Great Ocean Road (Day 74): Twelve Apostles & More

May 13, 2016

We had a really comfortable night’s sleep at the Port Campbell Motel. The bed was extremely comfortable and cozy. Check out time was early, at 10am. This was okay though since we wanted to head out relatively early to see the Twelve Apostles and see all the other sites along the Great Ocean Road. Today was finally sunny, so I was really excited to get the day started.

Our room in Port Campbell for the night
Our room in Port Campbell for the night.

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We had to back track about 5 minutes down the highway to get to the 12 Apostles. I’ve seen pictures of it from Tim and others but when I saw it for myself, it was absolutely breathtaking. It was very windy out (I wished I had tied my hair back) so the waves washing on to shore were huge, but created a dramatic effect while looking down at the limestone formations. We went to each view point to take pictures and take in the scenery. After about an hour or so, we walked down to the beach to view the Twelve Apostles from sea level. We had to walk about 20 minutes to “Gibson’s Steps” from the 12 Apostles viewpoint to get to the beach. We could have also backtracked about a 1km or so but the walk was nice and refreshing. If you’re traveling to Australia, I would highly recommend this drive to everyone. It’s the highlight of Australia so far for us (or for me at least).

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Our first glimpse of the Twelve Apostles. So beautiful!

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Our pathway for about 15 minutes to Gibson's Steps
Our pathway for about 15 minutes to Gibsons Steps

When we got on to the beach, we quickly learned that the water from the waves crash quickly on to shore and the tide comes up quite high. A lot of people around us who were walking by the shoreline got their shoes wet. If we were to go back, I would have brought out my flip-flops and walked along the beach in those and also dipped my feet in the water. But since we were wearing our only pair of runners we were pretty cautious about getting our feet soaked and having to walk around the beach with wet socks and runners. We found a higher rock that we stood on for a while looking at the Twelve Apostles, taking selfies, and watching everyone run up the coast to escape the waves.

We stood on this rock for a while
We stood on this rock for a while
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Walked down Gibsons steps to get to the beach
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Australia is beautiful

Along the Great Ocean Road from Port Campbell are several other limestone formations that you can see. We went to all of them on the map and each one was amazingly beautiful. Our favourite part was watching huge waves wash up and crash against the limestone. You can see how strong and violent some of these waves are. Slowly, these formations will be gone due to erosion (there’s already only 9 Apostles left) and the shoreline will move inland over time (2cm/year). (Tim: but new formations we be created too!)

Loch Ard Gorge
Loch Ard Gorge
The Razorback
The Razorback
Thunder Cave - when the waves came in they crashed very hard in the cave
Thunder Cave – when the waves came in they crashed very hard in the cave
Waves crashing against the shore
Waves crashing against the shore
Blow hole
Blow hole

We finished more than half the Great Ocean Road sites before taking a break for lunch in Port Campbell. As you could see from our Port Campbell dinner, there wasn’t much selection in town. We planned on going to the pizza place but they were closed for lunch. We headed down to the pub to take a look at their menu and were slightly horrified at the prices. We ended up going to a sandwich shop cafe that served Australian meat pies. I ordered a mushroom and beef and Tim had a sausage roll. They were both decent and filled us up for most of the day.

Cafe on Lords on the "main drag" in Port Campbell
Cafe on Lords on the “main drag” in Port Campbell
Meat pie ($4.90 AUD = $4.60 CAD) and sausage roll ($4.60 AUD = $4.40 CAD)
Meat pie ($4.90 AUD = $4.60 CAD) and sausage roll ($4.60 AUD = $4.40 CAD)
Tim and his Aussie coke (which is now his favourite since Canadian coke changed their recipe recently). But notice the guy on the right, he's not wearing shoes and his feet are all bandaged up. This is a common site in Australia, people don't wear shoes.
Tim and his Aussie coke (which he now prefers over Canadian coke since they changed their recipe recently). But notice the guy on the right behind Tim, he’s not wearing shoes and his feet are all bandaged up. This is a common site in Australia… Some people don’t wear shoes.
The Arch
The Arch
The London Bridge. It used to be attached until 1990. A few people had to be rescued when the piece broke off.
The London Bridge. It used to be attached until 1990. A few people were stranded and had to be rescued when the piece broke off.
The Grotto. This one was of my favourite sites along the way
The Grotto. This one was of my favourite sites along the way.
Bay of Martyrs and the Bay of Islands in the distance. This spot was extremely windy.
Bay of Martyrs and the Bay of Islands in the distance. This spot was extremely windy.

After we finished the Great Ocean Road, we continued on the A1 Highway towards Mount Gambier, which is in South Australia (the Great Ocean Road is still in the state of Victoria). The A1 Highway is inland and is basically a single lane, highway through farms all the way until we reached Mount Gambier.

We saw wind turbines, cows and sheep along the way to Mount Gambier
We saw wind turbines, cows and sheep along the way to Mount Gambier
We were driving west into the setting sun
We were driving west into the setting sun
Made for a scenic and some times blinding drive
Just us and the open road.

When we crossed the state line to South Australia, I missed taking a picture of the sign. In my defense, the sign was pretty sad looking. I was expecting something nicer, but it was just a small red sign (smaller than some road signs) saying “South Australia”. We also saw signage that said there are quarantines ahead and they had bins for people to dump their fruits and vegetables in. I don’t get why you would need to dump fresh produce between state lines within the same country (Tim: we later learned that there are no fruit flies in South Australia, and to keep it that way, you can bring fresh fruit and vegetables into the state…). Also, when we crossed the state line, we gained 30 minutes. South Australia and Victoria are in different time zones.

We finally made it to Motel Mount Gambier, our motel for the night. Motels remind me of horror movies or scenes of murders in suspenseful crime dramas (Tim: Or at least what Kaitlyn imagines horror movies and crime dramas are like… she doesn’t really watch any). We tried to read reviews on Trip Advisor to make sure the motels we were staying at were decent. Port Campbell and Mount Gambier’s hotel selection are basically all motels. I suppose if you had more time in each town you could look into Airbnb or a traditional B&B, would probably be nicer. Since Mount Gambier isn’t near a tourist attraction like Port Campbell, the room was cheaper at $98 CAD a night (not cheap for motel standards in NA but cheaper than other places around).

Our motel room for the night at Motel Mount Gambier
Our motel room for the night at Motel Mount Gambier

We checked in and were given the keys and WiFi vouchers for our stay. Usually the first thing we do is log on to the internet after a day without any. The problem here was that the internet wasn’t working, or it was but barely. We were in a room quite far from the reception so Tim asked if we could change rooms to one that was closer in hopes of getting a better internet signal. We changed rooms and though the WiFi signal was stronger, the internet was still pretty bad (which is the reason why I wasn’t able to post this on time). Also, when booking this place on Expedia, it said “Free Wireless Internet” and when Tim asked why the Wi-Fi vouchers had usage times of 2 hours each, the guy said that he couldn’t control what Expedia puts on their website (that’ll be in my review on Trip Advisor).

We grabbed dinner at the McDonald’s close by since it didn’t seem like much was around. We figured that road trips would probably be our best chance to eat fast food since most major cities we’ll travel to will have better food options. All the McDonald’s we’ve seen in Australia have the “create your own burger” option, where you can build a custom gourmet burger. We tried this out in Hong Kong last year and it was actually really good. The custom burgers here start at $10.95 AUD. We were both craving Big Macs so we ordered two meals – one with “loaded fries” (with cheese and bacon). Everything tasted the same. The only major difference is that in Australia, their medium drink size is equivalent to a small back home. Apparently if you order orange juice at breakfast and don’t upgrade your drink size, it’s like a Dixie cup.

Loaded fries with bacon and cheese
Loaded fries with bacon and cheese
Our Big Mac Meals
Our Big Mac Meals

After a quick dinner we headed back to the motel, washed up, and climbed into bed and watched TV shows that Tim downloaded.

Steps today: 13,000

Melbourne/Great Ocean Road (Day 73): Road Trip

May 12, 2016

This morning we finished packing up and went to the cafe downstairs for breakfast with Marcus. Our plan was to have breakfast at Kitty Burns and then Marcus would drive us to the Hertz downtown to pick up our rental car.

Inside Kitty Burns
Inside Kitty Burns from our seat
Coffee, pastries and brunch
Coffee, pastries, and brunch

Kitty Burns is a very good looking cafe with lots of natural light, attractive pastries, and Melbourne coffee. Marcus said on weekends the place is packed and there are line ups for brunch. We grabbed a table and started with some flat white coffees (even Tim ordered one). They had cruffins (croissant muffins) that looked really delicious so we shared a lemon meringue and a strawberry mascarpone. They were as delicious as they looked. It was my first time eating a cruffin and it was awesome.

Cruffins. They had chocolate, lemon meringue and strawberry marscapone ($5.50 AUD = $5.18 CAD)
Cruffins. They had chocolate, lemon meringue and strawberry marscapone ($5.50 AUD = $5.18 CAD)
Tim happy with his flat white and cruffin
Tim happy with his flat white and cruffin

We also ordered off their breakfast menu. We ordered a chorizo burrata scramble and Marcus ordered a coconut chia parfait. I was impressed with the food here. Both items were very good. The coconut chia seed parfait was so beautiful, it even had edible flowers.

Chorizo, burrata and eggs (18 AUD = $16.95 CAD)
Chorizo, burrata and eggs (18 AUD = $16.95 CAD)

After an enjoyable and relaxing breakfast, we headed downtown to Hertz. We waited for a while for our car since they had issues with customers returning their cars late, so we waited for them to wash the car and fill up the gas. By the time we left Hertz it was about noon.

I’m happy that Tim enjoys driving and is comfortable driving on the left side of the street. I was in charge of holding Tim’s phone for the GPS. Navigating outside of downtown and getting on to the right highway was the “hardest” part of my job today, the rest was smooth sailing. Turning right when driving on the left side of the street was the most tricky. I’m happy I’m not the one driving. (Tim: Melbourne CBD has a weird thing where the right turn lane is actually the far left lane. You pull ahead and to the left out of the way of traffic, and then when the light turns yellow, you can make your right turn).

