Winter 2019 OZ - 28 Along the Great Ocean Road.

2019 OZ - 28   Along the Great Ocean Road.

Spectacular Scenery All Along the Great Ocean Road

Raining and cold in the AM, we saw a few snowflakes!

We are driving along the world famous ‘Great Ocean Road’, a road that winds itself close to the cliffs along the Southern Ocean’s edge in the south of Australia. This road is about 400 km long but packed with things to see and do. We only have a few days left before we have to fly back to Canada but here is what we stopped at, what we saw. There are many, many more attractions along this road. It’s not that we ran out of time, but we stopped at what we considered good for us.

Descending Into the Old Volcano

For today let’s talk about a wonderful place, an old volcano, a HUGE crater that was severely mistreated by early settlers. The name this crater has now is not dramatic, it’s called Tower Hill and it is currently a Wild Life Preserve.

This Tower Hill old volcano is one of the world’s largest nested Maars, nested because it seems to be below ground level.

Tower Hill was one of the earliest National Parks in Australia, from as far back as 1892.

Most of the Bottom of the Volcano Is a Lake With a Large Island in the Middle

 

We Saw Several Emus

Unfortunately, there was no enforcement of the rules back then so people, as people do, abused the landscape, cut down timbers, stole rocks, used the meadows as grazing venues and in some places even used to dump their trash into the lakes. It was a mess for a long time until after WW2 when things started to change. 

Cleanup began, rules were enforced, trees were planted, unwanted, foreign plants were removed, etc. In the last 40 years or so things have began to turn around. Wild life returned or were newly introduced. We saw

And Several Koalas

koalas, emus, magpies, strange birds with a red beak and many kangaroos. 

Strange Bird

There are many more species in this large, old volcano. The whole of it is the size of 3.2 x 2.4 km and the walls along the edges makes this the ‘nest’ where animals feel protected. Protected from cars, from people, from hunting and harm, the animals can now thrive here. History tells us that this area was a favorite hunting ground of the Aboriginals for the last 30,000 years. 

Saw Only 1 'Roo But There Are Many Around

Today there are walking (hiking) trails within this area and a ranger’s station with a gift store attached. One major, tarred road leads to this station, the rest of the area is left alone, left for Mother Nature to nurture it back to pristine and prime condition. Go, Mom, it’s worth it, it’s a wonderful spot on earth.

We took our time driving along the Great Ocean Road after visiting Tower Hill. Every time we saw something, we stopped. There were many beaches to visit, many cliffs to gawk at and many photogenic spots to take easy photos. The Bay of Islands was such a spot. The colors of the rock formations were so different; you just had to take a picture.

You Can See Why It's Called The Bay of Islands

 

Bay of Martyrs

Bay of Martyrs: With its sad story about a massacre, albeit unconfirmed, is a photographer’s heaven. Or is it a heaven for beach lovers? Or was it fishermen?  It sure is all of those… if you love the ocean, this is a great spot.

The Grotto Which You Are Not Supposed to Enter

The Grotto is a hole in the limestone of the cliff face. Strewn on the bottom are many boulders, large and small, all are slippery. 

 

We had to climb stairs way down to ocean level to get a good look at this hole, this arch; it’s a treacherous walk down, once you are down to ground level the view is wonderful. Signs are posted everywhere to stay on the path, to not climb the rocks, the boulders that are in the water. Yes, you guessed it, a guy just had to climb one of those rocks to be in a ‘better’ position to have his picture taken… and he slipped and was 

We Cheered When He Fell In

soaked. Just looking at where he was trying to go confirmed to me he had no common sense. 
He deserved the soaking; I hope he was wet down to his underwear. What a blatant idiot. 

Narrow, Rocky Entrance to the Gorge

Loch Ard Gorge  is like a movie set. In fact, some movies used this scene as a backdrop. But this idyllic spot has a more sinister history. 

When sailing ships still crossed the oceans commercially, one of those ships, the clipper ship Loch Ard, sank near here after a 3-month journey from London to Melbourne. Of the 54 people on board this ship, only 2 teenagers survived. Miraculously they were swept ashore inside this gorge where the water was much calmer and even had a tiny beach area. They were saved from drowning in the open, frightful sea. The young man (17) helped the girl (16), who was injured and needed rest, by finding a scrubby area for shelter, after which he climbed the cliff. He was in good shape and managed to reach the top only to realize that they were still lost. As far as he could see…. Only scrub brush! 

Loch Ard Gorge

It Would Be Hard to Climb These Walls

Please read the story by clicking on the link in blue above. I read this story while walking around the gorge and again while being at sea level. I looked up to the walls to imagine how I would get up there, climb up without the stairs that are now in place. Phew, that would be some climb.  I don’t know how the young man did it after he found himself trapped down here. And… once you are at the top of this ‘wall’ you are standing in just brush. There was no house to be seen as far as one could look. 

A Sheltered Area in the Gorge to Await Rescue

Now happenstance just brought a traveler, who was riding a horse to a nearby house, close to the survivor. They met somehow and I am sure both were very surprised to meet each other.

Well, you know how this ends right?  Both young people were saved, but… this not being Hollywood, they each went their separate ways after this. The young woman, went back to England to marry and had 2 children. The young man became a carpenter in Melbourne and lived a good, long life.

 

Crushing Power of the Waves (Entrance to the Gorge is Hidden) + the Vastness of the Scrub Brush at the Top of the Cliffs

It’s an amazing story; it becomes easier to appreciate once one stands in the same spots this young man stood. What a story, what a life, what strange circumstances.  I liked this place; it’s a one of a kind place worth the trip.    

Is this a better way to tell this story?