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Whoohoo! ---A definite exclamation of celebration. I finished my last day of official duty social work and I am happy to report that TMC (The Magdalene Centre) is still functional and in one piece! Shortly thereafter (my final hours as duty social worker) we flew to Melbourne for the long Easter weekend. The Green House hostel provided accommodation for our two night stay in the city. It was in a good location but very impersonal and unclean-unlike the world renowned Backpack Oz. I wouldn’t recommend it. Nevertheless, we had a good time touring the city. We found that Melbourne folks are not as friendly as the individuals in Adelaide. This could have something to do with the fact that Melbourne is a much larger city and moves at a quicker pace. Granted, population estimates from 2001 state that the population of Adelaide was 1,072,585 compared to Melbourne at 1,718,650. Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia following behind Sydney. Or perhaps it’s the crazy weather… I remember standing in the center of the city looking up at the clouds: In one direction there were dark clouds about to pour down rain and just opposite I gazed at blue skies.

Adventures In Oz Part III

Tanya
2006-03-10 20:13:33

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agree that Melbourne is similar to San Francisco. I’ve never been so we will have to take their word for it.
Saturday afternoon we departed for the Great Ocean Road via Wayward Bus. In brief, I have never seen so many rocks. By day two I was seriously considering canceling my expedition to Uluru (Ayers Rock). The coast was so beautiful, diverse and a lot to
take in just a few short days. I will spare the full tour itinerary and share a general explanation of what I thought to be the highlights.
The 12 Apostles are clearly spectacular. In all honesty, I took about forty photos of the same thing! Lucky for you, I am only sharing a few.
Loch Ard Gorge was named after the Loch Ard ship wreck in 1878 that killed 52 people. In one of the photos you might notice members from our group venturing into a cave. Kameron, Katie and I considered it but the water was just too cold!
The Grotto and London Bridge are shaped by the Southern ocean and Antarctic winds-only years ago, the London Bridge fell and is no longer connected to the mainland.
Tower Hill is a dormant volcano that houses wildlife such as kangaroos, emus and kolas. We saw all of the above but I think the highlight of our walk was seeing a single koala transfer from one tree to the next. This meant seeing a koala in action and on the ground. That doesn’t happen very often.
Blue Lake located in Mt Gambier fills the crater of a volcano that erupted some 5000
years ago. Unfortunately, the lake is not for recreational use but holds and supplies 9 million gallons of water to the Mt Gambier region. I wouldn’t mind having a home with a view of Blue Lake-very pristine.
Umpherston Cave is a large sinkhole. The sinkhole would make a great place for reflection and quiet walks (I do believe) but the noisy birds made the twenty minute stop more than enough.
As soon as we drove into South Australia, I could tell an immediate change in weather and that is one reason I ...