The Great Ocean Road

A Rock Wallaby in the bushes in Mt Gambier
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Saturday 11th November 2006 – The morning was spent visiting the Blue Lake and looking around Mount Gambier – a nicer place than we had expected. As we approached the lake someone told us that there was what he thought was a rock Wallaby so we stopped to take photos and film. It was in the trees but we could just make it out – apparently it was the first seen there for years so we were very lucky. The lake is grey between the months of April and October but changes to a bright blue in November and it was like this on the day we visited.

London Bridge less one arch!
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Our travels then took us towards the wonderful Great Ocean Road which we spread over two days, staying in Port Campbell overnight. We travelled via Port Fairy (an attractive working fishing village) and Portland (a working port and said to be the birthplace of the state of Victoria). It was in Portland that we adjusted our watches by 30 minutes as Australia has a number of time zones.

Dramatic coastal rock formations

The Great Ocean Road is one of the great coastal drives in the world encompassing a number of dramatic rock formations and sandy beaches. In between there are the tree and bush lined hills. It requires a great deal of concentration to drive but very well worth the effort. Most of the formations have names such as the Bay of Island, the Bay of Martyrs, the Twelve Apostles, the Grotto and London Bridge. The most famous is the twelve Apostles – or is it thirteen or even eleven – no one seems to know exactly – see photo. The other interesting feature was London Bridge and that used to be joined to the coast but in 1991 the nearest part of the structure to the coast fell into the sea leaving a single arch. All the rocks have been formed by erosion and one wonders how long it will be before they all fall away – a long time I hope.

Tony & Elizabeth at the 12 Apostles
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We stopped for lunch in Apollo Bay, a typical seaside village with many hotels and eating places but not a lot of class except in its beach. The beaches are really wonderful with white sand and deep blue seas.