Melbourne: The Great Ocean Road

Weather looked the most favorable on our first day in Melbourne. We spent it on a bus tour, something we rarely do, with much skepticism, to see the Great Ocean Road. It turned out to be a rather enjoyable day.

Wikipedia says: The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage-listed 240-kilometre (150 mi) stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia, between the Victorian towns of Torquay and Allansford. Winding through varying terrain along the coast, and providing access to several prominent landmarks, including the Twelve Apostles limestone stack formations, the road is an important tourist attraction.

We were self-congratulatory for our dumb luck that we didn't choose a reverse tour as the Twelve Apostles lookout was certainly a sunset highlight. Going there first would have made the whole tour anticlimactical.

Not to mention our bus driver + tour guide Vance was awesome: he gave commentary in both English and Chinese, was on time, enthusiastic, super knowledgeable, and did not hesitate to publicly chastise those who returned late to the bus. ;-) And led the bus in a surprisely fun singalong of "Take me Home Country Roads" on the drive back to Melbourne.

Thanks to our driver and tour guide Vance, we had front row, leftside, seats on the bus as we rolled out of Melbourne heading southwest towards the Great Ocean Road.


First stop: Anglesea Beach.


Second Stop: Split Point Lookout and Lighthouse.






Third: Moggs Creek Beach




From the bus window near Wongarra.


Lunch Stop at Apollo Bay. Ignoring the warning signs, we found a shady spot on the dunes to eat our picnic lunch.






On the way to the 12 Apostles rock formation, we stopped at the edge of a forest and Vance led us to a sleeping Koala.


Seeing the Twelve Apostles Limestone Stacks at sunset was amazing. Be sure to click on the embedded video first below, or click here.












The Twelve Apostles was a popular spot, everyone was enjoying the great sunset views. Then finally we boarded the bus and headed back to Melbourne.

Melbourne: Around Town

I didn't like Melbourne as much as I expected. It could be because the sun didn't make an appearance until an hour before it set on the last day. Founded by gold, Melbourne hosted the Olympics in 1956; however, Sydney did not host until 2000. While Melbourne still seems rather livable; cranes dot the skyline and new parks are still under construction, one gets the feeling the acceleration of development had peaked in the past. It is a clear second to Sydney in my mind.

The highlight was seeing my cousin's son and his new bride. We hadn't run into him since we moved back home from Shanghai in 2008. We met for brunch at Grain Store and had a perfect cappuccino, gourmet avocado toast, and more.







We took the 7:40am train from Sydney Central Station (first below) to Melbourne. The trip was uneventful - but we did see some kangaroos and windmills (2nd and 3rd below) - and we were happy to arrive at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne at 18.55 pm, less than 30 minutes late. Once again Sun-Ling comes through with a more than awesome hotel pick, the Atlantis Hotel, just a 5 minute walk (4th) from the station. Our room is on the 18th floor with a view down to the station complex (5th).










Our 2nd full day in Melbourne was ANZAC day, a national day "of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations and the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". (from Wikipedia). It's a big deal. There was a parade in the CBD (Central Business District).




The Melbourne CBD had plenty of interesting alleys and arcades including the famous street art at AC/DC Lane (1st and 2nd below), and shopping at the Royal Arcade (3rd) and eating in "resto laneways" (4th).








A panoramic view from Federation Square.


One rainy afternoon we walked through Fitzroy Gardens and spotted an Australian Magpie and a Rainbow Lorikeet.




After brunch with SL's cousin, we visited the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) = very cool. On the way we passed Flinders Street Station where the police were "directing" traffic. Why? We were not 100% sure.


The NGV was packed with interesting art. In fact we had to go back for a second visit to catch everything. 4th below is "Evil Flowers" by Anselm Kiefer.












Night walk along the Yarra River.




There are free trams in the CBD. Nice.






The Reading Room at the State Library of Victoria.




We had some tasty Xi'an Pulled Noodles! in Chinatown.






Bonus Architecture Photos.