Australia - Part Seven - Melbourne

The flight was fine – about 90 minutes – and then we grabbed an Uber to the Mercure Southbank hotel.

There’s a train that will get you a lot closer and a lot cheaper, but I’m so tired and sore it seemed like a good purchase. The uber driver (Harvey) was pretty funny – he was from Malaysia but had lived in California, Texas, Oklahoma and Canada – and retired to Australia but then became an uber driver because he was bored. 

The line to check in to our room was absurdly long and there’s some sort of gaming convention going on, so there were people walking around in VERY interesting cosplay outfits. Kinda wish I could sneak over and take a peak, actually. 

Reunited with Mark and Anna for a quick bite to eat at a pub down the street  (just some bruschetta and chips) while Damian laid down for a nap.  We booked a fancy dinner cruise for tonight, and it was only about a five minute walk down to the harbor from our hotel.  We got to see a little bit of the waterway, some statues, a ridiculous number of 

expensive waterfront restaurants before boarding.

We sat down and had some wine as the other passengers were being seated and gave Mark and Anna the rundown on our trip to Tassie.  After awhile they started serving appetizers, but the boat still wasn't moving and the lights kept going on and off at random times.  Turns out they were having generator problems, which took them some time to sort out.  We did get a magnificent meal and a very short cruise - but nobody was paying attention.  There were weather guards around the tables so you had to step outside to get a good view, and we were just enjoying the company.

Having serious issues with my knee today - heard a major POP at dinner and then it was feeling a little better.  Pressure from the plane?  Not sure.

SATURDAY

Woke up early enough for some coffee before we had to meet the van for our Ocean Road day tour, which is supposed to be magical.  Really excited about it - but our perfect weather from yesterday didn't carry over and the skies were very gray and overcast, but Anna mentioned that yesterday started in the same way - so perhaps it'll clear up.

Our bus arrived at 7:55 as promised, but it wasn't the 12 person "small group" tour bus I was expecting - it was a packed 24 person "small bus" tour with only four seats left.  So we climbed in and headed out.

Our driver’s name was Ash – a full time teacher (this seems to be the norm here) and e tried to drum up some energy and excitement with the "Clap if you're from THIS country" stuff - but nobody was playing along.   WAY too early for that.  He continually offered to take photos for people, which he did, but then he'd turn the camera around and jump into an uninvited selfie.

Our first stop was a bathroom stop for tea/coffee/cakes at Torquay park on the Ocean Road.  Still quite cold and gray, we had a quick stretch and climbed back on the bus.

Next we stopped at Koala Bay, where we got to see Koalas in the wild and some absolutely AMAZING birds.   It wasn't a very long stop, so you had to choose between getting in line for the toilet or seeing the Koalas.  Shya!  No brainer!  It wasn't really "walking through the koala natural habitat" - it was more like, two koalas that lived in a tree by this roadside cafe.  But I still loved it.  (And I still want one!)

Our next stop was at the tourist archway marking the beginning of the Great Ocean Road - we took some photos and walked down to the beach. The Great Ocean Road reminds me very much of the Pacific Coast Highway in California - absolutely beautiful views, cliffs, beaches and such.  Mark and Anna had CHOICE seats by the window on the ocean side - just a fantastic view.

Midday we stopped at Apollo Bay, which is right after we passed by Donnie & Connie's motel (Mark's friend that is also staying in Melbourne).  Taking the advice of our tour guide, we grabbed lunch at Ash’s recommended place - the bakery – for their famous scallop pies. They have two types of scallop pie – the traditional scallop and leek curry pie, which I had, and the scallop and cream cheese pie, which Damian ordered. Unfortunately, when he took a big bite into it – he discovered it was actually filled with the equivalent of molten lava and burned his lip really badly. 

You wouldn’t think that lunch would be the most dangerous thing we saw today….

We then walked over and sampled the Vegemite ice cream at Dooley's down the street.  The sample was more than enough to know - this is a hard pass.

Back on the bus – we next went to the rain forest, which was the highlight of the day for me.  It was so peaceful and beautiful and diverse.  We took our time walking the trail while the rest of the bus just seemed to sprint.  WHY?  It was just glorious and I'd have gladly stayed there all day.  Big highlight, even if we weren't able to spot any of the black carnivorous slugs that live there.

From there, we went to the 12 apostles – spectacular, 45m (150ft) tall, limestone pillars that were once connected to the mainland cliffs.  The Twelve Apostles were originally named the Sow and Piglets, after the nearby Mutton Bird Island, which was known as the Sow. However, in the 1960s, the Victorian Tourist Board renamed the stacks the Twelve Apostles in order to attract more tourists.

We also saw Shipwreck Bay is named after the many ships that have wrecked on its shores over the years. The first known shipwreck in the bay was in 1827, and there have been over 50 shipwrecks in the area since then. The most famous shipwreck in Shipwreck Bay is the Loch Ard, which wrecked in 1878. The Loch Ard was a cargo ship carrying immigrants from England to Melbourne. Of the 54 people on board, only two survived: Eva Carmichael and Tom Pearce.

From there, we walked down Gibson’s steps all the way to the Ocean – Anna and I trudged down them – not going to lie, that was a mistake on a sore knee - but it was really pretty.

Back on the bus – next and last stop was dinner – Damian ordered some noodle soup for both of us while Ash drove me down to find a pharmacy to see if we could find some stuff for Damian’s burn. Of course, everything was closed except 7 eleven – so I made do with what I could find then joined Damian for dinner.

The return drive was brutal – the bus is so cramped – and the heat is burning my tennis shoes while the air conditioner is freezing the top half of me. Ash played music for everyone – wasn’t a bad playlist.  The only highlight on the drive?  Mysterious blue church of the flying spaghetti monster.  We made it back to the hotel just past 8:30 pm.

I tried to do some laundry – but the machines only take $1 coins and the reception desk doesn’t provide change. WTF?

Managed to scrounge up six between Damian and I and did a load of washing – then drying – but the clothes were still incredibly damp when they came out. I was so frustrated – I had the choice of walking down to the 7-11 and finding change or just throwing the clothes around the room to dry, and I chose the latter.

Slept like the dead – did 12,000 steps today. Impressive. And ouch.

SUNDAY

Slept in until 8:00 (Damian slept until 8:30) then showered and packed up. Caught an uber to the Melbourne airport, which was thankfully not as busy as I was expecting – so we zipped through. Mark and Anna are flying out just after we are, so we shared an uber XL and hung out having coffees and snacks waiting for the plane to board. Mark bought me breakfast and Damian a coffee. Said our goodbyes and preboarded to avoid the hoard.  

This is the third Qantas flight we’ve taken and once again it was absolutely PACKED to the gills – not a single open seat on the plane. Fortunately, it was only an hour and 15 minutes, so it wasn’t too bad – but BOY do I miss Delta.