The Vagabond Farmers blog lives on! We have missed a few trips over the past couple of years, but a two month exploration of Australia and New Zealand seemed worthy of a blog.
We left NYC on February 12 destined for Melbourne - an incredible 21 hours of flight time. I still can't figure out this dateline thing; somehow we landed here two days after we left and when we return, we arrive back in New York about six hours after we leave Australia. Crazy as the time difference is, we really did not have much trouble with jet lag - I think the body was just too confused, so it just adjusted. And how weird to travel all that way and find everyone speaking English.
We spent the first two days catching up on sleep and exploring the parks of Melbourne. We found it to be a very comfortable and livable city. We spent an afternoon wandering through the botanical gardens and walked along the Yara River that flows through town.
Our first hiking destination was The Great Ocean Walk. The entire walk is 100 km. along the Victoria south coast. It is located about three hours southwest of Melbourne via train and bus. We opted to only do the western section, covering about 40 km in three days. We staged in Apollo Bay the day before starting to get provisions and arrange for transportation.
We hiked with full packs and camped at remote designated campsites located along the trail. The route parallels the coast, but meanders mostly high above the cliff-lined headlands, occasionally dropping to unspoiled beaches or heading inland through remnant stands of native forest.
It was so interesting to hike through ecosystems that at first glance seemed familiar, but then you realize you cannot identify any of the the trees or plants. And of course, there are all the bizarre birds and wildlife... parrots and cockatoos instead of seagulls, kangaroos and koalas instead of deer and raccoons. And oh yeah, then there are the snakes... lots of big poisonous ones - here's a shot of our first encounter with a four foot long Tiger snake. It is the species responsible for the most snake-bite fatalities in Australia. Fortunately, another hiker had spotted this one before we got to it, so we could keep a safe distance away. Amazing how every stick and root in the trail started to look like snakes after that.
Here are a couple of shots along the route where it heads inland...
....back up above the cliffs...
....up some steps - actually a lot of steps....
..but what a view at the top; time for a break.
The Great Ocean Walk ends at the iconic feature of the 12 Apostles - a group of impressive sea stacks. The last day of the hike you can view them at each viewpoint on the trail as they get closer and closer.
Finally, you reach the end of the hike.... to be greeted by literally thousands of Chinese tourists and sightseeing helicopters circling overhead. The 12 Apostles are a major tourist attraction - the most popular in the area. It turns out that this was also Chinese New Years, and many Chinese come here for vacation. Most arrive by tour bus or rented car via the Great Ocean Road, rather than the Great Ocean Walk. Even though this is one of Australia's most popular hikes, we encountered very few people during the hike. The first night the camping area was full, but this was only about 20 people.; the second night there were only five of us in camp.
It was a great hike and a great introduction to Australia. We returned to Melbourne to clean ourselves up and plan the next destination... the "Australian Alps"!
