Aussie Adventure

Pier 21

2012-01-02T12:48:00.000+11:00

Day 2 was my day to discover Pier 21 the very site where my father had arrived as a landed immigrant on July 13, 1949.

Canadian Museum of Immigration Pier 21

Pier 21 is a National Historic Site which was the gateway to Canada for one million immigrants between 1928 and 1971. It also served as the departure point for 500,000 Canadian Military personnel during the Second World War. Today, Pier 21 hosts the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21—Atlantic Canada’s only national museum!

The T.S. Arosa Klum was the passenger ship my mother travelled on when she arrived in Quebec City.

My father's ship was the General J.H. McRae. The resettlement officer issued his immigration visa from Munich Germany on June 2, 1949. He was to travel to the country of milk and honey to seek freedom from oppression. Entering and looking on to the harbour of Halifax, I can only imagine how he must of curiously observed his new homeland with much reverence.

After spending a day or two in Halifax seeing the sights, he boarded a train bound for the farmlands outside of Ottawa where he worked for a year as a farmhand and then on to Toronto.

Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada 2011

2012-01-02T08:34:00.004+11:00

In July and August Peter was hired as the camera operator for a CBC pilot series called Mr. D. that was being filmed in Halifax. So I surprised him by flying out to spend a week with him while he was working. I had never been to the east coast before so I was anxious to see the city and visit Pier 21 where my father had landed some 70 odd years ago.
My walking tour began at Citadel Hill or more historically known as Fort George. The Citadel sits on the highest point of land looking down onto the harbour. It was actually completed not to long ago in 1856 after twenty eight years of construction.

Everyday at noon there is a ceremonial firing of the noon gun.

Fort George has a living history program featuring animators portraying life in the fort where soldiers of the 78th Highland Regiment, the Third Brigade of the Royal Artillery, soldiers wives, and civilian tradespersons re-enact life in 1869....not for the faint of heart I'm sure!

My next stop was the Public Gardens that is by far one of the best displays of a Victorian public park in North America.

The park has iron railings, a bandstand, winding paths, green lawns, trees, shrubs and elaborate carpet bedding displays. Today this park still remains one of the best escapes, a timeless reminder of what life was like before we all got too busy to smell the roses.

Proceeding on my walking tour I headed south and then on to Spring Garden Road and found myself infront of a magnificent granite faced church with a very tall spiral called St. Mary's Basilica.

St. Mary's Basilica

St. Mary's was consecrated on October 19, 1899. It was made a basilica by Pope Pius XII in 1950 and is the catholic church of the Archdiocese of Halifax.

Directly across from St. Mary's is a very interesting graveyard.

Located at the intersecting streets of Spring Garden and Barrington, The Old Burying Ground is a public park where walking between headstones is encouraged by the well kept green spaces. Over the decades some 12,000 people were interred but today only 1,200 headstones exist.

Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail

2011-04-26T03:16:00.002+10:00

The Warburton Rail Trail was established in 1996 and has been continually developed and maintained by a combination of local volunteers, particularly the Friends of the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail, as well the Local Council and State and Federal governments. Over several years a significant amount of effort went into clearing the land, restoring 13 bridges and surfacing of the trail.

Victoria Railways' Albury Express in the 1890's

Warburton Express

also known as the Warburton Trail it is a walking, cycling and horse-riding track in eastern Victoria. It runs 30 km between Lilydale and Warburton along the former Warburton Railway line and lucky for us just happened to be accessible from where we were staying in Wandin.

With a backdrop of mountains including Yarra Ranges National Park this trail passes through a scenic landscape following the Yarra River valley.

So in the mornings Arlene and I would get our walking gear on and head out onto the trail for a brisk walk.

Seville Station is a wonderful rest stop that we came upon one day where you can take a break from the trail and sit and enjoy a breakfast and a beverage.

Interestingly the cafe is built around one of the historic train cars.

when you are hot and sweating anything advertising cold is a welcome relief...

Here Arlene and I are enjoying our morning with a breakfast bacon/egg bun and delicious cappuccino!

this had to be the best cappuccino we ever had but we were not alone....

a very bold magpie was eyeballing our breakfast sandwiches.

yikes!

