Wallers (Back From) "Down Unda": Victoria & the Great Ocean Road

September 24 - October 9

It was another great two weeks of travel that saw us explore the Great Ocean Road, Grampians National Park, the gold rush town of Ballarat and Sovereign Hill, the Mornington Penninsula, Dandenongs National Park and Melbourne. It was busy but we found more time to play than on any other trip thus far ... wait, that's the last big trip until we hit Fiji on the way home in December... sigh.

As you know, pictures tell a thousand words so here are many, many words...

Be sure to check out the links below some photos for interesting insights

We started in Geelong

This gives you some perspective of this 34 m lighthouse at Split Point near Lorne.
The area from here West to Port Fairy is known as the shipwreck coast claiming over 200 ships over the years
http://www.shipwreckcoast.com/1024/index.html

On the Great Ocean Road

Victoria has the largest population of Koalas anywhere in Australia. In fact, in this particular area near Otway, they are considered overpopulated and are off the threatened or endangered list - as they are in other areas of Australia.
Doesn't that sound like a good problem!
http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/plants-and-animals/koalas-in-victoria

It was great seeing so many in the wild

Above and below are Melba Gully and some particularly large Ferns

Notice Scott making sure we are on track with his map down at Cape Otway Lighthouse, known as Australia's most significant lighthouse
http://www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/vic/cape%20otway/Cape%20Otway.htm

View from top of the lighthouse out over Bass Strait

This photo (and the next two) are taken on the beach at Gibsons Steps, all part of the 12 Apostles

Two of the Apostles - there were only ever nine, but one collapsed in 2005 - see photos here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Apostles_(Victoria)

The Famous view

Here you see a recent collapse of the cliff very close to one of the viewing platforms -
note the people directly above and the dark colouring on the cliff face; the light colouring snaking through the dark would be water tracks through fissures that likely caused the collapse.

Sunset - Notice the Little Blue penguin tracks on the beach - several hundred call this beach home
We waited for them and eventually did see them show up in their famous rafts but it was too dark to get any photos

These two shots are of Loch Ard Gorge where the Loch Ard sank and left only 2 survivors

The Arch

London Bridge - the middle section of the bridge collapsed in 1990

Bay of Islands

The Grotto

Flagstaff Hill and the Maritime museum in Warrnambool
http://www.flagstaffhill.com/

Tower Hill - which is an old volcano being revegetated back to its original state.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Hill_(volcano)

I love this shot - at the start of the Grampian Mtn. Range with Mt. Abrupt in the background

We were thrilled to see our first wild Echidna's on this trip...

Still in the Grampians at Hall's Gap - You can see our Hostel we hiked up from right in front of the boys

The Valley at Hall's Gap with Lake Bellfield in the distance

On the one rainy day we visited the Cultural Center and did some authentic boomerang painting

Lots of info here: Wendy was our treacherous cliff model, there is a couple hundred metres of free fall below her. Notice the view is the same as prior pictures, only one range higher - we had to drive around the mtn range for an hour to get to virtually the same spot; the 10 min access road between the Valley's is still being repaired after the tail end of Hurricane Yassi came through and washed out several of the bridges/roads.

The Pinnacle...

Spectacular views!

Erosion of some of the rocks around here was quite awesome.

Mackenzie Falls, still in the Grampians

Another Highlight was Sovereign Hill at Ballarat - http://www.sovereignhill.com.au/
Here, $167 000 worth of gold is being poured at over 1000 degrees celcius,
hes' been pouring the exact same gold for over 15 years!