The Great Ocean Road

Jim had vacation last week, so we took the opportunity to do the scenic drive along The Great Ocean Road. You could probably make this drive comfortably in 2 days, however we took our time and did it in 3.
The Great Ocean Road is 243 kilometers (150 miles) of curvy and climbing highway that runs mostly parallel with the Bass Straight, better known as "the ocean."
It was constructed between 1919 and 1932 as a means of work for servicemen returning from war and as a memorial to those that gave their lives in WWI. (I learned this while on The Road and on Wikipedia, but there is no history tab on the "Official" Great Ocean Road website. This saddens me.)
It begins just southwest of Melbourne, in Torquay, and finishes northwest in Portland. Along the way there are picturesque beaches with stunning rock formations and heaps of port towns with excellent food. There also many shipwreck locations (circa 1800-1900's) along this particular part of coastline, giving it the appropriate nickname of "Shipwreck Coast".
You are eased into the scenery with a Morse code of sandy beach separated by kilometers of trees. After a while, the road more frequently runs parallel with kilometers beaches varying between rock and sand. Surfers are sprinkled in the waves.
The first lighthouse we see resides at Split Point in Aireys Inlet.
The road winds in and out of Otway National Park. We stop for a peek at Sheoak Fall, one of the many waterfalls you can take time out to walk to.
Our destination for the evening is the Best Western in Apollo Bay. The hotel is almost as fun as the drive because we are able to watch TV, with remote! (We don't have either at home.)
We order a big pot of paella at La Bimba. This was Jim's first experience shelling some seafood. He wasn't expecting to work so hard for his meal.

Having ample time for the drive, the next day we headed off track a bit to see more of the waterfalls in the national park. The first was an easy 10min walk to Hopetoun Falls. All of the trails are well maintained and most of them are elevated so you are walking on a metal grid. Next was walking loop to Triplet Falls. Triplet Falls is exactly that; 3 waterfalls next to each other. This was the destination of many of the tourists. This walk only took about an hour, so we decided to do the other water fall at this location. The third walk was considered "difficult." I think that was due more to the time and length, like 3/4 of a mile 1 way and a return time of 1.5-2hrs, than the actual difficulty of the terrain. Either way, we headed down the trail to Little Aire Falls. At one point, we heard the rant of what sounded like a monkey. Are there monkeys in Australia? We exchanged glances and kept going.
We didn't know exactly how long it would take. We kept seeing signs that just said "Little Aire Falls" and an arrow; no distance remaining. We finally came to the scenic overlook; a raised metal balcony adjacent to the narrow creek and falls. This place was beautiful and it was also the place that Jim proposed to me. I said yes. Yay! Engaged!
As much fun as this was, we had more driving to do so we began the trek back to the car. It didn't take long at all:)
So, newly engaged, we drove on to Lavers Hill where we stopped for petrol, lunch and cake. To our astonishment, out in this middle of nowhere town, the shop served cake by Mark! Mark makes our favorite TimTam cheesecake here in town. You can't go wrong with a Mark cake. We ate some curried chicken pies and anxiously awaited our dessert; Death by Chocolate and another slice simply called "Mark Cake". The death by chocolate had, at one stage, been a piece of an entire cake. The owner nuked it in the microwave and it became a chocolate moat. It was still delicious. Enough about that.
We stayed the night at a lovely B & B called The Butterfly Farm, in Nirranda. We had our own own apartment; bath en suite, 4 poster bed, and attached lounge room (with TV!). Grabbing some stuff from the car that night, we heard what sounded like a pig in a tree. Again, we just kind of exchanged glances and hurried about our business. John, one of the owners, made us a huge and delicious brekky in the morning. He also informed us the grunt noise was probably a koala mating call...hmm interesting.
Because of the waterfall viewing, we had skipped part of the Ocean Rd. This allowed us to see some new things on the return drive toward Melbourne.
Scenic viewing areas include:

Cape Otway Lighthouse Station...had to pay for this one. It was just okay. We did go up into the light house and see the light. The best part was spotting koalas in the trees on the road to the light house.
Gibson Steps
London Arch, which actually used to be 2 arches (previously London Bridge) but the one closest to the shore collapsed in 1990.
The Grotto
AND...the iconic Twelve Apostles


12 Apostles is the most photographed site along the road. Due to erosion, there are fewer than 12 stacks remaining. You can't see all all of them from any one location, except from air.

The Great Ocean Road is just that. It's a must do drive to make when you are in Victoria. It's an easy and affordable little adventure.

