The Great Ocean Road Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

We leave Australia today.

I'm excited.

So, without further ado, let's see if I can finish up our last trip before we leave the country.

Where were we? Oh yes, koalas!

Cute, no?

So, after the excitement of the koalas we discovered 2 things.

One, all the hotels/B&B's along the Great Ocean Road are BUSY during the summer and as I said we didn't plan this trip out very well. We just planned on stopping somewhere along the way, wherever we made it to by nightfall...yeah, so that was a stupid plan. If you're ever driving along the Great Ocean Road in the summer, don't do this. Go ahead and book something!

Which leads me to...

Two, we were about to lose the sun and we were very near the Twelve Apostles, if we didn't hurry we were going to miss them altogether and have to double back in the morning from wherever we ended up staying...which was a big unknown and could involve a drive of hundreds of kilometers looking for somewhere that wasn't booked.

If you've never heard of the Twelve Apostles it's probably because you don't live in Australia.

In a nutshell the Twelve Apostles are pretty rocks. And there's not 12 anymore, there's only 9, the other 3 have fallen into the ocean. Anyway, they're giant rocks just off the coast that the ocean has created by cutting away at the limestone around them. Is that not the most scientific explanation you've ever heard?

So, anyway (why do I keep writing anyway? anyway, anyway, anyway, clearly I am in need of a thesaurus...anyway), they were kind of the highlight of the roadtrip so if we missed them we would have felt really stupid and while the koalas made the trip the Twelve Apostles were the POINT of the trip and I don't know if even the koalas could have made up for missing them.

Just as the sun was setting...we made it.

Barely.

Oh Australian signs how I will miss you. Notice the people on the other side of the sign...

As the sun faded into night we then turned our attention to the most important task at hand...finding somewhere to stay the night.

We drove and drove passing NO VACANCY sign after NO VACANCY sign and calling every inn we could find on our phones, with NO luck. Finally some brilliant helpful innkeeper directed us inland ie. get off the coast where everyone wants to stay! So, inland we went and half hour later we found ourselves in a tiny tiny little town with...A HOTEL!!! And coincidentally it was the Thompson Hotel! (now if you don't know what I'm talking about you probably don't live in New York).

Let me tell you about the hotel.

First off, it was $60 a night, which is just awesome.

Second, it was dormitory style with a communal bathroom, which normally I hate, but it was 11pm, we were exhausted AND the girl bathroom had a bathtub and looked like a real bathroom, rather than the boy bathroom that just had shower stalls.

Third, we had to sleep in 2 separate twin beds, which is just...funny.

All in all it saved us from having to drive 4 hours back to Melbourne just to start all over again the next morning, so we happily slept in our twin beds and showered in the communal showers and woke up happy and well rested the next morning.

And then... to be continued unfortunately on the other side of the world.

T-minus 6 hours until we leave Oz!!!

The Great Ocean Road Part 2

Part 1

The weather improved each and every day of our road trip. It started out miserable and cold in Melbourne but as we hit the road the sun was out and while it wasn't warm it also wasn't cold.

Since we had 2 days to do this drive we took our time and got a late start from Melbourne after visiting the Gaol in the morning. Unfortunately we didn't really plan this trip out AT ALL and it was all very go with the flow and see what happens. Because we had no plan whatsoever we ended up missing out on 2 things that we really wanted to do because they closed at 5pm and we didn't make it to them until after 6pm. The first thing we missed out on was the Cape Otway Lighthouse which is apparently haunted (who doesn't like a good haunted lighthouse!) and has been running since 1848. The lighthouse was actually way up there on my list of things to see on the road trip so even though we missed the opening hours we took a little drive down the road towards it in hopes that we could catch a glimpse from afar. And while we caught nary a glimpse of any lighthouse we did make a very happy discovery that we otherwise would have missed if we hadn't turned down the road to the lighthouse.

Koalas!

Coolest wildlife I have ever encountered in the wild! Better than the roos in my opinion. They're very lethargic and slow moving (maybe this is why I liked them so much, the roos are always on the move and impossible to photograph!). Once we saw one they were incredibly easy to spot and we saw hundreds up in the gum trees. Completely amazing and made the whole trip worth it.

Next up we catch the 12 apostles just before the sun sets...

The Great Ocean Road Part 1

It is said that the drive between Melbourne and Adelaide on the Great Ocean Road is one of the best road trips in the world and that if you ever have the chance to do it, you should.

So, we did.

