Hiking the Grampians and Cruising the Great Ocean Road

Hello Blog Fans!

Just before I start on the goings-on in the past couple of days I just have to say that our last night in Adelaide was absolutely wicked! Claire knows a family through swimming who moved out here about a year ago; Carolyn, Johnathan, Jamie and Sam, and they invited us round for tea on our last night. Since they're from Horwich, it was really good to get all nostalgic and talk about Horwich, Rivington, our schools, Nightbar, Thyme Deli, Panda House Chippy, Mick and Glenda's Corner Shop and everything. I felt well homesick! And then it really kicked in after a fantastic and hearty barbeque when we retreated inside to avoid the bugs and sat down to watch Footballers' Wives! Also, since Bolton were playing Arsenal, Johnathan somehow managed to get the commentary from Tower FM over the internet so we had that on in the background, and it was great to hear a good, broad Bolton accent! Great stuff.
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'Scrambling' up the Grampians

On Sunday morning we got up early to get on the Adventure Tours bus with Becky and Jenny towards Melbourne. Our driver was crap - the most unenthusiastic, unfriendliest guy we've ever had the misfortune to encounter, and to make matters worse he had no water on board, unlike any of our other drivers. Our first stop was a roadhouse at Tintinara, where I indulged in a pie since I'd had breakfast so early. Next we stopped briefly in Bordertown (next to the South Australia/Victoria Border, funnily enough) where they had an enclosure full of white kangaroos. They looked like albinos but apparently they're not - they're just a funny colour! When we did cross the border we thought the driver might stop and let us take a photo, or at least unleash some ceremonial trumpets, but no joy. He just kept on driving. Miserable sod.
We stopped in the small town of Horsham for lunch, where we nipped into the supermarket then found a nice, shady picnic bench to make some sandwiches on. We were joined by Jenny, Marija and Machteld (Dutch Girls from Alice to Adelaide) and stuffed ourselves with raspberry tartlets and grapes!

When we finally arrived at the Grampians area our first walk was up Hollow Mountain, and boy was I glad that I'd bothered to buy some more hiking boots! It was a 2.4km walk return, and closer to a clamber-up-a-rockface than a walk to be fair! It was absolutely knackering and very hot, but the views at the top were very rewarding - you could see for miles. I used up all my water on the walk though, and was parched by the time I came back down with no water on the bus to save me! Our next stop was Mackenzie Falls, and this was a 1.16km walk down some steps to the base. It was really cool you could see a rainbow in it, but the walk back up was really hard, especially after what we'd done earlier. I walked past an Australian girl walking with her mum, moaning for a piggy-back. I suddenly felt a pang of guilt at moaning for piggy backs when I was younger! You never really stop to think that the incline might actually be killing your parents' legs too! Last stop (after a drink and an ice lolly to recouperate!) was at Reeds Lookout, where me, Claire and Jenny walked the 2km walk to Balconies Lookout and got the exact same view that we got at the car park! Great!

That night we stayed in the small township of Halls Gap, at the base of the mountains. We'd all chipped in $5 at lunch so we could have something different to eat for tea, and our driver expressed exactly what he'd rather be doing (namely being a chef rather than a driver) by cooking us a fantastic tea! We had garlic bread, chicken in a gorgeous sauce, roast carrots potatoes and pumpkin, pasta bake and broccoli and cauliflower, with apple pie and cream for dessert. Delish! We went to bed pretty much straight after tea since we were so full and tired!
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The Pinnacle Death March and The Great Ocean Road

Yesterday we got up and did a lovely hike up to The Pinnacle first thing after breakfast. Actually no, I lie. It wasn't lovely. It was the most taxing walk I've ever had the displeasure to do! I felt like death-warmed-up in the morning as it was - full of a cold with a nasty sore throat - but I felt that if I didn't do the walk I wouldn't be making the most of the Grampians and my new boots. The walk was apparently 2.4km, but I reckon it was more. In any case, it was very hard and very knackering - nothing like Hollow Mountain. I was just thankful that some of it was through gorges and stuff so we were in the shade. To be fair, it was a lovely walk, scenery-wise, and the views at the top were amazing. I felt very good about myself for doing it - a great sense of achievement! Until I went over on my ankle on the way back down to the Sundial Car Park (we started at the Wonderland Car Park) and I was cursing the whole mountain! Nah not really. It was ok.

Next, we visited the Halls Gap Cultural Centre, (every national park seems to have one of these 'come in and we'll charge you to hear the aboriginal legend behind this area!' buildings), where we watched a very entertaining video about a Giant Emu and Aboriginal ancestor beings, and then another one which was really just an advert for the Grampians. After Me and Becky sneaked some chips and a sausage roll from the cafe we were back on the bus again.

