Monday 1ST APRIL GREAT OCEAN ROAD AND PHILLIP ISLAND

Will now continue our trip to Melbourne. Picked up car after our neighbours tour and drove out of Melbourne and down to the beginning of great ocean road, only took about an hour. The great ocean road is about 140 miles long and goes right along the coast. We followed the guide book and stopped at all these nice lookouts but the whole drive has amazing scenery, long beaches but choppy sea. We stopped at a golf course that said it gets lots of kangaroos, sure enough right in front of our eyes were about 40 kangaroos jumping around on the golf course green. We watched them through the fence from the road but then drove in and on the driving range were three more. Walked quite close to take pictures but a big one wasn’t looking at me very nice and I got a bit scared and gave up. They were very cool and couldn’t believe that there were wild kangaroos right in front of our eyes! The golfers were just walking right past them with neither the kangaroos or golfers flinching! The weather was miserable but views were still good, walked out to a lighthouse. We got to a place called Lorne just before sunset, it’s the most happening place on the great ocean road but is actually a really nice little village type place with just a strip of shops and restaurants opposite a long beach. Saw lots of cockatoos and parrots. We found a hotel to stay called the grand pacific, room was small but really nice and cosy. Hotel was really nice too, like an old country hotel. Room was only £40, not bad. Had dinner at the Lorne hotel restaurant which was very nice, a walk down the pier which was freezing and then hit the sac in our lovely comfy bed.

Friday had to wake ourselves up early to fit in the rest of the trip, had breakfast at the hotel then headed out. Went to some waterfalls in Lorne called Erkskine falls that were very nice but the walk back up wasn’t not that it was long just lots of steps and it was raining. It was also cool down the base, surrounded by rainforest with huge black pebbles through a stream, if it hadn’t of been raining they would have been fun to jump on, the rain and the fact that there was a sign saying active snakes in the area! We then walked to a place called Teddy’s lookout which was good views but was pouring in rain and couldn’t see the koalas that were meant to be there. Next was a trip to a caravan park in the bush, it said in the guide book that if you drove up a road behind the caravan park there would be trees full of koalas, we drove up and couldn’t see them. On the way back down spotted a couple about 20ft up in the tree, was very exciting but were quite high up. Then on way back down saw a mini bus tour stopped by some trees and there were loads of them, very very cool. They were all at different heights most quite high and asleep. Its amazing how these big things just curl asleep on the edge of a flimsy springy branch. Then spotted one that was down really low and asleep, cant really believe that it was down that low. When we came back it had woken up and was moving loads, having a munch on the eucalyptus leaves and shaking itself off. Took our photos with it and lucky it didn’t claw us with those massive claws and it stunk but very amazing. Couldn’t believe that yesterday saw wild roos and today koalas, like how cool is that! There was also a kookaburra and parrot type things everywhere that I cant remember the name of that were landing on our arms and taking bird fed, spent ages there before leaving and continuing our travels. Went to loads more really cool lookouts and went on a rainforest walk. That was very cool, there were boardwalks through this rainforest with amazing big trees, much, much fun. We also walked up a lighthouse and was so windy felt like it was going to blow over, saw more koalas in high up trees but when you have seen them at ground level these weren’t as exciting. The last places on the road were twelve apostles and London bridge. The twelve apostles are the most famous sight on the road and are huge rocks in the ocean except there are now only seven, we got there just before sunset, sunset would have been better but would have had to wait an hour, they are actually quite cool, you view them by walking out on to platforms off the cliffs. London bridge is another massive rock in the sea that used to be shaped like London bridge but some time ago one of the arches collapsed into the sea, was still quite cool though. Then that was it, time to leave the very great ocean road. Wanted to go to Phillip island so drove as close as we could to a place where we get on the ferry. Drove for about 4 hours to a place called Queenscliff and found this other lovely posh hotel, got money off too, room was massive and so was the bathroom with spa corner bath. Paul made could use of that! Just what we needed cause after all our walking and travelling were knackered.

Left after breakfast and got the 1100 40 min ferry trip to a place called Sorrento, ferry is meant to be surrounded by dolphins but couldn’t see any. Drove to a place called Stony point where according to our map another ferry went to Phillip island. Well when we got there, the twice a day ferry wasn’t due for hours, not good. We then had to drive the 90 mins around the edge of the house shoe shaped bay to get to Phillip island. The drive was a good one though, through loads of wineries. The island is only 60sq miles so tiny, first thing we did was go to the island grand prix track, not my idea! Went go karting, did 10 laps, got braver towards the end and Paul just about lapped me the second time! Then saw loads of kangaroos, not quite sure if they were strictly wild as there seemed to be a fence round the massive field but still cool. We then went to the koala conservation park, they have a high boardwalk trail through the forest, thought it was going to be really high but wasn’t and they were still much higher than us. They are also not wild and are in a mostly enclosed forest to be looked after and bred, well I think they could escape but guess they don’t want to! The best bit was a walk through the forest and spotted loads of wallabies in the high grass, could get quite near to some. We then went to this place called Nobbies rocks (god knows why that!), its on the shore and is just loads of massive rocks in the sea and on one there are untold amounts of seals, could only see them with the telescopes though. You can walk out to them on other parts of the year which would be cool but not today. Walking down to the sea were loads of boardwalks elevated over sand hills and in there was loads of burrows for the islands penguins, saw one under the boardwalk. We then went to find more penguins, they are the island attraction, think they are called fairy penguins and are only 1ft tall. Each sunset they come out the sea in their hundreds to go up the beach and into their burrows for the night. Apparently they wait till night so they don’t get eaten by seagulls. The beach is only accessed by paying to watch them, we paid more to get nearer, no point going if we weren’t going to be able top see them. A couple started waddling up the beach and past where we were sat then suddenly hundreds of them appeared out the sea and waddled up to make their way up the sandbanks and to their homes, was actually quite amazing and very cool. They were bloody noisy too, the guide told us that they cant communicate in the sea so it all starts when they come out! After that on the way off the island saw loads of very wild wallabies, saw one and went close to take a picture, it hopped off and its mum appeared peering behind a post, quite funny but didn’t hand around for the Dad!

Drove to the airport and stayed the night in a hotel there ready for our 1100 flight on Sunday, hotel was much more than we wanted to pay but was very nice and room again huge. Paul was also very happy to find that the Liverpool v Arsenal match had just started on the in room sky TV, followed by the Man united match. We also ordered some lovely room service so was all good. Flight next day was fine, no problems, on way into Sydney had good views of the harbour, not bad, not bad. So that was my long story of our great holiday, was freezing but brilliant and am now absolutely broke, but oh well!

HOPE YOURE STILL READING AT THIS POINT! LOVE AND MISS YOU LOADS LAURA AND PAULXXXXXXXXXX

Ps tried to cut down the photos but couldn’t narrow them down anymore!