The Great Ocean Road

Trip Start Feb 16, 2008
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Trip End Jul 22, 2008


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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

I am finally at a computer that I can upload pics, so here are some from the Great Ocean Road.  It was a great day, beautiful scenery.  We stopped first at an aboriginal community center where we learned that there are 390 tribal communities in Australia.  The people belonged to the land, the land did not belong to them.  Very different thinking than the white Europeans who settled here.  The boomerang is a duck hunting tool used only by tribes who hunted ducks...not a toy.  The ones that were actually used for duck hunting were HUGE.  If the boomerang didn't kill the duck, it would come back to you, basically giving you a second chance.  When it comes back, you get out of the way, otherwise, you're dinner.  I have so much more respect for these people and their customs, their history, as I've learned more about it. 

I might not take the time to go through everything, partly because it was two weeks ago, but also because the beach is calling Surfers at Bells Beach
Surfers at Bells Beach
 . 

Next stop was Bells Beach - very famous surfer stop, made even more popular as a tourist attraction, with help from Patrick Swayze in "Point Break" and the 50 year storm (which was made up by Hollywood).  

Simon, our guide was pretty cool.  He reminded me of a boy I used to know, so by the end of the day, I had a tiny crush.  He choreographed the whole day and all of his stories to music, which made the tour more enjoyable than the average tour you take. I also met this very cool girl from New Zealand named Shweta.  We hung out all day at each stop and exchanged emails, so I'll probably get in touch when I head to NZ. 

Koalas, the little town of Lorne, rainforests, but the highlight of the day and one of my trip thus far was the helicoptor ride over the 12 Apostles.  I was giddy the ENTIRE time.  It was like Christmas when you're eight.  What's funny, the week before, I was thinking to myself, if I ever get the opportunity to take a helicoptor ride, I'm going to do it.  Well, what better place than over the ocean along the beautiful southern coast of Australia.  It may have been the most amazing 12 minutes of my trip!  Yep, it was pretty short, too short, but totally worth it. I could have been up there all day.  I jumped at the chance to sit in front, next to the pilot, who, when not explaining the geology and naming of the Apostles, had tunes coming over the headset.  Not a bad job.

We also hit Loch Ard Gorge which has a very romantic, very sad story, and London Bridge, which really did fall down...

Enjoy the photos!
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