A Wicked Week in Melbourne: Part 1

To celebrate Benc's week off from a grueling first semester at Uni, we decided to go on a budget trip to Melbourne. We booked return tickets on Virgin Blue for a total of AU$ 300 all together; booked a double room at a new boutique hotel (AU$ 270 for 3 nights!) and eat at the most affordable places in the city (read: Greek diners, Chinese restaurants, and groceries from Coles Express).

We had both visited Melbourne separately before, and this was the first time we were going there together. We were excited about visiting the familiar sights and eating at the cheap but delicious delis scattered all over the metropolis. Most of all, we were excited about the Great Ocean Road tour, which neither of us had taken before, and catching a performance of Wicked. A jam-packed week for sure!

We arrived in Melbourne before ten am on Monday. We took the airport bus to the city where we got off at the Southern Cross terminal. What luck! Our hotel was just less than ten minutes' walk from the station! That's a lot of savings right away on transportation. :)

We deposited our things and then booked a Great Ocean Road tour for the next morning. We were to be at the pick up point at 7.30 am. And the pick up point was a stone's throw, again, from our hotel! Thank goodness for that too, because if we had been billeted anywhere farther, we'd have to wake up earlier, and that meant stepping out into really cold weather.

After booking our seats, we hopped on the City Circle Tram, got off at one of the main streets and started exploring. I think we explored too much though because we slowly got lost. We started to get confused with the names and layout of the city, looking for landmarks that had disappeared, and becoming disoriented from the new buildings that suddenly sprang up all over. So much had changed...and why shouldn't the city change. There seemed to be more people, and they seemed to be hurrying off to everywhere more now than I could remember. I guess I expected too much: I was expecting to experience the same artsy, laid-back impression I took with me the last time. Melbourne is so much more cosmopolitan now. There are new, bigger buildings, cramped roads and sidewalks, more trash. Oh well, the price of progress.

But Melbourne is still a cool place. I'm sure it's still less harried than Sydney. I still wouldn't mind returning. There were a few places I failed to visit: the Arcade at Bourke street and the Fitzroy Gardens. We ran out of time because we were running around in circles. If only we had just bothered to consult a map. It's partly my fault: nagmamarunong kasi eh, at nagfi-feeling na local. Ayan tuloy, pinaltos sa bagong bili na sapatos. To appease my injured ego, I pigged out on a bowl of chips that were too expensive: AU$ 5.50! Sigh, I'll let it go. After all, tomorrow is another day.

The Great Ocean Road Tour

We got up at around 6.00 am to get ready and walk to the meeting place where our tour bus was to pick us up for our Great Ocean Road tour. We got to the pick up point on time, braving the 12-degree morning winds -- to most of those who live in the northern hemisphere, this doesn't seem like such a big deal. But to a tropical weather girl, it's like swimming in a vat of ice cubes.

Our driver was Bernie, a jolly, rolly-polly man with white hair and a long beard, and hearty laugh. Easily reminded me of Santa Claus, only he was in shorts and hiking boots, and spewed his acerbic wit every time he took the microphone to comment on places of interest during our drive. ("Most of the roads in Melbourne were named after the past kings of England. It's a wonder really that we have a main road named Charles. Says something, doesn't it?") We were a receptive audience, Benc, myself and thirteen other passengers. It was a mixed group too: Oz students, a Malaysian couple whom we chatted with a lot, four charming ladies from Queensland on an adventure of their own, an Argentinian couple (Bernie called them "the Argies"), a Swedish student on 5-week break from uni and a barkada of Indian kids. Altogether we made up Bus no. 2 on The Great Ocean Road tour, hehe.

The Great Ocean Road was built by 3000 World War 1 service men as a tribute to their fallen comrades. They began surveying in 1918 and completed the road in 1932. It stretches from Torquay, on the Western coast of Melbourne to the outer areas of Warnambool, which is half the way back to Adelaide, South Australia if you decide to drive.

It took us two hours to get to our first stop: Bells Beach. This was the eastern tip of the Otway coast that would lead us to the great natural stone formations. It was here where we had our morning tea and bickies (biscuits, that is) and watched as surfers surged through to the ice cold surf. (1800 miles thataway, said Bernie pointing to the horizon in front of him, is Antartica). I envied the dudes not.

After twenty minutes we hopped on the bus again and made our way down to the Split Point Lighthouse on Airey's Inlet, one of two critical lighthouses on the Melbourne coast. Photo ops were in order, because not only was it well preserved and being used today, the surrounding scenery was beautiful as well. The Australians had signs that indicated they were re-greening these parts, and urged us to take care when going up and down the steps to the viewing deck.

We had several more stops along the Otway coast. One would think, oh another tourist destination! But I had the suspicion that it was to stretch our legs and have our blood circulate. I remember distinctly that on a long drive from Melbourne to Sydney about eight years ago, there were pit stops every 1.5 to 2 hours. They took safe driving very seriously, and rest and comfort contributed to that. This is why they encouraged drivers and passengers to get out and stretch. While doing so they could take in some nice scenery too.

