Pills `n` thrills and bellyaches

Sunday, 23/09/2012 - 101 A.D.

We got up early this morning because there was a lot of driving to do. The boys were going to hit the Great Ocean Road, while Harry stayed home to look after Otis and get a few things done.  Plus there was no room for all four of us and the luggage in the car. The Great Ocean Road is listed by the Australian National Heritage and is 151 miles long in total, built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932. Given that we’d be out all day doing our circuit and would barely cover a short patch of Victoria, it was yet another reminder of just how vast this country is.

Above is a shot of Bells Beach, where we stopped off for a quick leg-stretch and view. It is home to The Rip Curl Pro Surf and Music Festival, which I gather is some sort of event that is big on the surfing circuit. As you can see above, there weren’t any surfers out there today, but that is because the cross current was coming in at a 2.7 overflow curl when you need at least 3.6 mixed with a beach wind of 12 hectares per furlong. Or it might’ve been a bit too cold. Either way, it was good to get a look at the Southern Ocean, a vast expanse of majestic blue sitting before us. Next stop south is Antarctica!

We stopped for butterfish, flake and battered saveloy and chips at the small town of Apollo Bay, then headed slightly inland and took a detour to look for some wild koalas. Liam claimed that the last four times he’d taken people to this exact spot they had seen koalas in the trees and today was no exception – strike five! Unfortunately they were a bit too high up to get a good picture, and besides, as good as it is to see them, koalas in the wild is a bit like old news. Now we want to photograph snakes and, errr, crocodiles, the latter of which we definitely will not see in Victoria (same probably goes for the former, given it’s not dry enough). I also forgot to say that earlier on the drive we saw a group of five kangaroos hopping across the rolling green hills, which was a cracking sight, but once again the superfast skippers were too quick for my camera shutter.

The main draw on the Great Ocean Road is The 12 Apostles, which is a collection of limestone stacks jutting out from the water in dramatic fashion. They were formed by erosion of the cliffs which formed caves, which then became arches, which in turn collapsed, leaving the free-standing “apostles” which can be up to 45 metres high. I actually think there are less than 12 of these stacks…or maybe it’s more…but either way it’s not exactly 12. Still, that’s erosion for you, it never waits. But erosion had created a spectacular sight and it was well worth the long drive to get here.

 Do we look a little windswept in the picture above? That’s because there were icy gales blowing straight off the ocean, so cold that my face nearly froze and I thought I’d got earache. Shame really, because we would have spent a lot longer staring out at the apostles had it not been so chilly. And just as we were walking out of the car park, I spotted coming straight towards us the two German girls who we’d shared a room with back in Canberra. I put on my best smile and tried to make eye contact, but they walked past with faces to the floor. Given that they’d just come back from the viewing point they were probably too cold to see anything, let alone a lanky English bloke with a big silly grin.

After that it was the long drive back to Melbourne and Liam was good enough to drop us off at our hotel. We are staying in the Baden Powell Hotel in the eastern suburb of Collingwood, and those who have been paying attention will be aware that it’s where my Aussie Rules Football team are from, though I’m not sure if the ground is anywhere near. It’s a double bed in the room, but at least it’s en suite, though curiously the bathroom is not enclosed, i.e. there’s a space above the door. Good job there’s a television so we can turn the volume up loud if needs be! It’s a bit of a comedown sharing a bed again after having separate rooms at Liam and Harry’s, but we can suffer this last hardship because in Asia we will be living like kings, right?

Hmmm… 

Monday, 24/09/2012 - 102 A.D.

This is an anti-malarial pill, doxycycline to be precise. I have to take them to prevent some very nasty bites from some very nasty mozzies. This particular anit-malarial needs to be taken 1-2 days before arriving in an affected area and four weeks after leaving one. That means I’m still going to be popping these little green pills back in England in deepest January when this trip is a distant memory! The white ones in the tub are paracetemols and the brown ones are multi-vitamins for a bit of extra protection. I popped my first green pill this morning and I’m pleased to report no side effects so far. At one point I felt as if I was feeling a little sickly, but I’m sure that was just psychosomatic. Tim feels fine as well, his oncoming cold somehow having disappeared (not for the first time on this trip!)  

Our last day in Australia would be one for getting things done. Although we were yet to explore the centre of Melbourne, we’d been told that there were relatively few highlights to see anyway. The Melbourne experience is all about living here over time and taking it all in, living as a Mebournian – apparently it’s been voted the most liveable city in the world, not sure by who, but I’m pretty sure the jury did not consist solely of Melbourne residents.

Things we did today included:

·         Turning up to the popular Victoria Markets, which is closed on Mondays.

·         Trading in the guidebook for a new Elmore Leonard novel (in light of no south east Asia guidebook being available).

·         Eating lunch at Hungry Jacks, which is basically Burger King, but somehow a little more tasty.

·         Sending stuff back home in a cardboard box via sea mail. It takes three months, so by the time it gets back…we’ll probably get back as well!

·         Getting out some Singapore dollars to pay for a taxi ride to our hotel.

·         Having a haircut at a place called Jets Hair Stylist…

I think the young oriental girl did a reasonable job, don’t you? Back at the hotel we found that the staff had come in at some point to take away our towels, but had neglected to provide us with fresh ones. When we went a-huntin` for them, no one was around and the bar below the hotel was closed on Mondays so couldn’t ask around in there. However, there was no time to ponder solutions as we were meeting Liam and Harry for drinks at 7.15 in the city and we had to gobble down a couple of $5 pizzas before heading out. 

The current trend in Melbourne is that the coolest bars are down grubby side alleys within buildings made to look like they are derelict (in many cases they probably are!) Apparently there are 200 or so bars like this in the city. Unfortunately it was still Monday and therefore a lot of the places we sought out were closed. I enjoyed drinking in the establishments we did get to and I didn’t mind paying $38 dollars for a round of four drinks. In a way, it was a fitting farewell to the ever-expensive Australia.

So, having conquered another country, what are my thoughts on leaving Australia? I found it difficult to adjust at first, struggling initially to get into the hardcore backpacking scene that dominates the east coast. It didn’t help that I arrived here tired from a month in a camper van, missing an iPod and sleeping the first night in Cairns airport. Oz for me was never somewhere I had a massive desire to go to, more like a place to pass through on the way to other climes. Still, I’m really glad I did pass through, even though I didn’t do the regulation snorkelling, rafting, etc. All that will just have to wait until another time, and possibly another incarnation. There are a lot of positive things I could say about this country, but I think the guidebook summed it up best when it said, “…there is a general feeling that things are okay…” and I agree with that. Everything is okay here, it’s a shame it’s also a little pricey for us Brits, but the people are ultra-friendly and they really know how to run a Greyhound service. Right now though, I think Australia has suffered because it directly preceded the looming behemoth that is Asia…a behemoth that looms ever larger…only an eight hour flight away now…