Day 41

13 March 2013

Today was apostle day!! Now while I was excited about this day, I also was thinking that I have already seen so many photos of these things, and was skeptical about whether actually seeing them for real would be much different....

Day did not start well....wind was huge here last night! We had the awning on the ute out overnight and were woken early morning with a huge bang which made us both sit upright and say WTF was that?! Well it was the awning crashing down! So in these huge winds we are trying to put the awning down while the wind is getting under it and forming a sort of parachute above our heads!! Crazy! Even better news it bent the leg of the awning so we couldn't pack it up properly and just had to do what we could until the morning. Not much more sleep was had after this as wind was so strong, Joel also got up and put tent poles on a diagonal at our beds to brace the roof as it was just swaying around in the breeze! Good times! We hate wind!!! The water pump in the van also burst and leaked water everywhere the night before so we weren't having much luck!

Anyway we packed up and got the hell out of there this morning for brighter pastures! Made it to the apostles, there is lots of parking here for big rigs which is good, and a little kiosk and toilets if you need them. Then a short walk to a boardwalk that overlooks the apostles. Well I couldn't be further from the truth by saying that seeing pictures would do this place justice....it did not! No matter how many pictures you have seen of these things, you will never be able to imagine how amazing it is in real life. The sheer size, shape, coastline....just amazing! This has to be on everyone's bucket list! I was really in awe...from here there are so many little stops you can see more and more of this great coastline.

We then stopped at Loch Ard Gorge which has one of the greatest looking rocks (I think), called Razorback.

Also at Loch Ard Gorge is the thunder cave which is a cool little cave chiseled out by the waves.

Further along the road is the arch, also great, just amazing that this is all naturally occurring!

Then to London Bridge which has collapsed into two pieces now. When this collapsed there was actually people standing on one of the rocks and they were marooned there until a helicopter could pick them up!

Bay of islands is pretty much the last lookout of this great area.

Great Ocean Road done and we are now in Warrnambool staying at a Big 4 park, living it up with jumping pillow, spa, heated pool, gym, table tennis, big TV and hot showers! All of which we have used this afternoon! Only here for the night and then well we are not sure.....

Carly & Joel

 

Posted with Blogsy

Day 17

17 February 2013

Last night and this morning was freezing, apparently got to 9 degrees overnight here! Where is summer, I am not done with you yet!

Off to Jenolan Caves this morning, it is about 28kms from Oberon and a fairly easy drive. There is a steep section down into the caves entrances which runs for about 5km and is very narrow road, luckily for us there is two entrances to the caves and we seemed to be the only ones using this road!

It is quite an interesting looking place and you can actually stay here in the accommodation. They also have concerts and a restaurant if you are looking for something different. There are 12 different cave tours to choose from all ranging in price from $30-$40. They run at certain times of the day so check this before you go if you want to look at a certain cave. We didn't really mind which one, the next one leaving was booked out, so we decided on Temple of Baal which is described on the website as

"The Temple of Baal Cave is renowned for its beauty and spectacular features. Although this cave is often used as a wedding venue, it is not a ‘temple’. Rather, the unusual name was inspired by limestone formations which reminded early cave explorers of the Biblical story of ‘Elijah and the Prophets of Baal’.

Visitors enter the Temple of Baal Cave via the ‘Binoomea Cut’ a long manmade tunnel. Then, they travel down the ‘Dragon’s Throat’, via a dramatic winding staircase. There are 2 massive chambers, one 42 metres high and filled with beautiful formations. One of these formations, the 9 metre tall ‘Angel's Wing’ shawl, is one of the largest cave shawls in the world. The cave also offers beautiful examples of crystal helictites.

This cave tour includes evocative light and sound, taking you back in time, to the creation and discovery of the cave."

We headed to our entry point and waited for our guide. I was saying to Joel how cool of a job it would be to show people through caves like this everyday and how there are not many jobs women normally do that aren't sitting on their ass so would be cool job. He thought the guide would be a man, but it was actually a nice young girl so there is hope for me yet!

The tour starts in a tunnel that leads to the cave, they then turn lights on slowly to show you different features of the cave. Well this is probably where my explanation ends, I am not sure I can describe what we saw in the cave.... Amazing, crazy, unbelievable to think this is a natural occurrence, silence was had all through the cave when each section was shown to the group, I think this is because no one knew what to say, what do you say, it's nothing like you have ever seen before! I tried to take many pictures, most of which didn't turn out as I made the mistake of taking the little camera and not my big one into the cave. With the lighting it was really hard to get a good shot and almost impossible to get a shot with a person in it! It was either just a shadow of your face or your face was ghost white from the flash and nothing could be seen in the background!

These photos give you a tiny idea of what you will see but seriously get here and see it, it is a must see on everyones bucket list, maybe even on your 30 before 30 list stace?

Included in your tour price is a free self guided tour through another cave called Nettle's Cave and Devil's Coachhouse. They give you a audio unit that tells you different things about the cave as you walk through. Of course it wasn't as spectacular as the paid caves but just different as this cave is exposed to the open air all the time so the cave is dull would be the only way I could describe it.

 

There is also a 1.5km river walk you can do and bistro for lunch. Little tip for the budget conscious, take your lunch and snacks as there are areas everywhere to eat and this will save you some dollars. This is pretty much a whole day event if you want it to be, lots of things to do and look at.

Your cave tour ticket also allows you to get 50% off another tour for 12 months after your first visit so if you know someone that has just been you could get it half price. (anyone want to go let me know)

If you want to spend the money you can actually abseil some of the caves as well!

Overall pretty cool place.

Bateman's Bay tomorrow.

Carly & Joel

 

Posted with Blogsy