Tim driving our snazzy bright blue Toyota Corolla
Tim driving our snazzy bright blue Toyota Corolla
Leaving Melbourne
Leaving Melbourne

Once we got on to the Great Ocean Road, it was amazing. The Great Ocean Road stretches for 243km along the south coast of Australia and is a war memorial dedicated to the Australian soliders who fought in WWI. We pulled over quite a bit to take in the scenery, take pictures, and watch all the surfers. The drive reminded me a bit of the Sea to Sky at home since the roads are winding and you have the water right beside you. The coast line on the Great Ocean Road was very “cliffy” and you have the huge waves crashing on to shore. Everything was so beautiful, despite the weather not being ideal.

Our first taste of the Great Ocean Road
Our first taste of the Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is popular amongst tourists so they had these signs everywhere there was a view point
The Great Ocean Road is popular amongst tourists so they had these signs everywhere there was a view point
Winding roads of the Great Ocean Road
Winding roads of the Great Ocean Road
We saw the sun peek for a little bit
We saw the sun peek out for a little bit in the town of Lorne
We're driving into those dark clouds
We’re driving into those dark clouds
Those small black dots are all surfers. We stayed and watched them for a while. They're all very good.
Those small black dots are all surfers in wet suits. We stayed and watched them for a while. They were all so good!
Started to climb higher in elevation
Started to climb higher in elevation at Cape Patton

There are stretches of the Great Ocean Road that go inland where we saw lots of sheep and cows on rolling green hills and some stretches were just tree lined (like a rainforest). There was a stretch on the highway that turned off to go to Cape Otway (one of the most southern tips of Australia), which has a light house and according to the sign is the “most significant” lighthouse in Australia. So we made a detour of about 10km towards the coast to see the lighthouse. When we got there, we discovered it would cost $19.50 AUD each to go see it. It’s a shame it isn’t a national park and not private. We thought if they had admission it would only be like $5 AUD, not $19.50 AUD.

Stretches of the Great Ocean Road are just forest
Stretches of the Great Ocean Road are just forest
Tim is disappointed it costs so much to see the lighthouse
Tim is disappointed it costs so much to see the Cape Otway Lighthouse
Lots of black cows. We're guessing you're Wagyu beef since everything on Australian menus say Wagyu Beef
Lots of black cows. We’re guessing they’re Wagyu beef since everything on Australian menus say Wagyu Beef
Getting closer to Port Campbell
Getting closer to Port Campbell

Our goal for tonight was to make it to a town called Port Campbell (228km from Melbourne). Port Campbell is the closest town with accommodations to the Great Ocean Road’s main attraction, “The Twelve Apostles“. We finally made it to Port Campbell just before 6pm. At that time the weather totally turned and it was windy and pouring rain. We passed by the Twelve Apostles on the way to the motel but the weather was bad and we had to check in before 6pm. So we’ll just visit them tomorrow morning when it’s light out and it’s supposed to be sunny.

We checked into the motel, Port Campbell Parkview Motel & Apartments, just before the reception closed for the day. The man at the reception was very friendly and showed us to our room for the night. It’s quite spacious and very clean. As there isn’t much selection in Port Campbell for accommodations, the price per night of this motel was $119 CAD a night.

Port Campbell Parkview Motel and Apartments
Port Campbell Parkview Motel and Apartments

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We settled in and headed into town (a block of restaurants and shops) for dinner. Tim was craving fish and chips and saw there was a decent place called “Frying Nemo” (haha) off Trip Advisor so we went there. It turned out to be a take out place (attached to a gas station…). We ordered fish and chips and a “Bay Pack”. It was a good sign they were frying everything fresh so we waited for about 10 minutes for our order. Marcus taught us the term, “Bogan”, which are Australian red necks. We sent him pictures of our dinner and called ourselves Bogan.

Frying Nemo in Port Campbell
Frying Nemo in Port Campbell
Tim with our fish and chips
Tim with our fish and chips. Frying Nemo is attached to a gas station
Bait Pack ($13 AUD) on the left and Fish & Chips ($10) on the right.
Bait Pack ($13 AUD) on the left and Fish & Chips ($10) on the right.
We're classy
We’re classy

We brought our fish and chips back to the motel and were really shocked at how large the portion of fries were. We ate less than 25% of the fries in our order. Now our room smells like fries.

We’re having a pretty early night since we’re back on the road tomorrow and there’s nothing to do in Port Campbell. Looking forward to seeing the Twelve Apostles and the other sites along the Great Ocean Road. Hopefully the weather will be nicer tomorrow and we’ll see a bit of sun and blue skies – it’ll make for much nicer pictures (Tim: overcast skies can actually make for better photographs!).

I’m enjoying our Australian adventure so far and being on the road with just Tim and I.

Steps today: 2,500 (Tim: our low for the trip)

(Tim: I just realized it’s day 73 and we’re already half way through our current trip before returning to Vancouver in July! Time really flies. It’s a good reminder to try and make the most of each day and not take this time for granted).