Adventures on The Great Ocean Road

The Twelve Apostles

So after a week of acclimatising to Melbourne & Australia I decided to try my first group trip to explore a little further a field. Cue sun, sea and the Great Ocean Road!......Or not!

The 3 day trip organised by Bunyip Tours headed out from Melbourne early on Tuesday morning destined for the Great Ocean Road and the Grampian Mountains, 25 of us including Duncan our guide and it turned out our first job was to learn a little Dutch as a good chunk of the group hailed from the Netherlands.

The weather wasn't exactly what I was expecting with the first day being fairly over cast and a full on sea breeze making it a tad nippy!!

The Great Ocean Road is a memorial to the Anzac Soldiers and was built by returning personnel from the 1st World War. The views are stunning and you could probably spend a good week stopping at every vantage point for yet another picture of the Australian Coast.

We stopped for lunch at Cape Otway where the sun finally emerged which made for some pretty spectacular views whilst tucking into a BBQ! I braved climbing the Lighthouse before remembering that heights make me a little nervous especially when you feel like you are going to get blown straight off the top of the tower!

After lunch I ticked off one of my must do's for Australia by seeing Koala's in the wild. Frankly once you realise there are 4 or 5 in each tree you do begin to wonder if the Australian tourist board have shipped them in for the tourists. I think you could also play a game that we started on a trip to Canada - its fairly simple pull over anywhere on the road and stand looking into the distance with your camera and see how many people stop thinking you spotted a Koala/Kangaroo/Bear/Moose depending on the country. The road from Cape Otway is full of pulled over cars and sleepy Koala's

We pushed on to the Twelve Apostles ( although no one seems to be able to agree on the actual number of them) and I hit my first big dilemma. To spend or not to spend! I'd been hoping to do this trip on a relativity tight budget but temptation got the better of me when we were offered the chance to take a Helicopter ride over the Apostles. My new mantra is "bugger the consequences that's what Credit Cards were made for!" I will now also be travelling everywhere by helicopter!

That first night was spent in Port Campbell and despite the unseasonable weather I camped out, possibly under some stars although the cloud was so thick I can't confirm that!

Loch Ard Gorge

Day 2 brought Sunshine and more rocks!

We headed back down to the 12 Apostles and then headed along the coast to see some more of the rock formations that have been carved out including the picturesque Lock Ard Gorge named after the ship that happened nearby from which there were only 2 survivors who sheltered in the gorge before finding help. There were several moments that cemented why I made the right decision on embarking on my travels. You can't really argue when you are standing looking out over warm sunny beaches!

After a couple of stops in various towns along the coast we headed inland towards the Grampians and our 2nd over night stop at the Asses Ears Wilderness Lodge. We spent the night listening to Steve the owner waxing lyrical about anything and everything, following wild Kangaroo's around, trying some Kangaroo (which I'd definitely recommend!) and sitting round a campfire definitely under the stars!

In the morning some of the group went out and tried quad biking (my other mantra "there ain't nothing that's getting me out of bed before 7am" trumped the credit card one) and we hit the road again.

This time we wound our way up to the top of the Grampains stopping at the Mackenzie Falls and the Balconies lookout which has the winning combination of both breath taking scenery and perfect phone reception! We stopped at Halls Gap on the way down for some fantastic ice cream and then started the journey home.

The trip proved to be a great way to meet new people and I'm aware that I was probably incredibly lucky in getting a lovely group of people and an excellent guide who knew his stuff and brought us all together but this was a great introduction to organised tours.

Other things I've been up to - Australia Day with a bunch of New Zealanders, Open Air Cinema ( turns out to be much more pleasant when you aren't in a car park in Southampton in November), Neighbours Trina Night (it has to be done), exploring the Dandenongs

Adventures in Singapore

Emerald Hill 

I couldn't have asked for a better first leg to my trip or place to have my first solo traveler experiences! Singapore was everything I wanted and needed! Safe, clean, ultra friendly, easy to get around and beautiful! 


I lucked out by accidentally arriving the weekend of Chinese New Year and staying a stones throw from Chinatown. The bustling night markets were full of families buying last minute presents and food for the festivities and meant the atmosphere was great. There's a real mix of old and new across the city with huge sky scrapers dwarfing colonial houses but it doesn't feel like the history is getting pushed out. The past and the future are managing to live together successfully. 