There are 25 Rail Trails in Victoria and South Australia for more information visit

http://www.railtrails.org.au/

inside the train

An interesting discovery....a water filling station nolonger in use.

the original tin roof

the door to exit to connecting coaches

Arlene resting inside the coach, what fun this must have been in it's time.

a quick stop before heading back onto the trail.

the birds overhead confused us many a time thinking that a bike was approaching and ringing it's bell.

The Gears where you can rent a bike to ride the trail.

an enjoyable walk that Arlene and I will cherish.

The trail meanders through scenic bushland, open river flats and some of the many farms in the area.

There are many rare species of plants and animals to be seen by the keen observer along the trail.

Galah or also known as the Red Breasted Cockatoo

ha! fooled ya....no koalas..this one was in a santuary!

Last stop....San Francisco

2011-04-13T23:27:00.003+10:00

Fisherman's Wharf

carnival atmosphere Pier 39

looking up onto Telegraph Hill area

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant

marina looking out onto the bay

Alcatraz home to such notable inmates as Al Capone, Robert Franklin Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz)

and George 'Machine Gun' Kelly eventually closed in 1963 today it is protected as a National Historic Landmark.

Sea Lions basking in the sun...word of advice... don't stand up wind!

Golden Gate Bridge

Remember Zoltar from the movie 'Big' with Tom Hanks?

Powell and Mason Cable Car

End of the line and the end of a great vacation that we will never forget!

King Canyon Walk

2011-04-12T19:32:00.016+10:00

Sunrise over KingsCanyon

Bottlebrush genus Callistemon is named because the flower has a dense cylindrical shape which resembles a brush.

I opted for the 5.5km rim walk at the time I thought to myself...how difficult could this reall by?

They call this part at the beginning of the climb 'Heart Attack Hill'. It is appropriately named as the climb is 1km straight up the rock face. I guess I really wasn't thinking afterall.

Upward and onward.....

The view from the top was really magnificent...in the bottom right corner you can just make out the vistors station.

'the crack' inside joke.....

looking out over the canyon...Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert...

A goanna or monitor lizard crosses the path we were walking on

this one appears to be in no hurry to seek cover.

Kata Tjuka (The Olgas)

2011-04-08T18:43:00.079+10:00

Early morning looking out towards Kata Tjuka

A genuine australian Akubra hat that keeps the sun off your head and is waterproof as well. Also seen in the movie 'The Man from Snowy River'.

native bush tucker

the sky was actually this shade of blue and not a cloud in the sky

wart curing needles Annabell scarifices her hand for the demo

bush medicine

early morning walk and the temperature is around 27 degrees

this kangaroo a smaller variety of the big red was grazing along side the trail...a total surprise for all of us!

The rock formation that makes up the Olga's is a compact mix of various rocks and limestone that is almost concrete like and because of millions of years of erosion the Olga's mountain surface is more dome like, Kata Tjuka means 'many heads'.

Ochre is a natural rock found in this area.

It contains iron oxide and when mixed with a little water it becomes an excellent source of paint.

Annabell paints up her face to show us.

Its a grueling walk and we constantly stop for water breaks.

another water fill up station before we continue on....

....all downhill from here until we reach the bus.

Here we came across a herd of wild camels. Australia is home to 1.2 million of these gentle giants.

It's late and back on the camp site we are helping to prepare the evening meal.

Steve is preparing tonights "Damper" that will go with our meal. Damper is traditionaly a simple unleavened bread baked in the hot coals of the campfire. It's called 'damper' because the fire is dampened to allow the bread to be cooked over the ash hot coals.

The Damper is ready!

Everyone is ready to roll out their swags and sleep beneath the stars. Goodnite Johnboy....

Uluru Discovery Walk

2011-04-07T16:44:00.000+10:00

Annabell calls this 'fool-uluru'....after riding in the bus for 4 hours and seeing nothing but flat as far as the eye can see everyone gets excited when they see a mountain scape.

time for a lunch stop and everyone is keen to help

cold cuts, lettuce, sliced tomatos, cucumber, cheese and sliced beet root....what no fried eggs?

