Melbourne to Adelaide - Tuesday 13th November

Desperately early start from Melbourne that involved a thirty minute taxi ride for me to get to the pick up point, only to discover an hour later, having driven all around the rest of Melbourne picking up passengers that we picked up more people within ten minutes of where I was staying!Never mind.

Drove out to Torquay (just about everywhere in Australia is named after an English town - I wonder why?!).Then on to Bells Beach, the only protected surf coast in the world.Unfortunately the day we were there the sea could barely muster half metre of surf and my dreams of seeing lots of hunky young men riding the waves were sadly dashed.However, did have a quick dash into the Billabong and Ripcurl factory shop.Didn't have enough time to shop 'til I dropped but picked up one or two bits.After lunch in Apollo Bay onto the Otway Fly a metal structure built up over the forest canopy.Great so long as you don't suffer from altitude sickness or get vertigo.The cantilever arm was good, particularly with more than about four people on it - bit like I imagine the Millennium Bridge in London swayed.Spent the night in Princetown, population of eight!

On Wednesday took a helicopter flight out over the twelve apostles and the coast.I expect you all know that the twelve apostles are rocks that have broken away from the coast and protrude from the water.Since I was last there four years' ago, one has fallen into the water so I guess it's now eleven and a bit apostles. The Great Ocean road was built by Australian soldiers coming back from the first world war as they had no employment. Theere were no diggers or mechanical drills and all of it was dug by hand. Many men died in its construction - a bit ironic that you lived through a war and came home to die digging a road. This is known as the shipwreck coast.We heard the story of the Loch Ard ship that sank bringing settlers out from England.The only two survivors landed up in an inlet where there was a cave.Tom rescued Eva from the sea and put her in a cave whilst he went off to find help.Seventeen hours later he came back and she was saved.Anyway to cut a long story short, after all that and despite the fact that they remained friends all their lives, she refused to marry him as he was not of her class!And I so wanted a happy ending.Anyway when other bodies were washed up they were buried in the piano casings that were also washed up and that were being taken out to Oz . They apparently made very good coffins.Rumour has it that if you visit the cemetery that overlooks the sea at 0200 in the morning you can hear the pianos being played - spooky or what.Drove on to the Grampians and to the Pinnacles.Managed about a mile of boulder and stream hopping whilst going up a hill about 3:1.Decided to leave it to the youngsters and with another lady strolled back, watched the lizards and decided to chill out until they got back.Just a bit difficult as the temperature was 30+ degrees.Stopped at Hall's Gap overnight.Lots of Eastern Greys (kangaroos) in the paddock behind us.Some of the males were boxing, great fun to watch.Found out that the females are always pregnant.They usually have a young joey out of the pouch, one in the pouch and one in the womb.They are very clever though.If there is something wrong, i.e. a bush fire or an outside catastrophe of some sort they can stop the embryo from developing until everything is OK again and then it starts developing again.Strikes me they have a bit of a tough life.

Thursday

Early start.Up to Reed Lookout, one can see forever from up there. The early settlers were very brave facing such impenetrable country.Even now you look and see nothing but bush as far as the eye can see.Then walked Hollow Mountain or looked at aboriginal art in some caves.McKenzie Falls were next on the agenda and well worth the walk down to the bottom.It seems strange to see such magnificent falls in quite a dry area.The Grampians suffered very severe bush fire damage in February, 2006 and are still recovering but it is feared that some flora and fauna may be lost for all time as twenty months on some has still not recovered and re-grown.

Bus broke down on way back to Adelaide - had to be nursed home for last three hours and just about made it.Good trip.