GREAT OCEAN ROAD - MY TRIP DOWN UNDER (5/28/07)
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Melbourne, Australia is a beautiful place much like San Francisco and the surrounding area is so scenic that one can travel a route like the Great Ocean Road again and again and still find something great to admire and take fond memories back home. So many tourists love to travel and enjoy the scenic beauty on the Great Ocean Road in Southern Eastern Australia.
During my short stay I took the trip down the Great Ocean Road twice - the first time around we took the trip without any long breaks from Melbourne to Port Campbell to visit the Twelve Apostles near by. The second time we traveled the same route from Melbourne to Geelong, Touquay, Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo Bay, Prince Town, to Port Campbell. This time we chose to stay overnight in Lorne one of the most beautiful towns I have seen. The overnight rest worked wonders and made our second trip all the more enjoyable. Much has been made of the Twelve Apostles - 12 huge stand alone rocks carved by the Ocean one of the huge rocks dwindles and now there are 11 but the same still stands the Twelve Apostles and tourists flock to see this nature made wonder. We have the Grand Canyon in the United States but here the Colorado Rivers has done the magic and exposed the colorful strata for the sun to play upon on and dazzle the many tourists who love to watch the play of colors on the rocks. Much the same on a smaller scale at the Twelve Apostles by Port Campbell. The Grand Canyon has miles of strata and so much more of color and expanse Lorne is a beautiful town complete with the best restaurants ours by consensus was the ARAB which has been in operation since 1956. Lorne boast a nice natural water fall and one of a kind artistsą studios. The people are friendly and the climate compliments the beautiful beaches and the many activities catering to the young and the old. Geelong and Tourquay small towns that attract a lot of tourists, have Piers much like Pier 39 in San Francisco. Tourquay boast some large waves much like Monterey and surfers love to congregate and challenge the huge waves. I saw a couple of surfers ride those huge waves and it reminded me of the surfers in Hawaii and Big Sur closer to San Francisco. Very near Geelong is Queencliff and I had heard and read about the Marine Research Center but it was a Sunday and even though I visited it - I could not enter the facility but enjoyed the outside and the surroundings. The Great Ocean Road takes you by the Ocean and with many good roads built initially after World War II no one knows how many died building these dangerous, winding roads, in terrain that defies nature and at times bring out the best of engineering ingenuity. Cliff hangers, one of kind with the ocean beckoning you to view - even as you have to keep your eye on the road and a steady hand on the steering wheel. Great Ocean Road has given millions the enjoyment to see the best nature has to offer and man made facilities near by to rest and give thanks. I really enjoyed my trip down under and one of the high lights was the Great Ocean Road with its many beautiful beaches and natural sights. |
