Great Ocean Road

After a month of trying to blend in as a Melbournian, I finally signed up for the touristiest thing possible: The Great Ocean Road Tour. No surprise, there was an abundant number of vendors, all touting to offer the “best” trip. I took a gamble and booked through an online site that I saw advertised in Chinatown, and came out winning. I ended up paying $59 for a tour that is normally $138 when booked directly with the vendor! The Great Ocean Road was created after World War I. It was a means for employing all the soldiers returning from the war. In order to commemorate their efforts, the statue below was built.


We departed Melbourne early Saturday morning while the city was covered in a thick fog. The weather reporters, however, swore that it would be a sunny day in the low 70’s. Our first two stops took us to the popular surf towns of Torquay and Bells Beach. The surf was not high by any means, but plenty of surfers donning full body suits (I’ve been told the water is extremely cold in Melbourne) sat patiently on their boards. These towns typically have a population of 5,000 – 6,000, but this number grows by 10 times during the summer months (December – mid-April). Because of its recent popularity, median home prices in Torquay are about $100K AUD higher than in the CBD.

Around lunch time, we stopped in the town of Apollo Bay. I have never had motion sickness in all of my life. But the Great Ocean Road was SO curvy, that I thought I was going make the bus driver wish I was never on his bus! After a quick bite of Szechuan Beef Noodles at the Apollo Bay Hotel, I stepped onto a beach for the first time since I have been in Australia! Apollo Bay was originally a whaling port, but has since become another popular holiday destination.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent viewing several popular limestone formations: The 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, and London Bridge. There are only 7.5 or 8 apostles remaining; one collapsed about 2 years ago. Recent studies conducted by environmentalists have led them to believe that all of the remaining apostles will collapse within the next 20 years!

The Loch Ard Gorge was the sight of one of the most tragic shipwrecks in Victoria history. In the late 1800’s, the Loch Ard, a sailing ship, rammed into the cliffs of Muttonbird Island killing 52 people and leaving 2 survivors, Tom (apprentice crewman) and Eva (a passenger). They took refuge in the cave behind the beach before Tom climbed up the cliffs to a nearby homestead, and was able to obtain help.

London Bridge was also made famous by a man/woman duo. Approximately 20 years ago, London Bridge consisted of 2 arches, and was connected to the mainland. Two married hikers visiting the site were walking across the bridge when they heard a rumble. Quickly running away from the noise/mainland, they watched as the connecting arch collapsed. No injuries were sustained by either, but it turns out that they were not married to each other.


Week 5 Observations:
Instead of free Starbucks at work, I now get free milk
Bikes (scooters and motorcycles) can be parked anywhere…and I mean ANYWHERE
5 planets currently can be viewed in the sky – Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Venus, Mercury
Australia holds the greatest supply of uranium and coal, but it uses coal as its source for power supply