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Saturday 8 - Wednesday 19 September
Finally, here is the long awaited itinerary! This is the edited version: you will find full details on my travels site in 2002, or hear more from me when you meet up with me. More will be sent later.
Note: each paragraph indicates separate days unless otherwise stated.
Saturday 8 September: I went to PJ O’Briens to meet up for the farewell.
Sunday 9: I left Melbourne with Oz Experience. It was a cloudy day. We went along the Surf Coast and we stopped in Torquay for our lunch and to browse around the numerous factory outlets selling surfing clothes cheaply. Due to an enormous range, I was undecided as to what to buy! Bells Beach was next, where Point Break was supposed to be filmed but it did not happen. The Great Ocean Road was next - it was built by ex-servicemen of WWI and it is certainly a very scenic route with many stops where we saw the historical arch commemorating the Victorians who died in WWI, the highest point on the road, Lorne Beach, Cape Patton lookout, Apollo Bay. We also went to Maits Rest Rainforest where we walked in cold and wet weather. Koala hunting took place in Cape Otway and I saw four before we came to Bimbi Park. We all helped prepared the barbecue and later looked for koalas in the forest. It was a starry night.
Monday 10: We left the park koala spotting - there was a lot of them there and I lost count of how many I saw! The countryside and forests with the odd glimpse of the ocean as we were now back on Great Ocean Road, surrounded us. It is a continually winding road. We stopped to see the Twelve Apostles - there are actually ten apostles there. It was hard to believe that they were actually real! This part of coast is the Shipwreck coast. Loch Ard Gorge was our next stop when we walked around - this is where there was a shipwreck where there were only two survivors (one Irish guy saved an English girl!) and a blowhole where the passengers died. Port Campbell, London Arch then Grotto, and Bay of Martyrs for view of Bay of Islands. At Logans Beach, it was whale-watching time: three whales with two babies. Tower Hill is a huge volcanic crater with a lake where we spotted emus, koalas and kangaroos. This crater is now covered with trees. Grampian National Park was our overnight stop and there were kangaroos in one front garden in Halls Gap.
Tuesday 11: It was a scenic tour of Grampian National Park where we made brief stops at waterfalls, Reed Lookout for Victoria Valley, Lake Wartook and McKenzie Falls. Hours later, we came to Mt Arapiles where there was an optional rock climb, which I did not do, taking a long walk from the summit instead. It rained that day. At Harrow village, we went for a drink in the local pub: there are amusing photos and stuff to glance at. Fake legs hanging out of the attic can also be seen! Cut out figures and can be seen on leaving the village. It was time to cross the border and there was a road there between the two signs marking the border: we could not determine if it is in Victoria or South Australia (SA). Umpherston Sinkhole is like a crater consisting of a very colourful gardens where we patted the possums. It was time to start our sentences at Mt Gambier Gaol: as the cells were full, I had one to myself!
Wednesday 12: there was a long drive after seeing the Blue Lake, famous for its colour change. Kingston SE is a lobster mecca. It is a long drive to Adelaide and we passed the Salt Lake, so large it took us a few minutes to pass it. At Jacks Point, there is a pelican observatory but the pelicans are hard to see clearly as they are on the island across. The Pink Lake is another one of the lakes which has its colour derived from dunaliala salina and halo bacteria. We arrived in Adelaide in the evening, viewing the hills of the Mt Lofty Ranges as we headed into the city. The night ended with drinks and a giant version of Twister!
Thursday 13: I went on a walking tour around the city and ended up walking around again after discovering I went the wrong way according to the Lonely Planet guide! There is a good Aborigine collection in SA Museum which is free and old buildings on one street. I visited the gardens, the park, the university and browsed around shops.
Friday 14: I visited Glenelg on a historic tram and visited the Shark Museum: the owner was eaten alive by a shark that he had 493 stitches and is the only person to be alive after the shark attack. I saw the boat restaurant where the waitress gave me a tour. It was movie time at night when Along Came A Spider was on. A quiz was held in the bar but it was too hard!
Saturday 15: The next morning, I went to Cleland Wildlife Park: the bus stopped for a few minutes at the highest point on the Mt Lofty Ranges for a view of the city. I touched kangaroos and a koala. This week, I spotted Quentin who appeared on TV in Australia on ‘Quentin in Hollywood’.
Sunday 16: I took tours around the city on the free buses, visiting the skate park watching the skateboarders and cyclists. I left Adelaide in the evening for Barossa Valley, arriving at a schoolhouse. All of us got dressed in school uniforms - there were no boys uniforms so all the men were to dress in girls’ uniforms! Wine tasting took place after dinner and we drank quite fast, tasting six different wines!
Monday 17: there is so many vineyards around here: 67 in total! Clare Valley was our first stop where it was time for wine tasting for some of us. There are views of the Flinders Ranges. We went to one mountain for viewing but there were too many tourists that we had to miss it, however we went to Arkaroo Rock. There is Aboriginal art in one of the caves. There was a bumpy ride before we came to Parachilna with its population of 5. I intended to stay here for a few days to live in an Aboriginal community to learn their culture but there was no one else interested. Kangaroo steak and sausage, and emu burger was served for tonight’s dinner - it was nice.
Tuesday 18: It was a rough ride the next day with the road being flooded in many parts by streams. The scenery is drier here. We went through Flinders Ranges National Park and walked up to Wilpena Pound where a crater can be viewed from the top. Some of the group got lost that we were delayed by over 1½ hours. Our overnight stop was in Quorn, which is south of our last stop last night despite the fact we were going north. Some of us browsed around the village: there was an interesting shop and I was with two girls who could not make up their minds when they were looking at hats! They also talked to the shopkeeper so I went across the road to see the displays there.
Wednesday 19: We had to get up early next morning - around 4:30am and had someone complaining to me about the mess in the kitchen. Why did she complain to me that early? On the way, we saw large boulders like the Uluru and there was a lovely view of the sunrise and kangaroos on the roadside. It was my first time to see a long truck and there was a long train pulling 55 containers. Woomera was our first stop with its many exhibits of rockets, planes and missiles: this was (or is) a testing area for such stuff. We came to salty Lake Hart. It was time for a silly game on the bus - make the longest zigzag from sweet wrappers! There was an animal crossing painted on the road. Our next game was an altered version of bingo which was also a silly game. We are now in the outback where grass is almost non existent and there is shrub and a few odd flowers. Another game was a wheelbarrow race across the road! I felt a heat wave here. In our sight later was what looked like a wild west town - Coober Pedy. Our hostel was underground. Priscilla: Queen of the Desert was filmed near here. It was 31 degrees Celsius here and we went on a tour that wasn’t great - the guide seemed to be out of touch with our generation. He brought us to an opal field and asked us to find opals which are hard to find (there are plenty of stones called gypsy but are worth nothing). Crocodile Nest was part of the tour: the man living there seems to be crazy with all the bras hanging up, giant penises, statues of naked women and so on! Our last sight was the visit to the underground church. There was a view of the city and the sunset from one of the hills.