Melbourne metro sucks. I had to get into the city for my hostel so had to get a stupid myki card. Tap and go on credit card is more efficient or at least have an option to buy a paper ticket like in Perth. In Melbourne no option. Well I found my hostel or is it hotel or is it an Irish pub. It’s all three! It’s the cheapest single room in the city so you get what you pay for. The place needs a good deep cleaning...so many stains. It’s central and walking distance to everything so it’s acceptable. From the gardens to skyscrapers it’s just another city. I do like the buildings with some unique designs. I’d prefer more street art though and more art installations. I spent most of my time in Melbourne’s fine gardens. The weather was glorious. The harbour is lovely and I especially love their Webb bridge. The next day I went on the Great Ocean Road day trip. I'm at the 12 Apostles...well I can see at least 8 if you count the little stubby ones. These limestone stacks are sticking out of the Southern Ocean on the Great Ocean Road. Next stop is at Loch Ard Gorge. It’s a natural wonder especially the Razorback. It’s a beautiful limestone wall. The place is named after the ship wreck that happened in 1878. I can’t believe I saw another Koala in the wild on the mini Kennet River walk. Mini because it took all of 5 minutes but who cares. Look at the cute chubby Koala. He scratches himself then falls asleep. I watched him for 30 minutes, he did nothing else. Then it was a quick stop in Apollo Bay for lunch with the seagull. Now we’re at the Great Ocean Road memorial arch which is the beginning of the road but end of my trip. Then onto Split lighthouse and Eagle Rock sanctuary where I spotted a rabbit. Then it’s back to Melbourne to meet up with my two favourite people in Australia, Lynda and Mark. It was a lovely reunion and we had drinks and an Indian meal. We chatted till late and then it was time to go. I wish we had more time to spend together.
Up at 5am for my trip to Wilsons Promontory. First stop was a beautiful little village called Loch. Then a short walk along the Tidal River boardwalk. It was a wet and windy morning. It was a lovely little walk up to the point for a view of the two beaches. Loved the tree archway. The sun came out eventually. Squeaky beach was not so squeaky because of the rain this morning but a lovely beach. Checking out Skull Island and it looks menacing. Then saw a lovely red parrot type bird. Such bright colours. Saw lots of emus and kangaroos on the wildlife walk after lunch. The kangaroos look like they’re wearing coloured bows but they’ve been tagged by the rangers. They look Christmassy.
It was another day trip today. I got a shock at the time the tour ends...9.30 to 10pm. Wtf! My Greyhound is at10pm oh oh. So anxiety sets in and I explain to my guide and he says he will try his best for 9pm but cannot guarantee it. So I left it to fate and had everything crossed. But obviously the others on tour don’t care about time. They turn up late and never meet up on time. So annoying even with the guide shaving off 5 minutes here and there. I was hurrying people on the walks even the old lady with a walking stick. I know, I’m going to hell. With all that going on, I’m enjoying my time in the Grampians. We had a mini walk to a mini Silverband waterfall and then a harder walk to the Grand Canyon of Australia. I was giving the late comers evil looks all day. Reeds lookout was my favourite part because of much better views and for spotting my very first echidna. I was so excited. He was huge like a fat porcupine and waddled across the road.
No signs of rushing back to Melbourne now. There’s a cricket match and the kangaroos are fielding ffs. Omg it’s the cutest thing ever. There’s even a joey out on the pitch. I’m not making it up. Mackenzie falls was our final walk today. It’s supposed to be the most amazing falls in Victoria. Then it was up to Barooka lookout for more views of the dam. When it’s drought season and the water falls, you can see the tips of the old town’s church sticking out. I’m trying not to think about the time and my guide assures me we’re on schedule for 9.15pm...cutting it very fine. Well I made it. Even though people were still being late back on the bus, my lovely guide Michael drove like a bat out of hell. He even dropped me off right in front of my hostel first at 9.05pm. It was a lovely drive back into the city. I was able to walk to the coach terminal instead of running. I even managed to have my dinner before getting on the coach. Suddenly I had plenty of time I really missed the greyhound. It’s been nearly a month since my last ride on one back in Adelaide. It’s good to be back on it.
