Melbourne.

With a send off by our local roo near the cottage on Cape Otway, we headed for Melbourne on the final stretch of the Great ocean Road.

We stopped at an area famous for Koala sightings  (it was rumored that they will pose for their picture) but had to settle for a flock of friendly parrots instead.

We made a short stop to check out the surfing mecca of Bell's beach and then continued on by ferry to the Mornington peninsula. 

We loved Melbourne.

It is about as cosmopolitan as a city can be. Sixty percent of Melbourn-ians are either immigrants or 1st generation of immigrants. And it shows in the residents' open and friendly attitudes as well as the many ethnic restaurants across the city.

Today was Australian Day (like our 4th of July) commemorating the day the first colonists arrived in Australia.  The Australia Day parade had the usual military bands, and the boy scouts.  But much more.  Melbourne has multiple ethnically oriented social groups (they do charitable work and keep ethnic traditions alive).  And they all marched.  When is the last time you saw a Korean group, a Sikh group, a Muslim group, or a Persian group in one of our parades in the US?  What a refreshing change from the incessant talk about immigration bans and "the wall".

The Australian Open is underway and has been another theme across the city.

And of course we did our usual "walk-abouts" as we enjoyed the city and its museums.

Cape Otway and The Great Ocean Walk.

There is a Great Ocean Road and a Great Ocean Walk. 

The Great Ocean Road runs from Port Campbell via Apollo Bay to Anglesea and can be driven in 5 to 6 hours (if you don't dawdle).  Half of the total distance is inland and the rest is either immediately along the ocean or has a view of the ocean.

The Great Ocean Walk, on the other hand, is a walking path on the hillsides and headlands immediately next to the ocean. And at low tide you can, in certain sections, drop down to the beach for short sections.

It is shorter in total length, starting at Apollo Bay instead of Anglesea, and finishing 10 k before Port Campbell.  It is usually done as a 5 to 7 day walk. As direct  access is limited, and often a fair drive from the closest town or lodging,  it is usually done as a backpack with camping at designated campgrounds.

Kath and I decided that a 7 days of camping was too long and instead we rented a cottage on Cape Otway with the plan to do several 7 or 8 mile day walks of various sections of the trail. That way we would to see the differing terrains with the added benefit of a daily warm shower, warm bed, and a comfortable place to have our evening wine as we watched the setting sun.








































Cape Otway is its own ecosystem, being fairly heavily wooded with eucalyptus trees. And with eucalyptus you see ..... koalas!!   In Yellowstone a group of cars by the side of the road means a bison, or even a bear. Here it is a koala sighting.






















Here are a few random photos of our daily walks. After hiking in Patagonia a few years ago, and passing other groups every 1/4 mile or so, I was amazed at the lack of other walkers here. We did a 8 mile walk one day and saw only 3 other groups for the entire time. And on one beach (where you can see Kathy walking  - alone), we had what was at least a 1 1/2 mile beach all to ourselves for over the hour we were there. This really is an undiscovered part of the world.

The Great Ocean Walk - Shipwreck Coast

As you look at these pictures of the Cape Otway area,

imagine yourself seeing it from the eyes of a convict, or immigrant, on a wind driven ship caught between the wind and the shore. Not only would you have to survive the pounding surf, you would then have to climb the cliffs and then find help in a sparsely populated area with minimal water or food.

In the 1800s, over 100 major wrecks occurred on this coast. The original convict ships (about 1790) sailed to South America (usually Rio), provisioned, then sailed to Cape horn (again to take on supplies), and then on to Australia. A trip of 3 or 4 months duration.



With the advent of the clipper ships, the Great Circle route became the preferred route. Dip down into the Southern Ocean near Antartica and catch the strong westerlies. The problems included icebergs as well as hitting the "Eye of the Needle", the 55 mile window between Cape Otway and King Island and then into Melbourne harbor. But with only primitive instruments and no land sighting for 7000 miles, many missed the mark by the few miles that meant disaster. The payoff was that success meant a trip of about 70 days.

I















 think this poem captures the feeling as well as anything else I've read.

"It's looks just like California."

I was biking in Portugal with my friend Morel when he offered up his now famous line. And it is true. California is so big, with so many ecosystems, that almost anywhere in the world reminds you of at least some small part of California.

But the more we drive around this SE corner of Australia, the more Kath and I repeatedly comment how much it reminds us of the coast of California. Sun, surf, and eucalyptus trees. Just like Big Sur or Point Reyes. The only difference?  No people. We thought that summer would be the high season with crowds everywhere. But everywhere we go we been impressed by how few cars are on the road and people in the towns.

We flew from Sydney to Melbourne, rented a car and headed for the coast and The Great Ocean Road. Walking and driving this stretch was the plan for the next 4 days.

We drove via the inland route (more direct).  It was our first really hot day (104 F) but it would cool down into the 70s next day.  At the end of our drive we visited a national game preserve located in the caldera of an extinct volcano - and almost bagged our first wildlife as several emu decided to cross the road just as we came around a curve.































The next morning, in the coastal town of Port Fairy, we took another short hike and spotted our first Kangaroo.

Tomorrow, more about the Great Ocean Road.

Last day in Sydney.

Today was our last day in Sydney - tomorrow we head for The Great Ocean Road.

Today was a special treat at sunrise as a big ocean liner came in while I was having my morning coffee on the deck.

Then a 3 hour organized tour followed by a climb to the top of one of the pylons of the Sydney Bay bridge.

Dick

To the Pacific!!

Today we took the fast ferry to Manly at the entrance to the Sydney Bay.

and had breakfast on the beach watching the surfers.

Then we hiked to the overlook to the entrance to the bay. In WWII it was a fortified position (to repel a feared Japanese invasion).

On the way back to Manly, Kathy got in her first swim in the Pacific.


























Returning to Sydney,  I did get that beer at the oldest pub in Sydney.

For the day's finale we had dinner at the opera house restaurant, touted as the best restaurant in Sydney.