Solo Australia Part 9: Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road
6-28 After a good night's sleep, I got up, ate, packed, and slowly walked towards the pick-up point on Chinatown Street, enjoying Melbourne's city center. Then I got a call from the tour guide saying everyone was there, and only I was missing! But it wasn't time yet, so I had to rush back to the departure point in double-quick time, arriving right on time! Haha. Today we were going to drive along the world's most beautiful and longest coastal road, the Great Ocean Road, to the Twelve Apostles.
After World War I, 50,000 soldiers returned from the front line. Due to the huge number, the government could not settle them all, so they made them land in South Australia and stay here, spending 12 years building this 276-kilometer-long road. Many did not die in the war but gave their lives to this beautiful road. The first half of the Great Ocean Road is stunningly beautiful, with sandy beaches and cities. We stopped at Apollo Bay for lunch and took a walk to relieve the fatigue of sitting in the car. Then we crossed the national park, virgin forest, and pastures. When we saw the sea again, it was steep cliffs and magnificent danger. After nearly 4 hours of driving, we finally arrived at the Twelve Apostles. Starting tens of millions of years ago, the relatively soft limestone cliffs on the continental shelf were constantly eroded by the turbulent Southern Ocean and strong winds, gradually forming caves in the cliffs. These caves eventually became arches. When the arches collapsed, the result is what we see today—12 rocks of various shapes, up to 45 meters high, separated from the coast. After thousands of years of wave and wind erosion, nature's uncanny workmanship carved them into human-like faces with different expressions. They look sad, gentle, and ingenious, just like the 12 apostles of Jesus in the Bible story, hence the name. As erosion continues, some rocks have fallen, and new apostles are constantly forming. The most recent was on September 25, 2009, when the 5th apostle fell, and it was even broadcast live on TV. Now only 7 remain. Some say, since this scenery is so spectacular, why not artificially fix these apostles to prevent the rest from falling? The Australian government said, this is purely natural; human intervention is not allowed to preserve this naturalness, to witness the power of nature, and to understand life and death! That makes sense. In Australia, natural scenery does not charge admission; the Twelve Apostles have no entrance fee. For such a spectacular view, I chose to see it from the air—I took a helicopter. I got a ticket from the travel company; originally 95 dollars, discounted to 80 dollars for 10 minutes. With a roar, we took off. The pilot was an excellent and handsome pilot selected from the military, and the flight was very smooth. I was accompanied by two Japanese girls who sat in the back together, while I, alone, had the honor of sitting in the front passenger seat with a wide view. The entire coastline of the Twelve Apostles was spectacular and unique; you cannot see the whole view without being in the air. It was truly a rare flying experience. London Bridge was once a natural arch with two caves on the marine rock layer, but in 1990, the stone bridge suddenly collapsed, forming the broken bridge that is no longer connected in the middle. I'll include a picture from the internet before the collapse, a very vivid London Bridge, alluding to the nursery rhyme: London Bridge is falling down.
We headed to Loch Ard Gorge. There is a true story here. On June 1, 1878, a British immigrant ship, the Loch Ard, was sailing to Melbourne when it hit the rocks and sank here. A 20-year-old young sailor, after falling into the sea, fought hard in the wind and waves. When he was exhausted, he heard a girl's cry. He took a sip of whiskey and swam towards the girl, saving an 18-year-old British noble girl who had been on the same ship. The two were washed by the sea into the beach of this gorge and survived, while the other 52 people all perished. They were really lucky. The entrance to this gorge is very narrow, and the surroundings are all steep cliffs, making it impossible to climb ashore. Later, a beautiful love story developed between them, but due to the disparity in their social statuses, the love ultimately had no result. However, the sailor kept working hard and eventually became a captain. To commemorate the 52 victims, the gorge was named after the ship, also known as the Shipwreck Gorge.
The love story ended in tragedy, but my day's itinerary concluded perfectly. I returned to the city around 7pm, went to the Woolworths supermarket at QV to buy some more food, then went back to cook dinner.
Complete Collection of Solo Australia Tours
Solo Australia Part 27: Shopping
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1885842.html
Solo Australia Part 26: Strolling Around
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1885841.html
Solo Australia Part 25: Sydney Taronga Zoo
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1885160.html
Solo Australia Part 24: Paddington Market
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1885838.html
Solo Australia Part 23: Sydney Bondi Beach
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1884686.html
Solo Australia Part 22: Sydney The Rocks Market
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1884684.html
Solo Australia Part 21: Wollongong
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1884683.html
Solo Australia Part 20: Sydney Blue Mountains
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1884682.html
Solo Australia Part 19: Gold Coast Sunrise Koala Q1 Building
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1884681.html
Solo Australia Part 18: Gold Coast Movie World
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1885391.html
Solo Australia Part 17: Gold Coast Sea World
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1884680.html
Solo Australia Part 16: Brisbane, Capital of Queensland
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/brisbane323/1884679.html
Solo Australia Part 15: Gold Coast Whale Watching
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1884678.html
Solo Australia Part 14: Gold Coast Rainforest 4WD
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1884677.html
Solo Australia Part 13: Gold Coast Glowworm Cave
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/goldcoast456/1884676.html
Solo Australia Part 12: Port Stephens Dolphin Watching
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1884675.html
Solo Australia Part 11: Melbourne City
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/melbourne312/1884672.html
Solo Australia Part 10: Melbourne Sanding for Gold
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/melbourne312/1885390.html
Solo Australia Part 9: Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/melbourne312/1884671.html
Solo Australia Part 8: Melbourne Phillip Island
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/melbourne312/1884670.html
Solo Australia Part 7: Canberra
http://you.ctrip.com/place/canberra321.html
Solo Australia Part 6: Parks, Markets, Zoo
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1885275.html
Solo Australia Part 5: Sydney City
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/sydney236/1884668.html
Solo Australia Part 4: Integration
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1884667.html
Solo Australia Part 3: Transport and Communication
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1884875.html
Solo Australia Part 2: Arrival
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1884873.html
Solo Australia Part 1: Preparation
http://you.ctrip.com/travels/australia100048/1884664.html