We started off in Melbourne where it was COLD, remember it's summer, but with temps in the teens (Celsius) rain and wind, Melbourne was a bit miserable. When we first moved here we debated on whether we wanted to live in Melbourne or Sydney...how very very happy I am that we chose Sydney. Melbourne is cute, but it's really not my cup of tea and the weather is even more crap than the crappy weather here in Sydney.

However, one completely awesome thing about Melbourne is the Old Melbourne Gaol, which is the old prison that they've since turned into a museum. The famous bushranger Ned Kelly was imprisoned and hanged here, he's the Australian version of Jesse James as far as I can tell, an outlaw that has captured the interest of the public.

I just have this to say about the Old Mebourne Gaol...it was damn cool and I recommend going if you're ever in Melbourne.

These tiny cells on the lowest level were for the worst of the worst inmates. They were in these cells for 23 hours a day and were NEVER allowed to see or speak to anyone including the guards and other inmates. It would have been sure hell.

I've only included this piccie because Dom's eyes are the exact color of his shirt and mine are the exact color of my jacket =)

This is the actual spot and actual beam from which many a prisoner were hung, including the infamous Ned Kelly himself.

And speaking of Ned Kelly, this is his body armor that he made for an imminent police shootout. He still managed to get himself shot and ended up here at the gaol, but nevertheless it made him famous.

After Melbourne we hit the road, hoping and praying for better weather...

Kangaroo in the Wild

Since I finally figured out how to upload videos properly on here I thought you all might enjoy the kangaroo.

I also have, because I know you want to see, a koala in the wild to show you soon!

T-minus 12 Days until we go home!

Booktastic: Down Under

I read too many books, I'm finding it impossible to keep up with myself.

I read this months and months ago, but it's a really great book so I thought I would do a whole post on it.

Down Under by Bill Bryson

I'd never heard of Bill Bryson before Dom came home with this book but after catching Dom laughing out loud several times and reading passages to me in bed I decided I had to read it for myself.

Bryson is a travel writer and basically goes somewhere walks around and writes about what he encounters. He "does" very little other than walk around new towns, which in and of itself isn't funny, but what he encounters along the way is hilarious.

This book gives a really great glimpse into Australia ESPECIALLY as an outsider. If you've ever wanted to visit Australia I highly recommend this book. OR if you just really enjoy travel writing in general I also highly recommend it.

Things I Will Miss About Oz

Since we're on the home stretch and about to leave the wonderful world of Oz I made a list of things I'm going to miss.

In no particular order...

The eggs - God they have good eggs here. They are a wonderful delicious bright ORANGE, which means lots of flavor and lots of Omega 3. American eggs are flavorless and yellow in comparison and since we eat eggs every single morning I'm really going to miss these.

The coffee - I've written about how I take my coffee and how it's a pain in the ass to figure out how to order it in different countries. But now that I've been here awhile I'm definitely going to miss my flat whites. I think what I'm honestly going to miss most is the size of the coffees. They come in really small sizes...6 or 8 oz is the norm, and I love it, I don't NEED a giant coffee, in fact even in the US when I order a giant coffee I never drink the whole thing.

Australian sense of comradreship - There's a certain Aussieness that I can't really accurately describe and you'll have no idea what I'm talking about unless you've been here. But they're way out here in the middle of nowhere all by themselves and they are there for each other. They have a deep sense of togetherness and "I'm here for you mate." I guess you could call it patriotism as well, they go out of their way to support other Aussies in whatever they do, ie. they still love Mel Gibson even after his fall from grace.

Speaking of mates, the way they constantly use the word "mate". I don't think I can get away with it...calling others mate that is, but I do love hearing it, it's a good word and can be used in many many different contexts.

Aussies in general - They're nice. Just really nice people. They always want to help you out. I very rarely encounter a rude Aussie.

Ferries - It's awesome to get wherever you need to go by ferry.

Sunscreen with Zinc - Oh how I love the zinc sunscreen. I've tried about 7 different brands and have finally found the BEST sunscreen in the whole wide world. It's Australian Cancer Council Active and it works so well that Dom can slather himself up and go at least ONE WHOLE HOUR without having to seek shade or reapply. That's amazing for someone who normally burns in the shade with sunscreen on especially in this uber intense Australian sun. AND it goes on and soaks in IMMEDIATELY so you're left feeling like you have absolutely no sunscreen on whatsoever. It's fantastic, I plan on buying boatloads of it before we leave.

Prescriptions - $24 for all prescriptions...I have nothing else to say about that.

Kangaroos and Koalas - Hands down the coolest animals I have ever seen and to see them in the wild is just amazing.

