My Cairns – Port Douglas Trip – April 2025 – Blog 2

Waterfall Wanderers Tour – Blog 2

I was up at 5am to start my birthday celebrations & drive 55mins to Waterfall Wanderers at 36 O’Keefe St North Cairns for the tour bus @ 7.20am .. full bus of 24 people to pick up. Orion is our driver & guide. A young Greek but in Australia for quite some time. I was the first & only onboard & was privileged to have a great conversation learning about Orion’s young history & as a travelling person. After picking everyone up at various hostels, resorts, etc we headed west towards Mt Walsh monolith (one rock pyramid) along the highway. Annual foot races are held to the top. 1hr 35mins is the record from a European male. What a run!!!

Travelling Gillies Range Rd, Orion gives a full commentary of the upcoming range road where we will be experiencing Australia’s windiest roadway .. most bends/ corners in 20klm length towards Atherton (270 bends in all) going up the range. Motion sickness can happen. Beware.

1st Stop is .. Lake Eacham .. a 65m volcanic lake (Calderas). This will be the warmest water we encounter today so I braved it & had a quick dip after my first platform dive in decades. Still brrrr!!!!I Rated the dive as 3. Haha. This lake has 2 known small freshwater crocodiles, but they are timid & not a threat to humans. Yeah .. right .. Hope so. Sadly, we didn’t all swim together & share in the banter. Some chose to walk further around the lake & swim there. I must say, the swim was quite rewarding. With all that was around me I totally forgot to take photos. Argh!!!

Orion was very strict with the return to bus time & repeated how important it was to now keep to the timeframe to fit everything in & respect the lunch preparation. He wasn’t kidding either, so it was quite a shock to venture back & not see the bus. Some panic was starting to show on a few when right on time (within 2mins of the Orion deadline) the bus storms up the hill & parks at our stop. A full bus of people exit & Orion confirms the other Wanderer’s bus following us caught on fire some klms back. Therefore, Orion leapt at picking them up to keep to their timeline & for a lake swim while another bus would be sent out. One young passenger alighting was miffed & I wanted to remind him how good this company is in handling problems like this with hardly any impact on the passengers, but I guess you can never get through to ignorant self-serving people.

Orion was quick to get us onboard & off we went to the next rainforest stop keeping to our timeframe. My fellow, much younger passenger, James (ex-England, living in Sydney), was so relieved sitting next to me when he found all his wallet, phone, etc still intact in the seat pocket where we were told the bus would be locked while we swam. Lesson learnt I thought & so lucky having the other bus passengers onboard.

Not far away from the lake we stopped at Yungaburra, a rainforest where Orion showed us the ‘Wait a While’ plant vine with very fine strands hanging down. The Aboriginals used this fine vine for a fishing line & hook. Very strong too. With all the greenery surrounding us we even saw a set of car keys hanging down for hopefully the driver to see them.

Across the road (too dangerous to cross the road), Orion showed us the Red Berry- stinging tree with large heart shaped leaves & red Berry clumps. Orion said it would be less painful if a truck hit you, for this plant is very dangerous & painful .. commonly called the ‘suicide plant’ with its microscopic stinger fibres which can last for months or even years, hence people take their own lives to escape the ongoing pain. One story Orion told was an army soldier in a jungle training for Vietnam War used the large leaves for toilet paper. Some months later he committed suicide to escape the ongoing relentless pain.

The rainforest walk was amazing & you are led right up to the famous Curtain Fig Tree which had taken over 2 host trees & this formed the unusual curtain. A movie Director/ Producer, James Crawford saw this tree & another one at another near location, called The Cathedral Tree where he used both of them in his huge film, Avatar. This Curtain Fig Tree is estimated to be around 6-800years old.

This Daintree & Cairns region rainforests are the oldest rainforests in the World … dinosaur era old in fact. We are also on the lookout for the dinosaur bird (Orion’s name), the super impressive Cassowary (2nd largest flightless bird in the world behind the Ostrich). Unfortunately, no sightings eventuated today but Orion has seen a few cross the road while driving. Orion had lots of funny nicknames of favourite animals & birds. Sorry, far too many to remember.

From Yungaburra, we stayed a little while in the village of Eacham for a quick view of shops & then lunch .. a beautiful lasagne meal for me with a great chat with some travellers & some from other parts of the world. Anouk, a young lady was from Netherlands & she had a great personality & interaction with most on the tour. We just started a great conversation after eating when Orion rushed us to board the bus. Bummer!!! Two young ladies ate a few tables away, secluded from the rest of us & they sat behind James & I on the bus. One was an ‘exact’ match for one of my Netherlands friend of many years. Surely, she must be a relative or even the slightly younger sister. Very uncanny & I have learnt sometimes the world can be quite small.

Next was the Millaa Millaa falls from the Johnstone River located in the Wooroonooran National Park. A beautiful waterfall used in several tv adds, etc. Orion even did the ad performance by untying his long black hair & dipping it in the water & then throwing his hair in a backing stand up motion (hair flick). It went off like a treat & he really did it well. The TV ad used a blonde woman in a bikini though. In these falls you can swim here but not directly under the waterfall as there is a large tree stump lodged up & peering over the top edge.

After Orion’s show I cautiously went up to the young ladies to introduce myself & ask if one of them was from the Netherlands but to my surprise they were both Germans. I started with stating the uncanny similarity of my friend Ayla to one of them. She seemed awkward until I showed her Ayla’s photo & she was quite shocked to the accuracy of both their faces. The other German lady seemed quite shy & withdrawn, possibly my age was off putting. It is hard for me to learn that young people find it hard to interact with older people. I understand it .. but it’s hard to accept. Helen was my Ayla, while Dana was the cautious & slightly withdrawn one. Helen spoke fluent English & we hit it off quite quickly, then she told me she wanted to do this tour on her birthday. I was blown away, as I told Helen it was my birthday also, with the same tour date idea. We were both thrilled to be sharing our birthdays together, (28/04) but she is 20 & I’m so much older. LOL!! She was a blessing to me today, such a lovely young lady. Made my day. They were both keen to enter the water of Millaa Millaa Falls, so I dared not deter them from that. Upon returning to the bus, I managed a smile from Helen again to further make my day. Thank you Helen.

A few minutes up the road at Crawfords Lookout we stopped for a clearer view of the river back towards the Millaa Millaa Falls & further upstream. A very impressive outlook. With further driving we climb slightly, then towards Mt Bartle Frere, Queensland’s highest mountain at 1622m high, some 75Klms south of Cairns. This is the direct area for Josephine Falls, the most violent of waterfalls for public access.

At Josephine Falls you can walk down to a platform & enter through a gate to walk the boulders to a natural water slide down the rock face. Access to the top section of the falls is prohibited. Serious injuries and deaths have occurred here. Please observe the well signposted warning signs. Flash flooding (rapidly rising water) is common during wetter months. Rapid and unpredictable water level rises have isolated people on the far bank requiring their rescue. The rocks are also exceptionally slippery, the water cold and submerged objects may be in the creek.

Based on the above, Orion was clear in his safety directions and for those keen to slide down the rock formation which basically enticed the younger passengers. I think my maturity kicked in where I cannot afford an injury with what is ahead of me these coming months (building projects & a Europe trip). Some of the girls yelled out for me to take videos of their slides so I ventured out on the slippery boulders & found a safe perch to stand. I had trouble at times when a lady, not on our bus kept getting into my video space & she knew it too. Arghh!!!

