Everglow

 Day 159- The whole time we'd been in Australia we had people asking us if we planed to visit The Great Ocean Road. Everytime we would answer "yes", and people would respond by saying how beautiful and amazing it was. We were anxious to see for ourselves just how "great" this ocean road really was. 

Our first stop was the town of Torquay. We pulled in at the tourist information center where we got a map and list of must-sees along The Great Ocean Road from a lovely and efficient lady named Lacy. Truth is that we never caught her name but she WAS lovely and she DID look like a Lacy. So Lacy she shall be. The first item on Lacy's list was the main beach in the little town itself, called Front Beach. So we decided to make Front Beach the setting for our lunch. We cooked up some delicious hamburgers. Mmmmm yumm

Stop number 2 was Bells Beach, just 7 kms west from the town of Torquay. The Beach is famous for attracting the annual Rip Curl Pro Surf carnival.

We just love having a destination and a reason to go. 

The next stop I kept secret from Mike until we got close enough that he started to question my navigation skills. He had been dying to golf but on our tight budget it hadn't been a possibility. Although we couldn't help but visit the course when it was a must see item on Lucy's list. Anglesea Golf Course is home to a large group of kangaroos and it is almost a garantee to see them on the course. We didn't have time for a round so we bought two buckets of balls and hit the driving range. 

                             

We had kangaroos and joeys all around us while we dusted off our backswings. 

Stop number 4 on Lucy's list was the Split Point Lighthouse at Airey's Inlet. Not sure what is so attractive about a lighthouse but they always seems to draw attention. This one was beautifully white and stood tall as it looked over the ocean below. 

                         

Here is the view of what the lighthouse looks at all day and night. Pretty sweet. 

The Memorial Arch would be stop, or in this case slow down, number 6. It was built as a memorial for the world war one soldiers who helped contruct the Great Ocean Road. We saluted their efforts as we passed underneath. 

Next stop was the town of Lorne. After a short drive inland, we came across Erskine Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the Otway region. We took the 200 steps down to see the stunning falls up close. 

After the falls we hit George street to take us to stop number 8, Teddy's lookout. It gave us a awesome view of the Great Ocean Road Coastline. If you look at the mountain on the far right side of the photo, along the bottom, you can see the road wrapping itself around the mountainside. 

We stopped at an additional lookout further down the road with a sweet view. After this we kept our eyes peeled for good lookout points and instead found another little gem, not on Lucy's list. 

What we saw were inukshuks. Lots of them. Maybe hundreds, possibly even more. We added to the collection and Mike became 'one with them'. 

If you look closely in the center of the photo, you might be able to see Mike. Do you see him? His skin blends in perfectly with the white sand. You should see me trying to find him on beach days.

Our last stop for the day was in the town of Apollo Bay. Described as a laid back coastal town, we knew this would be a great place to rest for the night. We had officially finished out cleanse and with a fun day of exploring under our wheels we felt like a celebratory beer was in order. We also enjoyed some fresh fish and chips from a little shop just off the water. Unfortunately we didn't expect to pay $40 dollars for two beers and a meal and it left a fowl taste in our mouths. 

We paid to park our van in a caravan park for $25 bucks and we got a nice spot right by the river and within earshot of the ocean. Some tropical birds came by to check us out while I found myself the perfect spot to view this trips second best sunset and one of my favourites of all time. 

JP never looked so good. 

We snuggled into our home and ended the night with episodes of Survivor. 

Day 160- We woke up rested and excited for another day of sightseeing. We hit play on the new Coldplay album and vibed out while we drove to our next stop. Stop number 10 would take us to Maits Rest. It took us on a walk through a sub-temperate rainforest and surrounded us in lush greenery, tall trees and ancient tree ferns. The photo below is taken from the bottom of a tree looking way way way up.

When we came across the tree below, we couldn't believe how huge it was. It would take two people just to climb over to the other side! It is definitely the biggest tree I have ever seen.

This rainforest has been long used by aboriginals as a spiritual haven. They believe it has powers and I would agree. Mother Nature is a powerful force. It is said that the trees, such as the one below, were used by aboriginals as shelters.

                           

We were so small among the many giants around us. 

Mike particularly liked this tree. It looked like two trees intertwined together to form one solid trunk. In fact, one tree actually grew inside the other until they did become one tree. Pretty spectacular. 

                           

We stopped at another lookout point not on our list to see the view of the ocean. 

The water looked so appetizing that we figured we'd go down to feel the water between our toes. 

