9.29.2010

Great Ocean Road: the coast

We picked up our campervan, really just a minivan with a fold down bed in the back and a mini fridge and stove off the rear, to start our tour of the Great Ocean Road.  Great is the best way to describe it, spectacular coastline with amazing beaches, wildlife galore, and rock formations rising out of the water, it was beautiful!  Repeating our mantra "drive on the left" we took our time driving the coast stopping at all the scenic lookouts along the way.  Our first day we headed to Apollo bay to spend the night at a caravan park just outside the small beach front town.  We saw the famed Bells Beach and Split Point lighthouse as we winded our way along the coast.

Empty Beaches



The Legend

Bells Rocks

Bells Beach



GOR Beginning

We started off day 2 with a run along the beach in Apollo Bay and then a quick drive to Kennett River to see the koala bears hanging out in the eucalyptus tress. We saw lots of koalas and got pretty good at spotting the little fuzzy bears dotting the tree line.







Driving out to Cape Otway we even saw a koala on the side of the road. We jumped out of the campervan as he crossed right in front of us and gave us some prime picture taking opportunities.

Koala Bear



We finished off the day with a visit to some of the most spectacular coast scenery Australia has to offer: the Twelve Apostles, London Bridge, and The Grotto.  We also saw our first kangaroo roadside on our drive into Peterborough, our resting stop for the night.

On the Road

Down the Stairs

Rising out of the Sea

Twelve Apostles I

Twelve Apostles II

Twelve Apostles III



At The Grotto

Down to The Grotto

London Bridge Pano

Setting up Camp

We started day 3 with a drive out to the Bay of Islands.

Bay of Islands Pano

Whale Watching

We then headed to the Tower Hill State Game Reserve for some hiking.  Tower Hill is and animal reserve with several walking tracks.  Unlike a zoo you get to see the animals in their natural habitat, we spotted emus and kangaroos galore, we even spotted a joey in its mother's pouch.  We then drove into Port Fairy to spend our afternoon and evening.

Emu

Hiding

Mother and Joey

Road to Somewhere

With the AFL Grand Final on, a BIG deal in Oz, most of the quaint port town was shut down to watch the game.  We decided to head over to the local pub, grab a pint, and see what all the fuss was about.  We found the town at the bar and watched with a rowdy crowd as the match played out and ended in a draw.  Compared to our Super Bowl Ross and I thought it was pretty nice that the commercial breaks were 30 seconds at the most, but pretty crazy that the game was allowed to end in a tie and has to be played again next week!

The Warf

2 comments:

  1. Looks amazing! I love the koala bears. :-) Thanks for letting us share your journey. Miss you guys but it looks like you're having a blast already! -Cristin

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