Part III
Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles
Day 4
During our trip having to see sun rise and sun set was indispensable.
We couldn't miss a sun rise at Boroka Lookout in Grampian National Park before we left there.
I thought we couldn't see the sun rise that morning due to mysterious wet fog prevalent there.
Everything ,trees, paths, and mountains covered in opaque milky thing in between liquid and solid.
However, through thick screen of mist this red sphere which looked like a trembling hole came out suddenly
while we were waiting holding our breaths.
Every sun rise was a unique experience but this time it was definitely an impressive surprise.
We drove south this day.
Our destination was Apollo Bay.
It was a hot day from the morning and I developed a very bad headache which was not a good combination.
Compared to the day before our travel time was far lesser but I felt tired and irritated by sitting long hours in the car.
Eddie seemed OK physically for that tough long drive unless I said anything to provoke him.
I tentatively suggest we share the burden from my guiltiness but as I expected he didn't want to give me the steering wheel.
So far it didn't seem to be a big problem to him which suited me fine.
I gather a long drive could be physically tiring for anyone but it was his way of enjoying consuming adrenaline or testosterone based on his selflessness or absurd(?) sense of responsibility.
We stopped at Lake Elizabeth in Forest by midday as planned.
We cooked our lunch at the picnic area before we strolled to the lake.
It was a typically unkempt looking (not unnaturally manicured neat look) place we could easily encounter
in Australia.
Deep and cool rain-forest flanked the circuit track around the lake reminded me of Dorrigo National Park we visited
last year.
It cooled down my head and enhanced my mood a little.
The lake itself was not that impressively beautiful in looks but there was something in there.
In the middle of lake were several white dead tree trunks half submerged serenely and absentmindedly under the warm sun.
Eddie sincerely liked it there and concentrated on capturing momentum of this quiet unmoving sluggish feeling place
which in turn made me loosen up a bit.
I liked someone like him, close(the closest) to me, having acute artistic or sentimental rooms deep inside.
The ability you can completely connect with nature and be one momentarily away from the present.
We drove straight to Apollo Bay after that.
It was not a long drive from Lake Elizabeth to there but my desire wanting to see blue ocean and get out of the long car drive was so strong that when I started seeing edge of wide windy blue sea my heart was fluttering with a joy.
We finally joined the famous Great Ocean Road after the slow ride in winding mountain road.
I was swelled with a relief and expectations toward unknown place to me yet.
We settled at our accommodation which was standing on the high cliffs facing to the glorious sea.
In Australia when weather is fine with the most beautiful blue sky the sea is responding doubly with its sparkling turquoise color.
It's always never failing to sweep my breath away.
Making the most perfect picture.
Day 5
We woke up 4 am this day and left Apollo Bay 5 am.
We prepared ourselves including having breakfast, packing our things, making sandwiches for lunch
and cleaning the place within one hour.
We were driving west from Apollo Bay to 12 Apostles in the dark.
After 2 and half hours we finally arrived at the famous 12 Apostles in the Port Campbell National Park.
Day was breaking.
We parked our car and found a lot of cars already there.
I was following a lot of people who were rushing into somewhere and suddenly I realized I couldn't see Eddie.
He was of course busy admiring sun rise there totally forgotten about me.
Those people I was following unconsciously were trying to see sun rise around 12 Apostles lookout and
we were supposed to catch a bus to Prince Town.
So I lost them quickly and waited for the free bus to come.
There were two more couples waiting for the bus except us.
We arrived at Prince Town with the free lift which was given by a kind school bus driver for tourists
during school days because he was passing the route anyway.
In that way we could walk partially one part of Great Ocean Walks.
We walked back from Prince Town to 12 Apostles which took us around 2 hours.
It was cloudy and cool in the morning which was perfect for a walk.
There was no tourists at all at that early hour while we were walking
and I liked it very much.
By the time we were back at 12 Apostles there were millions of cars and people gathered already.
We looked around main viewing platforms milling around with people after having a cup of coffee.
It was definitely familiar because I had seen them from the photos so many times but it was
magnificent nonetheless.
It was worth waking up so early ,making efforts to visit and spend a whole morning there.
No sooner had we started driving to Melbourn way around noon than it started raining.
I immensely enjoyed walking around huge areas of 12 Apostles smelling salts splashed to me
over dangerously high waves.
After a long morning riding the car in the rain gave me a feeling of solace.
I was glad rain started just in time when we finished our tour.
Our drive to Danenong Range was event-less.
We passed central part of Melbourne city through one of the main motor ways.
By the time we arrived at our accommodation in Belgrave rain stopped completely.
We couldn't resist sitting and having a cup of tea with biscuits supplied at
the pretty white garden chairs next to a swimming pool in the warm afternoon.
After spending nights at caravan parks I felt it really homey there.
It was an old house renovated and refurbished for accommodation.
Owner were an old couple who were using upstairs and we used a unit downstairs.
Towels, bed linens etc were feeling cleaner and pleasantly crispy.
Rather than serving food in their own kitchen the owner prepared bread,cereals ,all sorts of jams and milk etc.
for breakfast at our unit table which I liked better.
The garden looked being taken care of thoroughly through long years
and I liked views via windows of the kitchen and dinning area.
We didn't have much left in our esky but we didn't go out for dinner or buying groceries that night.
For me this was one of the best things about travelling or hiking.
Simple meal.
Decluttering excessive food or too much time for food preparation.
We finished what we were carrying in the ice box that night and went to bed early.
We had one good peaceful night.