Tassie: Part II

Thursday: I had a big day planned for Thursday. Along the way, we met another couple who had visited the iconic Cradle Mountain National Park and not been terribly satisfied. You can hike the mountain in a day, but there is also a shorter trek around Dove Lake, which is what they had done. They told us it wasn't that big of a deal. Hearing that news, I felt relieved. It reinforced my idea. I had planned for us to hike the less popular Walls of Jerusalem Park. This park is less documented and to be honest, I was worried. "Well experienced bushwalkers only," was on everything I had read. Yikes. Other people had told me you need at least 12hrs or a few days to really enjoy the park. Nonetheless, I was wanting to check it out.
We drove and drove and drove until we found the hidden trailhead and parking lot. We slept in the parking lot so we could get an early 7am start. It was a little eerie being all alone in the woods, but this was also the first night that we were able to see a million stars. Wow.
The morning was cold. The trail had ice crystals on it. There were tiny pebbles and pieces of dirt suspended from the ground. It looked like the ice had made little bridges up to meet them. It even snowed on us a bit. Along the way there were ponds, lakes and trees. This part was known as King Solomon’s Jewels. Upon reaching the "Walls" you enter between 2 towering cliff's known as Herrod's Gate. The sun had started to pop out and it got a bit warmer...4 seasons in one day. Seeing all this, I could now appreciate spending a few days in the walls part of the park. There were lots of tall mesas and cliffs to climb and explore.
Two raised planks of wood side by side, created the trail through the valley of the park. The valley was grassy with huge mounds of thick hard moss, and heaps of little ponds created from bubbling fresh water springs. We walked through the valley and through a snow patch to an upper ridge where we could take in the view. It was so beautiful. I love mountains so much. We only encountered one other couple this whole time, so we felt like we had the entire place to ourselves.
On the way back, we chatted with a guy dressed strictly in a black long-underwear outfit and boots. He tried to convince us he had been hiking for days, and then said, "just kidding." Odd.
In the end, everything was fine. We had an impressive 9hr day of hiking and exploring. The hike was shorter than I imagined, so we drove on. We coasted into at a place called Sheffield. Sheffield is 'The Town of Murals' and it isn't hard to see how it gets that rep. Even though were only there for a minute, we fell in love with it and, at present, want to retire there. We got some petrol and of course some fish and chips and were on our way again.
We arrived at the Cradle Mountain Caravan Park at 6:30. To our amazement, it was closed. This was the most corporate of places we had seen in oh, forever. Closed was closed, no bell to ring; the drives were gated. We drove closer to the park entrance only to find that you aren't allowed to drive into the park. As an option, we hoped to set up camp in the huge parking lot for the shuttle bus stop, but found signs stating: No over night parking! Hmmm, where to sleep? Returning to the camper park, we used the payphone to call an 800 number to see if there was any room available for the night, even though they were closed. The only thing they had was a non-powered site for $26. The most we had paid this entire time was $18, which included an electric hook up. Frustrated and tired, we decided to bag this place and kept driving. So long Cradle Mountain.
The beauty of a campervan is you can stop anywhere and have a bed to sleep on, water to drink, and gas to cook food. We drove a bit further, but it was getting dark and it had been a long day, so we just stopped along the road at a pull off/turn around area. Not really pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but literally in the middle of nowhere. Again, the stars were amazing. I loved that simply, with the draw of all the curtains in the van, you can take some weird location and make it feel safe. It didn't matter what was on the outside because you are in your safe little cocoon.
Friday: We awoke to find we were no longer alone. There was road construction being done just a few meters from out spot. For brekky, I made us some eggs, oatmeal and coffee. Soon after, we were on the road again. Having been without a power source for 2 days, we were unable to charge our cameras. A vacation nightmare. Luckily, we were able to plug the cameras in at a cafe in Tullah, on the west side of the state.
We were on our way to the "Mother of all waterfalls," Montezuma Falls in Rosebury. It was a bit off the beaten path, but well worth it. Falling 104m (341 ft) it is most impressive. Again, we were the only ones there. You are able to get so close; you can stand under it if you wish. There is a crazy, but quite safe, suspension bridge crossing the river, which is about 50m below. Of course we had to walk on it. Before heading back, we snacked on some PB & J, which have been the staple item of nourishment during day outings.
Later, we passed through a mining town called Queenstown. It is surrounded by mine waste and looks desolate. To be fair, the main street of town is charming, similar to Georgetown, CO. We quickly changed landscapes and entered Franklin-Gordon National Park. Here we stopped for a quick view of Nelson Falls and continued on. We really wanted to stay at a caravan park this night. We wanted to charge the cameras and also be clean for our plane ride the next day. We ended up in Tarraleigh, a town that only seems to exist because of the caravan park and a hydro electric plant. (The Tasmanians love hydro power. It's everywhere.) After settling in and having a much needed (free!) hot shower, we took a stroll through Tarraleigh. This was short of course. You could see from one end to the other. The place seemed kind of creepy, like where The Others lived on Lost. The houses are fairly new, with trees and shrubs that are still infants. Even though was after 5pm, no one seemed to be home. Garages were shut and lights were off...weird. Before we ate at the pub, we enjoyed chatting with some camping neighbors who mention that this was their return visit to Tarraleigh Campground. It was good to know we would survive the night. Despite the odd surrounds, the campground has everything, including two deer in a pen. They pounced away from us as we drew closer to them.
Saturday: This day was a whirlwind, as we had a lot to see before catching our flight home. We awoke early and headed to Mt. Field National Park, outside of Hobart. We were a well oiled machine at this point. We parked and walked to Russell Falls and Horseshoe Falls. You could tell we were a bit closer to civilization, as every stop got a little more crowded. We spent a satisfying amount of time viewing the falls and head back to the van.
I wanted to see Salamanca Market, which is a street market in Hobart that is only open until 3pm on Saturdays. Jim got us there with about an hour until close. We browsed and ate sausages. After getting back in the car, we drove up to Mt. Wellington, which has a famous view of the city. This windy road is steep and busy. At this point, we have seen so much. We made a quick stop and snapped a pic. It was time to go.
I wasn't quite sure of our flight, but we got to the airport with an hour to spare. We were sad to leave the living quarters of our mobile command unit, but also glad to go back to our slightly bigger apartment. It's hard to believe that Jim and I spent every waking and sleeping moment together for 8 days. It was great.
When vacations are over they seem like dreams. This one was hard to wake up from.