Annabell has us on a schedule because we still have many kilometers to our campsite.

a last stretch before we climb onboard the bus.

cave drawings of billabongs, kangaroo, people sitting

The rock climb was closed because of the wind conditions.

Sunset and champagne and the end of another day.

Camel farm in the Red Desert

2011-04-07T13:01:00.001+10:00

....you can ride camels....

....or....eat camel burgers!

Yummy...with tomato sauce and brown sauce!

....visiting with the locals...

a skippy snack.

back on the bus and off we go!

on the road..don't we all look happy!

Cheers Bryan...how ya going?

open road ahead of us

Uluru and legends of Ayers Rock

2011-04-05T10:48:00.001+10:00

....on the road again....

rich red soil of the desert....unusually green because of all the rain...thank the Canadians!

Desert pine and wiry grasses dominate the landscape

Everyone doing the Australian wave...swatting the flies.

How is this for an ant hill!

A quick stop to gather firewood for tonites campsite bonfire.

Josh and Annabell loading up the trailer.

wood gatherers

this might be dinner?

At the close of the Tjukurpa period the time of creation when heroes carried out their mighty deeds a big, flat sandhill turned to stone and became Uluru.

The carpet-snake people, the Kuniya, made their camp here, but the Liru, venomous snake men, led by the great warrior Kulikudgeri, attacked the camp.

A powerful Kuniya woman, Pulari, wishing to protect her newly born child, spat out the essence of death and killed many Liru. Kulikudgeri slew a young warrior who challenged him to a fight to the death, but the youth's mother struck Kulikudgeri a blow on the nose with her digging stick and he died in agony.

Walking around the base of Uluru the entire walk would have taken 3 hours. We opted for the 1/2 walk.

Geographic features of the Rock now mark these activities.

Potholes are marks of the Liru spears, a large boulder was once the body of Pulari, Kulikudgeri became a boulder and his nose is at the entrance to Maggie Springs. The warrior he killed crawled away and his track became a water course.

a sound shield

The flies were inhuman without the bug net they would crawl up your nose and into the corner of your eyes.

Our Wayoutback tour group, exhausted and ready to set up camp for the night.

Goodnight to Uluru.

Alice Springs and Hot Air Balloon Ride

2011-04-03T21:36:00.001+10:00

Here we are arriving at the airport in Alice Springs...temperature 27 and no rain!

Happy snap with our aussie cousins.

Our accommodations in Alice Springs with pool.

Luisa is displaying native art available to purchase from an aboriginal co-op where the proceeds go to the artist as well as to the co-op that funds activites for the native peoples.

The resident peacock at the Crowne Plaza was very bold and use to people.

Here I am feeding rock wallabies and this one has a joey in it's pouch.

rock-wallabies

Sun is rising over the outback, I forgot to mention we got up at 4:00am.

Kym is heating up the ballon with a very fierce propane burner....stay away from the fan he yells out.

Hot air balloon rising....the vehicles are dwarfed beside it.

All clear and everyone is waiting for the call to jump in.

All safely onboard, quick get the camera for a last happy snap.

Sun rise over the outback.

The heat this burner emitted was warming up our cold bodies.

Up...up and soon the ballon is off the ground. I was taken by how quiet it all was except for the blasts from the furnace.
The outback is massive as far as the eye can see.

The landscape scarred by trails and roads.

The sun is up and we are brushing over tree tops.

Maria and Bryan our aussie cousins. Good morning Maria....good morning Bryan.

Look over what can you see?

....a kangaroo!

Kym our pilot is educating us on the art of flying a balloon, he was concerned about the wind speed this particular morning so we couldn't go higher than 200 metres and we were picking up speeds of 20km.

Cousin Luisa is thrilled because we are heading over in the direction of a state prison...she may have put a few clients in there so she would rather avoid landing there.

Incredibly peaceful and serene.

The most ideal sideways landing, no one fell out!

...safely back on the ground we are all elated.

A big relief that all are safe as we came in very quickly,

...landing skid marks in the red gound.

Time to wrap up the ballon and everyone pitches in.

