First we passed Geelong, the 2nd largest city in Vistoria State and it suffered some fires after which only few houses survived. The one below is the lucky one because it's on a pole. Actually the owner, an engineer predicted the bushfire which at that time people thought it impossible as Geelong is just near the sea with a high humidity. But the result!
Also the day i went there was the internation surfing tournament. So we didn't get the access to the beach, but in somewhere we did see people surfing
And after some time, we are on the road
The view from our bus is wonderful and sometimes I felt that it dangerous to drive just on the cliff. Drivers must have a fair deakin skill to do that.
We arrived at koalas' paradise where you could see lots of koalas, all wild ones. Here is one in his sweet dream. They say koalas sleep 22h per day, quite lazy:)
Now we left the sea a little bit and got to a rainforest. It isn't a tropical rainforest but a temprate one. On top, there are lots of tall trees which have shade on the bushes. And inside it was quite humid, actually you would feel cold. No snakes inside but you will see snails and fungis.
Near the noon, we stopped at Appolo Bay, nice small town where you can have a good rest. This small town lived on the fishing. But later when the fish resources went less, tourism became the main source of income. There used to be a Kangaroo Golf, the kangaroos can play golf!
After the lunch, we were heading for the 12 apostles. That's our main menu. I tried the helicopter above the 12 apostles, the view was wonderful and unforgetable. It was amazing, like the paradise.
Here we go, Captain!
12 apostles from a bird's view (now it seems to be only 10 apostles as two have recently collapsed)
The direction to the sun:
I don't now how high we were!
after the helicopter adventure, we walked along the cliff.
Still nice, isn't it?
The time passed fast, we have to go to the next place: Port campbell & Loch Ard Gorge
There was a beautiful story here: (From the site of Great Ocean Road http://www.greatoceanrd.org.au/portcampbell/lochardgorge.asp)
The drama of one of Victoria’s most tragic shipwrecks was played out at this very spot more than 120 years ago, giving a name to the gorge.Fifty-two people died after the sailing ship, the iron clipper Loch Ard, rammed into the sheer cliffs of Muttonbird Island in stormy weather on 1 June, 1878, just days from completing a three-month voyage from England to Melbourne. The island lies near the entrance to the long, narrow gorge. It was this gorge and its tiny beach that were the lifesavers for apprentice crewman Tom Pearce and young passenger Eva Carmichael, both 18 years old.According to Tom’s account of the disaster, the ship had been sailing in thick, hazy weather. When noticed it was rapidly heading toward shore, Captain Gibb began evasive action and dropped the anchors. But the ship dragged the anchors and desperate attempts to raise the sails were abruptly cut short when the Loch Ard struck the cliffs. “The ship commenced to roll, and was fast sinking, the sea breaking aboard her on both sides,” Tom said in his account. “Captain Gibb ordered the lifeboat to be got ready to receive the ladies. They could not get the boat clear of tackling for some time, owing to it being stuck on the skids.”Tom said he and five seaman managed to launch the port lifeboat and hold it against the ship to receive passengers. But a huge wave struck and washed them away. Tom was eventually washed into the gorge.“During the whole of these proceedings, the captain stood on the port side of the ship giving orders. The ship went down within 10 minutes or quarter of an hour after striking the bluff,” Tom said.Eva was lucky to survive. Washed into the boiling sea with only a life-belt, she managed to grab hold of a floating chicken coop.“By this time, the Loch Ard had disappeared under the waves,” Eva said in her statement. “In a few minutes, after turning the point of the rock, I saw Tom Pearce standing on the beach. I shouted to him, where upon he walked into the water and swam towards me.“Tom had a desperate struggle to bring me ashore; and from the time I shouted to him to the time we were safe on the beach about an hour must have elapsed.”Tom took Eva to the cave in the cliff behind the beach. They found a case of brandy and drank a bottle.“Cold and exhausted - for we must have been in the water for about five hours - we lay down on the ground. I soon fell into a state of insensibility, and must have been unconscious for hours,” Eva said.Tom climbed the precipitous cliffs and met a party from nearby Glenample homestead. Eva also was soon rescued and taken back to the homestead to recuperate.Visitors to Loch Ard today can descend the staircase to the beach and see where Tom and Eva struggled to survive. They can visit the cave where the teenagers collapsed, exhausted. Visitors also can walk along the headlands and overlook the very spot where the Loch Ard smashed into the sheer cliffs. Storyboards on the paths explain the Loch Ard story. A path also leads to the small cemetery where there is a monument to the Carmichael family and where the few bodies that were recovered are buried.When the sun shines and the weather is calm, it is difficult to understand how this tragedy happened. But visit when storms and galeforce winds are whipping the sea into a frenzy, and you’ll quickly realise it’s miracle anyone survived.
Tom and Eva loved each other, but Eva left to Ireland and married another man and also died there. Later people saw her diary and know that Eva loved Tom too. And maybe the wreck gave her too much sorrow: she lost her parents.
Our last destination is the famous London Bridge. (A funny song: London Bridge has fallen down). It collapsed in 1990, and make the right part isolated. There is a story about the bridge. The day when it collaped, two people were trapped there waiting for the help. And when the helicopter released them on the land, they refused to have interviews and ran away as if they wanted to hide something. Later the newspaper revealed that the two worked both in Melbourne and on that day neither wanted to work, so they decided to go to the great ocean road. And as their relationship is not open, they were afraid to be exposed to the public. My friend said that later the man divorced after that because his wife knew he has a relationship with the woman.
The view is even more nice with stories.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire