Melbourne and the GOR

September 2011
A short but fine adventure by Billy Oaks
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  • Day 1

    Melbourne

    September 17, 2011 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Again on Holidays we couldn't wait, this time my sister joined us so I was there on my way to the Airport with 3 girls, a man's dream I supposed, all were related to me though, my wife, my sister and my daughter.

    The flight was nice and easy, departing from Coolangatta airport this time we were arriving in Melbourne at 9am. We grabbed a Taxi to Abacus apartments in South Yarra, they had told me it was ok to dropped the bags at reception so we could go milling around town.

    The taxi trip took around 25 minutes and cost us $50, no too bad, within my calcs. Abacus apartments are located in a really quiet street off Toorak road, trams run on Toorak road, the train station is 3 blocks from there and there are restaurants, a convenient store, bakery, banks etc etc, great location.

    Great surprise our rooms were ready, excellent. No much unpacking, a short shower and we were on the road.

    Being close to 11am we chose to go to Chinatown in Little Bourke st, have some lunch and then head to Queen Victoria Market, the girls couldn't wait to be there.

    After looking at transportation options we opted for the Train, good choice, for the rest of our 3 days in Melbourne that was our preferred way to go around. It took us less than 10 minutes to get to Melbourne Central Station, on time to see the clock putting on a show announcing 12:00PM

    Little Bourke st was not far from there and dining options were ample. It took us half an hour to decide for a restaurant, there are just so many that is difficult to decide. The one we chose (I can't recall the name) was good, photos of Mao and other Chinese leaders all around, some German tourists sat next to us.

    From Chinatown we walked pass Melbourne central again and then to Queen Victoria Market. The place is quite big and they sell almost anything in there, nothing caught my attention though, the girls weren't that impressed either. it was good to see a couple of South American folks playing some Peruvian music.

    Back in Melbourne central we stopped at Coles to get something for Dinner, there were Pizzas 2 for $10 a bargain..............well the pizzas kept us crooked all night, they weren't that good at the end
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  • Day 2

    Melbourne City

    September 18, 2011 in Australia ⋅ 🌫 17 °C

    Ok a bit better and after loosing a few kilos with our pizzas the night before we decided to explore Melbourne city, the plan was to go to Federation Square and then use the tourist shuttle to get the most of the city.

    This time we hopped out of the train at Flinders Station and then across the road Federation Square waited for us. After spending some time at the Visitor Centre (great place to gather information) we went to the Yarra waterfront to get a few pics of the South Bank's skyline.

    Back in Federation Square we had to rush across the road to get on the tourist shuttle, this service is a great way to visit the most iconic areas of Melbourne, the problem is that it gets really busy (maybe because it was Sunday).

    First stop the Melbourne Cricket Ground MCG. An Indian couple left here quite excitedly, we are South Americans so Cricket is not on top of the list. Don't get me wrong I think the MCG is one of the greatest stadiums of the world but for soccer fans like us sport temples are Maracana, Camp Nou or Wembley among others.

    Next stop Little Bourke street, that's right we were here the day before so we kept going. Next stop Royal Exhibition Centre and Melbourne museum, now we were talking. We actually didn't get into any of the two buildings....the reason, there was an exhibition in the Royal "Exhibition" building of course and we weren't keen on paying a fee for something we weren't interested in and I had read bad reviews about the Tutankamon exhibition at the museum so we decided to get some photos (especially of the water fountain), something to eat and off we went.

    This time we used the Free City Circle Tram, at La Trobe st, a reminiscence of years long go, the tram is not that comfortable but worth a ride. Passing Etihad Stadium we hopped out at the Docklands where there was a Sunday flea Market and then we ended up in Harbour Town, happy girls.

    Next item on the agenda was the Shrine of Remembrance, we got there using the Tourist shuttle once again, not that crowded this time. The Shrine is really the last stop before the shuttle bus goes back to Federation Square.

    The Shrine itself is an amazing building based on classic Greek architecture, the location is also Ideal in the heart of the Domain. Starting from the museum one gets immersed in military history while making the way to the top. From the very top of the building there are spectacular views back to Melbourne city.

    Very satisfied with the Shrine of Remembrance we headed to our last stop of the day, South Bank and the Eureka tower.

    South bank promenade is very trendy with cafes and pubs in every corner, and of course street performers to keep entertained the multitude that comes here every weekend. We were getting close to dusk so we made our way to Eureka tower, looking for that perfect photo.

    The Skydeck is definitely a must do while in Melbourne. We had visited Rialto towers years ago but Eureka tower was a complete new experience besides having an excellent view of Melbourne's skyline. A visit to level 88 would have not been complete without jumping on the edge, I did it with little Ximena who couldn't stop talking about it all the way back to the hotel. The wait paid off, we had that sunset photo with the Yarra river. I wanted to stay a bit longer to get some photos of the city at night but Ximena wasn't feeling ok so we went back to the apartment...

