Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243 kilometres stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and dedicated to soldiers killed during World War I, the road is the world's largest war memorial.

Winding through varying terrain along the coast and providing access to several prominent landmarks, including the Twelve Apostles limestone stack formations, the road is an important tourist attraction in the region.

Never use any service Echidna Walkabout or Southern World Australia has to offer!


Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road

Inclusions: Hotel pick up and drop off, Accommodation, all Meals from Lunch on day 1 to Lunch on day 3, Entry Fees

Day 1- Walk through natural bushland to meet wild koalas, then learn about each one's history and social life from the Wildlife Guide and Koala Researcher. Help remove Boneseed Great Ocean Road travel poster(a weed) and make a difference to koala habitat. Join wild mobs of Kangaroos on the plains and in open forests.

Their natural instinct is to flee humans, but with care, get close enough to take photographs and observe their complex social life.

While walking, help the Guide record sightings of all native wildlife.

The natural environments visited are also home to parrots, fairywrens, emus, honeyeaters, possums, wallabies and lizards.

The Guide will help understand them, and teach how to find and enjoy them without disturbing their natural behaviour - techniques that will be useful to you wherever you go.

A substantial picnic lunch is included. Accommodation is at a 4.5 star property in the tiny outback town of Little River. Dinner is at the local Pub – a real Aussie experience!

Day 2- See some of the world's most spectacular coastal scenery. Follow the Great Ocean Road to the surging surf coast, and walk in the magnificent rainforests of the Otway National Great Ocean RoadPark. The Wildlife Guide will explain the formation of these mighty forests.

Travel through Port Campbell National Park, looking out for echidnas, wallabies, lizards and colourful birds which make their home in the coastal heathlands.

Linger a while to take in some of nature's handiwork at the Twelve Apostles and the Loch Ard Gorge. Hear stories about the terrible shipwrecks of the past.

Dinner and accommodation tonight are at our 4.5 star boutique property near Loch Ard Gorge.

Day 3- This morning have one last look at the coast in the dramatic morning light before returning to Melbourne across the vast grasslands of the Western Plains.

Created by intense volcanic activity over the past 2 million years, the 7000 volcanoes of the Western Plains are now extinct but the resultant savannah is pasture to a rich wool growing area - a wonderful example of Australia's great range lands.

Stop en route to drive to the top of an extinct volcano with spectacular views across the plains. From the summit see some of the hundreds of volcanic lakes scattered across the plains. Later pass Lake Corangamite, the largest permanent lake in Australia, often covered with prolific birdlife. Return to Melbourne in the late afternoon.

Great Ocean Road
Koala web page divider

Tuesday 2nd of August 2016 and they called to wake me up at 7 o'clock, at the same time as my alarm went off. They will come to pick me up outside Vibe Savoy Hotel at 08:45. So I have time Vibe Savoy Hotel in Melbourneto make a pot of tea and to enjoy some of the ham I bought yesterday.

I was looking for smoked salmon but I was told that there had been a strike for three days and they were out of smoked salmon. I had a shower making sure I used every towel in my room.

There were 5 other passengers in the van when I got in to take a seat in the front seat. It was a family from USA and we were going to pick up 4 more passengers before we took off to the Great Ocean Road. We were making two stops to pick up the 4 passengers and we were on the way.

We had not been on the way more than 5 minutes when I realised that I had forgot my case of diet drinks in my room.

I had bought a case with 10 cans yesterday for the trip as you never know what they have to offer in the chilled drink box on the country side, or as they call it here: The outback. And I got more and more worried when the Driver/ Guide went through the itinerary. The other passengers were going back to Melbourne tonight. And I was going to stay at a town called the Little River.

I had booked a 3 day Great Ocean Road tour, but we were only going to the outskirts of Melbourne. The other passengers were going to be back in Melbourne around 16 thirty and I could figure out that it wasn't going to be any Great Ocean Road today.

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
We're crossing a bridge over Melbourne port

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
Soon in the park

We were soon at a park, about 50 km from Melbourne city centre and we started to walk through the threes. I was a little behind looking for birds and it was decided that I would walk for myself. We would meet at the car at 11 0'clock and I turned around and I walked back.

I was soon running in to the beautiful New Holland Honeyeater. I decided to go up on the dirt road as it made too much noises to walk between the trees, or the open forests as the Echidna Walkabout likes to call it. Well, forest, I don't know, not where I come from. We would call it a group of trees. And the highway was not far away. I could see the cars and trucks passing. People were here to walk their dogs and children, so no, it was not exactly the wilderness

And why are they writing “Join wild mobs of Kangaroos on the plains and in open forests” on their web page? And yes, I have been around so I had not really expected any plains and in open forests. But I had expected an ocean.

New Holland Honeyeater, Phylidonyris novaehollandiae

Scarlet Robin , Common Australasian Robin , Petroica boodang

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
I discover kangaroo tracks on the dirt road

I was also spotting a new bird, the Scarlet Robin . I was lucky, I never got any pictures the first time, but he came back and he kind of followed me along the dirt road. I was back at the car at 11 o'clock, but no sign of the others in the group. So I went for a walk around the area and I saw our Guide when he drove off with the car.

No need to get worried, I saw that he was alone in the car so he was just going to pick up the other passengers somewhere. He was soon back with the other passengers and we continued the tour. I stopped us once when I spotted a wallaby in between the trees. We were soon stopping to see a koala before we continued to the bathroom stop. I was waiting in the car while they went for the bathroom.

