Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Australia: The Great Ocean Road

Katie and I got an early start on Monday morning. We had a lot to see and wanted to spend some time on the beach before we got started. One of my hopes for my vacation was to have more regular quiet times and more Bible reading as I had let that slip a lot this year. Each morning Katie and I would sit together and read, write and pray, just like we used to in college. It was really great to have time to do that together.

Anyway, this is where we stopped to do our morning quiet time:


Not bad right! We sat on the rocks, listed to the waves, watched the surfers and prayed for each other. I love meeting the Lord in places like this!

Then our road trip started: The Great Ocean Road. The road twists and turns along the coast for 150 miles; we didn't go the entire way, but I think we did most of it. It was beautiful.


We made several stops along the way. The first was a lighthouse, and then a visitors center/gift shop (where I did plenty of shopping). 


Then we got out and hiked a bit at Erskine Falls. There were a lot of stairs and it had been raining so everything was a bit wet. It felt a little like I had dwarfed in the midst of the fern-like plants and trees. And everything was so green and lush.



We stopped in Apollo Bay to get lunch (my fish and chips sans tarter sauce) and did a little more shopping. I just couldn't stop myself from going into all of the little shops on the strip. We drove a bit longer and then turned off to a side road where we were told we might see koalas in the wild. They were a little tricky to spot, but I think I did see two of them. We weren't able to stop or pull over as both times a car was right behind us (and there was no shoulder). Even though I didn't get a picture or anything, the thought that I may have seen them was enough for me!

Our last stop was The Twelve Apostles rock formations. The sun was out but it was really cold and windy, so we really didn't stay very long. It was beautiful and so different from our other stops through out the day.





It was mid afternoon by the time we reached the Twelve Apostles, and it would take a few hours to get home. We drove through the country side on the way home, it was stunning. So many fields and pasture land for sheep, cattle and horses. The sheep so fat with wool and the cattle were a different breed than I had seen before, black with a thick white belt around its middle. Google tells me they are called belted galloway cattle. 

We reached home just in time for dinner and a relaxing evening. It was a really long day but I loved getting to see so much of the coast and country side. 

I traced the Great Ocean Road in red and
attempted to outline the rest of my travels in pink (click to enlarge)





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