All the sliders had so much fun & even Orion too despite probably doing this almost weekly or more often. He was brilliant!! Finally, back on the bus & keeping to the timeframe we head to the Babinda Boulders. Once the bus is parked you head along The Devil’s Pool Walk, a 1.3 kilometre return walk along the Babinda Creek downstream from the Babinda Boulders picnic area. Slightly undulating along a rough bitumen track, the walk leads through the rainforest to two viewing platforms where the creek cascades down a series of spectacular waterfalls, granite boulders and washpools. This is a most dangerous area & with the water churning into washpools cascading around these huge granite boulders it is quite easy to see how a body can be totally trapped underwater, never to escape. For more info & to read about the local aboriginal legend of these boulders please use this link Cairns Attractions | Babinda Boulders – Cairns Attractions There has been some 25 deaths since 1959 when records started, so don’t take this area lightly. The signposts definitely don’t miss informing you of this. The council rangers regularly screen these falls for stupid people as rescues are so demanding & risky. We came across a plaque some time later recognising the search & discovery of a lost USAAF – Mitchell Bomber, noting my birthday date in 1942. Back then, this search would have been beyond belief with the resources they had.

James (ex-England, living in Sydney) sat next to me the entire tour which proves young people can interact & accept us older folk. LOL!!! He showed me his proposed renovation plans for his unit in Sydney, knowing my construction & building background. From the Babinda Boulders it was the usual drive back to Cairns along the flat Bruce Highway but of course Orion remained full on with music & his DJ allowed song skip enforced & lots of commentary of fun. He really made the day for all but he forgot Helen’s name for her birthday song we all sang to.

It was sad to see my fav travellers be dropped off at their respective stays & not being able to catch up later on. Helen & Dana leaving for Fiji the next day & Anouk, Japan 2 days later, James back to Sydney. I used my bus time to write down all my contact details to Helen & Anouk so I can send them the waterslide videos, to which they were thrilled but there was no time to discuss further. I only hope they will contact me.

I was the last drop off seeing I was 1st on. Orion couldn’t believe I had kept my birthday secret all day denying him of further comedy. Haha. Saved. I told Orion I had been on many bus tours & he was by far the best I had ever experienced. He was most thankful, but I again reaffirmed it to ensure it was just not a throw away comment. I even did a full on praise review for Orion on the Viator platform & company website.

By the time I arrived back at my resort it was 7.15pm & with enough time to get down to the restaurant by the pool to get a great cooked meal with a scotch .. remember, it’s my birthday. One gentleman arrived at the counter the same second I did, so it was a bit of ‘who goes first’. He insisted I go first with my order & after my payment he asked how my day went. I told him I did the full day Waterfall Tour & what a great day to celebrate my birthday with great people I met. He congratulated me & then I found a table out to the rear with the footy on the TV. I had this whole area to myself.

As soon as my dinner & scotch was gone, some staff, the gentleman & his family (wife & 2 sons) sung from behind me with Happy Birthday!!! What a great surprise & they even bought me the x-large muffin with a candle lit. I was totally blown away & thanked everyone wholeheartedly. I was so blown away I forgot to get a group photo. Bummer!!! I saw the family the next day at brekky when walking through (I had brekky in my room prior), but only for 2mins when my tour bus arrived to pick me up. I thanked them again rushing off, sadly they were leaving the region after brekky. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get their contact details.

I returned to my room to upload my Polarsteps journal & photos of today & reminisced my wonderful day, albeit without my family with me. Yes, it is not the first birthday on my own & possibly more to come. My family (children) are so busy & independent and quite some hours away from my home. My daughter is planning a post birthday get together later in May.

Post Blog: After about a week or so Dana contacted me with sincere apologies for delays in contacting me. I uploaded the waterslide videos to her & she was thrilled. We exchanged a few messages & I hope to see her in my upcoming Europe tour. She is safely back in Germany & Helen went to Bali after their Fiji trip. Quite a few weeks later Helen contacted me too, now she is still in Bali. We had a great catchup & she will advise me of her travels ongoing.

Tomorrow, I have another big tour day so I’ll end my Blog #2 here & many thanks for reading them. I’ll be able to give you an update on Anouk as well .. it will surprise you.

My Cairns – Port Douglas Trip – April 2025 – Blog 1

Blog # 1

I am an owner within the Wyndham Resorts empire & to use some of my pending overdue holiday credits I became very lucky to engage a 2-bed apartment at the Wyndham Port Douglas Resort 1hour drive north of the North Queensland town of Cairns around my birthday timing. To gain such bookings in Australia since COVID is like winning a lottery, so one must take these opportunities when they show as some bookings become available 13months in advance or when a rare cancellation appears. The 2-bed apartment was also in the hope I could share it with someone or my family but as you will read on, sadly this wasn’t to be.

I spent the early time after my booking confirmation for the best available flights, hiring a car which was a nightmare, costly & full of ‘traps’ from supplier contracts & some adventure tours, etc.

I left my hometown, Yamba, NSW at 4.15am to leave my car at my son’s place at Banora Point (2hrs away) for him to wake early & drive me to Varsity Lakes Train Station (Gold Coast) to board the Airport train at 6.40am (train goes directly to the Brisbane Airport Terminals) @ $23 one way. After 90mins I arrived with plenty of time to handle the terminal construction redevelopment changes now in play. No problem through security & found my favourite eatery from last time .. The Aviary. It is so much nicer than the communal fast food outlet area. Table service too, great food & coffee.

2hr 10mins flight time to Cairns Airport via Boeing 737-800. Flew over the coastline going North & seeing a volume of popcorn looking clouds which I’ve never seen before. Saw the magic sea colours of The Whitsundays (mineral sands floating through the sea water gives out the glowing colours). Unfortunately, the photos are not doing it justice through the airplane’s porthole windows & at 36,000ft. I did the Airlie Beach/ Whitsunday stay in 2023 & the sands & water were beyond amazing. Reaching Mackay I counted 26 container & bulk ships anchored off the coast & there must be more, as the coastline was now on my western side. Must be a massive wait time to get into the port.

Not long after this I arrived at Cairns & was picked up by East Coast Car Hire shuttle bus for my MG car hire for 6days. They had the best deal & a breeze of a contract. From there I did the grocery shopping at Cairns Central (main shopping centre) but bought my fruit & vegies at nearby Ridleys (so cheap & fresh) & travelled further north (55mins) to my Ramada Wyndham Resort at Port Douglas where I settled into my apartment with great ease & had a well-earned sleep that night in of my upgraded apartment (2 Bed) of the Ramada Resort nestled in a melaleuca rainforest. Such a shame I couldn’t get anyone to come with me, so the 2nd bedroom & bathroom wasted, I guess.

The resort has a great nature looking Central Pool off the large timber boardwalks & the restaurant/ bar is adjacent to the unique ‘nature’ pool & within the structure they have kept the natural strangling figs taking over the host trees & these puncture through the dining roof. Quite huge specimens & creates a great atmosphere. The pool area is perfect for families. From the pool there are separate lounge areas, perfect for chatting, reading or card games, etc.