Our lunch stop was at Warrnumbool, where we sat and made butties again (outside a public bog - how scenic!), and I sneaked a piece of chicken from KFC (today has been a day for junk food!). Soon after, we arrived on the Great Ocean Road. We stopped at such photo opportunities as the Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs and London Bridge. The story behind the London Bridge is funny. It's basically a block of rock with a semi circle hole in the bottom so it looks like a bridge, but back in the day this rock was attached to the mainland by some linking rock. Then one evening in 1990, as a couple were enjoying a romantic evening out on London Bridge, the linking rock fell into the ocean without warning, leaving the couple stranded on top of London Bridge. So they had news crews, fire brigades, ambulances... the lot out to rescue them and record the fiasco for the evening news. Turned out that the couple were actually both married to other people and having an affair, presumably on business trips at the time! Idiots.

Finally we arrived at the Twelve Apostles, the vertical rock structures out in the ocean, and our last Australian Landmark that we hit before home! We decided to be extravagant (or maybe not so, since everyone else on the coach did one too!) and did a 10 minute helicopter flight over the Apostles and a bit of the Ocean Road. It was so exciting! I'd never been in a helicopter before, and I must say it's a lot more amiable than a plane! So James Bond-esque! The flight seemed far too short, but it was great fun and hopefully I got some good photos. The Ocean Road looked amazing from the air.

After that we cruised on down to our accommodation at the nothing town of Princetown, where there was a pub, a shop, and caravan park, and our hostel. We got settled and had some tea (we had rice and tuna while everyone else went to the pub cos I'm down to my last 100 pounds!). We drove back down to the Twelve Apostles for sunset but unfortunately it was thick with cloud. We did, however, see a Fairy Penguin waddling ashore to retreat into the shrubs for night time, which made my day! I didn't get a photo though, cos it was so far away it would've just looked like a fleck of black on the sand! That evening I sat in front of The Biggest Loser and then Desperate Housewives for the first time, with a mug of hot chocolate, then followed the others across to the pub for some pool.
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English Seaside Towns in Victoria!

Today I really didn't want to get up, so I think I well deserved lie-in is in order during the next few days! Our first stop was at Loch Ard Gorge on the Great Ocean Road where the British ship, the Loch Ard shipwrecked in the late 1800s. Out of 54 passengers and crew only 2 survived, an 18yr old Irish immigrant called Eva and a young ship's apprentice called Tom. They named the gorge in memory of the shipwreck, but they were not uncommon. The coast is actually nicknamed the 'Shipwreck Coast', since they didn't know Tasmania wasn't linked to the mainland they sailed past here instead and got caught in the rocks.

Our next port of call was in the Otway Ranges, a temperate rainforest area. We were to accomplish the Otway Fly Treetop Walk, an elevated metal walkway above the rainforest. It was quite interesting, and the towers, overhangs and walkways had an uneasy habit of swaying, but it was cool. It was extremely cloudy and foggy so some of the trees looked really ghostly!

After a hot chocolate (it has been so cold recently that it required a hot beverage!), we got back on the bus and made our way to Apollo Bay, our lunch stop. Me and Claire nearly planned to get off here, but I'm glad we didn't cos there wasn't much there. It was just like an English seaside town though, which apparently are what the towns were actually modelled on! They did a good job. Just to extend the feeling even more we had lunch in a chippy with Jenny and Becky. You can't beat a good portion of chips, gravy, barm and mini spring roll for making you feel bloated! Next stop was outside a lonely caravn park, and for one heart-stopping moment me and Claire thought it was Lorne - our concluding stop for the day - but it wasn't! It was our 'koala-spotting stop'. And spot the koalas we did! There were loads of them, all curled up into balls high up in the trees! They were absolutely gorgeous! I desperately wanted to take one home, so much so that we were stood under a tree with our arms out waiting for one to fall! Aww.

Eventually we arrived in Lorne. This is a British-esque seaside town, larger than Apollo Bay, and from our stroll down to the internet cafe what we've seen so far looks pretty good! There's plenty of eateries and clothes shops, and you get the feeling that it's more of a locals' holiday town than a backpacker mecca. It'll be good to spend a couple of days chilling (and having some lie-ins!) even if the weather isn't really too good. So I'm glad we've stopped somewhere nice but quiet before we move on to Melbourne on Friday.

So that's all for now! I'll post again either later in the week or from Melbourne (cos it's mega expensive here - this post has cost me about $10!). Take care!