THURSDAY, 19 MAR 2009

Hitting the Aussie roads .. on the left side

Oh, what a great couple past days.  On Monday, I had walked most of Melbourne’s central area and had seen most of the tourist sites.  I wasn’t sure what else I’d be doing the rest of the week, aside from going to Chocolate Bars (see the Food & Cuisine section) and talking long walks around the city.  Melbourne is definitely a city to live in, as opposed to one to visit for major tourist attractions.  There is a huge diversity of restaurants and cafes, but there’s only so much that a girl can eat and drink for the day.  I had exhausted most of the activities the city had to offer in 2 days.

I chatted with my hostel roommates and we were of like-minded mentality.  We knew there was more to do outside of Melbourne, but didn’t want to go on a bus tour for an exorbitant price and for a long tourist ride.  Instead, we decided to rent a vehicle for a couple days to visit Phillip Island and drive the Great Ocean Road to see the 12 Apostles.  Being over the age of 25 (and thus able to avoid extra fees), I rented a car under my name.  With this, I took on the duty of driving in a country that 1.  Is very strict on their speeding laws, with speeding cameras located in numerous places, and 2.  Drives on the opposite side (on the left) and has the drivers seat on the right side.  It was mind-boggling.

The most difficult part of driving was to stay at the speed limit.  I spent most of my time glancing down at the speedometer to check my speed.  In terms of driving on the left side, it went fairly well – I simply followed the flow of traffic.  Every time I made a turn, I made it a point to chant to myself, “Drive on the Left .. Drive on the Left.”  I had a small vehicle:  a 5 door Toyota Corolla.  It was easy to maneuver.  It did take me a couple tries before I stopped turning on the windshield wipers when wanting to use the turn blinkers; the turn blinkers are located on the right side, opposite of the cars back home.

Here’s a shot of the car on the Great Ocean Road.

 

Phillip Island

The first day on the road, Florian – my navigator – and I hit the road for Phillip Island and arrived at 1 PM.  Phillip Island is best known for two things:  the Penguin Parade, where tourists flock to view the penguins emerge from the sea after sunset to return to their burrows (homes) on the beach, and the Racetrack, where the MotoGP is hosted.  I was excited to see both things.

Upon arrival, there was a Chocolate Factory – a great greeting to the island with free samples.

 

 

We decided to quench our hunger first and hit up Cowes, the main town on the Island.  This resulted in eating at a Greek restaurant where I had the best souvlaki ever, with tender chicken in a pita wrap.  The view from Cowes was great.



After Cowes, we drove to the Phillip Island race track.  At the main office , there were kangaroos in a fenced area outside!  It was fitting that an Aussie track would have some Aussie creatures to accompany it. 

 

 

I decided to go through the museum, was highlighted the history of the track.

 


Once I stepped outside to walk to the viewpoint of the track, I entered into a peaceful garden area with some wildlife, a lake, and greenery. 

 

 
The track was being used for an open car track day, so I got some footage of the cars.  There was a great view of the coast.  The track itself looked extremely fun, with a lot of great technical areas and a big incline on one of the turns.  I would love to try it out someday.



After the track, we headed for the Nobbies, another lookout point on the island.

 

The Grand Finale of the evening was to watch the Penguin Parade.  Every evening at sunset, the Little Penguins, the smallest species of penguins, arrive home from the ocean and return to their burrows.  The Penguin Parade allows people to sit on benches, like the ones in a football stadium, and watch as the penguins arrive.  A soft “penguin-friendly” lighting is used to allow visibility that will not scare the penguins.

Arrival is recommended an hour earlier than the expected arrival time: 8:30 PM.  We didn’t have that much to do, so we arrived at the center around 6:30.  The center itself holds plenty of educational information about the penguins and of course, has plenty of things to buy.  No photo taking is allowed during the Penguin Parade, as it might scare them, so I decided to snap some pictures of the penguin photos in the gift shop.



 

The rangers blocked the doors that lead out to the beach until 7 PM.  By then, the crowds were growing and the anticipation rising.  Many were smart enough to have brought blankets, as the ocean winds caused a chilly environment.  Once the rangers opened the doors, we were off!  Florian and I were at the front (due to our early arrival) but some crazy lady with an intense look in her eye and a hat proclaiming her love of penguins shoved her way forward and practically sprinted to get the best seat.  There turned out to be plenty of seating for everyone.

We had to wait about an hour before the penguins arrived.  Shortly after the sky darkened, small bits of white could be scene in the ocean waves approaching the shore.  There they were, the penguins!  They arrived in batches of about 15-20 penguins, standing at the water’s edge, peering at the beach for predators.  They would wait about 5 minutes before they would all make a scramble for the protection in the bushes.  During the wait, they were often times knocked down by the walls, a funny site to see.  A couple times, there were a couple stragglers in the group that were too fat to make the quick scramble to the beach and lagged far behind.  Poor little fatties.

Batch after batch of penguins arrived.  The total number from the night before was 691 penguins that arrived.  Once we left the benches, we were able to see plenty of penguins in the bushes and sand next to the walkways with fences.  The guys were truly little, about 1 foot tall.  I had the pleasure of watching two little ones walk away from my direction, only to squirt white poop i on the sand.  Absolutely pleasant.  It reminded me of the seal island I visited in the Magellan Straits, where I was taking pictures of seals then realized the red stuff on the rocks was the seal's excrement.