By mid-morning I had a Wyndham ownership update meeting, then headed 2klms down the road to the Port Douglas CBD (Macrosson St is the main street full of all types of pubs, eateries & boutique shops). Being Sunday, the huge markets are on in the park at the end of Macrosson St, along Wharf St.

From the markets I walked through the large park sighting the ANZAC Memorial full of wreaths from our annual commemoration of the landing of our ANZACs on 25^th April 1915 which is heavily placed in our history where our veterans went fay & beyond and gave us our lives we enjoy now. Next to the memorial is the restored Court House of yesteryear & now a museum, such a presentation of old building construction & techniques. On the southern side of the park, I came along a restored and relocated St Mary’s By the Sea Church. Again, beautifully restored but it wasn’t open this day. A cousin of mine lived her for some 30+ years & was heavily involved in raising funds to restore & relocate this wonderful community building. Next door to this church is the famous Tin Shed … a seaside tavern of sorts linked to the fishing community. They have a large deck overlooking the bay.

Leaving the Tin Shed I walked back up Wharf St to spend a bit of time at The Central Hotel for a beer or two & listening to a great guitar/ singer performer & as Aussie as they come. Great music!! After the pub I walked right along the nature thick shoreline on a nature path at the northern end of Wharf St until I took a shortcut to get me back onto the sealed road of Island Point Rd which eventually leads you to the end for the Trinity Bay Lookout. This is the highest point of Port Douglas so there is the restored signal mast for old shipping lines & the radio/ telecommunications tower.

I met a large travelling family from India looking out over the bay & then trying to get a family photo, so I jumped in to take the photo for them & not missing any family members. They were so surprised an old Aussie guy would do that for them. Surely, I can’t be the only one to do these simple but very important gestures? When I started to look out over the bay, I could see the ‘surf club’ far below with their structured swim pool area boarded off to the remaining sea & quickly spotted a large saltwater crocodile (4m, my guess) lying still just outside the border. The Indians were amazed they had not seen it & were thrilled to be shown how these crocodiles are so free & brazen. With a cheery good-bye I walked slowly back to my hire car & then headed back to my resort, now it’s quite late & time for a beer next to the pool.

Port Douglas was established in 1877 when gold was discovered & then forest logging took place. Back then, the population was around 27,000 & with 27 hotels. The population is now around 3,700 & expands to almost triple in the peak tourist season (Winter migration from southerners). This region cops the cyclones & a couple of nasty ones have devastated the region & some of the buildings in my photos took major restoration & relocating.

Pt Douglas is 1hr drive from Cairns & both these locations are the stepping areas for The Great Barrier Reef (largest coral reef in the world) & The Daintree Rainforest (oldest rainforest in the world). Tomorrow is my birthday & I have to get up at 5.15am to meet my pre-booked Waterfall Tour in Cairns towards Karanda & South, expecting it to be an extra special day so I’ll end my 1^st blog here & many thanks for reading them. Pls stay happy, healthy & safe.

Great Ocean Road/ Grampians Tour – February 2024 – Blog #5

Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour – February 2024 – Blog #5

Day 11

With all the nature birds & wildlife, our set alarms coincided at 6.30am to be able to get away by 8am. The wildlife must of known of our tight itinerary for our last day on this Great Ocean Road & Grampians tour & what a pleasant way to wake up. EGR has a bit to do each morning, rolling up her swag, sorting out her suitcase, clothes, laundry, shower, brekky & looking after me too I guess like every other tour day, so it takes around 90mins for us to get underway on the road taking in our stress-free easy pace. As usual I slept like an absolute log but unfortunately EGR had a very bad sleep with nearby backpacker van (arriving late at night & being inconsiderate to the other campers) so it will be a long, tough day for her.

We also have so much food to sort out for our last day (dry & fridge) & it will be a challenge to consume it all or throw it out into a waste bin later. Anyway, we escaped out of Lakeside Caravan Park after the boom gate & turned right to head out onto the service road & then onto the main road however within the first 200m I had to brake very hard to avoid 2 large adult emus stressing out with my vehicle approaching alongside the road. The male, of course, I accept was the most stupid in overreacting. Lol!! The female was slightly smaller in statue & knew her partner would ‘control’ things … eventually. They were healthy & magnificent & were two of many about this park area at this time of the day. These two were the biggest I have ever seen. We were not able to get a photo of them either which was very unfortunate. EGR, myself & the van (loose items shifted to the front) all received a huge shock at first but then soon overjoyed with the wonderful close up nature.

Anyway, with that unneeded adrenalin rush we hit the road to Stawell, some 32klms on, a rural town that has an annual professional running race meeting held over 3 days at Easter & with a history of 146yrs of this event since 1878. Most races are handicapped where the faster runners are stepped back to so many metres at the starting lines to the slower runners. This event is one of the richest footrace meetings in the world. A huge event with runners from all over the world. Not bad for a small town of some 7,000 citizens. Stawell is the gateway to the Grampians National Park if coming from the East.

EGR has her headphones on to limit the rattle noises & motor of the van but still gives me navigational directions, such is her willingness to push the envelope to assist in between shutting her eyelids, moments at a time. Before long, we stop for about 40mins to peruse the main streets of Ballarat some 90mins into our journey. The wide streets are filled with magnificent old buildings dating back to the 1850s & remain in very good condition & obviously heritage listed. Ballarat was formed in 1838 & as of 2024 has a population of 119,096 making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria.

Ballarat was a massive gold rush region back in the 1850s & on 3^rd December 1854 was the most famous call to arms by miners in combatting the large police force & soldiers known as the Eureka Stockade. The miners protested by firearms for the excessive miner licences inflicted upon them. Sadly, 22 miners were killed in this brief exchange. This was the first organised protest that brought changes to the present laws & politicians. In 1858 the town swelled to 60,000, mostly men but this soon depleted when the gold dried up. The town effectively was proclaimed a city in 1871 & the railway soon followed. Ballarat started as a sheep farming area pre-settlement to a gold rush region to a large manufacturing centre and now combines that with tourism due to the strict heritage salvaging of buildings, streets and war memorial trees planted along the Avenue of Honour where the magnificent sandstone memorial Arch of Victory spans across the avenue.

Heading back to the van we noticed The Gold Shop in Lydiard St Nth, where they showed replicas of some of the gold & silver nuggets unearthed in the region. Wouldn’t I like to stumble across this size of gold on our walks! We celebrated such a wealth of history with a great coffee from Cobb’s Coffee & then hit the road again before our parking meter was done & the drop off van time deadline was creeping up.

In just leaving Ballarat on came the low fuel reading .. argh!!! How did I miss that? EGR said another petrol station was 18klms away (Google Maps) so we will make it. Whew!! .. we made it .. after missing a turn & eventually doing a U turn!! EGR then programmed a rest point near the van drop off at Somerton (Northern Melbourne suburb) to have lunch & do our final pack & see what food & drink is left over. I don’t know where the guidance was taking us along those back roads, my brain compass went astray long ago but I trusted EGR & yes it all worked out. We had the leftover Thai Stir-fry & some extra food still in the fridge. Tummy extra full!!