Everyone helped pack the balloon back into its bag.

Surprise...the balloon fit back into it's bag all ready for the next flight.

Cousin Maria giving a lesson on opening champagne for our celebration breakfast.

Cheers everyone to a great flight and the beginning of our great trip to Alice Springs!

Back in Melbourne

2011-04-03T20:17:00.000+10:00

Here we are back on terra firma.

Cousin Michael was on leave from military service and is showing us around Dock Lands.

Dock Lands is the harbour side of Melbourne.

Favorite tv personality Dame Edna Everage,

and less popular Mel Gibson.....too much money...spouting off too much.

Dame Edna and I having a chin wag.

Homemade Pavlova....here is the base....a baked meringue....

then a layer of whipped cream.....

and a layer of fresh mixed fruit...strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and midori and pineapple juice to wash it all down.

Bondi Beach

2011-03-31T12:10:00.001+11:00

Arriving to Bondi Beach and the weather is warm and no rain!!!

During the height of season you have to walk around the beach blankets.

Today was a great day to walk the beach.

Peter is comfortable sitting on the beach and taking in the view.

Arlene has dipped her feet into the Tasman Sea.

John and I are relaxing and enjoying that there is no rain.

The sand looks and feels like brown sugar.

This place is just hopping during high season.

There is always a great surf for wakeboarder and surfers.

Always a good time for an ice cream.

Our last steps on the beach before heading back to Sydney.

Sydney Day 3 and raining.....everywhere else? Sunny!

2011-03-25T19:13:00.002+11:00

A great way to see any city is to buy tickets for the Red Bus. These buses circle the city and will let you off and on throughout the route. Unfortunately the day started off raining and Peter had to take shelter under an umbrella because it was actually raining inside our bus!

Outside this Sydney hospital there is this statue of a boar. According to the tour operator...rubbing it's snout will bring you good health....I wonder why it's genitals are shiny?

Statues are plentiful in and around Sydney This one happens to be Prince Albert (the good) consort to Queen Victoria.

It finally stopped raining so we could sit up top and get smacked in the face by low wet branches.

Hyde Park and a German U-Boat gun.

Sydney Day 2 and it's raining!

2011-03-25T15:29:00.002+11:00

The Rocks is probably the most highly visited part of Sydney. It is the oldest part of Sydney and it's where immigrants arrived and settled. Today it boasts a vibrant pocket of cafes and restaurants and interesting tourist shops and stalls.

The rain stopped long enough for us to have another great day.

Sydney...is there time to build an ark?

2011-03-21T21:29:00.004+11:00

We arrived in Sydney under cloudy skies with a temperature of 21 and raining.

We quickly dropped off our luggage and started walking in the direction of the harbour.

The BLUE Hotel can be seen on the far right. BLUE is perfectly located on the Wharf at Woolloomooloo, Sydney. We were not staying at the BLUE but at The Mariner's Court Hotel once home to naval sailors and officers. The area known as Woolloomooloo (more 'o's then in a box of Cheerios') is fast becoming a contemporary area of Sydney.

We stepped into the NSW Art Gallery to get out of the rain and even better the entry was free!

The Botanical Gardens in Sydney was our next stop on the walk. The Botanic Gardens are situated overlooking Farm Cove, directly east of the Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay and Macquarie Street. It is 30 hectares in area.

Is this a poisonous spider? It looks harmless to me.

Encephalartos altensteinii a plant from South Africa

the cone looks like a triade and the seeds are soft and bright red in color.

Then we turned into a path where the trees had these suspicious looking fruit....on closer inspection we quickly recognized that they were very large fruit bats also known as flying foxes...and in almost all the trees!

The Botanical Gardens are await approval to relocate the 7000 flying residents however there is no way of knowing what will happen if they try to evict them or where they will go. These bats sleep during the day and begin flying around sunset. They weigh 1kg and their wing span is 1metre from tip to wing tip.

The Australian White Ibis are really ugly birds...they are a commonly seen bird in Sydney....it has a predominantly white plumage with a bare, black head, long downcurved bill and black legs and they are quite indifferent to people.

