Australia Road Trip: Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay, Day 15-16

Feb 15-16

Hi All,

We started the travel along the Great Ocean Road: “The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243 kilometres (151 mi) stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and dedicated to soldiers killed during World War I, the road is the world’s largest war memorial. Winding through varying terrain along the coast and providing access to several prominent landmarks, including the Twelve Apostles limestone stack formations, the road is an important tourist attraction in the region. Construction on the road began on 19 September 1919, built by approximately 3,000 returned servicemen as a war memorial for fellow servicemen who had been killed in World War I. An advance survey team progressed through dense wilderness at approximately 3 kilometres a month. Construction was done by hand; using explosives, pick and shovel, wheel barrows, and some small machinery. The road traverses rainforests, as well as beaches and cliffs composed of limestone and sandstone, which is susceptible to erosion.”

Yesterday we visited several beaches along the way, the most notable around Torquay….one of the more famous, Bell’s Beach is the home of many surfing contests and to Ripcurl and Quicksilver. The wind was starting to freshen and we got to see some decent size surf with lot’s of excellent surfers!! We had lunch in a very cute seaside town called Lorne where we were told to have some fish and chips….it was pretty good….the fish was gummy shark….we don’t normally eat shark but this is very popular in the area and supposedly regulated and sustainable….it was more like a firm white fish than a strong shark taste…actually quite good…..but my salt and pepper calamari was just as good if not better!!

We then went for the Koala walk at Kennett River…..wow, we saw 6 of these cute guys all in the wild and all sleeping….they are indeed hard to find!! There were also many parrots!!

We woke up today to some nasty weather…..southern Australia style….30+ knot winds, seas 13-15′ (4-5m), light rain…you know, dark and stormy kind of weather…great….so on with the rain gear and off we go!!!

Today we went into the Otway NP….wow, one of the best yet. We first started at the Maits West rainforest walk…excellent. Many giant trees that rival the giant redwoods/Sequoias in California….no kidding…..Mountain Ash and Beech Myrtle….some were over 300 years old and well over 100 yards tall and 15′ wide….we both got our stretching exercises trying to see all the way to the top!!

Next was the drive to the Lighthouse….we saw 24+ Koalas along this 7 mile stretch….we stopped many times and got out and took a gazillion pics:))))

Next we went to the Cape Otway Lighthouse: “It is Australia’s oldest working lighthouse. The government reserved the tip of the cape as the site for a lighthouse. Access to the site was difficult; it was eventually reached overland and construction of the Cape Otway Lightstation began in 1846 from stone quarried at the Parker River. The light was first lit in 1848 using a first order Fresnel lens; it was the second lighthouse completed on mainland Australia and it remains the oldest surviving lighthouse in mainland Australia. It was decommissioned in January 1994 after being the longest continuous operating light on the Australian mainland. Eight ships were wrecked along the coast of Cape Otway. These included the Marie (1851), Sacramento (1853), Schomberg (1855), Loch Ard (1878), Joseph H. Scammell (May 1891), Fiji (September 1891) and the Casino in 1932. The first American vessel sunk during World War II, the SS City of Rayville, was also sunk off the Cape by a German mine in 1940, which sank less than 24 hours after the British Ship S.S. Cambridge off Wilsons Promontory. The Americans built a radar bunker on the cape in 1942 which is now open to the public. It has been replaced by a low powered solar light in front of the original tower whose focal plane is at 73 m above sea level. Its light characteristic is three white flashes every 18 seconds.”

For us the one of the highlights was looking left and seeing the Bass Strait and looking right seeing the Southern Ocean…our first sighting!!! We now have seen 3 of the 5 great oceans….Pacific, Atlantic and Southern….still have the Artic and Indian to go!!!

They also built a telegraph station which used the first submarine cable over to Tasmania in 1859. It worked for 2 years then the cable broke and it took 10 more years to lay another cable.

After that we tried for some lunch….first restaurant, only opened for dinner, 2nd place, closed, third place had only tables outside in the 30 kt wind, not, 4th place no tables, 5th place we didn’t like the menu, and on the 6th try we found a coldie and some fried seafood!!!!

So why is it so crowded you ask….well, it’s the last week of the Chinese New Year and the Chinese are Australia’s #1 tourist. Next week we go to Perth and hopefully we will be out of the crowds!!!

Tomorrow we continue the journey along the Great Ocean Road to Port Fairy….one of the higlights will be the 12 Apostles!!

Stats:
Traveled: 125 miles to Apollo Bay; 1575 miles total
Wrong turns: 0 today; 2 total
Kangaroo/”Roos”/Skippy count: 1 this leg; ~202 total!!!
Skippy roadside warning signs: 4 this leg, 88 total
Koala count: 30 this leg; 34 total
One Way bridges: 1 today; 15 total
Speeding Tickets: 0 today; 1 total
Hotels: Whitecrest Resort: pretty nice, great ocean view, fireplace which we needed!!
Food: Nothing special, just a lot of fried fresh seafood

LIG!!!! Hope all is well!!

John
Mystic Moon