With super lunch done, we travelled another 9klms to drop off the van & and thankfully, it only took 6mins (I had paid the return free fee of petrol, gas & toilet dump, etc when hiring). While I was talking to another travelling couple a Uber turned up. EGR organised for the Uber the minute we drove in to keep to our time schedule. She instructed the driver to drop off her luggage at her friend’s place (jeweller shop) nearby & then proceeded to Wyndham Melbourne with me to pick up her small bag she booked into storage there some 8days ago. This was a good move to avoid carrying her excess luggage around. EGR was catching her plane back to the Sunshine Coast, Qld a day or two after me, so I’m on my own again to see the last of Melbourne.

At Wyndham she gained her small bag & with a few hugs & thank you’s she was gone to catch the tram back to her friend’s jewellery shop before closing. She caught me trying to shuffle some dollars into her bag to help with her budget back home & she skilfully sorted me out & so not to offend me. Still can’t get anything past her. I reaffirmed to her on how she excelled from her disability in handling the past 10days & how thrilled I was she managed to get through all those days & nights so there’s nothing she can’t do now to excel even further.

After a sad good-bye I settled back into Wyndham & undertook my washing & drying & then headed out in search of a great place to relax & maybe have a beer, etc. I wasn’t ready to push more food into my still full stomach at this point.

After walking over 2.5klms & seeing about 8 pubs/ taverns & the like I finally found one called The Boilermaker House. The craft beer was amazing & had 3 schooners before heading back to Wyndham for a dinner of leftovers. Melbourne seems to be low in having great pubs & the like with atmosphere on the ones I found. Surely, I’m wrong … but it is well known, Melbourne is extremely slow in recovering from the world’s longest COVID city lockdown & businesses lost. Walking around it is quite obvious to the viewer. Back at Wyndham, I had completed 7.5klms of overall walking for the day, so I exceeded my target yet again. Yay!!!

Tomorrow, I head back to the Gold Coast to pick up my trusty ute at my son’s place (Matt & Ashlee) at Banora Point, NSW then see Kate (my daughter) & her family at Canungra, Qld before heading back home to paradise in Yamba, NSW & having a beer at my cousin’s micro-brewery, The Wobbly Chook (he’s for real & his name is Chook!). I’m not a beeraholic, but a scotch one.

I’ll end this Blog #5 here, so stay safe, happy & hopefully enjoy the photos as much as I have had reviewing them.

“Communication … Communication … Talk to each other”. From a song “Kite” on the concert DVD “Go Home” by U2 @ Slane Castle. YouTube have it also.

Thank you again for reading my blogs and I trust you will stay safe, happy & healthy for 2024 and for it to be a far better year for all. I do not receive any commissions &/or ‘perks’ from the above nominated businesses & locations as I am purely happy to provide the acknowledgement and connection.

I always look forward to seeing the feedback so don’t be afraid to comment. Live life to the most and a quote that I truly love is from Eckhart Tolle ..

“If I am not the hero of my life … who in the hell could be?”

Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour – January 2024 Blog #2

Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour – January 2024 – Days 5 – 7

I trust you have read Blog #1 so you can understand the following blogs that #2 are Days 5-7 where they are going to be huge for commentary & photos, such is what will unfold on this famous coastal stretch of amazing sights. Hope you enjoy this as much as we both did.

Day 5

Well, we are into our 5th day in Melbourne & we both set our alarms to 8.30am for a 10.30 checkout of Wyndham. EGR has a bit to do & I had the emergency of getting a new drink bottle from my preferred Kathmandu store after losing it last night. Kathmandu didn’t open till 10am & when walking I realised, I had not had breakfast & couldn’t afford the time when I returned to Wyndham. I found this small cafe in The Block Av which had the most delicious porridge (photo) & it was better than it looked too!!! The Block Av is where the Tea Rooms 1892 is located where we visited on Day 3 (refer to previous blog).

Of course, Kathmandu had a new series of drink bottles & not of my preferred type so had to settle for one that was at least suitable. $40 thank you as well!! On my way next door to Wyndham, contractors were putting in new large shop front glass so that was great to watch for a while with the equipment they were using & how precise they were using the apparatus arm. I have spent a lot of time working with glass panels & it is certainly not fun when they shatter (explode). Getting back to Wyndham, EGR was ready & keen to get underway. Perfect timing. Now for the huge haul of luggage to the street.

Of course, my task for EGR was to find an Uber that could take all of our gear to Somerton (Northern suburb) to pick up our Mercedes Voyager campervan. She scored a Tesla Y model & it looked far too small but Sean, the driver, had us packed & on the way in no time. It all fitted in the extra-large boot.

EGR making the conversation about the Tesla & asking Sean some questions on his life … it was a burst of laughter & “No Way”!!! For Sean worked with EGR’s aunty at Qantas for decades in Melbourne & he knew the aunty’s family & children too. Well, it was bloody hard for me to get another sentence in for the entire 35mins of travel. Such a small world & the conversations never eased.

Upon reaching our Britz destination in Somerton that’s when our day changed dramatically. The entry room was packed with people & only 2 desks were operating. We took the line as soon as we entered the room, only to be told later we needed to be in the other line. Then later found that any line would have done. Argh!!! 2 young British girls were in front of us, but we were both trapped with 3 sets of Chinese family travellers at the desk. Despite a few mandatory Britz emails sent to each hirer prior to arrival they chose not to read them & to check-in online! The lady at the counter had to then go through all 3 couples before they could get their vehicle & to check their driver’s licence & credentials first & then walk them through the hiring terms & conditions singularly. This took almost 2hrs & their kids were uncontrollable shockers too which we had to control for EGR’s well-being.

People in the other line that came in after us had already got their vehicle & gone & now we had just the one lady at the counter working & the other desk closed. Finally, the Chinese were finished & the 2 British girls were done in under 12mins, & the same for us. Then the waiting took place in getting our vans. We gave a few bananas to the girls as they had no food & starting to struggle with the heat & feeling stranded. Another hour had past & then the British girls were on their way & travelling to Adelaide, then flying to Perth. We had a great time with them & photos were taken with EGR. Finally, our van was ready but in getting the induction I found I couldn’t open the sliding door from the inside. Rowan, the serviceman disputed this but then couldn’t open it either so another 20mins transpired & then later it was confirmed it could not be fixed easily & we will be provided with another van and another 20mins delay getting the van commissioned. Rowan, with his manager came back with a $75 credit to me for the delay & inconvenience, etc. Again, the other van arrived but it was now a Mercedes Sprinter (better) & the handover completed after 2 people worked hard to get the filthy windscreen clean necessary for driving. Now we are on our way (We arrived at 11.50am & now leaving 4.55pm). 4 bloody hrs!!! Apologies for the bad mug shot of the next photo selfie. LOL!! EGR always looks great!

We were now pushed for time to get to Geelong for urgent grocery shopping for travelling & to see some sights in time (The famous Pro Surfing Beach of Bell’s Beach, etc with one photo) to get to Anglesea to stay overnight & charge the van battery up as recommended. We missed seeing the first stop of Torquay now & more time at Bell’s Beach.

Prior to arrival at Anglesea Caravan Park, they notified us of the afterhours office safe code to get the site instructions, but the code was incomplete so luckily, we managed to get phone help to obtain our specific set code for the boom gate entry. We eventually found our site & EGR started erecting her swag while I setup the van. We managed to get squared away, hooked everything up for the van, showered & had dinner at 8.40pm. What a day!!! EGR had done the initial drive to Geelong for food shopping than me to Bell’s Beach & EGR to Anglesea, for she wanted me to see the sights along the way as much as possible. That was a huge effort of EGR to do this driving, knowing her disability issues. Sleep is now well overdue, especially for EGR, but we survived this day & hope EGR has enough stamina for tomorrow.