It was a great day at Phillip Island and we arrived back in Melbourne around 11:30 PM.  After preparing lunch for the next day, I passed out with the alarm clock set for 6 AM.

 

 

Great Ocean Road

Early on Wednesday morning, the Germans, Florian and Matze, and I hit the road on our Great Ocean Road adventure.  The Great Ocean Road is known to be on the most beautiful drives around the world.  I personally love coastal drives, so it was hard to pass up.  The ultimate destination would be the 12 Apostles.

 

It was an 1.5 hour drive out to the Great Ocean Road itself from Melbourne (going carefully at 100 km, the speed limit).  Our first stop on the Road was Surfer’s Beach, followed by Bell’s Beach, which is known to be a favorite surfers spot that sees many of the major surfing competitions in the area.
 

 

We then continued the lovely coastal drive until we hit the town of Lorne, where we made a hike up to Teddy’s lookout, to get some great photos.



We carried along.  The drive was extremely enjoyable for me, as I tackled the turns of the mountains.  The roads on the Great Ocean Road are well-paved and would be well-enjoyed on a motorcycle.  Maybe someday.

We had a treat at the Kennett’s River, known to have a good population of koalas living wild in the eucalyptus trees.  We took our time walking along the road, peering in tree and spotting koala after koala.  The fellows were simply too cute.

 

  

The next stop was Apollo Bay, where we stopped for lunch.  After perusing the different cafes and their menus, we decided to stick with the affordable bag lunches we brought and ate sitting on benches in the park.  Matze randomly bumped into some friends he’d made at the hostel, reminding us of just how small the world was.  They were traveling at a more leisurely pace and hitch-hiking along the coast line.

After lunch, we headed to Mait’s Rest, known for a lovely walk in the rainforest.  It was truly a beautiful cascade of green.  I called it the Garden of Eden, until Matze ruined the illusion by reminding me that there was no fruit here.  Regardless, the walk was amazing.

 

After the rainforest, we focused on getting to the 12 Apostles.  We arrived around 3 PM and got some great shots.

 

 

(Closer to sunset hour)

 

We decided to spend time in the National Park and enjoyed the different unique coastal views.

 

 

A lot of people have actually made comment that drive to the 12 Apostles is a bit boring and not worth the time.  I think that if you’re only focused on the destination at the 12 Apostles, it can be very disappointing to sit in a vehicle for several hours on a winding road.  However, as I had interesting conversation the entire time with my new mates, Florian and Matze, the drive was a lot of fun.  I learned that yes, the Germans are still bitter towards the Italians for the World Cup 2006 when Italy beat Germany, using a lot of penalty shots.  I also learned that they were able to separate sports from food, as Matze had a great love of the Italian cuisine.  I was also reminded that somehow, non-US citizens seem to be most up-to-date on the US news and able to have great intellectual conversations of current events.  Along the way, I got to see Bell’s Beach, the famous surfer’s beach, hike up a steep hill to get a great view of the coastline, see koalas in the wild, walk through a beautiful rainforest, have a blast driving on the twisty roads, and ultimately, get to see a beautiful coastline.  It was a great journey to a great destination.
 

 

SUNDAY, 15 MARCH 2009

 

Melbourne, I have arrived!

 

Successful departure from Sydney and arrival in Melbourne! I caught an early train to the airport and successfully made it past the security check with a whole lot more than the allotted liquid allowance.  Score for bad security checks.

 

Upon arrival in Melbourne, I found that the only way into the city is either with a bus or taxi.  I oped for the bus, which after bringing me to the center, also had a free shuttle drop off at the hotel.  I had the luck of being the only one on the shuttle and the driver, after chatting with him about my visit to Melbourne and interest in trying new cuisines, decided to drive me a bit around the city and point out great neighborhoods to get food in.

 

After checking into my room, I went to the Greek District and got me the biggest lamb souvlaki I've ever seen in my life.  It's basically a pita wrap with lamb, lettuce, tzatziki sauce, and tomato.  Great food, but after the lot, I felt like I'd eaten an entire lamb.

 

I then wandered toward the river and was delighted to find a Food & Wine Festival going on, featuring my favorite food in the world -- CHOCOLATE!  There are dozens of booths lining the river front featuring the best chocolates and coffee.  Dear god, I thought -- I arrive in a city and they welcome me with a chocolate festival??  Seems like fate to me.  :)

 

After eating a delicious marshmallow satay covered with chocolate (think fondue style), I walked around a bit more to introduce myself to the city.  Compared to Sydney, Melbourne is a low more low key and has a lot of great old Victorian buildings around.  It's a lot less hectic and has a lot of great eateries and cafes, from what I saw.  It's also got a lot of diverse cultures, which I am prepared to fully enjoy by eating different cuisines.

 

I had a massive headache so I went back to my hostel room -- which includes a total of 65 steps to get up to my room.  I guess I should be greatful for the exercise but it really sucks when you're not feeling 100% to be climbing.  Tomorrow, I'll be taking a full look into the city, including hitting up the Docklands, going to St. Kilda, checking out the casino, and enjoying some free wireless internet at the State Library.  I'm definitely considering renting a car for Tuesday to drive the lengths of the Great Ocean Road, reverred as one of the greatest drives in the world.  I just have to stay on the left side of the road and keep to the speed limit ...  At the end of the road, there is the 12 Apostles, another plus, and I'd have the ability to drive to Phillip Island, which hosts the MotoGP races and has a great penguin parade show each night.  Plenty more to do!