The Great Ocean Road

Wednesday 7 November

The blokes must be having it hard, because they were celebrating Melbourne's Cup deep into the night. Now they pay their price with a hang-over. It doesn't matter as long they enjoying it. Waiting at the reception for more travellers doing the same day trip. Simon our driver for today was collecting all the vouchers before we could join the trip.

8:15 AM. We left the Queensbury Hill YHA and made our way out of Melbourne. While driving Simon introduced himself and told us what we were going to do today. Once Simon finished telling the things, it was time to pass on the microphone and introduced ourselves to each other.

10:00 AM. First stop at Bell Beach, Torquay for tea. It was cloudy, windy and chilly at the same time when we got out of the bus. Having a cup of tea won't help keeping me warm, even though I was wearing a fleece jacket. A few later minutes later it started to rain. Fortunately we found shelter underneath the roof of the toilets. What a great way to start a day.

We hurried back to the bus and moved on for a 45 minutes drive to the entrance of the Great Ocean Road. A quick stop for those who wanted a picture of the gateway or themself in it. Standing close to the road and cars passing by, you had to be careful. Don't want to be road killed. We hopped on and travelled on to several scenic photo spots. Lots of stops during the tour to take pictures.

We arrived later on at Kennet River and drove uphill to spot some koalas in the wild. Everyone was anxious and looked outside the window trying spot the koalas. While driving uphill Simon told us that the koalas mostly stay in the eucalyptus trees. A few seconds later we spotted them. Later on one of us spotted a koala on the ground. Excitement all over the place and we rushed out the bus to catch a glimpse of the koala.

Seeing koalas in a sanctuary isn't the same as in the wild. I spotted him as well and took a couple of pictures. The koala was cautious and was still keeping an eye on for possible predators while picking another eucalyptus tree. Spotting koalas in the wild is great! Nothing is better than seeing them in their natural habitat. Moving on to Apollo Bay, a coastal town along the Great Ocean Road for our lunch break.

12:30 AM. We arrived there and stayed for about 45 minutes. Got out of the bus and went to one of stores nearby the beach. Bought a chicken burger for lunch and walked to the beach afterwards. Fortunately the sun broke through during the day and finally we got some sunlight. That really made the day a lot better! Pretty nice little town, I must say. A hang glider landed and I wish we had a little more time, so I could take a flight. Not today, because this day trip has a tight schedule.

We went off to Mait Rest for a walk through the rainforest at Otwar National Park. Seeing diverse plant and tree life. Some of those trees were huge and struck by lightning. Back on the bus again we moved to Gibson Steps. Once we arrived there we got out and went down the steps to the beach.

Nice to walk along the beach while massive waves keep pounding on it. I climbed a large piece of rock for a nice picture. The coastline was huge and I could sit here for a while and watching the waves. But it was time to move on and we walked back to the bus. went off to the highlight of this day trip, the Twelve Apostles!

A short drive we arrived at the Twelve Apostles at Port Campbell National Park. We walked on a path to the lookout to see the Twelve Apostles. Once we got there the entrance to the lookout was blocked due to construction. NO!!! But I saw other people standing at the lookout, how can that be? I've come a long way and there is no way they shut it down now. I told Simon about my thoughts and he agreed.

We've come a long way. As we walked a little further there was another entrance to the lookout. YES!!! Once at the lookout you'll have a spectacular view of the Twelve Apostles. We stayed here for about 35 minutes enough time to take pictures of the surroundings and enjoying this magnificent place.

The next stop was just a few minutes away where we explored Loch Ard Gorge. Two people stranded here when their ship sunk by stormy weather. We walked down along the steps to the sandy beach and explore the cave nearby. There wasn't much to see inside so I stayed outside the cave. Once the group was done exploring the cave, we all walked up again to the parking area.

Another walk to the Blow Hole and Thunder Cave, where we could see how the rough seawater carved a way through the rock formations. We aren't talking about little waves, but big ones! Time to get back to the bus for our next visit. Another short drive and we arrived at the collapsed London Bridge.

There was another group standing at the lookout, so we had to wait a little while. One part of the London Bridge collapsed years ago and was washed away by the sea. Seeing the other group taking a group photo I asked Simon if it was possible to make one as well. Not a problem. In few seconds he had lots of cameras around his feet. He could start his own photoshop right now. Leaving the collapsed London Bridge we headed to Port Campbell for a quick stop.

From Port Campbell we travelled to Colac for dinner. Not a fancy eating place or something like that, just at McDonalds. Ordered a Big 'n Tasty menu. Consists of a medium burger, chips and a soft drink. 7:45 PM. After the eating frenzy we left McDonalds, back to Melbourne. During our way back home Simon let us sign his guestbook, so we could write about this tour. It was a fantastic day trip! It was a fast and fully packed day. We saw so many things in one day. It was just unbelievable! I'm so glad I booked this trip. Really value for money!!!

The weather was awful in the beginning, but during the day the sun came through. I think that made a huge difference! Simon was so kind to drop off everyone anywhere in Melbourne before heading to the Queensbury Hill YHA. I was tired after the long day and went to my room. Talked to my roommates about the day and went off to the bathroom to freshen up. What a great day I had. Tomorrow I will try to change my flight and leave Melbourne earlier than the expected week, but first it's time to get some sleep.