After a great night, as we packed up our stuff the next morning to get ready to hit the road, there was a sense of sadness. Out whole group had become good friends over the last 2 days together and we didn't want to go our seperate ways. Our group was very efficient and we had everything packed and loaded up before Leith came. He grabbed his breakfast on the run and we headed out to see some sights we skipped the night before so we could catch the sunset at the twelve apostles.
The one spot was London bridge. There story goes there used to be a connecting rock bridge between the mainland and an island in the water. A rich man drove out with his mistress to be alone and the bridge fell down and ey were stranded. They were eventually rescued and the media found out about the incident, resulting in the divorce of the man from his wife who was publicly humiliated.
We went to Loch Ard Gorge after which was probably my favourite spot along this area. Jack, Mike, Marie and the two German girls decided to go for a swim in the southern ocean. Leith thought they were absolutely crazy and everyone watched as they ran in. The water wasn't that warm but they had a lot of fun going for their swim. After everyone dried off and we were ready to go, we headed back to the twelve apostles to see them in the day light. They are quite a beautiful sight.
We stopped at a little cafe for a snack and coffee on our way through. The cafe was known for the birds that stopped in at the feeder. We got to sit and watch the beautiful scarlet and blue birds while sipping our coffee.
We continued along our drive and stopped off at Maits Rest Rainforest. This spot was absolutely amazing. It felt like we had been transported to a prehistoric time. The forest felt very old and was full of ferns. It smelt so rich and earthy walking through there after all the rain. It was so lush and green. I was at the back of the group so I could stop and take pictures. I didn't want to rush or leave the forest. It really felt like a magical place. Some of the trees were amazing and the roots were mesmerizing. This area was such a contrast to the rest of Australia we had seen.
After our short trek through the forest, we finally headed to the great ocean road scenic drive. It was a wonderful drive right along the ocean. It was full of curves and beautiful sights. I got to sit up front and had an amazing view of the drive. We stopped along a few lookout points for pictures. Leith explained that the road was built by hand by World War II vets after the war. It is probably one of the last major highways made by hand. At the end of the drive (or the beginning if you come from Melbourne) there was a memorial for the WWII servicemen.
After the scenic drive we stopped at a little beach and the Split Point Lighthouse. The light house was quite beautiful and looked like something out of a movie. Leith said that a show was filmed around this lighthouse but no one had heard of it. After looking around that area, we walked down to the beach and across it to meet Leith in the other side. He said the stairs at the beach were used by Patrick Swayze in one of his movies which was pretty cool.
After that we stopped at some shops for some shopping if people wanted. It was a surfing spot and the shops were quicksilver, rip curl and billabong. This is apparently where the shops had started which was pretty neat. After that we headed in Melbourne where we were dropped off at our hostels. Lucky for us, most of us were at the same hostel or really close. There were a lot of hugs as we said goodbye to our tour group members. We all had such an amazing time.
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