Anyway, back to the semi-road trip. It wasn't all driving, hence the "semi"; we drove about half the journey and hopped from spot to spot on the plane. I went along with Yao and her parents and some of their friends, and together we drove on the Great Ocean Road, skirting along coast of Victoria.
We first started off in Canberra and headed towards Melbourne (and got ourselves lost for a while even before we got out of ACT). We stopped at Merimbula for the night at a motor inn, then on to Eden the next day, before reaching Melbourne late at night. Merimbula was just a stopover for the night, but it does boost some nice scenic view of the sea.
At Eden, we went whale watching.
The town of Eden:
Whales!:
After that it was a long drive to Melbourne. Melbourne roads are pretty crazy. Along some roads there are centre lanes which are separated from the other lanes, so you can't turn left out of it. Also, the road signs were pretty scarce, making night driving a real challenge. I made quite a number of wrong turns along the way. Worst of all, due to its tram tracks, some junctions have "right turn on left lane". That's a real nightmare!
Fortunately, I arrived at YHA safely that night. The next day was spent on dealing with the lab report. Luckily I've explored Melbourne city before, so that wasn't much of a loss. And the lab report's complete! One worry off our heads!
On the next day we headed off to Philip Island (on a coach tour though). Quite a lot of things to see there, and above all, the Little Penguins. Unfortunately, no photo taking was allowed when the penguins made their way onshore.
The next morning, we began our journey onto the Great Ocean Road. The first stop was Lorne, where we had our lunch.
We spotted a seal coming onto a rock outcrop near the shore to dry itself! (It looks like blood, but the red thing behind it was actually seaweed)
The next major stop, for dinner and over the night, was at Apollo Bay. Along the way we paused at some locations worth visiting, like some of their many nature reserve parks and, of course, scenic lookout along the way.
Waterfall at Otway National Park:
The town of Apollo Bay:
We stayed at a bed and breakfast guest house, and it was certainly a very cozy experience. It was a bungalow which the upper floor was rented out, and the owners - an elderly couple - stayed on the first floor.
We went on the next morning towards Port Campbell, somewhere further along the road we were going. In between we stopped by a lighthouse (forgot what it was called), and some rainforest park and a treetop walk. And as we drove along we spotted a wild koala!
Then, before sunset, we reached The Twelve Apostles! It was rather cloudy and windy, which was great, because it gives a view you don't see on postcards.
Close by, we visited the Loch Ard Gorge, where the choppy sea made spectacular wave crashes onto the cliff.
We stayed at Port Campbell, a very small town with less than ten streets. It was so small that the supermarket (there's only a small one) closes at five.
The next day we set off to look at London Bridge, a natural rock formation that collapsed to London Arch in 1990.
After that it was time to head back, though we didn't go back by the same way. We went up north, inland, to Camperdown, then to the old town of Ballarat where they used to mine gold, then back to Melbourne at the evening.
Early next morning, we caught (or rather, almost missed) a plane to Gold Coast. It was very early, and the traffic at the airport was horrendous. And then we have to return the rented cars. It was about 45 minutes when we checked in, and entered the plane about 15 minutes before departure. A close shave...
Anyway, there wasn't much for me to do in Gold Coast, since I've pretty much finished most of it the last time I came. So a few lazy days there before I flew to Sydney, and here I am, taking my break before my next road trip in a few weeks' time.
Oh, finally, good luck for all those back in NUS and NTU who are having your exams!
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