Quick Stopover in Adelaide and Brisbane

We had a good restful night in Warrambool.  Today's plan was to drive to Adelaide which was about a little less than 7 hours away.  I think if we were to plan it again, we would rather turn back onto Great Ocean Road and go back to Melbourne.  The 7 hour drive didn't have much in turns of exciting scenery.  It looked like any road we have been on, however we did make a unplanned but worthy stop at the Princess Margaret Rose Cave about 20km off the highway A1.  On route we spotted a bunch of Emus running in the field.  One more Australia animal checked off.

The cave entrance fee was $16 AUD per person.  It was a guided tour that happened every hour.  We got a ten minute background information before we descended down to the caves.  Photography was allowed, but video was not allowed.  I asked why during the tour, the guide said because once someone was video taping he wasn't watching where he was going and tripped and broke one of the rock formations.  Stroller was also not allowed in the cave so I strapped Drake in the Ergobaby.

It was a little chilly in the cave.  We all stood around in an area that was about 800 square feet listening to the guide.  I have never been to a limestone cave.  The cool formation was cool, but I started to wonder if that was all we were going to see.  The guide then walked over to a light switch and turned it on, we saw the rest of the cave which was completely dark without any lights.

The tour lasted about 45 minutes.  We could've loved to check out other stuff that was above ground of the cave but we had another five hours to go before reaching Adelaide and we needed to beat the check-in hour.  When we approached the Rose Cave earlier, we also saw a sign for a place called Platypus Cafe.  We asked the guide at the Cave if the cafe actually had Platypus.  She told us the cafe had been shutdown due management issues.  It was really too bad, Greg was really hoping to see a Platypus on this trip.

We reached Adelaide just after sunset and went to bed shortly.  The next day we only had the morning to check out the city before boarding a flight to Brisbane. We headed to Henley Beach since it was really close to the airport.  The water was really clear and we even saw a diver diving around the pier.  The Henley Beach Square offered affordable restaurants and ice cream shops.  We grabbed a quick lunch and headed to the airport.

We were actually only passing through Brisbane as well to get to Gladstone.  Then a ferry ride from Gladstone to Heron Island aka Great Barrier Reef.

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Location:Adelaide

Great Ocean Road - Day 2

We got our day started a little early since there were a lots to see today. The target was to spend the night in Warrnambool (2.5 hours from Apollo Bay). Last night, our inn keeper told us about 20 km back by Kennett River we are guaranteed to see koalas hanging out in trees.

We back tracked to Grey River Road by Kennet River. It took us no time to find a few koalas sleeping high up in the trees, especially there were already a small group of tourists gathering. Instead of turning back onto the GOR, we kept on driving on Grey River Road hoping to spot more of these cuddly bears a bit closer to the ground. The detour rewarded us with a few more koalas and a young kangaroo waiting by the side of the road.

Eventually we got back on GOR after about 1 hour. Next stop was the oldest lighthouse in the Australia. Our original research told us the road that led to the lighthouse is full of koalas. But the inn keeper in Apollo Bay told us, it wasn't guaranteed unless we went to Kennet River. Well, we spotted a big koala almost right away hanging out on a tree branch that was practically arm length from us.

This Cape Otway lighthouse cost us $18.50 AUD to get in. We were able to climb to the top and the 360 degree view was pretty spectacular. The rest of the grounds had an old bunker, a small simple museum and a few pieces of sculpture. Nothing to write home about.

Drake so far has been doing really well in the car.  He played with his toys in the car and slept a lot.  I think the motion really soothed him.  I did feel really bad having to take him in and out of the car, especially when he had just fell asleep.  Our next stop was Wreck Beach. Unlike the Wreck beach in Vancouver, this one actually had ship wrecks instead of anti-clothing enthusiasts.  Unfortunately we got terribly lost by taking the wrong turn onto a road called Old Coach Road.  To be fair, although it looked completely unpaved and full of giant pot holes, the road had a name.  Our logic was why would anyone bother naming a road if it wasn't meant to be traveled on.  After 30 minutes of driving mostly on the shoulder of the good old Old Coach Road, we gave up and turned back.  It was good thing.  When we finally found Wreck Beach, we were certain Old Coach Road probably would've led us off of a cliff.

Wreck Beach also took 300 steps to get down to.  By the time we got there, it was already high tide.  We didn't want to trek too far to seek out the wreck in fear of being trapped by the water.  Despite not finding the ship wreck, the beach was still beautiful to see.  Soft yellow sand met with sapphire blue waves.  It was worth getting lost for until we had to take the 300 steps back up to our car.

We drove on for about ten minutes.  "What is that?" We spotted a slow moving animal waddling on the side of the highway. A bulldog? As we approached, we collectively screamed. It was a large koala! As we got closer, he ran up the nearest tree. He stayed low and stared at us as we stared at him in awe.

For the grand finale, our last stop of the day was the 12 Apostles, a collection of limestone formations by the GOR.  We first stopped at Gibson Steps which was a set of stairs (much easier than the Wreck Beach steps) that led to the beach where you can see the first Apostle up and close.  Another 500 meters past Gibson Steps was the viewing spot for the rest of the Apostles.  There were only 7 left standing.  The rest collapsed into the ocean over time. The viewing point consisted a platform that extended out into a rock formation, so you can view the Apostles face on.  Watching the Apostles against the sunset and the white capped ocean was an amazing feeling.  It was an awesome way to finish up our day.

Nightfall had set in.  The road got really dark.  We drove another hour to Warrnambool to settle in for the night.  We were tired, so the hour long drive felt so long.  We wished we had just stayed in Port Campbell which was the town closest to the Apostles, but that meant we had a lot of driving to make up tomorrow to reach Adelaide.  When we reached Warrnambool at 9:30PM to check-in to our hotel, we were surprised to find out we almost missed the reception hour.  I was really surprised since all the hotels I have been to in North America had 24 hour reception.  Glad we made it! Time for bed!

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Location:Great Ocean Road, Australia

Great Ocean Road - Day 1

Our stay in Melbourne was pretty short.  Aside from St. Kilda, we attended a wedding and had a quick morning tour of the commercial centre aka downtown. My overall impression of the city was it looked like any typical city in North America, not much of a culture shock.  I was really excited about our road trip on the Great Ocean Road (GOR).  We picked up our rental car in the morning and headed out shortly after lunch. The target was to spend the night in Apollo Bay, 3 hours outside of Melbourne.

Our first stop was the Anglesea Golf Course. But we were not in for a game of 9 holes. This course is famous for its kangaroos. They just hang out all over the course while people played. As we pulled up, there was a big sign that said the course has no access to kangaroo viewing. But just to the right of their parking lot, there were a bunch of kangaroos just hanging out and enjoying the sun. We were able to get out of the car and get as close to 5 to 10 meters from them. It was a really amazing site to see.

We then stopped in Lorne for some tea and snack. We came across a few cockatoos in the park by the water. We probably shouldn't have fed them our apple cords since the locals considered them pests, but Drake was absolutely delighted by them.

Before we knew, sun was setting and the road became quite windy. We drove straight to Apollo Bay for the night. Drake did well in the car today. He was happy in the car seat playing with his toys and only fussed a little while trying to fall asleep.

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Location:Great Ocean Road, Australia