Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Kangaroos, Koalas, and Emus, Oh My!

I trekked down the Great Ocean Road over the weekend! That’s GOR for short. The GOR is a 250 km long road leading west from just outside Melbourne, and continues along the southern coast of Australia. The road was lined with long stretches of beautiful beaches and dense rainforest (where we saw several of Australia's national wild animals, including koalas, penguins, and parrots), and ended at a site called the Twelve Apostles, an incredible collection of rock stacks on the beach.

Not quite Niagara Falls, but this waterfall in the rainforest was definitely stunning.

We made it to the Twelve Apostles just in time for sunset, without even trying! What a perfect way to end a perfect day.

We completed the roadtrip to the end of the GOR in one day, leisurely stopping at all the scenic views and eagerly snapping pictures of the lush scenery.

On the way back the next day, we drove through Grampians National Park, completing our mission to see the remainder of Australia’s famous wild animals (kangaroos, emus, giant ants...).

The kangaroos wouldn't stop staring. I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled cameras out of their pouches and started taking pictures of us!

Some koala species are known as "drop bears" in Australia because of their tendency to drop out of trees and attack passersby. Good thing this one wasn't a drop bear.

It was such a relaxing adventure; even being lost in the mountains with no cars in sight and less than a quarter tank of petrol didn’t bother me. Something about being surrounded by endless oceans and wide open fields ignited an inner peace in me, sort of like Gandhi :).

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