Tasmania: Part I

I didn't really share how amazing our Tasmania trip was. Sorry about that. While I'm at it, I will recommit myself to this blog. Maybe I've been feeling down, but things are actually going really well. Any who, how about some Tassie Tales, eh?
We chose a campervan because there was so much we wanted to see. We had to squeeze it all into 8 days. The van was an incredibly cost efficient choice for transport, lodging and even food, as we could grocery shop and prepare real meals.
Saturday: I've learned you can't expect much from an airline when the ticket costs $84 round trip and that includes flying over some ocean. Not having flown out of Australia yet, this was an adventure for me. We have to take a train and then a bus to the airport. Instead of walking right toward the main terminals, we walk left to the Tiger Airways warehouse. Yeah. The lines are crazy long and it's a bit confusing. They only check in one flight at a time. This is great if you’re a perpetually late person, but for the average Joe, there is no advantage to arriving early. Sure, there were coffee and food shops and one large magazine store, but I just had the feeling that I was hanging out in someone's pole barn. We walked to our plane on the tarmac. Our flight was great. It is a byo airline in the regard that even water during the flight is $3; sandwiches $8.
Australia is made of states, Tasmania is one of them. It is a small island that you can traverse north - south or east - west in less than 6 hrs. From the air and the land, Tasmania looks like a mini Ireland. It is green, lush and beautiful. We are picked up by Tasmania Campervan Rentals and we are off and running. Upon arriving at the office, we hop out of the van and Malcolm ushers us inside to watch a video about the ins and outs of a campervan similar to ours. He shows us the van, we fill out all the paperwork and away we go! Yay! I am navigating; the scenery is foreign and fun, woohoo vacation! We get about 2 hours from the office and about 1 hr from our destination and I realize we don't have our bag. OUR BAG!!! We each have a small backpack with snacks and books and that is it. Neither Jim nor I went back to the transport van to get it, and Malcolm didn't unload it...so there is sat, in the back of the van in the office parking lot. Luckily, we needed to go back that direction the next day and it was only about a 1/2 hour out of our way. We found a payphone and I called to make sure someone would be there tomorrow. We decided we could rough it for one night and the next day, wearing our same clothes that were supposed to remain our clean change of clothes for the way home. “The best laid plans...”
We enjoy our first evening. We console our minor setback with white chocolate TimTams. (By the way, not as good as the regular, milk chocolate variety.) It's easy to convert the dining area to a bed and back. We were provided with a portable heater, which came in quite handy. The Port Arthur Caravan Park, on the Tasman Peninsula, was clean and reminded us of summer camp. It had community kitchens and grilling areas; bathrooms with plumbing, where you could shower if you wished. It was also were we first got to see a beach up close and personal.
Sunday: We did a hike out to some rocky cliffs in Tasman National Park. The day was hot and the sun was out. Jim had started not feeling well a few days prior, and I think this was the peak of his sickness. He was a trooper for being hot and sick and wearing the same clothes that he had slept in. Our trek was about 4 hours. We also had some delicious fish and chips out of a van at Eaglehawk Neck, more specifically Doo Town. Doo Town is tiny, like a neighborhood. All the houses have a sign posted naming that house, similar to cottages around a lake. Doo-wah-ditty, Love me doo, Doo f%$# off, yeah for real. We enjoyed as much fish as possible during our Tassie trip. The fish was great and the scallops were like butter. It was the best. Surrounding this area, was the scenic (and not very exciting) Blowhole, Tasman Arch and Devil's Kitchen. All three were rock formations created by collapsed sea caves. Our favorite site here was the Tessellated Pavement. It is rock formations of sunken or raised squares of all different sizes. During low tide, the pools that are created have heaps of sea life in them...sea stars, with more legs than I have seen before, muscles the color of grapes, and anemones, which contract into a jelly blob outside of the water.