Some of additional stops included a visit to a small conservation area where we saw koalas in the wild. We could see them clinging to the branches lazily as they chewed on eucalyptus leaves. I didn't get to hold them though, but that was okay. I'd probably smuggle one into my backpack if I did. Some kookaburas and cardinals were flitting about on the ground and the lower tree branches. It was a challenge snapping photos of the kookaburas though, because they were naturally afraid of humans. They'd let out a squawk and then scamper away whenever we got too close.

We also made a short stop at a moderate rainforest -- well a section of it anyway. Here Bernie showed us some of the plants endemic to Australia, and preached about ecology and caring about the environment (it's important to get the message out to the kids, because they listen. Adults are useless.) Again, it was a gentle twenty minute trek, both to stretch our legs and keep our blood circulating. Ingenious, if you ask me.

The rest of our journey wound on through extremely twisty roads along the coast. The surf would swell in some parts, eliciting moderate gasps from us passengers. It was so easy to notice how clean and well-kept the beaches were. Villages and resorts were built along some parts of the coast but with the way they seemed properly zoned, the beaches remained pristine. Makes one wish there was more political will in regulating establishments on Boracay.

We stopped for lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches. But I caved and bought a box of chips for AU$ 5! Luxury item, I know, but it was cold and I needed something warm in my tummy. We piled into the bus again 30 minutes later and this time, Bernie said it would take us twenty minutes to get to Port Campbell where the Twelve Apostles are. These are limestone rock stacks carved from the cliffs of the coast. Most articles I've read about the Twelve Apostles say they were magnificent, majestic and breathtaking. I was looking forward to adding some adjectives myself.

When we finally arrived at the site, there were other tour buses and hundreds of tourists milling about as well. No worries, I thought, we'd all get our chance for photo ops. One of the things I appreciated about the tourist places during this tour was that the access paths were well planned: from the drop off points, to the parking to the cemented foot paths and safety railings. Some tourist spots I've been to in other countries just required the driver to drop you off anywhere and you were left to your own devices on how to appreciate the place, even to the point of being run over by another tour bus. Here, because you knew you were safe, and you knew you had proper access in an out of the place, you could appreciate the experience more.

Appreciation, of course was an understatement, upon seeing the Twelve Apostles. They were absolutely impressive! Massive rock stacks stood proudly along the shoreline, as if emerging from the treacherous waters of the South Ocean. I could hear the surf from several meters away but what greeted you first were the orange hues of these natural wonders. The Twelve Apostles were originally called the Sow and the Piglets but it was changed in the early 20th Century to the 12 Apostles. According to their website, there are actually 13 of these rock stacks, but only 9 were visible from the platforms where we tourists were. It didn't matter really: the fact that I was there seeing all 9 with my own eyes was history-making enough for me.

After seeing the Twelve Apostles, we made our way to the Loch Ard Gorge. This area is of particular interest because it was the site of one of the most prominent shipwrecks in Australia in the 19th century. Immigrants from Ireland and England on the ship Loch Ard, were killed when their ship hit the gorge in a violent storm. Only two people survived: Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael. Both of them were 19 years old. The event made the papers, and like all human interest stories, Eva and Tom were the celebrities of that time. Many people actually wished they would end up together but Eva went back to Ireland while Tom settled in Oz. Then as now, audiences will always fantasize about a love team.

We had time to go down to the tiny beach at the bottom of the gorge, and I got to feel the foamy waters. It was ccccooollldddd! The sand had the consistency of polvoron but the color of cinnamon. Fascinating!

After Loch Ard Gorge, we headed to London Bridge. Now this was amazing. It was a natural land bridge, again formed by ocean. Up until 2 decades ago, one could walk onto the bridge from the main land mass and stand on the section that was in the middle of the ocean. Unfortunately, in 1990, a section of the bridge crumbled into the sea. Bernie said two people were caught unaware and were stranded on the ocean side of the bridge! Rescuers, coast guards and police worked for three hours to get the couple to safety. What's funny though, said Bernie, is that the couple, a man and a woman, were actually having an affair, and that day decided to cap off their date at the London Bridge. As bad luck would have it, they were found out without them having to admit to anyone what they were doing there together. Both of them were married to different people at the time. Great gossip on the Great Ocean Road!

Our trip ended at the Blowhole, but Benc and I didn't go down to the viewing deck anymore. We were tired, and we wanted to make up for the three times we were last on the bus. Our departure time from different stops were held up because we were late. Though our tourmates and Bernie were all nice to us about it (one of the passengers, an old lady from Queensland whom we helped at the rainforest when she was feeling short of breath made Bernie wait for us) we didn't want to leave them with the impression that Pinoys were careless with time. Although, geez, Filipino time prevails somehow even when you're in a different country.

Needless to say, we succeeded in boarding the bus on time at our next stops and didn't get left behind. It took us another three hours to drive back to Melbourne. We got to the city at around 9.30 pm, tired, slightly hungry, cold but otherwise satisfied with our adventure. I am always inspired by moments when I am able to live out experiences that were hitherto confined to magazine articles and books. Places and events come to life, and I revel in the heartbeats that confirm my existence at that very second, in that very spot, soaking up the sights, sounds and smells that surround me. It's extremely invigorating, and I highly recommend the experience -- whether it be on the Great Ocean Road, or any adventure that your feet and spirit are itching to take.