The Shipwreck Coast

Apollo Bay, Victoria, Australia
Friday, December 20, 2013

What a difference a day makes! We woke up this morning to overcast skies and 18 degrees and there it stayed. It was a bit of a relief if I'm honest, Pathetic Poms that we are!
The stretch of coastline between Port Campbell and Apollo Bay is perhaps the most dramatic of the Great Ocean Road. All around Port Campbell is National Park and we kicked off stopping to view the Loch Ard Gorge and The Twelve Apostles. The title of the the Shipwreck Coast is well deserved, as many ships foundered off this treacherous coastline during the C18th & C19th centuries. Treacherous it may be, but it is also sublimely stunning. Geologically, it is mind blowing. The limestone bedrock is faulted at right angles to the coastline with the result that the erosive process has carved out a fantastic spectacle, full of arches, coves, stacks, pinnacles and gorges. We spent a long time just gazing in wonder and when we ventured down onto the beach of Loch Ard Gorge the sheer carved cliffs around us were breathtaking. Loch Ard was one of the sailing ships that sank, in this case, in the mouth of the gorge. The vessel had successfully made the voyage from England and anchored off the coast in mist, the passengers and crew celebrating their safe passage, only to drift on to the rocks overnight. Two teenagers survived. There are some 300 wrecks up and down the coast and to this day, it is not to be trifled with. The Twelve Apostles are the big draw that everyone heads for and they are a fantastic sight, although one can only actually see eight in one go, as the other four are obscured by the headland. Equally interesting to me was the beautifully adapted flora growing on the cliff top. We were seeing it in bloom of course which helped, but it is a tapestry of texture and colour in such a windswept, salt laden atmosphere. Mother Nature at her most inventive.
The countryside from here becomes greener and rolling and I started to almost feel that Derbyshire was around the corner with limestone crags beginning to appear. Before I could feel too much at home, we started to climb towards the Otway Forest and into the mists of time. Here the road leaves the coast and we had in our minds to stop at Melba Gully to walk the rainforest, but as we approached we were sidetracked, as there in front of us stood the perfect English house and garden and it was open to visitors for the princely sum of five dollars per person. Gobsmacked wasn't the word. We turned into the drive and honked as requested. Around the corner came a greyhound closely followed by a lady called Virginia, togged up in a silage covered boiler suit. 'Don't get downwind, this isn't a perfume for the faint hearted!' was her initial greeting. I recognised a fellow plant fanatic instantly and we had a wonderful hour exploring her and Bob's eleven acre garden. There were roses, peonies, delphiniums, hollyhocks, lilies, azaleas, camellias, Cornus kousa, and controversa, magnolia grandiflora, dahlias, poppies, sweet peas, fuschias, fruit of all types, an ornamental vegetable garden and so I could go on. We were flabbergasted to see this classic English garden thriving in South Australia and as we stood there mesmerised, three red parrots flew towards us cackling argumentatively, as if to underline the juxtaposition. Virginia explained it is all due to the local microclimate. It is wetter, cooler and wind protected. Whatever it is, the garden is a total labour of love for this couple and they offer Bed and Breakfast. A hidden gem undoubtedly and a wonderful surprise. I almost felt we had been led there by a hidden hand.
Once we had managed to tear ourselves away, the Great Ocean Road descended back towards the coast and Apollo Bay, our destination. We had had a tip that if we followed the road down towards Cape Otway, there is a strong population of Koalas living in the eucalyptus forest and we may be lucky enough to spot one. It seemed like a good idea and so we dutifully turned off accordingly. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Peter drove slowly and I had my eyes pinned on the trees. I knew that the Koala is often to be found asleep in the fork of a gum tree during the day and after ten kms or so that is where I spied one. In truth it looked like a grey furry football jammed in the fork of the tree about 50 ft up. 'There!' I yelled. Peter jumped a mile and narrowly managed to avoid knocking down the tree in question and we carefully emerged from the car so as not to startle our quarry. We have seen our first (and possibly only) wild Koala and it sealed a day of great diversity. The camera chose to run out of battery at this point, but he is still there in my minds eye and that's where he will stay, slumbering quietly in his tree.Read more