Welcome to Melbourne as the locals say, home of 840 million flies. Melbourne, apart from being crowned the “World’s Most Livable City” for seven years in a row, is Australia’s cultural melting pot where stunning architecture and a vibrant arts scene combine to put on a constant performance to rival that of New York or Paris. Melbourne or (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung) is the capital of the Australian state of Victoria and the second-most populous city in Australia (behind Sydney), although the most populous by contiguous urban area. The train station is an old Victorian building located by the Yarra River. The city is walkable, with theaters and restaurants abound.
We had a great time in Melbourne area which we were told you could experience 4 seasons all in the same day. For us who brought colder weather clothing, it turned out to be quite hot, reaching 38 deg C (100F).
We did a bus trip on Saturday to explore the state of Victoria which was 14+ hours long. We visited several areas via the Great Ocean Road which was constructed by hand after WWI. When the soldiers came home from France, there was no employment, and the government started the project to provide employment. The Great Ocean Road is 240 km (150 miles) where one part reminded me of the Road to Hana in Maui with its twists and turns.
As we travelled west out of Melbourne, we passed rolling fields of grass filled with cattle and sheep on the M1. We reached a town called Torquay near Bells Beach where Patrick Swayze was a surfer/bank robber and disappeared in Point Break. This is where the Great Ocean Road starts and heads west along the coastline.
We stopped in a few beach towns to watch the surfers, travelled through rainforest and travelled to the 12 Apostles. There were never 12 limestone rock stacks here, and they were not always called the Apostles – Sow and Piglets did not remain as a name for long. There were nine rock stacks at the beginning of the 21st century. seven limestone rock stacks. Six of them are visible in the classic view, while the seventh is found a short distance away. The wave action crashing in against the rocks is amazing. The term 12 Apostles came from an early religious leader who visited the area.
We hiked to the Gibson Steps near the 12 Apostles (approx. ½ hr. walk/one way), then traversed down the 86 steps along the cliff to the beach. We had a great view of the “false apostle” aka Judas. It was tougher going back up the hill and a little warm approx. 90 degrees.
We also stopped at Shipwreck Cove which one shipped was smashed against the waves with only two survivors. All only this part of the coastline over 140 ship wrecks occurred. Giddy commented that this would make a nice 19th hole tee shot across to the plateau on the neighboring rock formation.
We travelled to Maits Rest rainforest which I always assume rainforest was hot muggy and wet. I learned that it is called a rainforest due to the canopy cover from the trees. This area is a cool Temperate Rainforest where there are lots of magnificent beech trees, many of which are hundreds of years old. The undergrowth is ferns and plants growing abundantly with a small brook flowing through the area.
On the way back we saw a large flock of birds which looked like cockatoos. However, the birds are called Corolla’s which are related to cockatoos. We especially liked the show where two of the birds performed on the high wire.
Sunday morning, we decided to hike to the Royal Botanical Gardens through Chinatown while the Lunar New Year festival was still going on. Masses of people turned out for the celebration. Giddy wanted to meet his second cousins who came over on the Edwin Fox boat to Adelaide some years pasted. His cousin’s name is Hecuba. He is kinda a celebrity in Australia who co-stars in Bluey. He showed us the gardens and his friends Blackie and Snow. The temperature was warm, and our hike took us throughout the Victoria gardens where enjoyed a leisurely stroll and lunch within the gardens.
Monday after the Superbowl, we took a river cruise on the Yarra river which was on a low riverboat where we just cleared the some of the low bridges by inches. We were told they don’t try if it close to high tide. After the cruise we enjoyed a nice dinner along the riverwalk.
Today is Wednesday Feb 14th, we are back in Sydney and are boarding the Brillance of the Seas for next 35 days our new home.