Upon picking up our stuff at the campervan office, I am relieved. That day was easy but some of the others will be a bit more active and it will be necessary to dress in layers.
The country side is gorgeous, as we make our way to Triabunna for the night. There is an amazing sunset. Jim is the designated driver. As I was certain I got an automatic van, we didn't. Maybe if the roads weren't SO narrow, I might have attempted to drive, but it was more comfortable for both of us that Jim drive. Being the perpetual passenger, I became an expert at photography in motion.
I have picked us out a caravan park that is minutes from where we have to board a boat in the morning for our next adventure. Although Triabunna Caravan Park turns out to be great, we were hesitant upon arriving as most of the patrons seem to be permanent residents. However, it was quiet and had the cleanest bathrooms. They were fully equipped with my favorite, the truly free, truly hot shower. At a few other places, you have to pay for the hot water, which translates to: don’t be the first person to take a shower.
Monday: This morning we take a 45min boat ride to Maria (mah-rye-ah) Island National Park. This island started out as penal colony but wasn't that for long. It was neat to be on an island and know there are less than 25 people there with you. Here, we see the picturesque Painted Cliffs formed of sandstone, the cliffs of Fossil Bay formed of millions of mollusk shells, and other ruins remaining from residents of the 1800 and 1900s. We tramped along thru green grassy pastures that seemed to have recently been aerated, but we learned this was not the case, taking notice of all of the roaming animals. We saw wallabies, wombats and a mob of lively kangaroos. This day is peaceful and perfect.
As we drive on, it’s late in the afternoon and it starts to rain. It rains all the way to our next destination, Freycinet National Park. Jim had been driving for 4 hrs in the pouring rain. As if that is not challenging enough, there is a distracting wire basket that goes a quarter of the way up and out from the windshield to act as a rock guard. It's also not great to drive in the dark either, as most of the animals are nocturnal. Happily, we arrive there late, 8:30pm. We are the only people in the campervan park; nice. Typically, reception at parks closes at 8pm. This night it happened to be useful, as the park service had closed the campervan area due to a water leak in the restrooms. We didn't know until we were hassled in the morning. We can't see it well, but the beach and ocean is just beyond a wall of bushes behind us. We are glad to be settled in for the night and looking forward to a peaceful night's sleep.

Tuesday: Freycinet is known for its pristine beaches and spectacular views. One of the most famous is Wine Glass Bay. It is a short hike to the scenic vantage point and a bit further to the beach. It was in the parking lot that Jim made friends with a wallaby. This one was definitely used to people. Even with her joey in her pouch, she would let people pet her and pose for photos. We hike about 600 stairs to the view of Wine Glass Bay. One guy did point out that it was more of a "mushroom" than a "wine glass". But I guess mushroom is not a selling word. We hike down to the beach and spend some time on the white sand. This place would be great in the summer. We are here in hiking boots and wind breakers; however, there are only a handful of visitors to share the beach with. We eat lunch on some rocks. The seagulls try to be sneaky, but to no avail. Their beaks and feet are a vibrant red/orange, like I have never seen before.
After this, we move interstate. We drive for about 4 hrs to a place called Mole Creek. All the while, I have been falling in love with sheep. I get annoyingly excited when we see them in the pasture. I don't like the looks of them shorn, but when they are bulky and fuzzy with a little fat lamb trotting near, they are just the cutest! Jim pulls over so I can finally get a proper picture.

