Sunday
20th November Ready for the start of a drive along the ‘Great Ocean
Road’- a tourist route along the south coast of Australia, with great views –
it features on all the pictures you will see of places to go to in Australia !
We set off at 8-30 a.m. soon leaving Melbourne behind, going through outlying
districts famous for their car factories, now being closed down... mid morning
we stopped at Lorne, the real start of the GOR, with a tourist information
office, containing lots of stories of the making of the GOR (just after the
war), the people that built it, and the early days when it was a toll road, and
the ways that people tried to avoid it !
we then continued along
the GOR which clings to the base of the cliffs as it twists and turns following
the coast below soon stopping at Apollo bay seaside resort and a
visit to the bakery there with its famous pies – I had scallops and curried
leek pie – delicious !! We then continued along the GOR twisting and turning
inland, then back to the coast, until just before 4 p.m. we arrived at the ’12
Apostles’- a group of sea stacks (12 originally, although now less!)
close to the shore, with the sea relentlessly
battering them
with hordes of other tourists
there... not a quiet experience, none the less awesome ! after a short time
there we continued, firstly into Loch Ard gorge, site of a famous shipwreck in
1878, then onto ‘London Bridge’ more famous (and recent) rock bridge stretching
out into the sea..
Another
2 hours of driving saw us arriving after 7-30 p.m. at Portland and a weary
overnight stop !
Monday
morning we were up early for our next days drive continuing to a distant
Adelaide.... after a short time we crossed the boundary into South Australia –
my final Australian state– I’ve now visited every Australian mainland state ,
so I’ve only got to visit Tasmania sometime...!! we soon stopped at ‘The Blue
Lake’ a volcanic lake, where the water turns blue overnight at certain times of
the year (now !)
then on to the Wynns
wine estate in Coonawarra for a wine tasting
( at 11 a.m. ) with some nice cheese
before continuing to
Narracorte for lunch, and continuing to Adelaide, where we arrived just after 4
p.m,... two long days driving !
At
6-30 p.m. that evening I had the great pleasure of meeting my childhood mate –
John , he’d left England with his family as a ‘£10 pom’ 47 years ago...and I’d
not seen him since. I’d managed to make contact with him, and he came to the
hotel to meet up with me – amazing we still recognised each other after all
these years ! we had a meal and a couple of drinks together talking of the ‘old
days’ before he had to leave, although we arranged to meet again in a couple of
days...wonderful!
Tuesday
22nd November loaded onto the coach for 8-30 a.m. for a final ‘city
tour’ of this trip ! Around Adelaide – a clean bright and young city, although
rather chilly !
where the knowledgeable tour guide
took us round and round ! By mid morning dropping us all off for a walk through
the Botanic gardens, quite impressive and peaceful
sculptures being
dotted around, and the parrots having a morning wash in the water fountain !
We left the city
behind driving out to Adelaides beach area – Glenelg
where we
stayed for lunch and wander in the stiff sea breeze !
in the afternoon we headed back thorough the Adelaide port
area, and out and up Mount Lofty, firstly calling at Cleland wildlife park (
yes, I know – another one !) where the kangaroos were wandering around
aimlessly
... whilst I quickly skipped round, then up to the
viewpoint overlooking Adelaide, although by now it was raining so not good views...
as we drove back down the hill we spotted a Koala bear, sleeping up a roadside
tree
– with lots of people taking pictures !!, and back to the
Adelaide Hotel for a final drinks meet up before people started going their
separate ways at the end of the tour..
Wednesday
23rd November my mate John called to collect me and take me out for
the day, to show me bits of Adelaide I couldn’t see on my own ... ever since he
arrived in Australia 47years ago he’s been in and around Adelaide, briefly
leaving for work in other areas of the country before gravitating back to
Adelaide – I cant blame him, it seems a really nice place !
We
drove out along the coast, calling in at different places where he’s had
contacts over the years, and all the while remembering bits from our childhood
! We came up to the ferry port for Kangaroo island after a couple of hours
driving – some of my companions on the tour were visiting it in the day – a long
day ahead of them ! We continued up
along the coast to a great Fish restaurant, immediately on the beach
for a great seafood lunch, and then continuing
back inland, across the head of the Murray
river, and into the town of Hahndorf – a German enclave with a great history,
and where John has been for some years, initially in a local Hotel, and for the
last couple of years running his own Restaurant, where we went for a visit
and I met his daughter... all too soon our time had run
out, we’d been driving and chatting all day, different memories popping up as
we went !
John dropped me back off at
the Hotel in Adelaide...where I continued to keep remembering !