EGR had brought her swag from her home at the Sunshine Coast in Queensland to help in her comfort & security (disability issues). She loves her swag & relates it to her cocoon so that is her preference for sleeping this entire trip. She had to buy new poles for it & have them delivered to Melbourne Post Office. Her stepdad had apparently misplaced her poles. Thankfully, they arrived in Melbourne the day prior to picking up the van with EGR so relieved.

Day 6

Woke up surprisingly well at 8.10am after a real full day prior. Most campgrounds have a 10am exit curfew so our phone alarms will be used unfortunately to make this deadline. EGR was disturbed by people talking loud well after midnight. I didn’t hear them from within the van. The 2 security workers patrolling at night in their golfcart obviously didn’t do their job in keeping the peace as per the site’s strict rules. While in the campground at the 10am check-out curfew we drove to the rear of the campground & was able to park & venture down the walk ramp to see the wide expanse of the Anglesea beach & the huge vertical sandstone cliffs looking about 40m high (bit dangerous with sheer land drops unexpectantly at times). After a brief chat with a local couple & a few photos we sneaked out of the campground until being stuck at the boom gate, possibly being well after the exit curfew. Very thankful for the groundsman to press the bypass code buttons with no penalty imposed.

From there we hit the Great Ocean Rd (GOR) again. The first stop was the Loveridge Lookout over Princess Mary Bay. Magnificent view & from the lookout you can clearly see the giant landslip towards the sea which happened in 1903. At this lookout, a visitor living within the region noticed my Yamba Backpackers t shirt (he had been to Yamba) & with this, gave us a quick history overview which was brilliant & well received. From there we stopped briefly at Fairhaven to take a quick photo from the side of the road of the famous Pole House. Superbly fitted out now for an expensive Airbnb. Due to driving I was unable to take more photos so apologies for the limited number. EGR couldn’t handle more driving & that was totally expected & acceptable.

From there to Lorne & up the hill to Teddy’s Lookout where we did about 10mins walking to see great ocean views. Lorne is a fair-sized town for numerous cafes & shops & a great looking pub. Next stop was in a nearby location as this lookout & was a meandering road & steep descent out the back of Lorne to Erskine Falls. Caravans, buses, etc not allowed into the forest road & very limited parking for a RV. After parking the walk down is of timber & rock steps (lots of them & people knew it on the way back due to the steepness of the terrain). What a glorious sight to behold of the waterfall, ferns & pure nature. We were able to scale the boulders & stream to get closer to the waterfall & take great photos. A truly beautiful spot. EGR was keen for a photo, so she scrambled to get closer to the waterfall trusting her to do it safely & I left to take the photo of course.

We travelled back through Lorne’s shoreline street, still busy in the cafes with lots of travellers & locals. Not far out from Lorne we came across another lookout, Mt Defiance, with 2 plaques. One read The GOR was built & commemorated to the soldiers of WW1 1914-1919 & the roadworks commenced almost straight after the war. The further we ventured down The GOR the fiercer the ocean became until we reached Separation Ck, Wye River & Kennett River further on. Definitely not safe for swimming or surfing.

Another great Lookout was Cape Patton with the most colourful of ocean which quickly reminded me of the famous Queensland Whitsunday Island waters I saw last year. With similar views & winding roads we stopped briefly at stopover points & then ultimately to Apollo Bay Campgrounds just out of the township on the Southeastern side. This was an average campground but cost effective however, Leigh at the office was sensational in helping us find an EGR suitable site. We did our setup on the first site only to find the neighbours of young men too inconsiderate & loud where EGR can’t tolerate that sort of noise & even with her earplugs at night would still be an unhealthy outcome for her. Leigh found us a few more sites & after scouring we only found 1 that was eventually suitable.

The setting up of our campsite is getting into a fine art & well-choreographed. I set the van up, EGR does her swag, etc & sort out her night requirements. After those tasks were completed, we later managed to have some red wine (mine with preservatives, EGR with special non-preservatives), dips/ crackers & a game of Phase 10 EGR educated me on & to which I competed well in my first round. We’ll continue the tournament another day hoping I’ll beat EGR. I cooked the BBQ, EGR did the salad & we both cleaned up, walked to the beach & back just before sunset & then off to the showers, now it’s getting past EGR’s sleep pattern. After a back burn flame I rechecked the BBQ gas lead & it appears to have a defect (tiny hole), so it will be indoor cooking from here on in. Arghh!! I’m so grateful EGR has a superb culinary outlook for this old man. She has managed to ensure we ate & drank well on this tour & has been of wonderful support. Sitting back relaxing it was then we needed to plan our times for campground entry to enable a smooth transition into nightfall to ensure EGR in gaining as much sleep as possible & to help stamina recovery.

All in all, I managed 5.4klms of walking (so too, EGR) & the road trip from Lorne to Apollo Bay took quite some hours to do despite the mere 47klms of road travel. So much to see & tomorrow should be even better.

Day 7

Out of the Apollo Bay campsite at 10am (deadline achieved) & turned left back through the township & up the hill to view from Marriner’s Lookout, which is part of private land where the owners provide access to this great location. There’re about 9 car spaces up there and our 7m RV was the biggest that should venture there & we were blessed no-one was coming back down on that narrow tight hairpin road. Took some great photos & without much ado we were back on the road in 30mins however, time was well spent.

We are now driving more inland so it’s more forest & pastures for some 81klms heading up to the northern most point of the road at Lavers Hill so not much to see & with just 17klms of road trip down we came across signage of Mate’s Rest Rainforest Walk named after a park ranger from long ago. What a great decision to venture into a small loop carpark with only 2 large vehicle spaces available. We did the 800m forest walk in 35mins as per the advice on walk signage with so much to see & to embrace.

This walk showed the true dinosaur era of ferns, moss, fungi & massive Beech Myrtle & other trees. The forest is so thick with vegetation. The low level easy gradient walkway is made up of elevated galv welded grid mesh (custom built) & very stable & accurate with a little bit of crusher dust & compacted soil on other walkways. A truly wonderful 35mins & so refreshing of cool, oxygen enriched air from the thick vegetation, much like the base of a waterfall gives.

Out initial itinerary allowed for a few hours to undertake the Otway Fly … Tree line Walkway & then ride the zipline back to the entry just outside of Lavers Hill. Upon our research & prior contact with management they could not advise on the type of ferocity at the end points of the zipline therefore thought it best not to partake, as EGR cannot afford any more whiplash damage. For most people this is a must do on the GOR journey & pre-injury EGR was a great zipline lover.

Back on the road we went non-stop on winding road all the way to Princetown Campground for an early setup. This campground is ideal to be close to the famous 12 Apostles & you get what you pay for @ $25 for 2 adults & a powered site. The toilets are a drop shute (no cistern, just a long drop open hole, but with a toilet pan .. yay!) separated by some 25m from the shower blocks, bored water, so no refilling of your fresh water & no dump site for waste disposal … nothing else. All in all, an open quiet area & not as many campers this time of year. Plenty of kangaroos at dusk. The campground is built around an AFL sports ground, so we were lucky there was no game or training on.

