The Great Ocean Road has a beautiful amalgamation of ocean and pastures, all in the same frame, so before I begin my discourse on the final leg of the Road, Imma give ye wee folks a riddle to simulate the little grey cells.
What do you get when a baby sheep enters a ship’s cargo hold?
-10 if you say a shipping baaa-rier(hehe)
-100 if you say an intrusion.
+500 if you say, a Lamb-in-ton(Lamington)
hehehehehehe…..
Do not stuff the blogger into a cargo hold.
hehe.
With that bit of capsized humour out of the way, Imma hit the road(words, words). In this blog, I will be showing ye marauders some glimpses along the Great Ocean Road, taking in all the transit points and a few surprises.
P.S. This is a wild ride.
Let’s get this journey started!
What’s that? So fluffy and grey?
Is it a storm cloud, drifting my way?
Is it a teddy bear? Is it a giant dust bunny?
I think it’s a koala, looking at me funny.
hehe.
Spotting a koala in the wild made me feel an immense sense of gratitude. The Great Ocean Road was my last spot on my Australia trip and by then, I knew that one had to be really lucky to spot Australian fauna in the wild. I did not really expect to see any wildlife on the trip, especially since there’s tourists around, but I was so, so thrilled to see this little baby, peeping through the branches of a eucalyptus tree.
So, the guide told us that there would be a secret spot along the trip, and our group was the first one to get to the secret spot, when the guide said that we should keep a look out for koalas. Perhaps it was fate, that this little furball graced us with its presence, because, the koala was visible for ten minutes, after which it had climbed the tree and camouflaged itself. The koala granted me three poses. The one above was the third pose, here are the other two.
Koalas are such resilient and magnificent animals. One koala resides on a single eucalyptus tree, except in the mating season and when the baby is born, where there will be two koalas. Koalas are the only animals who can eat eucalyptus leaves as the foliage is poisonous for every other animal. It is vital for a koala to stay on the tree, because it cannot really eat much else. It is very vulnerable to forest fires, deforestation and all human encroachment. Koalas are actually really minimalistic. All they need is sleep and eucalyptus. Looking at these creatures really makes me conscious of the footprint that I leave behind. I mean, we all live on a huge planet, perhaps respecting space is the simplest virtue that we can possess.
Two hours after I saw the Koala, I saw a wallaby, darting through the scrub. I do not have a picture, because it was so fast, but this trip made me one rich girlie:)
After glimpsing the koala, I walked a little further, just to stretch my legs before getting back on the bus, when I saw this scene, simply existing in all its glory. It looked straight out of a storybook, and I imagined those scrub bushes to be trolls, guarding the area. The sheep were so nonchalant and adorable, and there was such a beautifully intriguing fusion of ocean, pasture and forest, through the various parts of the Great Ocean Road.
It thrills me to think of all the wildlife that lives in these forests. It exudes a magical aura and one can simply stand there, watching the world exist in harmony. Australia has so much that alters one’s brain chemistry, opening the mind’s eye to seeing beauty in the toughest and most unique terrain. It opens one’s mind to respecting the delicate balance that is felt so strongly here and anything that can bring goose pimples, even months after the visit, is a masterpiece.
Faithfully,
A shivering Ms Yours Truly.
hehe.
This is a picture of the Apollo Bay War Memorial, which I took when we stopped for lunch in the town. The statue is a memorial for Australian soldiers who fought in World War 1. It reminds me of those landmark statues in sci-fi TV. The ones which have a secret portal to outer space or something, hehe. Very Doctor Who coded.
Apollo Bay had this nostalgic vibe, which made me feel as though I was in a dream. Everything was so tranquil and perfectly placed, like a well done jigsaw puzzle, where every piece feels just right.
My tour group stopped for lunch at Apollo Bay and I definitely had thoughts about moving there. The next picture will show you why.
There are times in one’s culinary journey, when a specific food satiates you the moment you have it, but once that moment and the day has passed, you can’t help but wish that you’d eaten more of it.
The fish and chips and the red snapper in the picture above had that exact effect on me.
Now, my mum and I were absolutely famished when we got to Apollo Bay, so we wasted no time in ordering two large dishes, but the very next day, I found myself thinking that we should have ordered two servings more, hehe. That is when I contemplated moving to Apollo Bay, because the next meal that I had after this was airplane food.
hehehe????
