"Morning has Broken like the first Morning, Blackbird has spoken ...."
Well, it was actually a Magpie that was Caroling in the morning.
So worth getting up early to see the dawn
So different to the night before.
The promise of a beautiful day.
The 12 Apostles, arguably the most photographed rocks along the Victorian Coastline, are a 4 1/2 hour drive from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road.
Inclement weather the day before and some necessary stops along the way meant we ran out of daylight before we were able to see the attractions we had actually come to see.
So a little back tracking was needed.
The wind had blown itself away.
A Rainbow in the Sky
The waves crashing in
It is going to be a GOOD day!
3 minutes down the road from the 12 Apostles is Loch Ard Gorge.
On the 1st June 1878, the Sailing Ship Loch Ard with 54 Crew and Passengers was wrecked on a reef just off Mutton Bird Island.
Miraculously, there were two survivors who came ashore at what is now known as Loch Ard Gorge.
Only 4 bodies were recovered and these are buried in a small cemetery on the cliffs above.
Our next Photo-op stop, on the other side of the township of Port Campbell was at The Arch.
Each of our stops was harder to leave than the last. With mighty waves crashing onto the rocks promising bigger ones next time.
Then it was on to London Bridge.
I think it is now called London Arch - I remember the News reports at the time, as we had been here just a few months before.
On the evening of 15th January 1990 without warning, the main bridge connecting London Arch to the mainland cracked and fell in the sea.
Fortunately there was no one on the bridge when it collapsed, however two people were marooned on the new Island and rescued hours later by helicopter.
I suspect, it is because of events like this that you are no longer able to walk across these natural bridges.
The Grotto is another 'must see' Photo Stop along the Shipwreck Coast.
The arch creates a perfect frame for the Ocean with spectacular waves crashing through the small opening.
It all looks very calm in this photo but as we left we heard squeals from below as a wave sprayed visitors who were not paying attention.
45 minutes later I dragged my companions away.
We had intended our trip to end at Warrnambool for a spot of Whale watching however, after making enquiries at the local Tourist Information Centre, we were informed that there were no Whales at Warrnambool today (they were further along the coast at Portland).
So - we turned towards home Inland via the Gourmet Food Trail and soothed our disappointment with treats of Locally made Ice cream at Timboon Fine Ice cream and Handmade Cheese from The Timboon Cheesery.
After all - there IS more to the Otways than Rain-forests and Rugged Coastlines....
It's Dairy Country and some of the finest dairy products come from this region of Victoria.
If you would like to see more of this wonderful part of my home state of Victoria and cannot come to visit - check it out on Google Earth.
Just place the 'Peg Man' anywhere along the Coast (on the blue line or dots) and have a virtual look around!
No comments:
Post a Comment