With time on our side for now, we engaged in a card game (Phase 10) again, dips & crackers & a mild curry lunch EGR made the other day. Yummo!! It was good to be ahead of EGR in this game & in seeing her do so well in her managing her health & stamina. Revising our trip plans we thought it best to drive 10mins down The GOR to see the famous 12 Apostles off the sheer cliffs of the coastline before sunset. We expected a quiet time considering the time of day, & being February but alas, buses full of tourists, mostly Asian & Chinese swamping the place. EGR & I quickly overtook their meandering & still we had to be patient & clever in taking our photos. One very rude Chinese man cut through knocking EGR hard. Respecting the crowd, I eventually stood next to him & gave him an absolute mouthful, but he didn’t speak English, or he hid it very well. Anyway, it was good to vent my disgust in his behaviour & his lack of manners & there was a hint he knew what I was on about. Sure enough, he had many of his rude followers with him as we found out later. Such rude self-centred uncaring people.

Some photos were hard to take with the cloud cover but very pleased we are seeing them in their glory. After a full intake of the 12 Apostles, EGR mentioned the chocolate/ alpaca farm on our way back. With a short drive we turned left into Princetown Rd & drove for 7klms to a beautiful farm, G.O.R.G.E Chocolates where we had far too many choices of chocolates, nuts, rocky road, jams, gifts, etc, etc. It was good to see a decent carpark too for a 7m van. You can feed the alpacas for $5, stay at the Cafe & very soon they will finish constructing farm stay cabins that are well underway. Certainly, a nice place to visit & as EGR stated a great place to stay soon & have chocolate on tap. LOL!!

On our way back, we stopped for 5 minutes, quite near to the vile Ferguson Wind Farm of 3 windmills. I wish I had some dynamite to blow these monstrous useless environmental hazards & killers. The whoosh sound was numbing from these toxic material blades. They suck birdlife in with their wind swirls & are the ultimate in environmental disasters not to mention the 200+ cubic metres of concrete imbedded into the foundation.

When reaching the GOR again we turned back (right turn) toward the 12 Apostles & then took a left turn at the nearby Gibson Steps signage. EGR advised me to put on my thermal under shirt while she wore her heavy wind vest. We sure did need it. The chilly wind was quite strong. Here at this location, again only 2 long vehicle bays but we were lucky to get 1. The Gibson Steps are large steps leading down along the face of the 80ft high cliff face with signage saying cliff faces can collapse at any time without warning so stay close to the ocean & not the cliff. Der!!! But again, some Asians walked along the sand under the cliff face & that was very unnerving for us both to see.

EGR tested the ocean water & came back with “icy cold!!” .. again “der!”. Looking straight out the ocean horizon you are looking straight toward Antarctica & feeling the onshore wind. What else would one expect!! We took some great photos of a few Apostles & it was time to get back to our camp site for an early dinner. Despite all the best plans we are still getting into our respective beds for sleep at 10pm. Alarm set for tomorrow’s big day at 5.30am for sunrise.

Stay safe, happy & hopefully enjoy the photos. Lots more to come.

“Communication … Communication … Talk to each other”. From a song “Kite” on the concert DVD “Go Home” by U2 @ Slane Castle. YouTube has it also.

I always look forward to seeing feedback so don’t be afraid to comment. My next blog/s will be more of the Great Ocean Road where experiences & views will give more reasons to life & of how life changes, & not just for me.

Live life to the most and a quote that I truly love is from Eckhart Tolle .. “If I am not the hero of my life … who in the hell could be?”

Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour – January 2024 Blog #1

My Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour – January 2024 Blog #1

First, may I say apologies for the large gap in my travel blog publications. Since 11^th September 2023 to 8^th January 2024 with a few weeks off in-between I did major renovations to my cousin’s house in Coffs Harbour, some 90mins away. There were 2 large decks 4m off the ground that were severely unsafe plus major work needed for the house to sell. So glad that I managed to finish it & still alive. Lol!!

I never thought I had a bucket list of travels but somewhere in my backyard brain I longed to do The Great Ocean Road (GOR) in Victoria at some point. It was only searching my Wyndham Resort Ownership website I found they had returned to offer a Winnebago/ van travel option. Seeing I had enough points I was able to score a 2bed apartment at Wyndham Melbourne, 199 William St for a few days soaking up Melbourne & then obtaining the van for 7days hire. The 2 bed was the only apartment available for the timing required.

These blogs I will be doing on the GOR have a large volume of photos so sit back & enjoy these like I did. I used a platform called Polarsteps on my phone to help with my daily adventures in writing & photos so you may wish to upload & follow me on that too. It’s free. A Netherlands friend put me onto it when I planned their Sydney to Cairns road trip late last year. There is far too much to write about The Great Ocean Road & The Grampians, so it is left up to you to set your own itinerary & be satisfied with what you achieved. It may several tours of this region to accomplish a full in-depth tour of the sights, wineries, events, etc, etc. Such an awesome region of history too. I did my best to research prior, but on my journey, I found useful booklets along the way so if you can get the Travel Planner booklet Edition 4 from www.visitgreatoceanroad.org.au you will find this amazing & of great help in setting your targets. Here’s a map to show the coast road townships & circled places we stayed but first we have a few days in Melbourne before travelling. Melbourne is Victoria’s capital city of some 6Mil people. Melbourne is located in top right of photo map.

With all things confirmed I booked my Virgin flight from Gold Coast Airport, 30 Jan 2024 & this involved leaving Yamba & staying at my son’s place (Matt & Ashlee) at Banora Point where they will drop me off for the plane on their way to work. This made me so early I had to wait many hours for the flight, but I never minded this, for the opportunity to watch people being excited, crying in good-byes & all the other emotions involved in travelling & fewer people checking in … along with a great coffee. Never been one to have a beer prior to flying.

Many years ago, I met a young Australian lady travelling our great country at my cousin’s Backpackers at Yamba, NSW. She was vibrant and gained a front of house job there for quite some time. She loved Yamba & stayed. Like most workers & backpackers we all chatted & got on famously, even with this old bloke. EGR (Privacy respected) eventually left but over time she helped me in providing free travel to a German backpacker, Anita where I was able to take her completely around the Sth Island of NZ in 2017 in a 6berth Winnabago to which she & her parents remain ever grateful. EGR stayed in touch & at some point I ‘helped’ her through some terrible times she was having, albeit by phone. Long story short, EGR, with her parents were travelling in a convoy with EGR doing her own driving with a small A shaped caravan, late in 2023 as her first major test, & she wanted to catchup with me & others at Yamba to show her parents what she experienced in Yamba years ago & to meet me of course.

My initial shock when she walked into the backpackers, now a boutique hotel & micro-brewery, The Wobbly Chook Brewing Company, (post COVID) was EGR had an assistance dog, Duke (Great Dane x Bull Arab) .. Yikes!! That’s a big assistance dog! We had a great chat & The Great Ocean Road trip (GOR) came up & after a while she asked if she could come along & without Duke. She wanted to see if she could cope without Duke & wanted to revisit the GOR she did quite some years ago & would be a great navigator for me too. I said, sure, if you could deal with me. LOL!!! In Mid-January 2024 after a myriad of texts we both confirmed we were ready to go & all flights, etc were booked. Lucky, I originally booked the 2bed apartment prior.