    Tomorrow we were going to the beach.
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  • Day 3

    Brighton beach & St Kilda

    September 19, 2011 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Today is beach time.....

    Today we were going to explore a couple of Iconic beaches: Brighton and St Kilda, last time we were here was in Winter so St Kilda was awfully cold. This time it was different.

    After getting our tickets at the train station we were on our way, not longer than 10 minutes and then from the window of the train we saw the water, yes we were in Brighton beach. We were coming here to have a look (and get a photo) with the famous bathing boxes, a symbol of Victoria (we actually found out that wealthy Victorians pay up to a quarter of a million for one of them.

    From the train station it was close to 500m walk along the esplanade to where the boxes were, the beach itself was nothing out of the ordinary, well coming from Gold Coast it is quite difficutl to get impressed with a beach......... anyway, the boxes were awesome though, all lined up with an array of colours giving the area a wonderful view, time for some photos.

    Back on the train again this time we hopped out in Balaclava station and from there via Tram we arrived in St Kilda....

    Great disappointment to Ximena when we found out that Luna Park did not open on Weekdays and today it was Monday, bugger well maybe we were too used to Dreamworld than we just took for granted that they were opened.

    Anyway, time was flying quickly so after getting some lunch in one of the many cafe on Acland st we were back on the esplanade exploring the Jetty and then the Pier. There are supposed to be some marine wild life at the end of the pier but with that many people the little fellas must have been hiding.

    Back on Acland st to get some afternoon snacks and then all the way back to the hotel, tram and train were really crowded, oh yes it is Monday and not everybody is on Holidays. In such a manner it was good to go to Melbourne city over the weekend because the trains coming on the opposite direction looked like the Bombay express...

    Back in the hotel, time to pack up.......Tomorrow we were heading to Geelong and the Great Ocean Road
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  • Day 4

    Geelong & Apollo bay

    September 20, 2011 ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    Weather forecast: Possible showers.............not good

    After picking up the car from budget depot in South Yarra (quite convenient) we packed everything up and hit the road, it didn't take us long to get to the West Gate freeway and soon we were on our way to Geelong.

    Geelong is located 1 hours drive from Melbourne, there is the option to take the ring road to continue towards the Ocean Road but we wanted to go to the water front and have a look at the famous bollards.

    We drove along the esplanade until we got to the Cunningham Pier, from there we walked to have a look at the bollards when all of the sudden the rain started.......great. We had to run to hide in the carousel and its restored "carousel" originally build in the 19th century. Few minutes later the skies cleared up a bit, time to explore the bollards.............lots of them everywhere, several opportunities for photos.

    After having some of our pre-packed lunches we left Geelong, not before passing by the Skilled Stadium home of the then soon to be premiers Geelong Cats and 20 minutes later we arrived to Torquay, small town lined up with surf stores with all the most popular brands including Billabong, Quicksilver etc etc. This was supposed to be the start of the Great Ocean Road however we didn't get to see the sea until we got to Anglesea, this is where the fun really starts. After stretching the legs and getting some photos we were on the road again,

    10 Minutes from Anglesea we arrived in Aireys Inlet and through a road off the main highway to the split point light house. Good place for photos, no fee charged (unless taking an inside tour of the light house) and time to have some snacks at the cafe (great place to gather for a cup of coffee) the car park is located 200m from the light house but if one can get closer parking if using the cafe.

    Leaving Aireys inlet we arrived at the GOR Memorial Arch, more photos and then no far from there we stopped at Cinema Pt look out, perfect for photos.

    From there the road reminds me off the highway connecting Fox Glacier & Franz Joseph in NZ, bends here and there going up and down so my Sis and Ximena got a little bit dizzy, great views all the time though. I actually enjoyed the drive, I didn't have any problem other that the odd car driving too slow in the same direction than us, no many opportunities to overtake, maybe an overtaking lane from time to time could help.

    We passed Lorne and other small towns before arriving in Apollo Bay, we were going to stay here for the night. I had booked the Water Front Motor inn, great place it was quite cheap, had the visitor centre across the road and the supermarket was two blocks from there, they also had a TV, DVD player with DVDs for the little one to enjoy.

    We arrived here around 4pm. time to have a look around, have dinner and a well deserved rest. Tomorrow was the highlight of the trip, we were going to see the 12 Apostles....good night
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  • Day 5

    The 12 Apostles and more

    September 21, 2011 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We left Apollo Bay around 8am trying to get early to the 12 Apostles to avoid the crowds coming in guided tours from Melbourne. As soon as we passed Marengo the road started to divert away from the ocean and into the bush, a few minutes later on the left the detour to the Cape Otway light station. The road was not in very good condition, no much traffic though but very narrow in some parts, I would definitely used a 4WD during the wet season. It took us another 20 - 25 minutes to reach the end of the road and the light station.

