an adventure Down Under (part 3)

Friday we had booked a tour of the nearby Blue Mountains. We started off with a visit to Featherdale Wildlife Park where we able to pet koalas and kangaroos and see birds, crocodiles, wallabies, wombats and more. Then we drove to Scenic World, a former coal mine turned nature park. The coal cart tracks have been turned into the world’s steepest scenic railway taking you from the top of the mountain into the valley below. They also have a tram and cable car that fly above the mountain tops providing amazing views. Jenny and I decided to do a little hiking down to Katoomba Falls and a lookout over the Three Sisters (a rock formation with a mythological story to go with it.) We took the railway back up to the top for lunch just as the clouds rolled in blanketing the mountains in a thick mist and bringing the rain with it.

That evening we met one of Jenny’s friends in town for dinner, waited in a mad long line for some delicious gelato, and practically tripped over Gerard Butler on the sidewalk. True story! It was a great way to finish up our visit in Australia’s largest city.

an adventure Down Under.

Monday we’d booked a tour of the Great Ocean Road. The road was built just after World War I by returning soldiers in an effort to provide jobs and stimulate the economy (similar to the US programs of the Civilian Conservation Corps and such.)  It's also dedicated to those soldiers who didn't return home from the war, making it the world's largest war memorial.

Our weather was a little sketchy and we hoped it would hold to give us a brilliant sunset but we got drizzled on most of the day. Our tour guide stopped for a tea break along a river (I could really get used to the British way of life, tea and biscuits –aka cookies-- are used to solve most of the world’s problems!), chased through the underbrush to bring us back an echidna, showed us how to feed some of the wild birds and pointed out koalas in the trees along the road. We had a perfect spot of sunshine when we toured the Otway Lighthouse. Our afternoon drive took us along the coast, through farmland and rain forest and finally to our dinner stop (the best fish and chips EVER, bought in a tiny hole in the wall next to a gas station, never underestimate!) Loch Ard Gorge was a beautiful little cove reminiscent of the beaches in Thailand. And then we drove on to the viewpoint for the 12 Apostles, large limestone and sandstone rock formations that stand like sentinels along the coastline. We had a lot of cloud cover that marred our sunset and made some of the rocks in the distance hard to distinguish but it was still an amazingly beautiful sight.

We spent Tuesday wandering around the city of Melbourne enjoying the warmth of the sun as we explored Federation Square, the library and the waterfront. It was such a lovely little city, a great mix of Victorian and modern architecture, vibrant but comfortable. It was easily walkable but we also took advantage of the trolleys and train system. I wished we had more time to spend there but we had a flight to catch. We were off to Sydney!

a cute and cuddly echidna

Cape Otway

Otway Lighthouse

Loch Ard Gorge

a few of the 12 Apostles

more of the Apostles