Well it was all worth it to meet up with my aunty and uncle for a much needed break from my journey. I had a relaxing time catching up, eating loads, drinking a whole bottle of wine, therapy sessions, getting all my washing done and even got a new rucksack. Plus not forgetting the leg torture device apparently to help with my circulation as my ankles swelled up again. Electric shock right up my legs while drinking wine. Thank you aunty and uncle for looking after me so well. I definitely want to visit again. While waiting for my next Greyhound, I had a couple of hours to kill in Newcastle. I headed straight for Nobby's Beach obviously. Then the Greyhound turned up 25 minutes late and with the AC on full blast it's fecking cold as ice. I may actually die of hypothermia. Luckily I had Jackson my guide from the Adelaide to Perth tour keeping company on WhatsApp to distract me from the cold. I arrived in Byron Bay early in the morning and headed to my beach hut at the Glen Villa Resort. I appreciated the early check in and the ride on their buggy by the very helpful receptionist. Byron Bay is expensive and it’s the surfing haven so surfers all over the place. I’m happy with my beach hut, expensive but I’d rather pay for the hut than a dormitory bed for slightly less. The weather wasn’t the best. I went on a coastal walk to see the sunset but it wasn’t much of a sunset because of the rain. The following day I went on a daytrip. Weather forecast says thunderstorm but that only happened after the tour. We walked to Killen waterfalls for a swim so the damp morning didn’t spoil it. I saw my very first snake in the wild and it was a carpet python. The walk to the waterfall was very precarious because of the rain earlier. So slippery rocks, muddy paths and there’s me walking in my flip flops. Our next stop was to Lake Ainsworth for paddle boarding and a swim. This is a tea tree lake where the sap from the tea tree seeps into the lake turning it dark caramel colour. It’s supposed to be good for the skin. I used the paddle board like a kayak as trying to balance on it was just too difficult. Plus it rained a little more but as long as you stayed in the lake, it was fine. Our last stop was a walk up to Lennox Headland. This is close to Broken Hill which is home to Chris Hemsworth. He normally walks here but didn’t see him. From the top of the headland we spotted a shark too. It was really windy but a pleasant walk. It was nice to see a little more of Byron Bay and it’s Hinterland. Then the storm came.
The next morning I got another greyhound, this time to Rainbow Beach. This was the base for where the Dingo safari tour meets up. I was a little anxious about missing my connecting bus as my bus was running late. Luckily I got there 10 minutes before it departed. I arrived into Rainbow Beach and checked into the Freedom hostel for the night. Lovely place after recent refurbishment. The next morning I joined the tour. It was pretty much what I was dreading. A bunch of 20 somethings partying and having a good time. Nothing wrong with that at all. It’s just not me anymore but I really wanted to do this tour so I lied about my age and was within the 18 to 35 cut off. I was in the lead car with Wayde my guide which is great. I’m staying in the same car as I asked him if I could. The other girls wanted to drive so they could swap and change. It was a car of 6 plus lead driver. We drove a lot before getting into camp. We stopped at Eurong for lunch and then to Lake Mackenzie for a swim. I managed to find a quiet spot away from the group of 21. Apparently I was missed so Wayde came looking for me. I blagged my way to my own tent by confessing to Wayde that I snored and he was happy to oblige. We reached the campsite just before sunset. It was a beautiful sunset too. I headed off to the beach with my Dingo stick to ward off any Dingos if they appear. A group prepared the bbq and the others cleaned up. I left the young uns to it after dinner and headed to my very own tent. I also confessed to Wayde my age and how I lied about my age on the booking form and he burst out laughing. Wayde is 46 so he understands and will keep my secret.
The next day we headed to Eli Creek and I rubber tubed it 3 times. The water was cold but floating down the Creek seemed so relaxing that I had to do it 3 times. Then after lunch it was a swim or splash at the champagne pools. Beautiful scenery with jagged razor sharp rocks and big waves. Saw more dingos too. Another camp bbq and our last night was over. My last day was with the boys in the car was great. As they were nice boys they let me ride shot gun all day. With the long walk to waddy lake with its amazing sand dunes, it was my favourite day on the island. Then it was back to Rainbow Beach for one more night before tomorrow’s afternoon greyhound to Agnes Water for Christmas.
