Day 38: The Great Ocean Road – Part II
Today was jam-packed with stops, so we were on the road by 7AM to make the most of the daylight. First stop was a bush walk at Maits Rest.
A misty morning walk in Mait’s Rest
Next stop was another animal attraction: The Great Ocean Road ECO Wildlife Park. No one had recommended this and we can’t imagine why – it was awesome! The owner, Steve, is living our dream: fed up with life in the city (Melbourne in his case) and wanting a more wholesome environment for his kids, he started a farm / animal park about 7 years ago and has a goal of being completely self-sustaining within the next 5. He has a petting area with the usual suspects: kangaroos, emu, deer & alpacas – but for an extra $5pp you get a special interaction…WITH DINGOS.
A regal peacock greets us at the entrance to the Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park – we will never be too old for petting zoos!
Spending time with lazy & itchy kangaroos!
This greedy red deer kept following me around, and eventually took my entire bag of feed out of my hand and ate it in one gulp!
Igor is a sucker for a pretty face – this llama is gorgeous!
Falling in love with emus – these giant birds are like little dinosaurs!
DINGOS! They are so sweet – they just want love & attention
This fellow is awesome – he marched right up to me and sat in my lap!
The morning flew by at the animal park, so after a quick PB&J lunch (boy do we miss the RV!) we had to get back on the road to visit the most iconic attraction of the GOR – the Twelve Apostles (Marketing again – turns out there are only 9. They used to be called “The Sow and Piglets” but that wasn’t drawing enough visitors), as well as the other rock formations along the coast.
Igor is disappointed in the quality of the cuisine – but the warning signs at our next attraction seem to promise something exciting!
The Twelve Apostles
London Bridge
The closest we’ll get to “London Bridge” during this trip
Loch Ard Gorge
After all the rocks, we were in the mood to see some more animals! This time we visited the Tower Hill Animal Sanctuary for more kangaroos, wallabies & emus, this time in their natural habitat.
Tower Hill Animal Sanctuary
More emus! Jut chillin’ by the side of the road – you can’t miss them!
A short walk along the path, and we run into a wallaby!
More kangaroos – best of all was mummy kangaroo with a little joey!
After all the wild life, we hike to the top of Tower Hill
View from the top of Tower Hill
As the sun was starting to set, we made a quick stop to the quaint seaside town of Port Fairy to check out the historic wharf & lighthouse before finishing the day at the Victoria House Bed & Breakfast in Portland.
Igor taking aim at the Port Fairy Lighthouse! Run for cover – argh!
Port Fairy Lighthouse
Sunset in Port Fairy
Our hosts, Stephanie & Craig, were incredibly welcoming and set us up in the Honeymoon Suite (no joke)! Stephanie recommended Lemongrass Thai for dinner, where we could bring our BYO sparkling. After dinner and a hot shower, we settled into the living room to enjoy a sherry nightcap by the fire.
Dinner out at Lemon Grass Thai
Our room at the Victoria House B&B – the Honeymoon Suite
Writing emails by the fire, with a glass of sherry – good evening!
Well I guess you guys did have a jam-packed day. Thanks for a great blog — Bo and I feel like we were there with you and I absolutely love the photos of the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, etc.