But the Guide told me to come out and we were looking at birds. Parrots, the Crimson Rosella. I also saw the Red wattleBird so it was a good stop. And of course, plenty of the beautiful New Holland Honeyeater. The trees were full of birds and I enjoyed the stay. No sign of any ocean though! And that is even though they call this tour “3 days Great Ocean Road tour”

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
I watch the driver coming to get the car

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
We stop to watch a wallaby

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
We stop to watch a koala

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
A kangaroo

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
Girls having a BBQ

Red wattleBird , Anthochaera carunculata

And I was getting hungry as there were three girls making BBQ and it smelled very good. But we're going for a pick-nick lunch when we're ready here at the bath room. And I was happy that I had got out of the van, we saw quite a few beautiful birds. The Red wattleBird and we saw the Scarlet Robin .

And the park was full of Crimson rosellas, the beautiful red and blue parrot. It was a nice pick-nick area but no sign of the ocean. We took off and I was out looking for birds while the lunch was prepared. There were Emu birds running along on the pasterues. I walked over the field and I saw two birds on a power wire. One of them looked blue so I went to check it out.

Of course, the birds flew away but I spotted them on the ground again when I took pictures of a Red wattleBird in a tree. But the pictures were not any good and I never got the chance again as they took off. I walked back to the lunch site.

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
Om our way to have pick-nick lunch

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
A kangaroo

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
Our group is taking pictures of the kangaroo

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road

Red-rumped parrot - Psephotus haematonotus

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
Kangaroos running away from us

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
Emus

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
Some old equipment that have grown in to the tree

Echidna Walkabout, 3 Day Great Ocean Road
The kangaroos looking at us when we're leaving

We were soon on our way again and we stopped to look at Emus and Kangaroos on a field and we also saw a Flame Robin , but it was too far away for any pictures. It was time for all the other Little River Bed & Breakfastpassengers to return to Melbourne and they will drop me at Little River.

We drove up to Little River B&B and I stepped in to the house. No staff and after a while there was a girl from Germany. She told me that she didn't spoke any English and she was working here as a Nanny. Well, I was in my room wearing a jacket because it was so cold, no staff and nothing going on in the village.

Commuter trains to Melbourne passing by outside my hotel room and, yes, I was not happy. This is not ocean road and here is not even a convenient store in the area. There is the hotel next door Little River Bed & Breakfastand I'm booked for dinner there. My Guide told me that I was booked for at 18:00. Later on it would get a wee bit “rowdy” when they got drunk at the pub.

I took a walk to the Little River as I had heard that there were Platipus to be seen. It was not possible to get doen to the river as there were vegitaion and reed making it impossible to access the river.

I spent the evening in my room and I wrote a letter to the tour organiser.

Dear Madame/ Sir


I'm sitting in my room with my jacket because it is cold. Let me quote the itinerary: Accommodation is at a 4.5 star property in the tiny outback town of Little River.

I just finished the first day on my 3 day Great Ocean Road and I have not seen anything of Great Ocean Road, At 16:00 they dumped me at a B&B in the middle of nowhere. They call it "tiny outback town of Little River"

Here is nothing to do and I called the tour operator to ask why I was not staying in Melbourne and I could have gone with the Guide tomorrow morning. Here is nothing!

She told me that I should walk around relax, yeah, the CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS WRONG attitude

I have paid 2500$ and I had expected full days, until sun set. And I had expected 5 star accommodation as it says in the itinerary. Well, it says 4.5 star. What is that?

I called Southern world and I complained, here is nothing, not been a convenient store. I told her that here was not even a bottle of water She told me that I could drink all the tap water in Australia. I informed her that I have stayed at hotels with not drinkable tap water. She then changed it to ALMOST all the tap water in Australia.

She told me to go down to the reception or to call the room service. What a joke. Here was a nanny that said she could not speak any English when I arrived

And it is an "outback" tour and I agreed to the price. But when they dump me in a suburb to Melbourne just to give me an outback feeling I get angry. Melbourne is one hour away and I could have stayed at my hotel in Melbourne with all to conveniences. Now I sit in my 5, no 4.5 star room with a jacket because it is cold. No internet and the "tiny outback town of Little River" has nothing to offer. NOTHING!!!

I have had a beautiful experience so far, but this is a scam. Stealing my money and greed is what I call it. For this money I could have gone in a taxi and stayed at 5 star hotels

And on top of this they are going to put a trainee guide in my van tomorrow. Yes, why not, when we have the Swedish wanker coming to our country paying 2500$ to sit in a room on a mud field.

Someone must think I'm retarded, to pay 2500$ to walk around and relax.

I don't want to brag, but I have been all over the world, from the north pole watching polar bears to Africa, India, Asia doing safaris and river cruises. But I have never been treated like this. Not even when they charged me 1000 US$ per night to stay in a tent in Kalahari plus 500 US$ per day for the safari jeep.

Most disappointed
The Swedish wanker twat


They will come to pick me up at 08:15 tomorrow morning and we will Yet another Smiley on www.aladdin.st hopefully get to the Great Ocean Road. Click HERE to find out.

Sverigedemokraterna


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OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.
So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? NJET PROBLEMA! Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Flag of Skåne / Skånska flaggan Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.



                                       

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