| Frank & Lisa's Amazing Cross-Australia Adventures |
| Victoria - Great Ocean Road |
| And then the moment you have all been waiting for arrived! We were off to the Twelve Apostles... Unbelievably crowded with tour buses and photo snappers, the Twelve Apostles looked exactly like they do in the postcards! We got there late in the afternoon, so the reflection off of the water was not ideal for photos, but we took a few anyway (they really are taken from the exact vantage point of most postcards). The first ones (pics top left & top middle below) are the most common vantage point, while the second set (pics top right & middle left below) are from a lookout from an outcropping another couple hundred meters down the coast. You'll notice that you can't count 12 towers of rock. Apparently you need to see them from the air, but you'll still have a hard time counting 12. At least one has fallen into the ocean, but if you just count towers along the coast you can count about 10 clustered together, or as many as 15 depending on where one set ends and another begins... These ones (pic middle middle below) are the two on the south side of the second lookout. We stopped in again in the morning on the way to Melbourne to see if we could reduce the glare (pic middle right below & bottom photo). |
| Our last stop of our first section of the GOR was the Gibson Steps. Gibson Steps is a set of man-made stairs that lead down to the beach near the Twelve Apostles. It is a great chance to feel the grandeur of the cliffs, the positively frigid Antarctic Ocean on your toes, and the crisp salty wind on your face! I suppose you get a bit of that at Loch Ard, but its more sheltered and feels less free than this more expansive and much less tourist populated beach. (pics below) |
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| on to Melbourne ...or |
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| A nice night in Port Campbell and we were off for Melbourne down the next section of the GOR! Sure enough, it twisted and curved around tthe edges of the hills and cliffs providing excellent ocean views! Frank drove the first bit until we reached the lookout and I took over from there to give him a chance to soak it all in! This first shot shows the cars approaching along the road at the lookout (pic below left). The second shows the view a bit further along down the road to give you an idea of the great views and winding road (pic below right). |
| We stopped for lunch in one of the many seaside towns along the way until we finally reached the point marking the beginning of the Great Ocean Road. The archway (pic below left) is actually the third one to be erected. The first was replaced when the road was moved and the second was destroyed by fire. The plaque on the side (pic below right) tells you all about it. We stopped to get a few snaps and reflect on the wonderful experience before setting our sights on our final destination - Melbourne! |
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| Northern Territory: Red Centre , 2 / Top End , 2 NSW & ACT: Hunter Valley / Sydney / Canberra , 2 Queensland Coast: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 South Australia: Barossa Valley / Kangaroo Island / McLaren Vale & Coonawarra Victoria: Great Ocean Road , 2 , 3 / Melbourne New Zealand (North Island): Aukland / Rotorua / Tongariro / Wellington (South Island): Nelson / Westland / Queenstown / Milford / Dunedin / Mt Cook / Christchurch |