Wednesday, March 14, 2012

The Great Ocean Road, Part 1

Wednesday we flew from Hobart to Melbourne, rented a car and drove the first part of the Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay. The Great Ocean Road is sort of like the PCH in California from Monterey down to Morrow Bay. It hugs the southeast coast of Australia over a good part of the way from Melbourne to Adelaide. Our first stop was the golf course in Anglesea, which is home to 400 kangaroos. Apparently the kangaroos were not home on Wednesday, because we didn't see any. It is a large area for sure, but how 400 kangaroos all hide out of sight is beyond me. Luckily we had more success at Kennett River, where we did find Koalas living in the wild. Koalas are sort of amazing, in that they don't really seem to do anything. They sleep in the trees in the most uncomfortable looking positions, just wedged between two or three branches, and occasionally wake up to eat whatever is close by before going back to sleep. Despite not seeing any kangaroos in the wild yet, we have seen echidnas, wallabies, koalas, a Heath mouse, cockatoos, red parrots, Australian king green parrots and lots of other cool birds. Echidnas and wallabies are our favorites so far, but the birds are sometimes amazing, sometimes beautiful,  and sometimes very funny looking.

We also stopped at the Split Point Lighthouse, Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch, and lots of viewpoints and scenic overlooks. The Great Ocean Road is actually a memorial to WW1 veterans, built by the veterans returning from the war in honor of their fallen comrades. It took 13 years to complete, from 1919 to 1932.

Our motel in Apollo Bay has a perfect view of the ocean. We have a small two bedroom "lodge" with a covered porch in back to sit and watch the waves. Ater we arrived and unpacked Misa and Katka went down to the beach while I went into town for food. I found a great frozen pizza, but when I got back to our motel I discovered our kitchen doesn't have a regular oven. So for supper I microwaved the pizza and then cooked it in a skillet to make the crust crispy, it was delicious. I think the expression should be "hunger is the mother of invention."

Thursday we caught up on homeschool. Misa had a bad cold when we were in Tasmania so we took it easy on the homeschooling. Having two nights in the same hotel means no driving, and a chance to relax and homeschool. So after a morning of school we drove out to the Cape Otway Lightstation. We were driving in the Great Otway National Park on the way there when we spotted a koala up on a branch, right over the road. Before we knew it there were koalas everywhere, "like ripe cherries," is how Katka described it. They really are funny little animals, just balancing out on a limb, hanging there like wet bags of socks someone threw up into the tree and they got stuck. Sometimes they wake up, look around, scratch a little, and then go back to dozing. In a zoo we did see one walking around in a tree and even jumping between branches, but in the wild we haven't seen one so much as change positions to get more comfortable. 

The Cape Otway Lightstation included several historical buildings and a monsoon. It started raining as we headed into the lighthouse, but stopped when we were at the top taking in the views. But then the rain started coming in sheets and by the time we made it to the cafe we were drenched. We waited out the rain in the cafe and when it stopped walked quickly to our car and drove back to the motel. Now we are relaxing with the back porch open so we get the nice breeze, we can listen to the waves, and watch the ocean. Soon we will have to start homeschool again, but for now we can enjoy the view.