Melbourne
October 11, 2005
„Since the advent of quantum mechanics, scientists have been telling us that few things are as they appear, and nothing is certain......
Think of the extraordinary possibilities this presents: when nothing is certain, everything is possible!”
Hi there,
My first leg of the big escape 2005 is almost over and I am sitting on the porch of this beautiful place just of the beach in Torquay/Pacific coast/Victoria/Australia. The sun is shining and it is quite mild at around 20 degrees.
Just a few words about Torquay......It is Australia's surfing capital and the annual Surf Classics at Bell's Beach are being held since the early sixties. Some of the most popular brands like Rip Curl and Quicksilver have been founded here and have kept there global HQ in surf city.
Unfortunately I must admit that I haven't managed to get myself on a board and give it a try. One factor would probably be the water temperature at around 9 degrees which is sort of normal during spring within the Bass Strait. But no worries.....i put it on my to-do list for Sydney where I still have to wear a wet suit but at least that keeps vital body parts from freezing :-)
That leads me on to the weather/climate in general. Well, it is spring and the weather is unpredictable. That's probably why a lot of people in Victoria call it the "All Seasons in a day" weather. Beautiful sunshine in the morning, tropical downpours in the afternoon, clear skies half an hour later and snow at night....(ok, not really but it can get quite chilly)
Now back to my itinerary......I touched down in Melbourne last Tuesday morning (almost on time) after a 23hour journey.
I must say that Air China wasn't the worst airline I ever flew with, although the in flight entertainment definitely needs some upgrading. Besides that fairly new aircrafts, good food, excellent service.....including the transfer in Beijing where I almost missed my connecting flight as I flushed my luggage ID down the toilet. :-(
So off we went via Ghangzou to Melbourne. One mistake I already made while still flying at 32000feet over Australia was to underestimate distances down under.......I earned a smile from one of the attendants when asking if the arrival was imminent.
Nevertheless, 5 hours later I arrived at my final destination and was picked up my lovely host Jo and her cruiser. (which was about to take a serious beating over the next couple of days but I get to that later....)
It took 1.5 hours to drive down to Torquay and I spent the rest of the day harassing the information center staff and exploring the beach. It seems as if everyone is into some kind of sport.....I met a 69 year old surfer with his dog at the local shopping center telling me that he's been doing this for the past 30 years....Respect!
The next day I caught a ride with Jo into the city where I was about to spent the next 9 hours. The city center with all the high rises and flashy shops, bars etc is located pretty much around the Yarra River. That's where most of the rowing clubs are based. And although the river seems dirty it is indeed just muddy. (no, I didn't go for a swim to find that out...)
I went to the factory outlets on Bridge Road, checked out St. Kilda (beware of the toilets next to the Pier....no locks and no light. That's what I'd call a surprise encounter...), had Sushi on Bourke Street, checked out the latest movie releases, went Victoria Market to find out that it is closed on Mon. & Wed., strolled past Flinders Street Station (famous clock tower), Exhibition Center, Federation Square and had dinner at the Blue Train Cafe in the Southgate Mall. All in all a really cosmopolitan city where you'll find some excellent eateries and entertainment.
Thursday I decided to take a bike to check out Bells Beach and the other surf spots. It was a great day but become quite wet during the afternoon so I spent the afternoon at the Surf Museum and writing postcards......
I had an early start on Friday (5am) to catch the sunrise driving along the Great Ocean Road. Awesome!! But remember what I said about distances......It's around 200km to Port Campbell one way and it took me 7 hours there and back including the stops but the sights are definitely worth it. Check out the pictures especially the ones taken at Port Campbell's National Park, e.g. the 12 Apostles (now 9). One of those fragile sandstone stacks collapsed a couple of month ago. The drive also took me through the Otway Rainforest and passed some scenic light tower lookouts. I had breakfast in Apollo Bay and I can only suggest you take your picnic with you as prices are kind of high due to the tourist:-))
Once back in Torquay we packed our overnight bags and headed off to Philipp Island to watch the penguins. We took the ferry from the Bellarine Peninsula to Sorrento and I (no surprise) slept all the way. On the other side we were told that we had to take a 2 hour detour via San Remo to get on to the island as there were no car ferries (I blame that on bad planning, aye..)
