Between Christmas and New Year last 2015 I went on a little trip through Victoria to see some of the nature and landscapes. It was amazing, stunning, and gorgeous. First of all let's show the path of my journey:
Note how the journey is 990 km total length, which took 3 beautiful days. Now let's see that in the wider context of all of Australia:
Yes... Yes... This place is damn big...
Day one took me on the Great Ocean Road, from Melbourne to Port Campbell. Since the Great Ocean Road was suffering heavy bushfires over Christmas, sadly part was closed, but I had already visited that part before so it was alright. We went via Colac, and then cut down south to Apollo Bay where the road was opened again.
Here is the first view that was had from the Southern Ocean after a few hours of driving:
Day one took me on the Great Ocean Road, from Melbourne to Port Campbell. Since the Great Ocean Road was suffering heavy bushfires over Christmas, sadly part was closed, but I had already visited that part before so it was alright. We went via Colac, and then cut down south to Apollo Bay where the road was opened again.
Here is the first view that was had from the Southern Ocean after a few hours of driving:
For those who don't know what the Great Ocean Road is: it is the world's largest war memorial. It was built by military servicemen who returned from World War I duty, and measures 244 kilometers long. Before its construction most of the coastal fishermen places could only be reached via the ocean.
On Wikipedia I found a funny piece of history about its construction:
On Wikipedia I found a funny piece of history about its construction:
The soldiers were paid 10 shillings and sixpence for eight hours per day, also working a half-day on Saturdays. They used tents for accommodation throughout, and made use of a communal dining marquee and kitchen; food costing up to 10 shillings a week. Despite the difficulty involved in constructing the road, the workers had access to a piano, gramophone, games, newspapers and magazines at the camps. Additionally, in 1924, the steamboat Casino became stranded near Cape Patton after hitting a reef, forcing it to jettison 500 barrels of beer and 120 cases of spirits. The workers obtained the cargo, resulting in an unscheduled two-week-long drinking break.
From Apollo Bay on the journey went past Cape Otway Lighthouse, which used to be the very first sign of land and life for the people on the ships that had sailed for many months all the way from Europe.
Going on from there, there was a stop in one of the beautiful rainforest areas that can be found in this part of Australia, as well as an area that was kind of the opposite. Koalas are a serious problem in this part of Australia, as there are by far too many of them. Sure, they are cute to see, but they eat so much that they leave no trees alive to grow more food to ensure their own survival. It was dramatically visible from the bus how whole forests have been wiped out by them.
For the remainder of the day a number of stops were made along the stunning coast, ending with pizza and beers on Port Campbell and a good night's sleep at a hostel. The famous 12 Apostles was so crazily busy with tourists, that the decision was made to skip that and return there the next day early morning before most people would show up. It was a good choice.
