A Bit of Glenelg, the Grampians, and the Great Ocean Road

I got back to Adelaide after 4 hours on the bus. I headed straight for Glenelg again on the tram. This time, my friend James was away surfing for the weekend, so instead of staying with him again I checked in to the Glenelg Beach Hostel, just down the road from him and closer to the beach. Already I felt better about being out of Renmark. I went back into the city for a wander, as I'd neglected it the last time i was here.
That evening, after watching the sunset from the pier yet again, I just stayed in the hostel bar and met some other backpackers before having an early night.
The following morning, waking up fresh as a daisy, the sun was shining and the beach was calling! This would be the first beach I'd been to (in decent weather) in months. After a relaxing day, and another few drinks at the hostel bar with the people i'd met the previous night, James called. The sea was too rough to surf, and so they'd headed back from their trip a day early, and wanted to know if I was keen to go out. I was straight out the door the moment I put the phone down.
I met him at the Highway Inn (it's nicer than it sounds), where he and his mates were watching their team, the Adelaide Crows, play in the AFL finals. Afther the Crows lost, and the boys had had a few drinks to come to terms with it. we headed into the city.
Last time in Adelaide I'd b een particularly unimpressed. But this was by day. By night was a different story. James and his mates showed me a good night out at 2 brilliant clubs in the city.
At 5am, I put myself in a taxi and sent myself home. I only remembered where i'd been when I woke up, by the club's stamps still on my arm, and the awful, drunken photos on my camera.
Today, the weather was crap, raining and cloudy, a big difference from the day before. But this was fine by me; a perfect excuse to not get out of bed, and instead, recover from the night before, which was the best night i'd had in ages after spending so long in the riverland.
I popped round to see James later in the day (he was feeling just as rough as I was) to say my goodbyes to him and his family. Assuming I come back to Australia for another year and decide to visit Glenelg again, James and his girlfriend will be away travelling. Although this didn't stop his mum from offering me a place to stay - bless her!
The next day, I booked my trip to Melbourne. I was doing a 3 day/ 2 night tour to the Grampians and the Great Ocean Road, ending up in the city centre.
So, on my last day in Glenelg, I just chilled on the beach, and of course, watched one last sunset from the pier.
Packing that night, I was like an excited kid on Christmas Eve. I was alone in my dorm, so I had my music blaring while I packed and got myself organised.

I had to be at the Hilton in the city at 7am, which meant lugging my bags and catching the tram at 6.30am. Waiting outside the Hilton with my backpack, looking tired and scruffy, I felt considerably out of place.
My bus came to get me, late of course, and I met 2 of the other people on the trip, a German girl and a French guy. Considering the company I went with is a well known one, and popular amongst backpackers, I was looking forward to meeting the 12 or so other people I expected to be on the trip. We went to a hostel and picked up Sarah from Manchester, and then we were on our way. That was it.... a grand total of 4 people! Not quite the lively trip I had been hoping for! The German girl and French guy spoke next to know English - poor sods must have been bored out of their minds with no one to talk to, and barely understanding our guide. Thankfully, Sarah was just as chatty as me, so we barely stopped talking while we were on the road. As always with meeting other backpackers whilst travelling, it's great to hear other people's opinions about places to go/ avoid and tell stories about where you've been.
Sarah and I both said, had it not been for eachother, we don't know how we'd have survived the trip with no one else to talk to!
So the first stop was the Grampians, one of Victoria's (we'd crossed the border by now) most outstanding natural beauties. The first place we went to here was the McKenzie Waterfall a fair trek from where we got off the bus. Luckily I was all prepared with my walking shoes and 2 litres of water - it was a long time since I'd done any excercise!
We had to walk down about 400 stops in a valley (walking down was fine, I just dreaded making our way back up)! When we got there I wasn't overly impressed to be honest. It was nice, I suppose, but after the absolutely stunning waterfalls I'd been too, and swam in, in Laos and Malaysia, nothing really compares. The only surprising part was that there was any water at all, considering the drought South Australia and Victoria have been having the last few years.
After the compulsory 'pose of front of the waterfall' photos, we headed back up the steps, collapsing by the time we reached the bus. And this was only the start of it over the next few days!
Back on the bus, having all the space we needed with only 4 of us, I resisted the urge for a little nap. We drove on to what's called the Balconies, and the Reed Lookout. The tour guide waited while we trekked through the mass of burnt forest - this area was badly affected by forest fires in 2006. We came to an opening and were completely taken aback by what we saw. We stood on a railed ledge that overlooked some of the most breathtaking views i've ever seen.