The fish and chips were drizzled in balsamic vinegar, which really added to the flavour. The red snapper came with a sour cream sauce that was such a burst of magic upon the tastebuds. Now, I hadn’t ever imagined that the sour cream would go well with the well seasoned snapper but it was absolutely brilliant.
We were told to have ice-cream in Apollo Bay, but as I said, the fish really filled us up, so when I move here, Imma have ice cream too, without fears of being left behind by the tour group.
hehe.
Very. Legitimate. Fears.
Stay tuned.
Here is the ocean in all its glory, nibbling at the shore, as our bus left Apollo Bay to head back to Melbourne. It is breathtaking, to see such a vast expanse of water and the grey colour has a very hypnotic aura. I like how the scrub blurs a bit, giving an essence of speed.
Speed and that delicious sense of freedom governed everyone here, and all that mattered was the vast open road, bounded by the eternal energy of the tides, with no turning back.
Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts and fold your tray tables and makes sure your seat is in an upright position. We will be landing in Apollo Bay shortly.
For those visiting, we wish you a pleasant journey, for those returning, we welcome you home and for those wondering what is going on, we left behind a passenger in Apollo Bay.
This is a rescue mission.
Here’s a sunlit curb for eye candy.
Hehe.
Ok, story time.
One hour after we left Apollo Bay, our tour guide got a call from one of our fellow passengers that she had been left behind at Apollo Bay.
Chaos, kerfuffle, conflict.
Of course, we all went back to retrieve the straying trooper, but this brings me to a deeper conspiracy that brewed on board.
Now, over the course of the tour, all the passengers had a partner, you know, like school children pairing up. The guide had specifically instructed the partners to look out for each other. The lagging passenger, throughout the bus ride, had been seated at the window seat and unbeknownst to her, her aisle-side partner was seething in FOMO.
Now, after lunch at Apollo Bay, the aisle-side partner went all carpe diem and seized the window seat, and forgot to call the “dethroned” partner. That and a fumble with counting led us to a detour, back to Apollo Bay. So, whoever embarks upon the Great Ocean Road Tour and is fortunate to get the window seat, all I can say is,
God save the window seated queen,
Passenger’s daydream,
Just another free-breathing heartbreak.
hehe.
The above partners parted as besties.
hehe??
Now, a lot of people who read about the detour would say that it was a waste of time, but because of that detour, we were fortunate to glimpse the Great Ocean Road in the dark, so if anything, that detour was worth it.
Thank you, window-seat clinching partner:)
hehe.
Here’s a glimpse of the Memorial Arch against a darkening sky. The arch is made out of wood and is built to commemorate World War 1 soldiers.
Standing here, I could literally hear the silence of the night. Behind me, was the crashing of waves and in front, was an empty road. There was something beckoning the heart, out here, asking it to break free and bang on destiny’s door.
The Night is so powerful in its silence. I mean, dreams are borne at night, and nothing is ever accomplished without a dream, and that essence was so prominent here.
The Great Ocean Road, at night, opens up another realm for those watching.
That of the stars.
Come home, wanderer.
You say you’re lost.
Look up, wanderer,
Twinkling diamonds.
This roof knows no bound,
These walls, impenetrable.
Look up, wanderer,
You’ll see.
You never left home.
Our lovely tour guide, had a surprise planned for us as the last stop of the trip. This is the Split Point Lighthouse, and the guide brought us right at its foot.
There is something so colossal about lighthouses. It has this solemn demeanour and is such a silent angel, making sure ships sail safely, while protecting the Sea and its many mysteries. Of course, one hears of the utter loneliness of working in a lighthouse, which adds another layer to the already intriguing aura that surrounds the structure. I was so happy to see a lighthouse this close and what really made the experience surreal was the stars putting on a glamorous display. I could just stay in this place, looking at the sky for hours. There is also a subtle hint of romance here, which makes one feel fully at peace.
Here’s a few more glimpses of the lighthouse.
Ok, everyone else in the tour group had trouble getting a picture of the lighthouse with its headlight glowing. I, on the other hand struggled to get a picture of it without the light. The lighthouse seemed to have a personality of its own, rather like a cheeky baby monster, putting its light on and off and having people frantically click in the three-second night mode feature.
hehe. The dark lighthouse accentuates the stars and I absolutely love that.
Finally, here’s a souvenir from Apollo Bay. It’s a turtle. His name is Tadpole.
Make sure you say Hi!
That brings us to the end of the Great Ocean Road series.
And that is a wrap,
Until next time.
G’day!