The genesis of my trip to Australia was the desire to hike the Great Ocean Walk, a 100K+ Trek along the southern coast of Victoria. I struck out with two adventure tour companies, though, and eventually “settled” for a day trip tour on the Great Ocean Road, which is located in the same area but follows a different route. With Clive’s help, I found a really interesting option for seeing this amazing area: a “Reverse Great Ocean Road” tour with a company called Autopia. I’d set an alarm but didn’t need it because I woke up at 0525, raring to go! I packed up my stuff for the day and, in order to make sure I wasn’t hungry later, I was waiting in the dining area when the hotel opened breakfast (0630). As a result, I got to see a beautiful sunrise (across the Yarra and with the profile of the MCG in the foreground). While I was eating, I noticed that a huge group older American tourists took over the restaurant (ugh)... At 0650, I left Southbank and walked across the river. I was supposed to meet my tour at the Holiday Inn on Flinders Lane but, when I got there, didn’t see it. After walking around for a bit, I noticed a faded sign - inside that building, however, was only construction. A worker guessed that I was looking for a bus and pointed out a place to wait. I confirmed the situation (by phone) with the Autopia Tours company and then waited for my ride. Two German guys showed up at the same place a bit after that so I felt better. However, the tour bus that came by shortly after that only took me and they had to wait for another one. I learned later that the Germans were on the “normal tour” in a huge bus - meanwhile, there was only one other person on the little bus (score!). We next drove over to the Immigration Museum to pick up the rest of the passengers. Once everyone was onboard, there ended up being 13 of us; the group included people from Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, some countries in Europe, Canada, Brazil and the US. By 0740, we were on our way out of Melbourne. The weather was absolutely spectacular - not a cloud in the sky! Our driver/guide, Janet, told us we were getting the best tour of the Great Ocean Road because we were going to get to all the sights before the large crowds. She added that we were also going to be one of the only buses (or any traffic, for that matter) going in the opposite direction (this proved to be true). On the way west, we passed the world’s only Vegemite factory (it had a distinctive aroma). We used M1 for most of the morning (the same route I’d taken with Clive) - this time, though, Janet pointed out some landmarks I hadn’t seen before. One, a castle-looking building in the outskirts of Geelong, was where King Charles III attended his ninth year of school (although he was at a satellite “bush” campus during that time). At 0850, we passed the Mount Moriac Hotel (where I’d had a pint with Clive) and, after that, everything was new. To the west, the quality of the road declined… We made a stop in the town of Colac for “Morning Tea” (breakfast) and bathrooms. Since I’d already eaten, I went for a walk nearby until we needed to get back on the bus (1000). At Janet’s suggestion, I moved to a seat in the front, next to her - this gave me an unbelievable view and helped make the day even more memorable. Getting on Route A1, we basically departed civilization and drove south. Along the way, we saw several flocks of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos. Eventually, we turned onto Route C163 at a corner with a Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and later continued southwest on Route C156 and Route C166. Before long, we reached the Great Ocean Road (B100)! This amazing feat of engineering was made possible by a determined Geelong Mayor, self-interested businessmen, motivated seaside communities and 3000 returning Australian WWI Veterans who hacked the road out of the rocks and deep bush. We initially headed west and drove along the Shipwreck Coast. Janet told us that it was so named because there had been 800 shipwrecks before any lighthouses were built (there have been none since). One prominent wreck, the "Loch Ard", had only two survivors (Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael) who then lived out a true-life romantic tragedy. This part of the drive took us across windswept prairie land with amazing ocean views. We spent some time visiting Port Campbell National Park, with stops at 12 Apostles (iconic sandstone pylons, 1110 to 1140), Loch Ard Gorge (refuge of the only two survivors of the “Loch Ard” wreck, 1145 to 1230) and Gibson Steps (stone carved walkway on the edge of a steep cliff, 1240 to 1300). We did some walks at all of these places and, at the last location, we got to go down to the beach. Seeing the power of the ocean at work was definitely a highlight of the day! Back on