Mole Creek is one of those places you will miss if you blink. This is funny because it is one of the larger towns along the road. The Mole Creek Caravan Park is like camping in someone's grassy backyard. True to its name, there is a rushing creek on one side, providing a relaxing ambiance.
Wednesday: This day was kind of a flex day. We ended up doing a lot though. We took a tour of a wet cave, Marakoopa Cave, meaning there is a creek or river running through it, and a dry cave, King Solomon's Cave. No matter how dumb I think a cave tour is going to be, I end up eating my words. I have seen 2 caves in South Dakota, and as different from each other as those were, these 2 were equally as different and amazing. I love the story of how a cave was discovered. In King Solomon’s case, a man and his dog were chasing a wallaby and the wallaby fell down a hole. The bones were still on a ledge of the cave. You have to imagine someone in the 1800's or early 1900's climbing down a hole in the earth with only a candle or an oil lamp. Truly brave.
We visited a Honey Farm and sampled a gazillion different kinds of honey. We continued on and hiked to Liffey waterfall, so Jim could get a fix of his favorite thing.

Day

What a strange day. The weather started out in the farmers' favor, but then it (thankfully) turned sunny. On my way the gym I passed this weird shrub I have been seeing frequently. Its flower is like a huge bristle brush or jumbo pipe cleaner.

Later, needing a caffeine fix, I opted for the $2.50 coffee place near the gym. That is pretty reasonable around here. [Note: I will have to blog about coffee in the future.] I have the buy 5 get one free card and only need 2 more punches. To my disappointment, I found this sign on the door.

While absolutely crazy in the States, this type of thing is pretty common around here. A while ago, we passed a gelato shop with a note similar to this one on the window. It stated that the shop was closed for 3 weeks because the owners went on holiday.

I guess my inconvenience turned out for the best.
I went down the street to Heritage coffee instead. I have been here a few times. They have great coffee and delicious chocolate. The shop keeper, Jason, if very friendly and on a good day, gives you a price break. Another other very notable thing, he is always giving out "samples" of the chocolate bars. I went in one time and he gave me nearly half the bar. He said anything smaller would be a "taste." As I arrived, it had stated to rain outside so the place was filling up. My seat selection was completely out of availability, but it ended up being a jackpot. He not only upped my coffee size, but in lieu of a chocolate bar sample, said I could help myself to the wrapped candy as I was sitting right next to them. Yum.

After getting some reading done and finishing my coffee, I left to find the sun was out and it was an amazing day. I had just been complaining to Jim how the rain and clouds were aggravating my SAD. At this stage, I am a girl yet to have a summer. To enjoy the beauty and warmth, I went to the park near our house, plopped down on a bench and listened to some tunes on the ipod for a bit before returning home.

Now I'm a real girl!

After A LOT of footwork and info gathering, I am happy to report I have secured a 457 Visa which allows me to just about anything a citizen can do! Yay!
To come here, I secured a 462 Working Holiday Visa. The only problem with this is you are only "allowed" to work for up to 6 months for any single person/company. Technically, I could have had 2 6mo jobs. At the end of my year (June) I would have to leave the country and apply for a travel visa for the remainder of our time here. With that visa you are not allowed to work. However, with a sponsor letter from Jim's company, health insurance, proof of defacto relationship in the form of our previous lease, a photo copy of my passport and $260 I am able to stay here as long as Jim (up to 4 yrs) and have full work rights. That is much better for potential employers. Now they just need to hire me.

Words

green, yellow and red peppers are Capsicum

aluminum is al-lu-mini-um and is even spelled aluminium. After doing some research on this one, the Brits started aluminium and the Americans modified it around 1890-1900, when the metal grew in popularity.

God's crying

After about 7 straight days of rain or scattered showers, there is more in the forecast. There was a 2 day break of beautiful weather, but now dun dun dun...return of the rain!

Fri

56° | 48°

Sat

60° | 47°

Sun

63° | 47°

Winter is supposed to be the rainy season. Winter was pretty dry so we are making up for it with October showers. You know the saying, October showers bring November flowers.