Along the Great Ocean Road we spotted an awesome house that overlooked the ocean. We took several pictures of it from the main highway/road (see slide show) but then decided to try to go explore it further. Yes, we were trespassing but we couldn't resist! We found the entrance of the house and took several more pictures. We found that this house is the most photographed house along the Great Ocean Road . . . you can see why.
We soon entered the Otway National Park, filled with lush and beautiful rainforests and great countryland. We stopped off at Maits Rest, a sub-temperate rainforest, and took a short hike through. The sub-temperate rainforests are different from the tropical rainforests in Queensland (where we live) because they are alot cooler. Everything was VERY green with tons of unique ferns and trees all around.
Our next stop was the Cape Otway Lighthouse. This is the oldest lighthouse on mainland Australia. We were able to climb to the top of the lighthouse and get great views from the deck at the top. It was very interesting to hear how this lighthouse played a role in helping vessels as they approached "the shipwreck coast." As we drove the road between the lighthouse and the highway we found a wild koala hanging out in a tree close to the road. We have never seen a koala in the wild before (it looked exactly like the ones in the zoo!) so this was a great experience.
Our final stop for the day was at the Twelve Apostles in the Southern Ocean. The Twelve Apostles are giant rock stacks that rise majestically from the Southern Ocean. The Twelve Apostles are the remnants from constant erosion of the limestone cliffs of the mainland that began 10–20 million years ago. The stormy Southern Ocean and blasting winds gradually eroded the softer limestone, forming caves in the cliffs. The caves eventually became arches and when they collapsed rocks stacked up to 45 metres high were left isolated from the shore. It is not known exactly when the limestone stacks became known as the Twelve Apostles and why. Conjecture is that they exude such power and awe that visitors could only stand in awe of nature and its creation - hence the name's biblical origins. There were actually 13 original rock formations and you could see 9 of them from the viewing platforms . . . until July 3, 2005. The disappearance of one of the fabled Twelve Apostles into the Southern Ocean on July 3rd, 2005 was a reminder to the world that this majestic coastline is a work in progress. (See a shot of one of the postcards we bought so you can see the disappearance of one of the Twelve Apostles.)
We decided to retire for the night and get up to visit the Twelve Apostles again the next morning. We were up bright and early the next day (imagine that . . . with two small children!) and decided to view them at sunrise when there would be fewer tourists around. When we arrived there were probably only 5-10 people total there . . . it was breathtaking . . . and we had it all to ourselves (almost!!) We also decided to take our first family helicopter ride to view ALL of the Twelve Apostles from the air. Again, spectacular views! The ride was only 10 minutes long but worth every cent. We thought Evan would enjoy the ride but he really was only interested and mesmerized by the headphones and microphone that he got to wear . . . Kaden couldn't figure out what we were doing to him!
We then drove on towards the end of the Great Ocean Road and stopped to see several other rock formations along the way, including London Bridge, The Arch, The Grotto, the Bay of Martyrs, and the Bay of Islands.
We started to trek inland towards Adelaide (countryside driving) for the last leg of our road trip. We enjoyed the farming and agricultural views as we don't often get to see this side of Australia living in Brisbane. This is also the areas of great winerys so there were TONS of beautiful vineyards along the way. We also spotted wild emus while driving! This section of our trip took us out of the state of Victoria and into the state of South Australia.
Once in Adelaide we just had to visit the largest rocking horse in the world . . . and believe me, it is BIG. Bryan then spent a day in Adelaide completing another round of training for John Deere. Evan, Kaden, and I then flew from Adelaide to Brisbane (a 3 hour flight) while Bryan flew to Sydney for one last day of training.
It was a great vacation and a wonderful way for us to see more of Australia.
Australian Education:
Australia is made up of 7 states: Queensland, New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australia, Victoria, Tasmania, and Western Australia.
There are 3 time zones in Australia - Eastern, Central, and Western.
But here's the kicker . . . South Australia, the Northern Territory, and one small city in New South Wales (Broken Hill) have a 1/2 hour time difference from the rest of the country. Nope, they can't make it simple and round it to a one hour difference . . . it's a 1/2 hour!
Needless to say this really messed us up while we were on our trip. While staying in Cunnawarra, South Australia, we had dinner reservations for 6PM. Well, we showed up at 5:30PM (thinking it was 6PM) and wondered why it took them so long to make our food, etc. Halfway through the dinner we realized that we were still functioning in another time zone!!
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