Life Down Under (Part 23): Great Ocean Road, Warratina Lavender Farm, and Diwali in Melbourne!

- October 24-30, 2022, Monday to Sunday.

- I can't believe I nearly missed this. I really cannot believe myself. The Great Ocean Road is one of the pride of the state of Victoria; it is highly recommended tour by everyone. I guess it wasn't something I was interested in while looking for places to go in Melbourne because it is more natural than it is cultural (and I prefer the latter,) and the tour of Great Ocean Road can only be done with a private car or through a group tour. After everyone recommended that I do the tour, I decided to do it - and boy did I almost miss out! I booked a tour on the 25th with Sightseeing Tours Australia (click here) since it was the most practical way for me to see the Great Ocean Road.

- The Great Ocean Road is literally a great road by the ocean. Australian soldiers who returned after World War I worked on a long road that would make some suburbs in western Victoria easier to access. Apart from easier access, it was also seen as a potential tourist activity due to the unusual rock formations and beautiful coasts that the road would pass by.

Bells Beach, perfect for swimming and surfing - just not on the day we saw it.

I'm glad I wore something warmer for the day.

The great archway that officially marks the start of the Great Ocean Road.

At Lorne, you can see a very very small lighthouse at the back near the shore. That's the Split Point Lighthouse from 1891. I realize that the fog made everything look like Silent Hill.

Saw koalas at Kennett River.

There were colorful parrots too!

Don't forget to try the famous scallop pie at Apollo Bay!

The perfect lunch for a cold foggy day, honestly.

Entrance to Apollo Bay.

Another wild koala at Maits Rest Rainforest Walk.

Maits Rest Rainforest has a ton of local Australian plants, many of which, like the ferns at my back, go back millions of years!

I feel like I'm in a science book.

The hold of this fallen tree is taller than me. I'm 5'8 by the way.

- The day-long tour passes by several places, but its most picturesque spot is the Twelve Apostles limestone stacks. They were made naturally by erosion, and because of that some of the "apostles" have collapsed through the years as their bases were constantly hit by the raging waves of the sea. The Twelve Apostles is part of the more than 100-kilometer long "Shipwreck Coast." As beautiful as the coastline might look because of its dramatic unevenness and land/rock formations, this has also allowed many ships (more than 600!) to sink. Sometimes ships were damaged because it was hard to calculate how far away from the shore the ship is due to the jagged coastline, or sometimes ships sank due to the unpredictable winds and waters by the coast. 

I HATE THAT IT'S THIS FOGGY....but I also kind of like it? For the mysterious effect maybe????

It'd be much, much nicer on a sunny day.

The view lasted for maybe a minute since our tour group arrived. Afterwards, just a blanket of white.

Sad.

- Apart from the 12 Apostles, another iconic landmark is the Razorback. It is named for its long and narrow shape, which frankly, looks more like a bacon strip to me. The Razorback is also around the area of the Loch Ard Gorge. The gorge was named after the clipper ship, Loch Ard, that sank near the area.

"Tom and Eva." Named after the two survivors of the Loch Ard shipwreck.

Razorback.

With my giant rocky bacon.

Loch Ard Gorge, you can see "London Bridge" at the back. It used to be connected to the land but the natural walkway fell some decades back.

Loch Ard Gorge.

With the limestone cave.

- We arrived back in Melbourne around early evening, after a long day on the road. While there were some situations like the fog you see in the photos above, as well as dealing with some obnoxiously inconsiderate tourists who were in our tour group, the tour itself was amazing. Maybe I'll consider going back some day and hopefully there won't be a fog to cover my view. 

- Tying in with the theme of nature in Australia, I also got to visit a small lavender field during the weekend, called Warratina Lavender Farm. Just take the Lilydale train to Lilydale station (terminal station), and take bus 683 to Quayle Road / Warburton Highway stop, then walk along Quayle Road until you reach the farm. I took an Uber from the station to the farm, but had to take the bus back since the farm is quite remote and the bus is the most reliable public transport that can take you back to Lilydale Station. The farm is open from Wednesdays to Sundays on a regular week, and is closed totally from June to August, as well as some national holidays. It is generally free entrance, except during some special events (check their website for more information: click here).

- Opened in 1991, this small lavender field is perhaps the most accessible lavender field via public transport. While I understand that there are bigger and prettier lavender fields in Victoria as well as other parts of Australia, Warratina Lavender Farm is still worth a visit (especially if you can only rely on public transportation in Melbourne.)

Yes they are.

I love my "summer in Europe" look. Also, it was neither summer nor was I in Europe. HAHA.

Since only one row had flowers, I had to make do and just play around with the camera angles.

The smell as good as they look!

Unfortunately I won't be around to see all of them in bloom huhu.

- I was the only person the whole morning in Warratina and I couldn't be happier. No one to photobomb my photos, and just peace and quiet. I was also alone at the cafe. I guess part of why there wasn't anyone there was because it was a Friday, and it was raining that morning. I was also lucky because even though it wasn't lavender season (usually December and January), there was at least one row of lavender bushes that had flowers. This is what Warratina promises - you will see some lavender no matter what time of the year, except on the months when the farm is closed. I can only imagine how it would look when all the bushes are in bloom with violet flowers!

Farming tools.

There was a lemon tree in the farm.

Some roses too.

Lavender flowers up close.

A lavender harvester.

My chamomile tea and lavender scones with kookaberry jam and clotted cream.

You'll see this sign along Quayle Road.

- Finally, I ended the week by celebrating a colorful Diwali festival at Federation Square with Melbourne's Indian community. It was a big celebration full of performances and food. It made me miss the countless Diwali celebrations I have attended back in Manila that were just as grand and colorful!

Jai Lakshmi, Jai Ganesh!

Bhangra in the afternoon.

I will miss this view when I go back to Manila.

A saree-draping competiton.

Evening performance. This one is a group Bharatanatyam performance.

Quite scared of the little fireworks.

Melbourne is pink!

Of course I had to wear something Indian too.

Bollywood dancing.

These three made me feel very anxious. Their whole performance was just them dancing on long wiggly (but secure) poles.

And of course, another bhangra performance to end the night!

- As a cherry on top, I got to meet my good friend and former college classmate, Lauren, and her boyfriend Steven. It was nice to catch up after so many years!

Thanks for meeting me!!

- That week ended with Melbourne feeling like it was back in mid-winter July - with strong winds and drizzles. I guess it was the perfect time for me to skedaddle and see another part of Australia once more!