    After paying the fee we headed for the Telegraph Station where old equipment can be seen and then the lighthouse, a bit smaller than the one at Ayres Inlet but we had the chance to get to the top. The day was extremely windy, difficult to walk at the top, I had to grip my camera firmly with both hands otherwise it would have ended up in the air. After this we went pass the Radar Bunker and back at the entrance, the place is really worth a visit.

    Back on the great ocean road, the highway touches the sea again for a couple of minutes at Glenaire and then again back into the rainforest. We drove another 30 minutes before getting to an intersection at Lavers Hill, to the right one access the hinterland and the Otway Fly (we didn't have time to do it) so we went left starting our descend towards Princetown. The 12 apostles were not far from there.

    From Princetown the road runs along the sea again, nice views. Our first stop were the Gibson Steps, this area offers splendid views of rock formation in the sea, sort of like the 12 apostles, I think this place is actually beautiful and a must do at the GOR

    10 minutes from Gibson steps and we arrived to the highlight of the trip, the 12 Apostles. The car park is to the left of the road and then via an underpass we accessed the viewing platforms. The views are just simply astonishing, from every corner the area didn't stop to amaze me. Perfect timing too we beat all the buses coming from Melbourne so the area wasn't that crowded.

    Back in the car we had again our pre-packed lunch and check the map to see our next stop Loch Ard Gorge, the place was really beautiful, we took photos from the top and then going down the stairs we got to the actual gorge, we remembered the stories about a ship-wreckage in the old days and how only two people managed to escape.

    Back in the car a few minutes later we passed Port Campbell, this seen to be the largest town on the Ocean Road.

    Continue on we arrived at our next stop The Arch, amazing rock formation that sort of reminded me off the "La Catedral" in Paracas, Peru, well before it got destroyed by a powerful earthquake in 2007.

    Next stop London Bridge, there is a rock formation that used to be connected to the main land by a "bridge" which apparently collapsed a few years ago trapping some tourist, scary. Here a bus with some 20 - 25 tourist caught up with us. Not a problem 5 minutes and all of them have vanished, yes these tour operators from Melbourne run on really tight schedules.

    Back on the road again we stopped at the Grotto, to our luck the bus didn't stopped just kept going in a hurry. Some steps took us to the bottom of what looks like a cave.

    Too much talking in the car we missed the entrance to the Bay of Islands, not a drama we still had the Bay of Martyrs, the 270 degree view from the top is spectacular. From this point the road left the Coast and went along farms to its end at Princess Highway, from there to the left we entered Warrnambool, where we were going to stay overnight. It was close to 5pm by the time we got here, what a drive, one of the best I've done.

    Warrnambool is by far the largest city in the region, has all the services required and good dining options. With a bit more time we would have gone to Port Fairy but we were just tired.

    Tomorrow we were going back to Melbourne via the inland Princess Highway stopping for a look at the Werribee open range zoo.
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  • Day 6

    Werribee open range zoo

    September 22, 2011 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    Our last day in Victoria, this afternoon we were flying back to Gold Coast. We still had some time though so I had pre-booked an Open Vehicle adventure at the Werribee open range zoo.

    We were going back to Melbourne using Princess Highway in lieu of the Ocean Road considering that we had to be at the zoo at 11am. We left Warrnambool at 7:30am hopping to be at the zoo at 10:30 or so

    This road is rather boring compared to the Ocean road, it is also faster with overtaking lanes and a constant 100kph. The only two reasonable towns we passed were Camperdown and Colac, a bit of traffic on this last one. I got some petrol here for the first time since we left Melbourne.

    Arriving at Geelong we opted for the ring road this time and then 20 minutes later we made it to Werribee. A bit difficult to find the zoo due to the lack of signs but a helpful stop at the visitor centre put us back on track.

    We made it on time to the zoo, 10am so after watching the Meerkat show we were ready for our tour.
    There is no better way to get a close encounter with the wild life than the open vehicle adventure, not kidding, you get really close to zebras, giraffes, rhinos, hippos etc, etc. and the fact that you see them walking free in a vast in a natural environment, replica of their home habitat, is an unforgettable experience

    The price is quite reasonable considering that the admission ticket to the zoo is included. The guide was super professional and did his best to get us close to the animals, five starts to the zoo and the staff.

    The tour lasted 90 minutes and after that we spent the rest of the day exploring the zoo on foot.

    The trip back to Tullamarine Airport was terrible due to heavy traffic and trying to get refill the tank of the car took us forever. Next time I will pay the extra to drop the car with tank empty.

    Later in the afternoon we were back on the plane, another holiday coming to an end...........
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