Great Ocean Road

I took a day tour of the Great Ocean Road which stretches along the southeast coast of Australia. The road was modeled after California's Pacific Coast Highway and gave work to a lot of soldiers returning from WWI.

It was a long day of driving and looking. Don't get me wrong - it was very pretty, but it kind of looks like every road in New Zealand. I'm afraid I've become immune to dramatic coastal scenery. Yes, I'm a spoiled brat.

The highlights:

• A beautiful rainbow
  
• The 12 Apostles - a collection of 8 limestone stacks. The other 4 have been washed away.


• London Bridge - A limestone arch that's been hollowed out due to erosion. It used to be a "bridge" to the mainland, but the middle part collapsed in 1990. Two tourists were left trapped on the rock in the right of the picture and had to be rescued by helicopter. The event received a lot of media attention, which was too bad for the tourists because they were both married to other people and had called in sick to work that day. Oops! Moral of the story: If you're having an affair, go to a motel.

• Bell's Beach - one of the most famous surfing beaches in the world. It was amazing to see what these guys can do with a board. It really, really made me want to be a surfer. I've always had a good balance, so I may give it a go this summer.

Fun fact: To reach the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne, we drove through the town of Geelong, home of Portia DeRossi (aka: Mrs. Ellen DeGeneres) and Nathan Deakes, who is... as we all know... the world's top race walker.