Under the clear blue sky was 90 km of forest, set deep into a valley almost as far as the eye could see, framed with mountains. I took so many photos yet I don't think a single one did it justice. So instead, I just stopped for a minute and took it all in. When you think of Australia you picture beaches or desert; I was never expecting anything like this, and it was just beautiful. And... there was more of this to come over the next couple of days.
After such an exhausting day it was time to head to the small town of Halls Gap, where we were staying for the night.
We pulled up at a hostel called Brambuk backpackers, set right in the heart of the forest. The town of Halls Gap is nothing but holiday homes for people to rent, and spend their time exploring the Grampians. The views from every window would be amazing, and there's no noise apart from the wildlife, such as kangaroos, going about their business oustide. The place was just so calm and tranquil. The hostel was really quiet, with only a few other people staying there and it had a big log fire and leather sofas. It was the perfect place for relaxing after a long day, and preparing for the next one. That night we were all asleep by about 9 at the very latest.
We were up at 6 for breakfast (a decent sized breakfast considering there were only 4 of us - another bonus from having a small group).
Next was a drive to the nearby Wonderland range, for a 2 hour trek to the Pinnacle. This was tough, especially with Sarah and I being smokers; We had to stop the group for a rest about 5 times! We were walking up the side of mountains, through forests, on rocky ground, it was so hard. Although we new it'd be worth it every time we looked back and saw Halls Gap looking more and more like a toy town the further up we got.
Eventually, after a gruelling 2 hours, we made it to the Pinnacle, a lookout point over yet more valleys. This time, aside from just forest, there were huge lakes dotted amongst the trees. Yes, I realise this doesn't sound particularly exciting, nor have I described it well, but words really don't do this scenery any justice. Nor do the photos (not that it stopped me from taking about 50 of the same thing)! I was so impressed, much moreso that I thought I'd be when I booked this trip. I think it'd be impossible not to be mesmorised by the views.
After we trekked back down, climbing over rocks and crossing bridges over water running through the mountains, we went to the Brambuk Aboriginal Culture & Info Centre, run by the the same people who run the hostel, to learn about, well, Aborigial Culture. Which although interesting, is the only history Australia has so so it's not like we hadn't read about it all before. Although I suppose this time was different from being in a museum in the city, we were actually in a real Aboriginal environment.


After this, it was time to head to the Great Ocean Road, a long coastal road running along the coast of Victoria, and the second part of our tour. In typical Victoria fashion, as we reached what is supposed to be a stunning and scenic stretch of road, the weather turned and became overcast and miserable. Hoodies on, we stopped at the Bay of Islands and the Bay of Martyrs. Lovely, yes; Amazing, no. It felt like I was just getting off the bus and taking photos because I felt like I had to.

Next, however, were the 12 Apostles (although only 6 or 7 remain) which were worth getting off the bus for. The 12 Apostle are rock formations standing tall in the middle of the ocean, just off the coastline, and are one of the reasons people travel the Great Ocean Road. So, typical of a tourist spot, it was full of snap-happy Japanese. The idea was that we'd get there for sunset, and that it'd be amazing, with great photos etc. But the sun was no where to be seen, hiding behind thick grey clouds. I only just managed to get my photo taken before it started to piss it down. We just managed to get to the London Bridge before the rain really spoilt it for us.

The 12 Apostles, London Bridge, Bay of Martyrs etc are all gradually being eroded by rough seas and the weather conditions, so it's more than likely that in years to come, nothing will be left standing.
Our guide told us about a group of tourists who walked across onto the London Bridge, and as they did so, part of it crumbled behind them, leaving them stranded until a helicopter came to their rescue! Now, it's all strictly out of bounds and you just walk within the rails.
We drove on in the pouring rain, after taking loads of photos that all pretty much looked the same, and checked into the Oceanview Backpackers in Apollo Bay. What a contrast from where we'd stayed the night before, looking out onto the choppy ocean and grey sky. It was such a shame the weather was bad because otherwise it was such a nice, peaceful seaside town.
We sat out on the deck (undercover) playing card games while our poor guide cooked us a BBQ under an umbrella. After yet another giant meal we just relaxed until we were ready for bed after yet another long day.
In the morning, at 6am again, we got up to watch the sunrise at the 12 Apostles, but decided against it when we saw that it was still pouring down. Instead we continued driving along this coastal road, not really able to appreciate it through the rainy haze.
At one point, on a part of the road that reminded me of Langkawi Island, Malaysia, where we stopped to feed monkeys, we pulled over to spot koalas (my favourite Australian animal)! I loved it, again like an excited kid. I was running through puddles in the forest in the pouring rain, desperate to spot some, annoyed when I couldn't. It wasn't til our tour guide pointed a few out to us that I realised they don't just dangle off trees waiting to be photographed by tourists. Instead, you have to look 100m up a tree, to the end of the thinnest, weakest looking branch, to spot this cute, funny creatures, curled in a ball, balancing, oblivious to us, the rain, or the fact that the branch could snap under their weight at any moment!
Like a typical child, I was making noise, whistling, clapping my hands, doing what it took to wake these animals from their slumber, to wave or pose for the camera, but to no avail. And they were so high up that in any photos I did take, they just look like a part of the tree. But still, I'm glad I got to see them in their natural habitat, even if they didn't smile for a photo!
Next, we were supposed to go on a trek through a rainforest, but we decided against it because it was just so wet. Instead we stopped in yet another seaside town, Lorne, for coffee and a cake, hoping for it to ease off.
After our rest stop, we went to Bells Beach, home of the Rip Curl surfing competition, somewhere I was supposed to go months earlier but didn't because of the weather. This time I didn't even get off the bus. I didn't see the point in looking at and taking photos of yet another rain-soaked beach. And so I slept, all the way to the city of Melbourne, where I'd left only 2 months previously. Even so, I was excited to be going back to somewhere I know and love.
This time around, instead of staying with my mates again in the suburbs and commuting into the city, I decided to stay at Urban Central, where I knew other backpackers, until I could find an apartment to rent for the duration of my stay.
So after a really great few days, only partly spoilt by the weather and the two non-English speaking backpackers, I was back in Melbourne, ready to get back into the swing of city life!