A very long day tour.
Had to leave my hotel and walk 15 minutes to the pick up point. Had to be there at 7am. Got dropped back off about 8.45pm and then walked back to my hotel. Just over 14 hours from departure to return.
But what a beautiful piece of Australia.
Headed out of Melbourne and through some small villages where we stopped for a quick cuppa.
Then it was onto the actual arch start of the Great Ocean Road.
Stopped en route in a campsite to see real life birds and koalas in the wild- I've seen them a lot in parks and wildlife centres but to see them int eh wild is pretty special.
Especially the momma with a joey.
Then it was on to a fishing village for lunch.
A few minutes more up the road and time to take a 30 minute stroll through a rainforest.
Then it was on to the pinnacle of the day. With winds blowing strongly straight off the Antarctic- it was pretty rough and wild. This just added to the beauty. (Except for the person who had their smartphone blown right out of their hand and into the sea while they were taking a photo.)
Firstly the 12 apostles.
And the Lord Arch Gorge.
and then onto Gibsons Steps
I thought I was just going to see some beautiful parts of Australia, but I also learnt a lot about the history of this great road, and the coasts known to Australian as surf coast and shipwreck coast. It was really interesting, gave you a real insight into time and events gone past that feed into making this trip the great trip it is today.
14 hours, exhausting, cramped on a small coach, but well worth it- for the learning as well as the views. I know many people come to Melbourne for the hopping but for me this day was much better than a day spent in the malls of Melbourne!