Day 1 of Escape

Back at the airport now & arriving quite early I bag dropped my luggage & proceeded to security where a young Brazilian man was bringing his checked bag through the security & I pulled him up on it just as the security officer stopped him. I took him back around to the bag drop & showed him how to do it through the terminals scattered around on the floor. Nothing was checking out on the terminal pad & was stating baggage closed. He was flying Jetstar, so I immediately began to get the picture. There was a Jetstar counter on the opposite side of the terminal & I explained all to the staff. His flight was almost finished boarding, so they had to rebook him on another flight. He was so thankful for my assistance. Just prior to going to my departure gate he saw me in the crowd & thanked me again, leaving with huge smiles & a wave. He was so relieved to be on his way.

Still in G/Coast & when my boarding call was announced I saw a young lady standing just outside the departure lounge ropes & was wondering seeing her stressed and somewhat anxious. I hope she is all right.

I boarded the 737-800 airbus & obtained a window seat & in 2+hrs arrived in Melbourne Tullamarine with the weather remarkably fine. Melbourne is renowned for having 4 seasons in one day. My friend, EGR from the Sunshine Coast, Qld texted me, for her flight was now cancelled due to a heavy storm. She can’t fly till late tomorrow now. I was reading this text while waiting for my bag pickup on the carousel when I noticed the young lady, mentioned before, standing next to me. I said “Hi” & explained to her my friend just had her flight cancelled so plans have changed somewhat. I asked her about standing outside the ropes at the airport. She was waiting for a standby seat & was so relieved to get one on my flight. I then asked her if her trip to Melbourne was business, or pleasure. She replied “divorce” & started to tear up. With a few words, I was able to ease her pain & regained her smile, with more discussion I offered her a coffee to talk more if that was of help seeing I had been where she was many years prior. I was sure she was going to agree when her phone rang & she had to walk off for privacy. I had my large backpack now off the carousel, but she was still on the phone & walking to the carpark. I would have loved to have had coffee with her & offer my divorce & new life experiences if that is what she would be seeking. It was sad to see her alone in her world.

With EGR delayed I clambered onto the shuttle Skybus (can’t miss them – shiny red) to the Southern Cross Station for $23.80 (no pensioner discount .. arghh!!) a few blocks from my Wyndham resort in the CBD. After checking in, I returned back to the Sthrn Cross Station & scaled the street elevators to see what was behind the wall of buildings on that busy Spencer St. At the top was a large open causeway & open area for pedestrian access to buildings & train lines, plus the enormous Marvel Stadium. This stadium has an operating roof when needed & is so large it has cricket matches here, mainly, 20 & 50over games. There are no events scheduled here at present & there appears to be no internal tours available. I only have memories of TV games played there. After a walkaround EGR sent a list of special food required for her health condition for her arrival tomorrow & Coles food shop was just below on ground floor to make it all well-timed & easy. After shopping & storing the goods into the resort apartment’s fridge, etc I perused the street for dinner & found a Porterhouse Steak meal at Kings St Pub. Steak + 1pint of beer $56.80 thanks very much. Ouch!!! They only served pots or pints, no schooners. The pint cost around $16. Walked overall 9.76klms so that well exceeded my health step daily average of course. Nice 26°C for Melbourne. My 2bed apartment was excellent, such is the normal Wyndham high standard. I took the 2^nd bedroom, so EGR could have the master & ensuite to make it better for her over the next 3 days.

Looking out from the Concourse towards Docklands

Day 2

Woke up at 6am for an early Wyndham owner update which included brekky, coffee & juice. Finally, I had a great update from Wyndham. Best one for years. After that, I headed off for a 2+klm walk to the famous 110,000+ seat MCG stadium tour + Sports Museum Tour (2+hrs). Walked along the Yarra River past Flinders St Station & watched numerous rowing teams on my way. Also encountered the mass dismantling of the Australian Open Tennis setup which had just completed next door to the MCG.

The first things you see are the enormous structure of the stadium & the 6 x 80m light towers & then coming close to several bronze statues of legends, like Shane Warne, Betty Cuthbert & Shirley Strickland to name a few outside of Gate 3 entrance. Whilst the stadium is huge from the outside, it is only when you enter that you realize the playing ground is quite deeper than the surrounding land outside.

A volunteer MCG member was our tour guide & within a few minutes the guide, already frustrated, begged me to keep the group together & flowing, for any wandering or stopping affects the tours of others following us. The tours are only available when there are no events scheduled. The tours of both cost $35 in total on a concession, so they are of great value. Keeping the group together was a huge task & I lost my patience & tolerance particularly on an Indian family who showed utter contempt of keeping together. These Indians were so disgusting, rude, arrogant & my words spoken to them were quite direct & accurate. My blood was boiling!! Worst ever experienced on any tour I had undertaken. Afterwards, the tour guide was so very thankful that I did a great job. He too was very annoyed with them & disgusted with their behaviour.

The tours overall took some 70mins & so much history. In the Sports Museum tour (you are left to wander on your own & time) there is an AI hologram of the famous spinner Shane Warne talking about his career & what cricket meant to him & his history he had in this 10mins viewing. He’s greatly missed in the cricket world & the hologram was so real looking. His children have now set up a great charity to do with the heart.

We walked the hallowed ground of grass at the fence line & to see the wicket being prepared in the centre, but sadly not to see the change rooms, due to no access with cricket between West Indies & Australia in 2 days’ time on a one-day 50s game. The large expanse of grass & wicket pitches in about 2weeks time will be totally covered with a temporary floor for the upcoming Taylor Swift concert where she will play in front of her ever-biggest crowd of some 110,000 people. The grass will then be fully ripped up & replaced in time for the upcoming Aust Rules Football game where there are 3 clubs that share this ground. The wicket pitches are drop-ins so they will be lifted by special machines & replaced with a football drop-in centre pitch.

After the museum, I walked back towards Wyndham resort plus more groceries for EGR arriving much later today. With great timing EGR text me she was minutes away in a black Lexus Uber & will need help with her baggage. She was NOT wrong!!! She brought everything. I asked her where the kitchen sink was? LOL!!

With EGR now settled & very thankful & comfortable in seeing her bedroom & ensuite. A little overwhelmed, I think of providing her so-called ‘special treatment’. Again, we had to get more specialist food & decided on having dinner out as well. Getting back to the apartment EGR had hit the wall & off to bed but we managed to see the pool on the roof area (23rd Floor) & city sites prior. EGR has a low body battery & can’t handle noise, crowds & long conversations due to her brain disability (injury). With my day I had accrued over 20,000 steps or 15.29klms. Definitely, need sleep too & an easier day tomorrow.

Day 3

After a big walk day yesterday & with EGR needing recovery time I found myself waking up at 8.30am & a text from EGR needing to sleep till at least 10.30am. After a half bowl of yoghurt & blueberries I hit the walking pathway again. I found Hardware Lane where numerous coffee shops & restaurants rev backup from the previous night’s surge. Then revisited 333 Collins St to see the awesome historical internal building masterpiece of the general public area & then to Federation Sq/ Flinders St Railway Station.