The beach - Obviously I could live somewhere in the US with a beach, but honestly I'm not a real beachy type person, and there's just something about the Australian beaches...they're so beautiful and there's always a cool breeze so you never feel too hot. And they're SO easy to get to...I will definitely miss that.

Now, I'm sure I've missed some things on here and I'll update if I think of more.

Any other of you expats who have some good Aussie things you'll miss when you leave?

Danger on the Hawkesbury

Oh Australia, how charming and harmless you seem from afar with you sparkling beautiful beaches, gloriously sunny weather and plethora of outdoor activities. I did not know that once I got here I would constantly be bombarded with crap weather and DANGEROUS ANIMALS. Seriously, how do they disguise this fact from us so well?

Ok, the crap weather is just this year...or so they say, though they could be lying I would never know. Although it is nice and officially summer weather now so I'll quit whining about the constant rain, but seriously, I'm from Oregon and it's been a lot of rain EVEN FOR ME.

Moving on.

I've told you all about the dangerous animals in Queensland, but there are dangerous animals here in NSW (that's New South Whales for all of you non-Aussies, the state in which Sydney is located) as well. First up we have the funnel web spider, which is one of the most venomous spiders in the world. Awesome. Luckily I have never had the misfortune of running into one of these guys, but just the knowledge that they're here is enough for me.

Also here in Sydney are sharks, now of course I know you're all thinking, well duh of course there are sharks there, you're on the ocean. But did you know, that there are more shark attacks IN THE HARBOUR than on the beaches. Crazy shit, no? And did you also know that there are SHARKS IN THE RIVER.

Seriously, you can't even go houseboating without fear of BEING EATEN BY A SHARK.

Oh Australia.

So, anyway, the point of this post is...we went houseboating on the Hawkesbury River and luckily it was nice and CLOUDY, again because the weather in Sydney is so awesome, so it wasn't even warm enough to get in the river but once. Which means, I did not get eaten by a shark IN A RIVER.

Another little interesting tidbit about Australian wildlife, apparently there are jellyfish in the river as well. What? Jellyfish in the river? Yes, jellyfish in the river. Now, luckily these little suckers are not venomous and don't even have stingers, but holy hell they're big!

This is our boat.

Now, my pictures I warn you are going to portray the weather as deceptively sunny. This was purposeful, mostly because I was not the photographer the majority of the time, and Dom only whipped it out when the weather was nice.

The camera, he only whipped out the camera when the weather was nice! Dirty minds. Oh, was that just me when I read back the sentence?

Anyway.

I am a fabulous boat driver.

See the jellys?

Pretty sunset.

Waterfall.

Now, about the waterfall. We decided to climb it. I don't know why we decided to climb it, but we decided to climb it.

But we successfully made it to the top! And my thighs hurt for a full week afterward. Fantastic workout.

T-minus 14 Days, that's just 2 weeks to home!

This One Time We Went to the Opera

I'm so crap about actually writing about events when they actually happen...

Sorry.

Several months ago, back in October I think, we went to the opera at the Sydney Opera House. My opera experiences are minimal at best...I think I've been to 3 now, so when it came time to decide what to see at the Opera House guess how I chose the opera?

Pretty Women. Ha!

You know that scene when they go the opera and Julia Roberts says "It was so good I almost peed my pants!" and he turns to the old lady who she was talking to and says "She said it was better than the Pirates of Penzance." So, guess what we saw?

The Pirates of Penzance!

Seriously that's how I chose. I checked what operas were playing and it was the only one I recognized, and yes I only recognized it from Pretty Woman, so I bought the tickets right then and there having NO idea what the opera was about. You may remember I also did this with West Side Story and it turned out less than amazing for me. This time on the other hand it turned out completely awesome.

Did you know that the Pirates of Penzance is a comedy???? And that the main pirate is either being very Jack Sparrow in his portrayal of his character....or vice versa? Seriously, he was totally Jack Sparrow (from Pirates of the Caribbean if you don't know who Jack Sparrow is).

Anyway, LOVED the opera and give it 2 thumbs way way up, if you ever feel like going to the opera and Pirates of Penzance is playing, GO SEE IT!

Oh, and you remember this dress, well I didn't wear it to the wedding, but I totally bought it anyway and yep, I wore it to the opera!

How very New York of us to be in head to toe black...

Anyone else been to any really great operas?

I'm going to start my new countdown now, it's the countdown to HOME!

T-Minus 15 Days!!!!

Happy New Year!

Sorry it's such a crap editing job, I'm learning imovie and honestly couldn't be bothered to put more effort into it than this.

Enjoy!

The Rest of It

It's Boxing Day here in Oz, (that's the day after Christmas for all the Americans out there) and while Dom watches the Dallas Cowboys I thought I would finish up our Uluru/Alice Springs recap so that I can delve into the Jamaica trip from more than a month ago and our weekend trip houseboating on the Hawkesbury River and also tell you about the Opera House...all before we leave tomorrow for Melbourne (I can almost guarantee that's not going to happen, but it's a nice thought). So, here we go...

Ayres Rock

The Olgas

The Road Trip

Alice Springs

First up, just as we were heading out of Alice Springs we saw a kangaroo! Yes we've seen kangaroos before but never quite as close as this! And after seeing all of the other wild animals on our road trip and not a single kangaroo...we really needed to see a kangaroo to make the trip complete. We even managed to capture the moment on video. Unfortunately Blogger does not want to load my video...so this picture where the kangaroo is barely visible will have to suffice. She's up at the top of the pic between the rocks, can you see her?

The road trip back was much less exciting as we took the shorter route and managed to do the whole thing in just over 4 hours. Here are the highlights:

Emus at a petrol station.

A giant frilled lizard and echidna...at the same petrol station. Because why WOULDN'T there be a giant frilled lizard and echidna at a petrol station.

A salt lake.

The Uluru lookalike.

More camels.

To be fair it was probably the same herd as we saw on the trip out, not more camels, just the same camels again.

This is a dingo. It's a crap picture I know, but I promise in the very middle of the picture is a dingo.

And here's the car after the roadtrip, not nearly as many bugs as we thought there should be.

Our last night in Uluru we decided to do the "Sounds of Silence" dinner, remember when we went to Port Douglas and did the "Flames of the Forest" dinner? Well, this was essentially the same thing. Dinner under the stars while watching the sun set behind Uluru. Instead of an aboriginal telling a bedtime story this time it was the most Australian guy I've ever seen playing a digeridoo.

Have you ever seen anyone look more quintessentially Australian than this guy?

Champers at sunset.

Totally worth it if you're ever in Uluru, they give you all sorts of weird Australian fare like kangaroo and crocodile and give you too much alcohol. Awesome.

As we got ready to head off the next morning we took one last trip out to Uluru before we headed back to the airport.

A closeup of the walk you can do up the side of Uluru.

And our final look. Bye bye Uluru.

Merry Christmas from Oz

Alice Springs

Ayres Rock

The Olgas

The Roadtrip

Man do I sure know how to drag out a 4 day weekend recap.

So, At long last we had made it to Alice Springs. Now a note on Alice Springs and the aboriginals. If you've never been to Australia you may think that there are just Aboriginals prancing about all over the place, but you would be wrong. I very very rarely see them...anywhere. They're not in Sydney, I saw none in Queensland or Cairns, none in the Hunter Valley and none in the Blue Mountains. Now I think I know why. I think they ALL live in Alice Springs. It was very...strange. Not because there were aboriginals there per se, but because they were there in such numbers IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE and really nowhere else.

But, back to Alice Springs. Cute, cute little town. Had we known better we would have done our trip exactly opposite of what we did. We should have flown in to Alice Springs, hung out there for a day then drove to Ayres Rock, done the whole sunset and hiking thing there and then headed back for more Alice Springs. Seriously, way more to do in Alice Springs then Ayres Rock.

So, Alice Springs first claim to fame is it's telegraph station which finally linked Oz to the rest of the world in 1872. The other claim to fame is the Royal Flying Doctor Service which is for all those who live and travel in the (decidedly unred) Red Center of Oz where there is no medical services for hundreds of miles.

The Telegraph Station is very well preserved and we totally thought we would pop in and pop out and be done with it, but ended up spending the better part of 3 hours milling about. It was pretty cool and I highly recommend it if you're ever in the area...and by in the area of course I mean if you've purposely flown to Alice Springs because there's no other way that you would randomly end up here.

Blacksmith's shop

Interesting story that I never knew, at some point the telegraph station was turned into a school for the "half-castes" all the little half european half aboriginal children that had resulted from the English taking aboriginal "mistresses". They essentially stole these children from their mothers and raised them to think of themselves as white and to marry whites or other half castes, not aboriginals. It's terrible obviously, but I think it's quite interesting that they encouraged them to be white and took them into their community rather than treating them as outcasts.

This is Dom in "school". =)

Nothing but this for hundreds of miles in all directions, pretty amazing that they ever made the telegraph station out here in the first place.

This sign for the spring in which Alice Springs took her name

.

IN the spring.

AND the Royal Flying Doctor Service! Unfortunately it didn't open until late in the afternoon and we had to get back to Uluru for our dinner under the stars...which I'll tell you about next!