Winter 2019, OZ - 29 Apollo Bay (Shipwreck Coast)

2019, OZ - 29   Apollo Bay (Shipwreck Coast)

Rocky Shoreline Due to Pieces Falling Off the Clifffs

Many, many a ship sank along the Southern Coast of Australia; especially around the area of Apollo Bay. The Shipwreck Coast is an appropriate description. The limestone walls of the Australian Continent are what greet you when you arrive by sea. The cliffs are high and seemingly endless, lots of split-off rocks, boulders and older wall sections are below the water line and if you come too close to shore, in a section that looks so inviting after so many months at sea… bam, your ship slams into these hidden obstacles and your trip, no your life, ends right here. 

The Jetty Near Where the Napier Sank

About the Napier

 

I told you about the Loch Ard in the last blog, but there were many other ships that met their demise. Some ships like the Napier, who tried to help the Loch Ard, also sank. The water off the coast, even today, is still a very dangerous place for ships.

Some of the 12 Apostles

The 12 Apostles:  is a collection of limestone stacks formed by the erosion of the cliffs along one section of the Great Ocean Road in Australia. Today these sections of eroded cliffs are photo ops for tourists like us, but hazards for the sailors who are unprepared for these traps.

2 More Apostles In the Other Direction

The Gibson Steps Down to the Beach

We stopped at some areas like the Gibson Steps, but did not get down to sea level. There were just too many sections to gawk at, too many special configurations of the same disheveled limestone wall that forms the coastline here.

Another Tingle Tree at Maits Rest

The Rain Forest of Maits Rest

We continued driving and stopped a bit further on to stretch our legs at the Maits Rest.

What a wonderful walk this was. I took dozens of pictures, I felt like I was in a wonderland. This is the Australian Rain Forest, I love it. There are ferns everywhere; Impossible to walk through without the walk-way that was installed. I could just imagine the first settlers who came to this area, how the heck did they even walk through here. I thought Dinosaurs would show up at any moment, that’s how old this area looked. It looked millions of years old. 

 

A 'Shedding' Eucalyptus Tree

It was like finding a jewel, while walking. This was a short walk but it left a powerful impression. I have walked through ‘jungle’ before, but this was dense, full of nooks and crannies of old, half rotten foliage, yet very fertile soil. I wondered how a rain forest like that could exist in the normally dry Australia… but then there are many mini climates in OZ, I believe anything is possible when it comes to growing flora here.  I felt like an explorer. Myrtle bush, Blackwood and other rare species grew within this enclave. 

This Pretty Thing Hung Around Awhile

A Strange Fungus

The room we had in the town of Apollo was not great. But we had no choice, there were not many rooms available. Carol killed 4 flies as soon as she went into the room. We only had one chair to sit on; one of us had to sit on the bed. At 11.00 PM the garbage truck came to empty the dumpsters at the side of the hotel, what a racket. I even went outside and complained…but of course, it did not help.

I know, I know, we are just guests in this place, but really… do not use the Apollo Bay Motel if at all possible.  Not Good!

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?