4/27/10 (apollo bay)

Apollo Bay – Great Otway National Park – Port Fairy

It was a brisk morning and the cold air was refreshing. It had rained last night and the weather report said today was going to be around 18 degrees Celsius. We made a detour on the Great Ocean Road (GOR) to check out the Otway Fly Treetop Walk, which is in the middle of the Great Otway National Park. The walk takes about an hour along lush green rainforest and the highlight is the 600-meter long steel walkway about 25 meters above ground so you really get a different perspective of the rainforest. It is almost like you are among the treetops and when you stare down you notice just how tall these trees grow. Luckily the walkway seemed pretty sturdy so I wasn’t too afraid but once we walked up the spiral staircase to reach the lookout my legs were a little wobbly. There was also a suspension lookout point, which sways a bit every time someone took a step and of course Jon took the opportunity to jump and down on it just to make it more exciting.

On our way back to the main road we were engulfed by big rolling fields, which reminded us of New Zealand. In some ways it was the same but different if that makes sense. I often wonder what it would be like to grow up in a place like this rather than in a city. I feel free and calm looking out to the fields but not sure I could raise cows or sheep if I had such big land.

We also got stopped by a herd of cows crossing the road. There was a car in front of us and for a moment it looked like they were going to run the car over. The cows seemed a bit confused on where to go and were bumping into each other along the way. I had seen signs warning us of stock crossing the road but never actually witnessed one until now. It was a pretty funny moment as they ran past us and the road was clear again.

One of the most famous stops along the GOR is the Twelve Apostles, which are limestone statues that have been carved out by the powerful ocean waves. You don’t really get to see all twelve since some are blocked by the bigger ones. It is still a spectacular view since some rise 65 meters out of the ocean. What is also really amazing is how smooth the cliff side is as if someone used a carving knife to shape the edges. It was really windy on the lookout deck even with the sun blazing down at us. We couldn’t get any nice pictures because of the location of the sun. It was about an hour before sunset so we decided to come back and catch the sunset. We made a quick pit stop in Port Campbell. We caught the sunset in perfect time and Jon took a time-lapse of the sun setting behind the Twelve Apostles.

Before we left the states we bought a little camera for me to use and it has taken really nice pictures. So while on the road Jon has given me some pointers and I have really taken up photography. I’m still at the point and click stage but now I have learned how to frame my pictures so they are more interesting to look at. Next he’s going to show me how to manually adjust my settings.

After the sunset we decided to make a run for Port Fairy, which is about 1.5 hours away. We got to Port Fairy around 8pm and luckily found a reasonably priced room at Comfort Inn with free internet and a light breakfast! Our room is situated on the top floor in an old brick building built in the 1840’s. Jon said it reminded him of the room he and Ryan stayed in when they visited Venice. The bathroom and showers are shared which is right across the hall from us but there were only one other couple staying upstairs. We figured we have gotten used to community bathrooms at the campsite. The town was pretty sleepy with only a few restaurants open and we settled on a Chinese restaurant. One of the things Jon noticed is that no matter how small of a town it is you can find at least one Chinese restaurant and it is usually operated by Asians. An interesting observation.

Australian Stampede from Annie Lin on Vimeo.

Comments

[Hilary]

This all sounds amazing! I love hearing all your storiesand the history you give about the places you are visiting. I love the video of the cow stampede. How much longer are you in Australia for? Curious, what kind of camera did you get for yourself? I am in the market for a camera...

XO

[mary lappan]

Like the stampede. I guess I have never seen one except on a western.

[Seattle Annie]

The cows walking across the road like that reminds me of being at Yellowstone National Park, the Buffalo just walk right down the middle of the road or on the sidewalks (and they are HUGE).

I'm excited to find out where your adventure will take you next.

[Den]

Thats funny. I think Jon and Annie held their breath there for a moment. I think somebody forgot to lock the gate. Reminds me of our days in the South Coast of NSW, from Kiama onwards, there is just cows everywhere, on a paddock, on the side of hills, sometimes a stray calf would find its way outside a fence while the rest of the herd would just be oblivious. I loved asking the kids how many cows there are and what colour, etc...sometimes we mistake cows for sheep and sheep for cows.