Our first stop is Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia. First leg of the flight took us to Los Angeles, then from there it’s around 18 hours to Melbourne (with a stopover in Sydney). Adding up the time to and from the airport, it’s almost 30 hours. So we left on the 14th and finally arrived on the morning of September 16th.
Bored at LAX
We claimed our bags without hassle. The pair of REI duffle bags worked like a charm. They held our large backpacks, tent, hiking poles, tripod and other equipment with space to spare, and most importantly protected the dozens of straps on the backpacks from getting caught in the conveyer belt.
We reserved a B&B based on good Internet reviews. It’s a bit out of the way, but close to bus routes. However it’s location seems to be a bit obscure. With some trouble, our shuttle bus driver was finally able to get us there.
Tracy sitting in our room. Does this room look Chinese to you?
Stan, the owner, is a well traveled man. He was in China in the 90s as an English teacher. He now works part time at a language school in Melbourne, and still host foreign students in his house from time to time. It’s hard to find a more amicable and helpful host. I think we’ll stick with B&B’s in the future, if just for the more personal experience.
With our host Stan in the Foyer
It’s not yet noon, Stan’s friend Tony recommended Queen Victoria market for lunch and a stroll. This market is one of the major historical landmarks of Melbourne. It started in the 1850s as a few small stalls, and gradually grew to a huge market covering 17 acres of land.
Grocery Stand in Queen Victoria Market
We had a delicious hotdog with Melbourne characteristics. See Tracy’s Melbourne post for a picture. She won’t let me use it here because of Trademark issues. We see quite a few vendors here from China, selling anything from clothing to fresh veggies. In fact, Melbourne appears to be more Asian than many of the other large American or European cities, with the exception of maybe San Francisco. Given the geographical proximity, I guess it’s not surprising. We found a Malaysia place (马来大排档）for an early dinner. The food is so so, but it is filling.
The next morning we picked up our rental car from Thrifty and was on our way to the Great Ocean Road, a stretch of scenic highway along the Indian Ocean overlooking the Great Australian Bight. The highway was built after the First World War by returning soldiers in a span of 13 years, as both a war memorial and a way to provide employment.
Airey's Inlet Lighthouse
We went to Lorne, a small seaside town, for some Fish and Chips. The portion is HUGE. If you think America is the land of big portions, think again. Don’t know if this only applies to Fish and Chips. We’ll see. We were ravenous by the time the food is ready, so only remembered to take a picture after we are almost done. The condiments are not free, you have to buy your tomato source here for $2. Plastic utensils cost money too, so use your hands like the Australians.
Fish and Chips
At Kenneth River, we drove on a side road in a Eucalyptus forest trying to spot Koalas on the trees. It appears our luck is good. We saw maybe four of them. This is one.
Another one of the cute guys
All the koalas we saw were sleeping. The Eucalyptus leaves are mildly toxic and of poor nutrition. Koalas developed very slow metabolic rate to adapt to this food. As a result they will need to sleep 16-18 hours a day.
Interesting Cloud Formation
We booked the night with Port Campbell Hostel. By the time we get to Port Campbell it was already dark. We took a hot shower and went to bed early. Shower is timer operated. Timer is 10min, and the button is outside of the shower stall. If you take longer than this, be prepared to shower in darkness or run out naked to press the button again. You need to bring your own towel.
The next morning we got up at dawn and drove to the Twelve Apostles, a collection of rocky pillars alone the coast. There were much less than twelve of these pillars. A few collapsed recently, and they are not all huddled together. According to a guidebook, there were never 12. Never the less, they were quite beautiful. If we got here earlier we could have gotten some really good pictures. It was cold in the morning. The chill wind from the ocean kept us from staying there too long.
The Twelve Apostles
About 5 minutes drive from the Twelve Apostles is Loch Ard Gorge. This is a site where the clipper Loch Ard ran aground in bad weather in June 1878. Only two people survived from the crash. We found some stalagmites toward the base of the rocky cliff. By this time Tracy is cold and hungry, and not so keen on mine using her as foreground for the picture.
Unwilling Subject
Loch Ard Gorge
After beating a hasty retreat, we went back to the hostel and packed up. We ate breakfast in a local cafe then headed back to Melbourne.
The next day we drove to Phillip Island. This is a small island about 100km southeast of Melbourne. Upon crossing the bridge connecting the island and the mainland, we spotted a chocolate factory. Needless to say, Tracy wanted to have a look.
This is made from Chocolate
On the left is a chocolate statue of David, complete with a green fig leaf, true to the Renaissance style. On the right is a smaller Tracy, craving it.
Tracy and David
Here you can squirt chocolate from a nozzle to create any shape you like on a smooth conveyer belt. It will then be cooled as the belt moves. You can collect it at the end of the belt. Tracy wanted to create a perfect heart-shaped chocolate and managed beautifully.
Well, close enough.
Close to the Penguin Parade visitor center, there’s a beautiful stretch of shoreline. The weather is nice. Although the wind is strong, sun warms us up.
Phillip Island Shoreline
We refueled in Cowes, a small town on the island, with more fish and chips. After this we had enough of the greasy stuff and vowed not to eat this again in Australia.
At 5pm we returned to the visitor center for the Penguin Parade, which is the main attraction of Phillip Island. The Little Penguins (yes that really is the name for their species) go into the ocean to feed everyday and return to their nests in the grass and shrubs near the shore at dusk. There were about 30-40 visitors that day. We patiently waited on the wooden benches for these little guys.
They eventually came back at 6:30pm or so, together with a thunder shower. Once in a while, after a particularly big wave, several of them will emerge on the beach. They huddle together, mill around a bit, and once they feel safe, head toward the shrubs. It was a lot of fun watching them walk in a line, overcoming occasional obstacles with difficulty, and put their heads down for the final sprint into the bushes. Too bad no camera of any kind is allowed for the parade. We had a picture of a Little Penguin earlier in the day, see Tracy’s post for a look.
It was completely dark when this is all over. We got back to Melbourne close to 10PM. Next day we will fly to Tasmania.
