Great Ocean Road - Lorne - Point Lonsdale - Queenscliff

The start of the Great Ocean Road.

The roadway was built by returned servicemen from WW1 in an effort to assist in their rehabilitation and to provide some form of employment.  66,000 Australians were killed in that war.

Great Ocean Road super bends.

We heard him coming and we saw him leaving.

Some of the homes built on the cliff edges of the Great Ocean Road are almost a traffic hazard in their own right as vehicles break heavily to get a photo.

 There is a cave just below the lighthouse that was
occupied by an escapee called William Buckley.

His life was so difficult and challenging that it borne the phrase "You've got Buckley's chance."

 This is how grand old pubs should look.

Queenscliff Victoria on Port Phillip Bay.

Apollo Bay & The Zip Line Adrenaline Rush

 Apollo Bay is pretty special and our caravan park in the background wasn't too shabby either.

 I dunno.

Sometimes I think the ten grand you just paid the architect is bit off the mark.

 The beautiful rainforest roadway into the Otway National Park is meant to calm you before the Otway Fly Treetop Adventure attacks you.

 Ahhh yes that typical smarmy smile BEFORE you enter the rainforest canopy on a zip line.

Standing on the launching platform that surrounds the trees and looking twenty metres to the hard ground below. These are called the cloud stations that are placed from tree to tree.
There are six zip line stations throughout the forest with the longest distance being 120 metres.

 I spent a few sleepless nights with sweating hands deciding whether to dice with old man death or not.

 As you fly across the valley towards the next tree or cloud station, as they are called, it is reassuring to grab hold of that railing.

Michele and I hanging out way way up in the canopy.

 The walk through the canopy is fantastic as well.

This section is about 30 metres out and is cantilevered.

Once you get to the end of the cantilever the swaying movement of the structure is a wee bit challenging.

 This lookout station is about 150 feet about ground level and while we stood there, with minimal wind, it still swayed enough to put that brave smile on your face and comment on how lovely the view was before we scurried down the 106 spiralling steps.

The Great Ocean Road Victoria AT LAST!!!!

The  journey along the Great Ocean Road lived up to its expectations. The landscape is simply awesome.

The Twelve Apostles are now down to seven.
In the early 19th Century they were called the 'Sow and Piglets' then the more romantic name of the Twelve Apostles were bestowed upon them.
Bloody church is always intervening.

The erosion of the landscape is occurring at the rate of 2cm per year.

Even though the vista of the Twelve Apostles was breathtaking, a horde of Japanese were queuing up to photograph this sign.

I was seventh in line.

This is called London Bridge.  The archway connecting the structures collapsed into the ocean in 1990.
At the time there were two unfortunate tourists trapped on the outer rock. They were eventually rescued but it must have been one hell of an afternoon for them.

The sheer cliff face is over 50 metres high and it is apparent that cracks are already forming for the next collapse.

The Arch near Loch Ard Gorge.

Goodbye South Australia

Historic Adare House overlooks the township of Victor Harbour. After many ownerships it is now in the hands of the Uniting Church.
The church allows this magnificent building to be used for accommodation purposes.

Another of Victor Harbour's exquisite buildings dating back to the early 1800's

The two carriage train is called the Cockle Train and is normally powered by an original steam engine.
Due to the high fire danger now present in  South Australia, the steam engine posed a fire risk so a diesel engine is used.

Not quite the romantic atmosphere of an gone by era but it did get us to the quaint town of Goolwa.

The controversial Hindmarsh Bridge spanning the waterways of the Murray River.
The bridge was a political hot potato in the mid 90's as its construction was impeded by a group of Aboriginal women who claimed it impacted upon  sacred Aboriginal grounds and secret Aboriginal women's business.

An inquiry later found that the secret women's business was so secret no one knew anything about it either historically or culturally.

Boomer Beach near Victoria Harbour. The Cockle Train huffs & puffs along the edge of the coastline here and was the first public railway line to be used in Australia.

The old draught horse is called Misty and she faithfully clobbers along the jetty between Victor Harbour and Granite Island several times a day

One of the numerous limestone cave sinkholes that are scattered about Mt Gambier.

Mt Gambier is home to an amazing history of volcanic activity that was responsible for the development of the sinkholes.

This one is about 30 metres deep and is used by the cave diving fraternity. Cave diving was recognised as the second most dangerous 'sport' after base jumping. Last year alone, three divers met their death in the region.

Not very clear to see but the water is clearer than glass with no tidal movement even though it eventually finds its way to the ocean over thousands of years seeping through the limestone table.

It is a nippy 15 degrees.

I found it quite chilly in the cave.

Crater Lake, Mt Gambier.

The water turns a remarkable blue during summer after an interaction between the algae and limestone.

This is called Umpherson's Sink Hole and is quite deep. In its day in the early 19th century boats were used at the bottom to cater for the tourist trade but the water table has dropped dramatically since the 1930's and is now a picnic location.

The pre Federation homes are absolutely beautiful and are found all throughout Mt Gambier.

Unfortunately many of them have been constructed over the sink holes.