This angle is not the most photographed view but we are walking up from the Royal Botanical Gardens.

The Opera House's roof is constructed of 1,056,000 glazed white self cleaning granite tiles imported from Sweden.

John is very happy, this was the most important moment for him being in Sydney..seeing the Opera House and booking the back stage tour.

It stopped raining long enough for Peter to take this picture of me.

Sydney skyline looking away from the Opera House.

There is a walkway underneath with shops and restaurants.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is locally nicknamed "The Coat Hanger" because of its arch-based design.

The end of another great day and tomorrow we are coming back to do more exploring and hopefully it won't be raining!

Point Nepean

2011-03-20T22:59:00.002+11:00

Point Nepean is truly one of Victoria's beautiful natural landscapes. A special place with so much to see and discover. Its rich history has played an important role in shaping the early settlement, quarantine and defence of Victoria.

The park is located at the very tip of the Mornington Peninsula, with outstanding coastal scenery and panoramic views of Bass Strait, the Rip and Port Phillip Bay.
We boarded a tractor pull from the visitor's site.

We disembarked once we reached the fort and for one hour were able to explore the military forts and tunnels.

We saw the historic Quarantine Station,

then viewed the memorial where Prime Minister Harold Holt went missing while swimming,

Then we got hungry so we drove back to Sorrento to the Continental Hotel for lunch and I had to add these pictures as it seems all we do is think about food and really how great does this look!

....this one was a Japanese Hotpot....

...mine was the swordfish with a delicious chutney made with olives, eggplant, peppers, onions and mushrooms....

The walls were covered in these wonderful paintings all for sale by local artists.

The atmosphere was terrific and the food 10/10. I would highly recommend stopping if ever you find yourself driving in the area. Tomorrow is laundry day and then we are headed for Sydney for 4 days...we need to get up at 4am because our flight leaves at 7:30am.

Welcome to the Portsea Hotel

2011-03-19T18:49:00.000+11:00

Elegantly situated overlooking the majestic and historical Portsea Pier, the Portsea Hotel is an iconic landmark of the Mornington Peninsula.

Portsea is southern Australia's most prestigious seaside township. Bordering the Point Nepean National Park the area features beautiful scenic beaches, coastal walks and in the heart of the area the picturesque Portsea Pier surrounded by Port Phillip Bay's tranquil southern shoreline.

you really can't take a bad picture here.

It is also the home of the best Vanilla Slice! A thick custard slice between two flaky layers of puff pastry and dusted in vanilla sugar...yum!

...they were so good that everyone had already eaten theirs before I could get a picture..

don't we all look contented!

Then back into the car for a short drive and we are now looking out onto the Coastal Walk.

When Peter originally took this picture there was a suspicious looking dark image can you see it just on the otherside of the fence? It turned out to be a burnt log and not a suspicious suitcase as we all thought.

beachcombing for cuttlefish bones.

Everyone is now exhausted and looking forward to a good night's sleep as tomorrow is another new adventure.

Melbourne

2011-03-18T12:48:00.000+11:00

Everyone was getting a little hungry from all the walking so we sat facing the Yarra River that meanders through Melbourne and enjoyed the sunshine.

The next unexpected find was this Graffiti Alley of which there are many.

Yarra River

This graffiti wall stretched between two city streets and a great spot to admire the artistic talents of an art form that is frowned upon.

National Gallery modern art exhibit.

The outside wall of the National Gallery is a waterfall,

that attracts children and adults alike to step up and touch it's surface.

Artwork is abundant throughout the city.

Back on the tram and the end of great day in Melbourne but not before we stop in a Starbucks for a tall black and a pastry.

Touring Melbourne

2011-03-14T23:04:00.001+11:00

Today we toured the city of Melbourne and fortunately for us today was their labour day holiday so everyone was out in the street!

a parade was just underway

Santa's Kangaroos

diner girls

these are rental bikes...just swipe your credit card and off you go!

the park view of the cityscape

the Shrine of Remembrance is Victoria's memorial to the men and women

who have served Australia in armed conflicts and peacekeeping operations

throughout it's history.

a great view

looking up from the Sanctuary.