B100, we headed east toward Cape Otway. This section was characterized by a long stretch of rainforests and involved curvy, winding road. We stopped for a picnic lunch at a place called Melba Gully in Great Otway National Park (1330 to 1430). Janet had actually brought a lot of great food for us - more sandwiches than we could eat, fruit, chips, cookies (a feast!). The break also included a nature walk to Alice’s Cascade. We saw lots of huge ferns and majestic Mountain Ash, the tallest flowering tree in the world. The rainforest was the home of platypuses but we didn’t see any… Unlike other such forests I’ve visited, this one was almost cold. During lunch, I ended up getting to know a few of the other folks on the tour - one guy (an ex-pat who lives in Amsterdam) stood out; he was sort of a “Sheldon Cooper” character and spent most of the day jumping into everyone’s one-on-one conversations, making all kinds of unusual requests from the driver and telling all of us (continuously) about the 100 ways to die in Australia (“I saw it in a documentary”). He was nice, in his way, and I was startled a few times when he sharply warned me to avoid getting bitten by a snake or falling off a cliff… After this stop, we continued east on B100 and made our way to the town of Apollo Bay. Once there, we were allowed to explore a bit (1520 to 1545) and got ice cream at Dooley’s Ice Cream Shoppe; I tried a sample of Vegemite flavor (it was ok) but ultimately got a cup of chocolate. Janet offered to drop me off at the Information Center (I gladly accepted) and I was able to get some new information about the Great Ocean Walk. Hopefully, the detailed map I bought will help me plan a classic Trek myself since the tour companies have not come through for me up to this point… While waiting for Janet to return with everyone else, I checked out the beach (lots of surfers) and walked about 100 yards of Great Ocean Walk. It’s a bucket list item for sure! Once I was back on the bus with everyone else, we continued east on B100 and made our way to the Surf Coast area. This section involved, as Janet told us, our bus “hugging the edge of water” - the road was steep and winding but had spectacular views. It was truly awe inspiring to watch the huge swells in the Bass Strait (and some surfers taking big risks). We stopped briefly (1715 to 1730) at the Memorial Arch, an old Toll Gate and roadside tribute to the 3000 Australian WWI Veterans who built the Great Ocean Road. During this section, we started passing lots of motorcycles. The road seemed cringeworthy enough in a car, with buses like ours careening around right turns, and I couldn’t imagine the thrill (?) of nearly being wiped out on every corner... Some of the towns in this section were really pretty - Janet’s favorite, Lorne, has a Pier to Pub swim in the bay (for charity) and lets graduating seniors celebrate by taking over the entire town (no adults except the police) after their last week of high school. After miles and miles of jaw dropping scenery, we next stopped at Airey’s Inlet for our last bathroom break. There were great views of Split Point Lighthouse, which Janet called “The White Lady”. She told us stories about a few of the lighthouse keepers. One guy set up a system that warned him about the light needing oil so he could hang out at the pub with his friends in the meantime. The next keeper may or may not have murdered his pregnant daughter, who now reportedly wanders the beaches seeking a father for her child. After getting back on the road again, we arrived in Anglesea at 1800. It was already dark but Janet drove us to the town’s golf course and showed us a small herd of grazing kangaroos - my photo just barely shows them. As we were leaving town, I learned we were in the area of Bells Beach of “Point Break” fame (the "50 year storm" scene). Back on B100, we continued north towards Torquay. We turned off (onto C134) before we got there, though, and drove towards the M1. On the way back, I talked to Janet about other tour opportunities and she convinced me (as many others had already tried) that I needed to go to Phillip Island. I also ate the last sandwich that Janet had brought for the group (everyone else was full) - this ended up being my dinner. We reached Melbourne by about 1945 - Janet had to return everyone back to their hotels so I wasn’t off the bus (at the Immigration Museum) until 2015. When I tipped Janet for a job well done, she said she was going to donate to the animal rescue center where she volunteers. After saying goodbye to her, I walked back to the hotel and immediately made a reservation for a tour to Phillip Island on Sunday. I spent the rest of the night reading and relaxing. Went to bed at 2315. What a great day: awesome weather, breathtaking scenery, stupendous engineering, interesting history and Aussie creatures in the wild!