Reviewing my Google Maps, I noticed Capt James Cook’s cottage was about 1klm away in the magnificent garden area. Cook being a true hero of mine I had to see this. Such a tragedy that he only spent a mere 4yrs at his home with his wife Elizabeth & had 6 children who all died prior to James & Elizabeth & therefore no heirs became of it. This house is a bit confusing, for it was Capt Cook’s father’s house. Purchasing a $7 ticket I was able to enter inside & see how they lived in such mini quarters. This house was built in 1755 for Cook’s father as a reward from his employer after his son James Cook joined the Navy. James Cook never lived in this house. Sir Russell Grimwade in 1933 learnt that the cottage was for sale in Britain. Grimwade then had the cottage dismantled & rebuilt in Melbourne 1934, making it the oldest house in Australia & felt it was worthy for Australia to be gifted this historical home. Inside the small, fenced enclosure volunteers were dressed in historical outfits & provided a commentary to any questions offered. At the side of the cottage is a full garden of vegetables/ herbs grown back then to show what was needed to live well. The rear of the house is the attached stable for the horses. An old-style garage for the transport vehicles. LOL!!!

From there I went past the historical buildings of significance, such as the Dept of Education, Old Treasury Building (now The Melbourne Museum) & finally the large Criminal building .. oops! .. Victoria’s Parliament House. I know I was right the first time!! Corruption at the highest-level prior, during & post COVID & still continuing. Can’t wait for justice on those criminal politicians.

Clockwise from Top Left – Cook’s House Frontage, Cook’s House from Stable End, Old Treasury Building, now Arts Museum, Victoria’s Parliament House (Criminal House more like it).

Taking Bourke St, I ventured on a tram within the free tram zone area where I was now able to meet up with EGR after her sleep in. I literally stepped off to almost fall into her lap on a platform seat. LOL! EGR, letting me know she feels better took me to Degreaves St Mall, then to “The Block Arcade” where there is a strong history of an amazing building & in the early 1800s socialites paraded around for daily communication & recognition. A real snobbery affair each day & was the place to be noticed if you met the grade required. Inside this historic building we had high tea in the most prestigious tea house in Australia called The Tea Rooms 1892. I had coconut, mango & black tea with a Mango mousse cake. Yummo!!! This tea house is always visited by EGR & her parents on their visits to Melbourne & extremely popular with tourists & citizens. EGR was super pleased to shout me this treat & to show me the better parts of Melbourne. We then went to Brunetti’s nearby where massive amounts of cakes; pastries & even pizzas are made. Their displays of their range were beyond belief & very popular for cake & coffee. Such an amazing place.

Walking further past Flinders’ St Station we crossed the 1868 bridge to the 2nd floor of Hamer Hall on Southbank for another city view. The bridge photo has EGR above the centre span sign on her way back to the resort for a much-needed recuperation prior to dinner with her friend later. Good battery management EGR.

Clockwise from Top Left – Flinders St Station Elevation, The Block Arcade, Brunetti’s Frontage, One of Brunett’s Displays, 1868 Bridge (St Kilda Rd Start), Flinders St Station Frontage opposite Federation Square.

I continued to walk Southbank & found Soho Restaurant where I enjoyed beers in Happy Hour till 6pm, great music and watched the hundreds of people walking past & the crazy EV scooters screaming past at a stupid speed & then back to the resort waiting up for EGR who needed to sleep almost as soon as she walked in. A big day for her.

Tomorrow, I have the entire day on my own due to EGR’s appointments with friends & relatives, so will look for more activities & sights.

Day 4

With EGR sleeping in as agreed .. I had the whole day & night to occupy myself. First, I had to cut up the butternut pumpkin & cauliflower after brekky for EGR to make her ‘famous’ mild curry before she meets her friend & later some relatives. EGR has to sleep with earplugs so my cutting up noise wasn’t a problem, although I still kept things as quiet as possible.

Walking down Little Bourke St I stopped at Trim in Hardware St for coffee (very nice) & then walked to Flinders St Railway Station to catch the #38 old tram for a free city tram loop travel. The carriage used is now 101yrs old & certainly travelled like it. 🤣

The p.a had failed so I was left to help a few travellers as I had the Tram Map showing locations & platforms. It was there I met a very young Chinese student who sat next to me & wanted to know our current location & the conversation then expanded considerably with more of her questions about this old man. Her friends stayed a few seats away (shy). Time flew & after her requesting my travelling website blog for her father & some inspirational reading for her, we took some photos as well. My travel website being, https://bhlifestyles.travel.blog All in all, she & her friends ended up doing 1.5 of the city loops (about 50mins) with me before she could alight, such was our conversations. She was such great company & thankful for my friendship.

For myself, I eventually did 2.5loops & with that, helped 2 very location confused American ladies who were so grateful in getting them to alight correctly. At the same time, I helped a Korean family to alight at their stop. I should get paid by Vic Transport; I think.

Getting off at Flinders Station it was time for a beverage so after a few choices I eventually found myself at Brunetti’s again for a pastry, surprisingly called Escargo .. found it was a scroll but the swirls resembled a snail .. whew!! & a great Lavazza coffee. I thought the pastry was a typical coffee scroll but no coffee, just smears of vegemite … a bit weird & definitely, not sweet. I settled down to do my computer ‘stuff’ on one of their large high tables (such a great spot) & then wandered around the streets & later had a health smoothie in Degreaves St. Such a cruisey day.

After seeing a fair bit of Melbourne, I was wondering what I can now fit it on my last sightseeing day. Doing a 360° I saw a neon sign stating Australia are playing the West Indies in a day/ night (50over cricket game) at the MCG today starting at 2pm. With another 2klms of walking I bought a General Admission ticket for $23 at Gate 3, so glad I did the MCG tour days earlier, so I knew where I was going, etc. I watched an entertaining game for quite a few hours but reluctantly, yet responsibly had to get back to my resort for dinner & to do my washing & drying ready for the Great Ocean Rd tour tomorrow & to assist EGR if required upon her return. Australia’s Capt Steve Smith came into bat just when I left & I missed his great innings. Bummer!!! Australia did win comfortably in the end.

For dinner, I funnily found myself back at Trim restaurant. Food was sensational. Upon leaving & almost back to the resort I found that I had lost my treasured well-travelled water bottle slipping out of my backpacks side pocket, so I retraced my steps to no avail. I was very attached to that water bottle I took to several countries. With so many people following me, not one person even bothered to advise me of my dropped bottle. I guess, that is Melbourne & city people. Thoughtless & detached.

I managed to do my laundry & completed some tasks just before EGR returned from her relatives visit. She was excited but now so worn out it may be a struggle to get away at the right time tomorrow. She had accomplished so much today. Tomorrow will be a full day too. All in all, I did 9.74klms today of walking so it’s sleep time for me too. Next blog will be the start of the Great Ocean Road, so stay tuned.

Stay safe, happy & hopefully enjoy the photos. Lots more to come.

“Communication … Communication … Talk to each other”. From a song “Kite” on the concert DVD “Go Home” by U2 @ Slane Castle. YouTube have it also.

Live life to the most and a quote that I truly love is from Eckhart Tolle .. “If I am not the hero of my life … who in the hell could be?”

BH Life Travels

Travelling as a mature male, noticing life & leaving miniature footprints on Earth

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