11 May 2017 – Day 2
This was me trying to check if I can wear a skirt and a 2-layer top outfit, but I can’t even stand to stay outside even if it’s just freakin’ 3degrees!
![IMG_3745[1]](https://joyfuljoi.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_37451-e1502356682653.jpg?w=736)
My friends and I (3 collegues and my friend WinJohn) had an early call time. We were excited to try the buffet breakfast in the hotel that we allotted almost 2 hours before the official call time which was 8:00am. The hotel offers english breakfast and fresh fruits and yoghurt for the health conscious’ ones.
Exactly 8:00am, the bus left to head south of Melbourne.
We traveled more than 2 hours before taking a bathroom break which was also our first stop. The Anglesea.
I wore a pair of boots but I can still feel the chilly weather as if I’m in a gigantic freezer. Seriously! So this is what it’s like when a tropical country girl visits somewhere during winter, eh? haha
After the quick 30min break, we traveled further to the south. By the way, Anglesea is already part of the Great Ocean Road, which stretch for 400km from the town of Torquay to Nelson on the South Australian border.
After 15mins, we reached the memorial arc of the Great Ocean road. Our 2nd stop.
In case you’re wondering why I’m not in the photo above, it is because Win John and I were busy doing countless shots at this signage
It took us a couple of minutes to find a perfect shot for the two of us that I missed the group shot. Kasalanan mo ‘to Win John!
We further travelled south for a couple of minutes. Next stop was lunch. We finally had some western food!
We immediately consumed our lunch for us to have enough time to roam around. We crossed the street opposite the restaurant just to find this beautiful greenery.
Somewhere here you will find a small path, a long one which will lead you to the relaxing beach of Apollo Bay
We continued to travel south. For about 20mins, we reached the fascinating 12 Apostles. FYI, all my photos are raw and unfiltered.
For some background information (from Wikipedia), the 12 Apostles were formed by erosion: the harsh and extreme weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually eroded the soft limestone to form caves in the cliffs, which then became arches, which in turn collapsed; leaving rock stacks up to 50 metres high. Because of this erosion there are fewer than ten remaining. The formation eventually became known as the Twelve Apostles, despite only ever having nine stacks. As of today, there are only 8 limestones left.
Despite the slightly crowded balcony, I was able to have a closer look with the beauty.
And of course, i didn’t miss taking photos of me with it.
I have almost a hundred shots on this area alone, thanks to my friend/photographer, Win John and his iphone 7plus (too bad my iphone doesn’t have this portrait feature)
As you can see on the photo below, they have provided a pathway which leads towards the end of the cliff, from there you see another stunning view
Again, some obligatory photos of it with me.
Unfortunately, there’s a fence blocking the fine view here, other tourists were having difficulty finding a good spot for pictures. Good thing I have the height and my friend knows how to take one even if it’s hard (too crowded).
After more than an hour of sightseeing and picture taking, we still travelled towards south for a couple of minutes. Our last destination: Loch Ard Gorge
A little background of it; The gorge is named after the clipper ship Loch Ard, which ran aground on nearby Muttonbird Island on 1 June 1878 approaching the end of a three-month journey from England to Melbourne. Of the fifty-four passengers and crew, only two survived: Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael. Stairs allow visitors access to the breathtaking beach.
There are plenty of tour groups for this day and we were fortunate that we were the leading group to reach every destinations. Advantage for us as we can get the whole place to ourselves for a couple of minutes before the flock of visitors arrive. hehe
Here is one of the stolen shot by my friend, though it was crowded that time, he still managed to take a shot of the magnificent beach with me on it. ❤
Here is a 360deg view of the beach.
Facing the beach is another set of amazing rock formation. There is also a cave but we didn’t dare come near it. I guess we didn’t have enough time to explore it too.
Ofcourse, di ako pahuhuli sa pagpapapicture dito. 😀
There is a pathway which allows access to the eastern side of the gorge. There are numerous plaques along the way and a small museum detailing the site’s history, as well as a rest area, and cemetery housing. The arch of the nearby Island Archway collapsed and now appears as two unconnected rock pillars. They have since been officially named Tom and Eva after the two teenage survivors of the Loch Ard shipwreck.
It was almost sunset before we left the other end of Loch Ard Gorge. It was indeed a long day for us. Here is a picture of me in a bench, resting as my feet literally have bruises because of the long walks. (Not used on wearing boots :D)
At the bus going to the city, almost all of my colleagues were knocked out and slept the entire travel time, except for me. Haha! I dunno, I still have energy left though my feet was dying. 🙂 We travelled for about an hour before we reach this town (I forgot where) to have dinner. And guess what we had?! CHINESE FOOD! yeah, We had chinese food for dinner. I didn’t have any appetite for it, I guess my feet were too tired for me to eat chinese food? haha (connect?!) But it’s not just me, my 3 friends felt the same too! We decided not to eat much and have a decent meal in the city.
After xx years, we arrived at the hotel. All of my colleagues went straight to their rooms and rest, but the four of us (Jerome, Rudzon, Win John and me) still went out and explore the CBD. Even though my feel was literally killing me and it was freezing cold, we still managed to find a decent place to have dinner (though at first we didn’t know what and where to eat)
We searched for this shop called Grill’d (you can check their site here) which was suggested by one of my colleague’s friend who is staying in Melbourne.
As expected in a western place like Melbourne, a set of burger costs a fortune!
This meal costs around AU$19.00 (WInjohn and I shared the bill for fries and dip). Can you believe this meal costs SGD $20.00?! But good thing prior to this trip, the tour agency gave us some heads up that the cost of a normal meal here will most likely be around $20aud.
We stayed for about an hour here before going back to hotel. Another walkathon, good thing there’s free tram!
Thank you for keeping up with my adventures! I will post the continuation of my Melbourne adventure in a few days! Ciao!
My Joyful World 