent widespread flooding throughout the region. This meant no Pinnacle, no Jaws of Death, no MacKenzie Falls or any of the other spectacular sites that tourists visit in their thousands every year. This was incredibly disappointing but you cant control mother nature! Thankfully Adventure Tours thought outside the box and brought us to Hollow Mountain, something which is not usually one of the more visited parts of the National Park. However after climbing to the top and admiring the stunning views of the surrounding areas you would wonder why it is not included in the original itinerary. This was no ordinary hike however and towards the end we were required to scramble over some reasonably steep rocks to reach the summit, providing a very decent work out.
With the exception of Hollow Mountain the Grampians were a bit of a let down. There really wasn't very many places that avoided the flooding and so the tour guide was at a bit of a loss as to where else to bring us. Its not the company's fault of course, it's just one of those unfortunate things that we have no control over. On the plus side we did get to witness numerous grey kangaroos in the wild.
After the Grampians we set off to Warrnambool to begin our journey along the Great Ocean Road, a 243 kilometre drive along the coast eastwards to Torquay. Throughout this stretch one can witness some of the most beautiful features of sea erosion the world has to offer. There is the Bay of Islands, home of some stunning sea stacks and the Bay of Martyrs which provides spectacular scenery and a nice view of the Bay of Islands in the distance. Then there is London Arch, a natural sea arch separated from the coastline. Up until 1990 it was a double span natural bridge attached to the coast, known as London Bridge (and is still referred to as such by most people) due to its similarity to its namesake. However on 15th January of that year the arch closest to the shoreline collapsed into the sea leaving four tourists stuck on the remaining arch for hours waiting for a rescue helicopter. Our tour guide informed us that the media, in a disgusting attempt to try cash in on the situation, made up a story that two of these unfortunate souls were having an affair. The reality was that none of the people had ever met before and it was the cause of great embarrassment for all concerned. Its clear that the media over here are no better than their counterparts back home! For years people actually were ludicrously allowed to drive their cars over London Bridge, so it is really no surprise that it collapsed to its knees!
Next up was the Twelve Apostles, a collection of limestone sea stacks, all in close proximity to each other. Despite its name there are actually only eight stacks that still stand, with the most recent victim of sea erosion being a 50 metre stack which collapsed in 2005. However, some of the locals would have you believe that over twice that amount currently stand proudly. They must think that we cant count! It really is a stunning site and is a prime example of the wonderful features created by the sea. The Apostles are known to be extra special at sunset, however an unfortunate appearance of thick cloud cover just as the sun was coming down spoilt this particular viewing pleasure. Indeed the weather throughout the entire trip was a little on the disappointing side. It was forever changing with the sunshine rarely making an appearance for longer than 30 minutes at a time. However the views were incredible nonetheless and the walk down Gibson Steps to the beach provided an alternate angle to view some of the 12 Apostles, offering a different perspective of the area with the high cliffs towering above.
Another big highlight was the Loch Ard Gorge, home of numerous sea stacks, caves, blowholes and others features of coastal erosion along with hugely powerful waves crashing against the coastline cliffs. The site got its name due to the infamous sinking of the Loch Ard ship, an event which occurred along these very shores on 1st June 1878. Just two of the 50 passengers and crew members on board survived, both of whom were Irish: Tom Pearce, and Eva Carmichael. Tom after surviving this disaster famously risked his life and swam back out to the wreckage to save Eva, a woman he had never met. Over time they developed a bit of a romance but eventually Eva decided to return home to Ireland. Not giving up so easily Tom proposed to her through the snail mail to which he received a devastating rejection. The reason? Despite the fact that she loved him, she didn't feel he was wealthy enough to provide her with the lifestyle she was accustomed to. So after this man completely disregarding his own safety to rescue this woman she basically turned him down because he didn't have enough money, something which led to our tour guide declaring Eva to be a B**TH! Its very hard to disagree with such sentiments to be honest.
Towards the conclusion of the journey along the Victorian coast we stopped briefly to view some Koalas in the wild. These creatures bring a whole new meaning to the word "lazy" and they do certainly enjoy their sleep. In total they are awake for just 5 hours a day on average. Thankfully we actually got to see them during their waking hours, not that they do a whole lot then either. They tend to just sit their content high up in the trees feeding off eucalyptus leaves. They don't have a very stressful life that's for sure!
In total there were 23 people in our group for the three day trip. The group contained for the most part very nice people. However an element of banter was seriously lacking among the group and very few people seemed interested in having a few beers in the evening which was slightly disappointing, given how fun my group was two years ago, the last time I travelled with Adventure Tours, from Adelaide to Alice Springs.
However our tour guide Jen was certainly not lacking in any enthusiasm and one evening when driving back to our hostel from the sunset at the 12 Apostles she proceeded to stop the bus and start dancing in front of everybody. When my friend demanded another song she revved up the engine, turned on Elton John's hit Crocodile Rock and ventured towards a roundabout, driving around it on about 6 or 7 occasions, much to the confusion of the onlooking pedestrians. She finished things off with a ridiculous dancing demonstration to the tune of The Chicken Dance. Her crazy antics were certainly appreciated.
This short three day journey has whetted my appetite for some further trips later in the year and I fully intend to embark on an adventure up the West Coast from Perth to Darwin! I better start saving those dollars!
Bye for now
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