4 April 2021
Less traffic more people
From Cape Otway to Port Campbell via the Twelve Apostles
Today I went to one of the most visited sites in Australia. Probably on one of the busiest days. However due to COVID there are basically zero bus tours so it was manageable.
The place is the Twelve Apostles. There are less than 12 now. Maybe 9? They keep falling into the sea. There is also London Bridge. It fell down a few years ago so I did not bother going.
Also today is the first day sans daylight saving, so that's worth noting.
There was actually less traffic than I expected, only once did I get annoyed at a slow family in a hire car who were driving for the first time in their lives.
The sites were good, even with other people. There will be too many photos of said sites.
So which way is the better way to go from Cape Otway? West or East? Yesterday I went East (towards Melbourne), today I went West (away from Melbourne). I think East, but the weather was better. I think that mainly because some of the places visited yesterday were surprises and places I have not been to before. Where as the sites today, which were spectacular, I have been to before, and so has anyone else who ever set foot in Australia.
Now onto too many shots of too similar a view, some of them are ok though?
This morning at dawn I went further along the other way up the Great Ocean Walk. Here is the local graveyard, with shipwreck and lighthouse graves.
Much of the Great Ocean Walk has no view of the Ocean.
Eventually, an Ocean view arrives. Not bad.
I went too far, and needed to turn back at about this point. I did not see any other people until just about getting back to Cape Otway. There are camping sites in the scrub for people doing the entire walk. The people I saw coming out of the camp sites looked like they had spent their entire lives in camp sites.
On the road now, and the first stop is the Castle Cove lookout. Behold the view.
And the view the other way.
Not having done enough Great Ocean Walk yet, I walked along it a bit from Castle Cove and took this photo. That's pretty exciting right?
Coffee break was at Lavers Hill. A cafe in a town that claims to be where the forest meets the sea. It is where the logging camps meet the farms really as its not close to the sea and they cut most of the forest down. However the cafe does have a nice area where they feed parrots and a semi abandoned rainforest garden.
A bit more of the cafe garden. Coffee was good here. Might go again tomorrow on the way home.
Just before the Twelve Apostles is this duck hunting lake area. Strangely full of backpacker lodges. Backpackers now have guns and shoot ducks. You heard it here first.
Just before the Apostles is Gibson's steps, where you can get down to the beach. Here is the view from the top of the steps.
Behold, beach, with no people!
And here are the steps. It is a tight squeeze.
More beach, now with people, and cliffs. I kicked the cliff of course.
Annnnd less people, same shot, further away, people for scale (I added them in afterwards).
There they are, the Twelve Apostles. I only count 4. Did 8 of them fall down now?
Hmm, no more in the other direction. I want my money back! Please note there is no cost to visit, not even for parking.
OK, now I count 5 or 6. There are still at least 6 missing.
2 more! That makes 8! My final tally is 8. Change the name.
I now realise this is the only photo I took of Port Campbell. This is the last town on what most people consider the Great Ocean Road driving day trip route. I have seen shop owners here on the news complaining about the drop off in bus tours due to COVID. Some places were closed down but most were open, and being poorly managed. Trying to get a seat and food was almost impossible, with places suggesting it would be a minimum 45 minutes wait etc. In the end I got a muffin.
Back at Cape Otway now, and here is the top of the lighthouse. Yes I finally went up there. This is where you sit to, do stuff. I read the signs, it stopped operating in the 90's, up until the 50's it was still clockwork operated and people had to stay in it all night and pull weights up which would then pull the light around like a cuckoo clock.
There is the view back up the path I photographed previous days / nights with my accommodation on the left of the building at the top of the path.
Great views from the top of the lighthouse in the late afternoon sun with cloudy skies.
And perhaps saving the best for last? I like the light shooting into the sun for some reason. Despite taking shots of famous sites all day, I declare this, photo of the day.