On my first day I headed to the river following a 4 hour walking tour that took in some of the older hotels but I got stuck at the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. The concert hall and theatre complex is 10 years old but doesn't look it. The Durian design (or hedgehog for those of you not able to Google a durian!) stands it out from the other buildings on the riverside and the views from the rooftop are brilliant especially at night. I think I could head back to Front of House Management if I had a roof top bar to manage! The Esplanade was a great place to view the city skyline at night as well especially when the Swisshotel were charging S$25 to get into their panoramic bar! 


The thunder storms that rumble around Singapore, breaking the heat, are a welcome relief and make for a spectacular afternoon! I got caught in a couple, the best one being while I was at the Botanic Gardens, the locals all headed to the nearest shelter, of course being a hardened Brit I thought it's just a bit of rain and thunder so kept on walking until a rather close and loud clap of thunder made me think twice! I finally reemerged an hour later! 


Saturday was my nature day in Singapore, as well as the Botanic Gardens I also headed to the Night Safari. Wandering round a Zoo at night takes a bit of getting used to, people and animals loom out of the darkness. It also takes some skill, you have to be still and quiet to see many of the nocturnal inhabitants, it meant that I got to see a lot more than some of the noisy families. I hung back once small children had finished banging on the glass or shouting about there not being anything to see and all of a sudden something would emerge out of the darkness.


The trip to the safari did lead to my first solo traveler panic when I realised I hadn't checked when the last trains were and was at least an hour outside of the City. I will not be making that mistake again. The minor heart palpitations I had counting down the stops and the time were not pleasant! 


On my final day in Singapore I found a hidden oasis in the busy city. Emerald Hill is a conservation area set back off Orchard Road, the main shopping district. The Chinese Baroque era homes sit next to huge shopping malls but as soon as you step off of the main street you enter a quiet peaceful area a million miles away. Lush tropical vegetation line the street and I could get used to sitting on one of the balconies sipping a Singapore Sling!


I can highly recommend the Matchbox hostel. Based on Ann Siang Hill a bustling arty community on the edge of Chinatown its in a great location for all the sights and the staff were really welcoming. Coming home late each night the streets outside are full of people spilling out from the bars and restaurants around the hostel but as soon as you step through the door that all disappears and you can get a great nights sleep! It also has one of the best Hawker Centres at the end of the road for amazing food at ridiculously cheap prices! The roast pork, vegetables and rice that I had cost me S$5 (£2.50) and I got chatting to some fellow travelers so a great night all round!


If you get the chance visit Singapore you really won't be disappointed!


xx

Happy New Year and 19 days to go!

2012 has arrived and with it the count down to my trip of a life time begins! I thought I'd start my blog with an explanation of what I'm planning and why. 


Boxing Day 2010 - Heathrow Airport - I waved off Samantha Potts - best friend and partner in crime - on the trip of the life time to live in Australia for a year. The day was full of mixed emotions, I was excited for Sam, sad to be saying goodbye but it had put a seed of adventure in my head!


2010 was a mixed bag - the end of a long term relationship but 8 months of a lot of fun with friends - when Sam began planning her trip visiting her or joining her was complete pie in the sky. I had a job, bills to pay...it was ridiculous. 


Sam left and the more I thought about it the more I realised things weren't totally impossible. I had some savings and not a lot tying me down what was stopping me. Other than rational thought and crippling fear of the unknown?


We had a training session at work over the summer that involved discovering what colour type you are. Apparently I am Green - I look after people, making sure that everyone's opinion counts and not wanting to upset anyone. If I organised a country fete it would have lots of lovely stuff for everyone and would just be lovely! I'm also appalling at making decisions of any kind! Not the best personality trait when making life changing decisions! 


After several months of weighing up the options, several pros and cons lists and an aborted first attempt I came up with a plan! I was going to head off and see some of the world, dig out some adventures and see where things took me. 


I handed in my notice at work (I do like doing the exact opposite of what everyone else is doing), spent a fortune on a Round the World Ticket and got reacquainted with Home and Away for research purposes obviously!


So this is the plan....


On the 19th January 2012 I leave the country and fly to Singapore. I have 3 days to explore before heading to Australia to meet up with Sam for 5 weeks. Then its on to New Zealand for 3 weeks followed by a rest in Fiji for 10 days and then a 4 day stop over in LA on the way home. 


Bar that I have nothing planned! 


For a big part of the trip I will be on my own, I'm not to focus on this too much.


I'm going to attempt to keep up with this blog, no promises it may be awful so there's no pressure to continue reading. Frankly if you are within a 40 mile radius of me when I get back you'll be subjected to photos and stories for ever more so you may want to stay clear for now!


Anyway the New Years Eve hang over is beckoning and I have boxes to pack tomorrow.


xx