So, we're in Brisbane, but what about that last week of our travels in Victoria, in Melbourne, along the Great Ocean Road? Right, a quick review:
In Melbourne, besides watching the Aussie Open, we took the trolley down to St. Kilda, a funky beach community south of the city. There, we road bike-share bikes along the Esplanade; though hot that day, the breeze kept us reasonably cool (it definitely wasn't the speed of the one-speed, fat tire bikes!). In one of "those" moments, when we returned the bikes, we ran into a family just ready to take some out for a ride and, lo and behold, they were from Seattle! We captured them in the foreground of this shot of St. Kilda's little Luna Park:
We also walked through Kilda's botanical gardens, which were more than just a walk through park, but also well-used as a community garden.
After the Yarra Valley, covered in a prior post, we headed down to the Great Ocean Road, a spectacular, windy route along a treacherous shore known for its ship wrecks. We stayed one night in a very funky old monastery, with shared bathroom and kitchen that made us feel like we were in the dorms again. We shared the place with a Chinese family originally from Malaysia who were celebrating Chinese New Years (though we interpreted it as celebrating Kate's birthday). Our front yard was a sheep pasture:
The most famous part of the GOR is the 12 Apostles, remnants of the eroded coastline that loses about one inch per year from the relentless surf:
We ended that leg of the trip in the cute little town of Port Fairy, staying in the home of a very nice woman, Trish, her son's two dogs (he was off on his honeymoon), and her visiting sister. It was like dropping in on a friend of a friend - she gave us the run of the house (she had to, there was only one bathroom for all of us and it was in the very back), offered us nectarines off her trees, and traded stories with us about travels in Africa.
On the road from Port Fairy to Ballarat, an old mining town and last night before flying here to Brisbane, we spotted a pair of wedge-tailed eagles in a field, majestic birds with what are purported to be the largest eyes in the animal kingdom! Here's a shot of one … but I have to admit, this photo wasn't taken of those eagles in the field, but rather at the Healesville zoo during a bird demonstration. Still, it's a cool shot:
In Melbourne, besides watching the Aussie Open, we took the trolley down to St. Kilda, a funky beach community south of the city. There, we road bike-share bikes along the Esplanade; though hot that day, the breeze kept us reasonably cool (it definitely wasn't the speed of the one-speed, fat tire bikes!). In one of "those" moments, when we returned the bikes, we ran into a family just ready to take some out for a ride and, lo and behold, they were from Seattle! We captured them in the foreground of this shot of St. Kilda's little Luna Park:
We also walked through Kilda's botanical gardens, which were more than just a walk through park, but also well-used as a community garden.
After the Yarra Valley, covered in a prior post, we headed down to the Great Ocean Road, a spectacular, windy route along a treacherous shore known for its ship wrecks. We stayed one night in a very funky old monastery, with shared bathroom and kitchen that made us feel like we were in the dorms again. We shared the place with a Chinese family originally from Malaysia who were celebrating Chinese New Years (though we interpreted it as celebrating Kate's birthday). Our front yard was a sheep pasture:
The most famous part of the GOR is the 12 Apostles, remnants of the eroded coastline that loses about one inch per year from the relentless surf:
We ended that leg of the trip in the cute little town of Port Fairy, staying in the home of a very nice woman, Trish, her son's two dogs (he was off on his honeymoon), and her visiting sister. It was like dropping in on a friend of a friend - she gave us the run of the house (she had to, there was only one bathroom for all of us and it was in the very back), offered us nectarines off her trees, and traded stories with us about travels in Africa.
On the road from Port Fairy to Ballarat, an old mining town and last night before flying here to Brisbane, we spotted a pair of wedge-tailed eagles in a field, majestic birds with what are purported to be the largest eyes in the animal kingdom! Here's a shot of one … but I have to admit, this photo wasn't taken of those eagles in the field, but rather at the Healesville zoo during a bird demonstration. Still, it's a cool shot:
Aaaaah! Love the Wedge-tail!
ReplyDeleteAh, so jealous. I love Melbourne (I have a similar photo from Luna Park!) and the area around it. Glad you got some time there.
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