The National Gallery was our next stop where we spent an hour in the galleries. To be continued....

Queen Victoria Market Melbourne

2011-03-13T23:07:00.001+11:00

Queen Victoria Market is an open air market. It is a feast for the eyes and the variety of fish, meat, fruit and veg was overload for our senses. Here are just a few of the pictures to give you a better idea of what we were drooling over.

These pictures are just a small representation of the photos we took, there were many more fish stalls.
The next sections were stalls loaded with meat, cheese, fruit and vegetable.

yes here is Kangaroo meat and when cooked properly taste very sweet.

the porchetta looks good too...

this market is huge and there appears to be a better bargain around every corner.

and the UGGS are plentiful

Check out http://www.qvm.com.au/ for more information about the Queen Victoria Market and before we left we made sure we stopped at the lebanese stall to purchase a Börek (also burek) a baked or fried filled pastry made of a thin flaky dough known as yufka (or phyllo) VERY DELICIOUS!
Tomorrow we are taking a tour of Melbourne and then getting ready for our trip to the penninsula Port Sea to the beach resort for a couple of days.

Day 5 last day Ballarat and back to Melbourne

2011-03-12T22:42:00.000+11:00

This morning after a restful night we departed the Ansonia Hotel and headed out in search of a hardy breakfast.

The Bibo Bistro is a 50's style diner that offered a good selection from it's menu such as...Bibo Deluxe - eggs with hollandaise, bacon, sausage, potato rubble, mushroom, overnight tomato, spinach, homemade bibo beans & toasted wood fired foccacia....to .... Inhouse musesli with fresh fruit and berry yoghurt.

The coffee must be good as these cups belonged to patrons that frequent the bistro.

....that was a great meal and a good capuccino...

and too full for a muffin to go. A short walk back to the Kia and on to our excursion at Sovereign Hill.

Sovereign Hill is a historic representation of Ballarat's early goldfields. The living museum covers 25 hectares of a former gold mining site and it offers the visitor an insight of day to day life.

Here we are working off our breakfast.

Panning for gold is a lot harder than it looks.

Our good friend the ex Premier Mr. Bolte needed to use our IPhone so we had to oblige. Hope it wasn't a long distant call. Tonight we are back to Louisa's gorgeous home and tomorrow we are touring Melbourne.

Day 4 Ararat, Beaufort then on to Ballarat

2011-03-11T23:35:00.002+11:00

This morning we set out for the grocery store to stock up on fresh fruit and munchies for the drive to Beaufort. I had to take this picture of a Ute as I'm told you can't come between a bloke and his Ute....?

Back out on the road again the scenery is spectacular as we drive closer to the Grampians, Lousia gives us some facts about the area we are driving through. Isn't it weird seeing her drive from the right side of the van...I've stopped feeling like I have to adjust the rearview as she is driving.

Fields are called paddocks and they stretch as far as the eye can see. Occassionally we come across massive flocks of shorn sheep or munching cows and horses shading themselves from the 27 degree heat.

An uncharted detour takes us down a one lane country road to a very unexpected find.

Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Great Diving Range in the Grampians region of Victoria, the Mount Langi Ghiran vineyard is one of the most isolated and unique sites in Australian viticulture (I got that off the information brochure incase you are wondering about my beautifully written prose.)

the original vineyard was planted in 1870.

and it has become the home of one of Australia's finest cool climate wines, the Langi Shiraz.

not bad eh boys?

Now for something completely different more antiqueing! The Beaufort Garage Sale was something I had to check out after reading about it on the internet....lots of junk.

Back in the Kia and a 30 minute drive and now we arrive in Ballarat where we have booked rooms at the Ansonia. Tomorrow morning we are exploring Sovereign Hill and Gold Museum a renowned goldrush site of the 1850's recreated. We might have more luck panning for gold than we have at the poky machines in the lobby!!!

Day 3 Dunkeld to Ararat

2011-03-11T00:08:00.001+11:00

Good Morning everyone....woke up to a cool but clear morning and I've taken a picture from across the kitchen table to the view we are looking out onto.

backdoor view......

Leaving behind our house in Port Fairy we were soon on the road heading for some much anticipated antique shopping.....

arriving in such haste that we found the store closed even though it was 10:00am. There were some interesting finds like this obviously well loved steam tractor,

and equally cherished plowing equipment.

Peter and John were less interested in antiques and more intested in heading back on to the open road. But the girls were not to be outsmarted so we found a "Ray's Outdoor Store" for the boys and a craft/fabric shop for us and harmony was restored.
The first stop our coastal adventure was Bay of Islands....

....and not to long after was Bay of Martyrs.....

...were we all took the same picture from the same outlook point.......

even the four legged tourists were taking in the fresh air and breathtaking views.....

I have to add these pictures as the variety of native plant life was pretty amazing too!

Again back into the Kia and the next stop would have to be my second favorite....The Grotto.

....wait for it.....

From The Grotto we went on to London Bridge.....

Loch Ard Gorge.....

and the ultimate tourist photo opportunity....The 12 Apostles...of which only half are remaining!

Now it is getting close to dusk and we have a ways to go to our next resting spot for the night so back into the Kia and a drive through Port Campbell and a stop in Timboon for a cheese tasting at the Mousetrap. Back in the Kia and on to Dunkeld at the foot of the Southern Grampians to our B&B for the night.

Day 3 has come to an end and we are all wonderfully exhausted and looking forward to tucking in for the night. Tomorrow has more surprises instore for us.

Day 2 The Great Ocean Road

2011-03-10T08:21:00.002+11:00

We started out early in the morning leaving Apollo Bay under an overcast sky and light drizzle. Our first stop was Otway Lighthouse.

Perched 80 metres high up on a cliff this lighthouse has been in operation since 1848.
Along side the lighthouse is a telegraph house and WWII radar bunker.
For thousands of immigrants, Cape Otway was their first sight of land after leaving Europe or North America after many months at sea.

A very animated individual greeted us at the top. Originally the lighthouse beacon was fueled by copious amounts of whale oil.....one whale a day he jokingly added.

The decent was narrow and steep. Back into the car and we continued on to Otway National Park for our zipline adventure but a rain soaked koala had travellers stoped in both directions.

Here is map so you can follow our route.

The Otway fly and treetop walk was one adventure we were all up for except Peter. It took some reasuring but he agreed to join us.

In this picture we are 30m high above the rainforest floor. We had just crossed a suspension bridge that you can see just behind Arlene's head.

Arlene was the daredevil of the bunch. Here she is suspended in the canopy. We are waiting at the next cloud station off in the distance.

The skywalk zigzaged through the rainforest and the views were breathtaking.

These ferns are over 6 ft in height and have a 10 ft diameter.

We could hear them but they were difficult to spot.

Creepy bug up close and personnel.

A land before time...it was like walking onto a set of Jurasic park!

Only a face it's mother could love.

Paperbark trees as straight as telephone poles.

For a look at our zipline adventure check out http://www.otwayflytreetopadventures.com.au/ it was a great fun and Peter overcame his fear of heights. Tomorrow we are back on the road to Port Fairy and antique shopping!

Day 1 Great Ocean Road

2011-03-08T23:33:00.000+11:00

I figured I start this part of the trip with a title sign even thought we are already many hours into the roadtrip having stopped in Geelong for long black and short black coffees and a 'nosh' that's aussieish for a bite to eat. We then stretched our legs by walking along the pier under a cloudy sky threatening rain.

Check us out posing with the local lifeguards!

Back into our Kia van and on the road...next stop Torquay and a walk along the beach.

Found some interesting seashells, sponge and seaweeds the sand was soft and the water looked very inviting
but I'm waiting for a quieter day to test the waters...unlike these surfers who were part of a surfing camp class.

The cliffs are magnificent and the scenery breathtaking. Check out these shots of some of our next stops on route to Apollo Bay.

Then there were the rest stops.....

pretty fancy wouldn't you think?

....a local bird not bothered by having it's picture taken....

What a fantastic first day....Arlene, John, Peter, Louisa and I are off to Port Fairy in the morning and you won't believe what we have planned first thing in the morning!!!!