I stopped to take a photo and took my eyes off of Mike for two seconds and before I knew it he was gone. Grow up right!

We set up the camera to take some jumping photos with our stunning backdrop and out of all 20 of them I didn't get a single shot where my feet were off the ground. Mike was in the air in almost every one. 

After all the jumping and running we needed to cool off so we striped down and jumped in. And no surprise to see that Mike is jumping once again.

We also proceeded to mark our territory by writing our names in the sand, in giant letters. Little did we know that in doing so we ruined the beautiful view of the beach that we had enjoyed when we first walked up to the lookout. Oops. Good thing the tide was coming in. We walked away mumbling, 'who the heck is Lisa and Mike', as other tourists queued their cameras for a photo.

We scurried out of there pretty quickly.

On the drive to our next stop we saw a warning sign for some scary and truly ancient creatures! I actually think I would be happy to see any of these crossing the road. I didn't know dinosaurs were still in existence in Australia!

                     

If you look closely at the photo above you can see that some hilarious kids changed a kangaroo into a velociraptor, a bat into pterodactyl and the cow and koala into some new species of dinosaur. 

Our next stop was Melba Gully, another mystical rainforest with spiritual powers and ancient trees. We took a 45 minute walk through the forest and admired the array of trees and plants that grew around us. We came across a tree that had falled down, leaving the inside hollow. I felt like I could enter the tree trunk and come out on the other end in a different world. I would have given it a shot if I wasn't so afraid of all the spider webs  on the inside.  

Next we found a really great view of the ocean. I love the sheer rock cliffs along the beach. This was the beginning of what would be the climax of our journey on the Great Ocean Road. 

Before our journey began I saw a photo in a pamphlet and asked Mike where we could see such a stunning sight. He said he thought it was part of the Great Ocean Road and he was right. We had arrived at what is famously known as the 12 apostles. Unfortunately the relentless tides and ceaseless waves slamming against the limestone has eroded the beautiful rock formations, allowing them to collapse into the ocean below. Since a few didn't make it through the last supper, only 7 apostles remain. 

Although we had to share the view with hundreds of other onlookers, it didn't take away from the stunning landscape before us. It was the perfect way to end a great day. 

Whoa watch out for snakes!

The 12 apostles sit outside of a small coastal town called Port Campbell, which is where we decided to stay for the night. After we put in a good wifi session at a hostel, we checked into our caravan park for the night. The moon was full, our souls were satisfied and the night was young. 

Day 161- We slept well after a cool night in the campervan and drove to our next stop too see this arch from a lookout point. The grooves on the rock structures are deep and it is only a matter of time before the arch, like our next stop, will be gone forever. 

Just up the road from the arch, is Australia's version of the London Bridge. As I mentioned above, erosion is slowly cutting through the limestone, deteriorating these famous landmarks. Below is a photo of what used to be the London Bridge. Although it looks like a bridge still stands, that is not what was known for so many years as the London Bridge. The London Bridge is actually gone now. It was the section that would have connected the mainland to the piece of rock still standing, as seen below. 

In fact, not long ago, while people were standing on the bridge you see here, the actual London Bridge collapsed and the stranded people were rescued by helicopters! How exciting?! London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. 

As if our eyes hadn't already indulged in enough beautiful ocean views, we still had one more winner before we made our way to the finish line of the Great Ocean Road. The Bay of Islands is what you see below and it was the perfect ending to an amazing trip! We were blessed with gorgeous views, curving roads, historic and ancient rainforest walks, captivating waterfalls and charming towns. 

Turns out the Great Ocean Road is as advertised. Absolutely, positively, great! Before we could officially say we had completed the Great Ocean Road, we needed to drive to the end point, which was in the town of Warrnambool. We made it to the town by the afternoon and stocked up on groceries. No final stop would be compete without a story or event to support it and that is what we got. 

While we drove into the parking lot of the grocery store, I heard a man yell profanities out loud so he caught my attention and I made sure to watch him closely. He was angry that the person beside him parked so close, which made him have to get into the drivers seat by sliding in sideways. The car was however parked well within the parking lines and the lot was tight for everyone. However, he was so mad that it drove him to punch the car beside him with incredible force. I was outraged at his lack of self control so I walked behind his car and took a picture of his licence plate. Fully aware that he could see me taking the picture I was hoping he would do the right thing and tell the owner of the other car that he punched a dent into it. Unfortunately, he was not able to confess his childish behaviour which left me no choice but to report it to the police. The little town of Warrnambool was just a little bit safer while Pinto Police was on duty.