The Great Ocean Road

Seems a long time ago now, but I hesitate to spend more than 15 mins on the web when you're paying $7/hour for it... I've made the journey to the National Library in Canberra to just get free web, which was a pain, because even the inner city buses only run hourly.

Anywho, The Great Ocean Road was the first proper tour I've done, so I was quite anxious to get there on time. Leaving at 7.30am, I had to work out how the hell I could use JUST public transport to get to the city for my seriously suburban location. Fortunately, the Melbourne public transport system is A-Ok, and the first bus out would get me there on time.

At the bus stop I got talking to an old man about the weather (suprise) and how its actually been quite hot. He also informed me how St. Patrick's day had been moved by the Pope, which I dutifully believed, I mean why would a respected gentleman lie? I received a minibus full of laughs when I confidently informed my tour-chums of this alteration in their calendar later. Ozzies are probably the most sarcastic race on earth.

Getting the tram the wrong way in Melbourne, I arrived 10 mins late (I hate the idea of being late or making people wait, makes me tense and ajitated (sp?)), and we got on the road.

Talking to some of the people on the bus, I noticed how most of them had uprooted themselves totally from thier old existence, quiting their jobs and selling homes to fund their trip. A bit extreme, but it made me realise what a good decision to do this trip at this point in my life was; I can quite easily jump back into the norm (whatever that it) back at home without much changing, apart from my bank balance and my pasta making skills. It was also strange to see how many Brits there were on the tour, it was almost like doing a tour in the UK.

One of the non-brits, a West-Australian did get on my nerves a bit, though, and to this time (4.29pm 23/3/2008) he's the only person to do so. Constantly telling people not to go to Adelaide beacause "Its a hole" and not not taking pictures at places we stopped on the basis that he didn't want to be a tourist is just sad. Chill out and do whatever you want to, but don't try and infect us with it.

Anyway, we stopped at a huge sunken volcano called Tower Hill and checked out the emus and koalas. I realised why the koala is a national icon - it dosen't move, so tourists have a decent change of seeing something really Ozzie. For the same reason, koala and 'roo warning signs are promoted as iconic, too. Our tour guide, Todd, informed us of koala mating rituals, including the males' calling to ladies up trees, quite romeo/juliet stylie, only to go up and rape her if she didn't come of her own accord. Trees are bad escape routes, evidently. Koalas are miracles of evolution, or very lucky, as they only move 4 hours a day, sleeping the other 20, and eat from about 25 varieties of Eucalyptus trees of the 20,000 that exist. Eating these trees right out of leaves so they die and don't provide further food, they have no natural predators and have to introduce a resistance to the poisons in the Eucalypt leaves to babies by regurgitation......

fending off 1001 flies and a couple of emus eyeing up my 1ft Subway sarnie, we got back to the bus. I next got my first sign of surfing and some decent waves, which made me smile like a mad man, when we got to Logan's Beach.
(Gotta be quick now, library shuts in 15!!!) went here then: - Bay of Islands- Bay of Martyrs- The Grotto- London Bridge
Which showed some pretty awesome limestone structures and powerfull waves. Swam at one of these's beaches, which was wonderful for cooling down. 40 degrees is bloomin hot, for sure, and aircon only cools your skin, not your overheated internals.

Having a barbie at our accomodation and getting some stubbies in, we went to the 12 Appostles (Of which there has never been 12), and saw a boootiful sunset. 20mins later, a tiny blob/gaggle/swarm of penguins came home from shopping for food and darted into their cliff-face residencies.

Saw plenty on signs for Peterborough on our way around the hostel area, but never quite had the reaction skills to get out the camera in time...

following day, did a short trek round a rainforested area, where there were some ancient trees and 6m meter ferns. Considering they grow 1cm max every year, these were rather old.

Awesome scenery on the way back along the Great Ocean Road proper, which took 40 years or something silly to complete. A perculiar highlight of the tour was visiting THE "Round the Twist" lighthouse, which brought back surreal vague memories and an MP3 of the theme song.

The tour finished with me being dropped off in Torquay, the home of surfing, and sawpping or a few contact details. Awesome tour of that area, best done in 2 days, and now the Librarian's on me like the plague to get off the PC!