The Great Ocean Road: Birds and Kangaroos and Koalas, Oh My!
In October 2016 we took the trip of a lifetime to Australia, Bali (Indonesia), Singapore, and the Philippines. Because I am the slowest travel blogger ever, I am just now putting all of the photos together and revisiting old/recent memories and travels. Since Australia was our shortest segment of the trip, we hired a guide to drive us around the Great Ocean Road, which was fantastic because it also included some wildlife viewing both in natural, wild surroundings and on a nature preserve, all in a day's worth of fun.
My husband, who does a lot of the research for our big trips, booked our tour with Oceania Tours (this tour, specifically) after combing through reviews. Our very amiable driver, whose name I unfortunately can't remember (because, as mentioned above, I am the slowest travel blogger ever, which leads to forgetfulness of details) picked us up at our hotel in downtown Melbourne. And so we began our drive to the Great Ocean Road.
The first part of our trip focused solely on the Ocean Road drive itself with, obviously, ocean views. There had been recent wash outs on the road, so we weren't able to drive as far down as the tour normally goes, but we enjoyed it just the same. It was super windy that day, so I was quite happy I'd packed a windbreaker. We parked in a nearby lot and walked down a small side road to sneak some peaks at the local bird life roosting in the trees. I didn't have a zoom lens at the time, so these pictures don't quite do the colorful plumage justice, but it was so cool to see birds that I never see at home in the States.
Our next stop was at the Great Ocean Road Ecolodge where we could spot kangaroos and koalas. Oh my gosh, if you've never seen one before in person then you'll be surprised at how huge these guys are up close...or as close as you dare (not recommended--they are super strong). They looked like furry, giant, body builders. And if I am to tell the whole story, we actually accidentally walked in on an almost intimate scene between two kangaroos, if you know what I mean. I don't think he was too pleased with our presence!
We also were able to see some koalas, which are as adorable in person as they are in photographs. We were afraid we wouldn't see any because the weather had taken a turn for the worse (not to mention our shoes got soaked walking around the refuge) and it was windy and threatening to rain. But the koalas had no fear--they made clinging to the trees in the wind look easy. We even got lucky and saw a baby koala with its mother.
Our last stop on the tour was Port Campbell National Park to see the Twelve Apostles, or what is currently left of them. Due to erosion from harsh conditions in the Southern Ocean, there are now only eight of the twelve limestone stacks remaining. Though the weather was steadily worsening, it was mildly comical to see sea foam floating around in the air and landing on the shrubbery lining the walkways to the viewpoints. I'm going to hedge a guess that it's probably at least a little windy on a good day, but we were blessed with quite the breeze that afternoon. But that couldn't detract from the views! We left damp and chilly, but taking a driving tour really was the best use of what little time we had in Melbourne.
So, if you ever find yourself in this part of Australia, I do recommend booking a Great Ocean Road tour. Melbourne is a great place for a foodie or someone who truly loves cities, but it differs greatly from European cities in that the latter have churches, oodles of art museums, and monuments to tour. Perhaps I just didn't have a long enough visit, but aside from the delicious food, taking a day to drive on the Great Ocean Road was a solid choice coming from a gal who loves good views and appreciating nature.
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