We arrived at Summerland Beach just in time for the Penguin Parade. Those fairy penguins, the smallest species in the world come on shore in groups just after dusk every evening to find their way back to their nests. No idea how these cute buggers find their way back into their own nest at dark without stepping foot into the wrong home.....Anyway, we joined them when they toddled up the beach and through the dunes. Some even make it as far as the car park and all visitors are asked to check underneath their rides first before taking off.
On Saturday we had breakfast in Cowes after walking through the mangroves on the Rhyll Inlet. On hour way we checked out Koalas, Wombats and Roos at the Wildlife Wonderland. Those animals are cute and we even fed wallabies by hand. I finally figured why those Koalas are always that slow......They are constantly high! No, honestly they stuff they eat is toxic and they use already 20% of their daily energy to digest it.....I even talked to a cockatoo.
Sunday was all about the Yarra Valley. After having met up for breakfast with Jane, a member of the infamous Millennium crew, I was picked up by SJ's parents for a day trip to valley. We started of with a cruise through the Dandenongs which featured some great views over Melbourne. Unfortunately air humidity was quite high (it was raining) and so we continued our ride through rainforests and million of years old sanctuaries. We also met some red parrots who couldn't resist the sunflower seeds we brought with us. I also got a glimpse of Puffing Billy, a restored steam train running a service the the mountains.
We continued through parts of the Great Dividing Range and ended up on Ray's farm where I exchanged my seat in the comfortable limousine for a wild ride on a quad bike to chase cattle down the hill. Oh by the way... sorry Rob for wasting your pants but I just couldn't get any slower...... :-)
We got back at around 8pm after stopping by at uncle Archie's (?!) place to say hello to Jake the 17 year old half blind, one eye missing, dog.....And I was looking forward to another 2hour drive back to Torquay. But I managed, ok.....I had to stop for about 10 minutes as sleep was finally catching up with me.
As a result I decided to take Monday off and enjoy the sunshine; not to mention the email I am writing at the moment.
So that's it for Melbourne and some spots in Victoria. I'm off to the airport but you can get some of the impressions by clicking on the following link. More to follow when I got some more time on my hands....
http://christian4303.fotopic.net/
I must say that I really enjoyed the last week although the weather sometimes had it's own mind......
Thanks here to Jo and her battered Suzuki Swift 1.6 which did around 1600km over the past couple of days, SJs parents for showing me a different part of Melbourne and a very special person back home who inspired me every single moment.
See you later & G'day
Chris
Think of the extraordinary possibilities this presents: when nothing is certain, everything is possible!”
Hi there,
My first leg of the big escape 2005 is almost over and I am sitting on the porch of this beautiful place just of the beach in Torquay/Pacific coast/Victoria/Australia. The sun is shining and it is quite mild at around 20 degrees.
Just a few words about Torquay......It is Australia's surfing capital and the annual Surf Classics at Bell's Beach are being held since the early sixties. Some of the most popular brands like Rip Curl and Quicksilver have been founded here and have kept there global HQ in surf city.
Unfortunately I must admit that I haven't managed to get myself on a board and give it a try. One factor would probably be the water temperature at around 9 degrees which is sort of normal during spring within the Bass Strait. But no worries.....i put it on my to-do list for Sydney where I still have to wear a wet suit but at least that keeps vital body parts from freezing :-)
That leads me on to the weather/climate in general. Well, it is spring and the weather is unpredictable. That's probably why a lot of people in Victoria call it the "All Seasons in a day" weather. Beautiful sunshine in the morning, tropical downpours in the afternoon, clear skies half an hour later and snow at night....(ok, not really but it can get quite chilly)
Now back to my itinerary......I touched down in Melbourne last Tuesday morning (almost on time) after a 23hour journey.
I must say that Air China wasn't the worst airline I ever flew with, although the in flight entertainment definitely needs some upgrading. Besides that fairly new aircrafts, good food, excellent service.....including the transfer in Beijing where I almost missed my connecting flight as I flushed my luggage ID down the toilet. :-(
So off we went via Ghangzou to Melbourne. One mistake I already made while still flying at 32000feet over Australia was to underestimate distances down under.......I earned a smile from one of the attendants when asking if the arrival was imminent.
Nevertheless, 5 hours later I arrived at my final destination and was picked up my lovely host Jo and her cruiser. (which was about to take a serious beating over the next couple of days but I get to that later....)
It took 1.5 hours to drive down to Torquay and I spent the rest of the day harassing the information center staff and exploring the beach. It seems as if everyone is into some kind of sport.....I met a 69 year old surfer with his dog at the local shopping center telling me that he's been doing this for the past 30 years....Respect!
The next day I caught a ride with Jo into the city where I was about to spent the next 9 hours. The city center with all the high rises and flashy shops, bars etc is located pretty much around the Yarra River. That's where most of the rowing clubs are based. And although the river seems dirty it is indeed just muddy. (no, I didn't go for a swim to find that out...)
I went to the factory outlets on Bridge Road, checked out St. Kilda (beware of the toilets next to the Pier....no locks and no light. That's what I'd call a surprise encounter...), had Sushi on Bourke Street, checked out the latest movie releases, went Victoria Market to find out that it is closed on Mon. & Wed., strolled past Flinders Street Station (famous clock tower), Exhibition Center, Federation Square and had dinner at the Blue Train Cafe in the Southgate Mall. All in all a really cosmopolitan city where you'll find some excellent eateries and entertainment.
Thursday I decided to take a bike to check out Bells Beach and the other surf spots. It was a great day but become quite wet during the afternoon so I spent the afternoon at the Surf Museum and writing postcards......
I had an early start on Friday (5am) to catch the sunrise driving along the Great Ocean Road. Awesome!! But remember what I said about distances......It's around 200km to Port Campbell one way and it took me 7 hours there and back including the stops but the sights are definitely worth it. Check out the pictures especially the ones taken at Port Campbell's National Park, e.g. the 12 Apostles (now 9). One of those fragile sandstone stacks collapsed a couple of month ago. The drive also took me through the Otway Rainforest and passed some scenic light tower lookouts. I had breakfast in Apollo Bay and I can only suggest you take your picnic with you as prices are kind of high due to the tourist:-))
Once back in Torquay we packed our overnight bags and headed off to Philipp Island to watch the penguins. We took the ferry from the Bellarine Peninsula to Sorrento and I (no surprise) slept all the way. On the other side we were told that we had to take a 2 hour detour via San Remo to get on to the island as there were no car ferries (I blame that on bad planning, aye..)
We arrived at Summerland Beach just in time for the Penguin Parade. Those fairy penguins, the smallest species in the world come on shore in groups just after dusk every evening to find their way back to their nests. No idea how these cute buggers find their way back into their own nest at dark without stepping foot into the wrong home.....Anyway, we joined them when they toddled up the beach and through the dunes. Some even make it as far as the car park and all visitors are asked to check underneath their rides first before taking off.
On Saturday we had breakfast in Cowes after walking through the mangroves on the Rhyll Inlet. On hour way we checked out Koalas, Wombats and Roos at the Wildlife Wonderland. Those animals are cute and we even fed wallabies by hand. I finally figured why those Koalas are always that slow......They are constantly high! No, honestly they stuff they eat is toxic and they use already 20% of their daily energy to digest it.....I even talked to a cockatoo.
Sunday was all about the Yarra Valley. After having met up for breakfast with Jane, a member of the infamous Millennium crew, I was picked up by SJ's parents for a day trip to valley. We started of with a cruise through the Dandenongs which featured some great views over Melbourne. Unfortunately air humidity was quite high (it was raining) and so we continued our ride through rainforests and million of years old sanctuaries. We also met some red parrots who couldn't resist the sunflower seeds we brought with us. I also got a glimpse of Puffing Billy, a restored steam train running a service the the mountains.
We continued through parts of the Great Dividing Range and ended up on Ray's farm where I exchanged my seat in the comfortable limousine for a wild ride on a quad bike to chase cattle down the hill. Oh by the way... sorry Rob for wasting your pants but I just couldn't get any slower...... :-)
We got back at around 8pm after stopping by at uncle Archie's (?!) place to say hello to Jake the 17 year old half blind, one eye missing, dog.....And I was looking forward to another 2hour drive back to Torquay. But I managed, ok.....I had to stop for about 10 minutes as sleep was finally catching up with me.
As a result I decided to take Monday off and enjoy the sunshine; not to mention the email I am writing at the moment.
So that's it for Melbourne and some spots in Victoria. I'm off to the airport but you can get some of the impressions by clicking on the following link. More to follow when I got some more time on my hands....
http://christian4303.fotopic.net/
I must say that I really enjoyed the last week although the weather sometimes had it's own mind......
Thanks here to Jo and her battered Suzuki Swift 1.6 which did around 1600km over the past couple of days, SJs parents for showing me a different part of Melbourne and a very special person back home who inspired me every single moment.
See you later & G'day
Chris
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