Sorry for quitting out and splitting this post into two, fatigue kicked in and no more blogging was upon me. No I would like to follow on and continue after lunch. For the record lunch was Chicken Schnitzel (it’s a favourite over there so you have to try), it wasn’t bad and it was free with the tour package I had purchased so can’t complain.

Moving on from Apollo Bay we took a good hours drive to, and this is where it starts to get very good, the 12 Apostles. Now this was an incredible place, the views are breathtaking, simple enough this is a formation of rocks sticking out of the sea (one of which recently fell over). I will leave the pictures to do the talking…

Apparently they used to be called “The Pigs” or something, but that didn’t seem very romantic so they renamed them for the tourists. I was really tempted to take a helicopter ride over the area, it costs a lot and only lasted 10 mins so decided against it. And how glad was I when we got onto the place I would have more time…

Loch Ard Gauge. Words cannot describe this place! Again, pictures try and do it justice
but just wont.

This place was made famous when an early settling family called the Carmichaels had a ship wreck just close by, Eva the daughter got stranded in the gauge with one of the seamen. They spent the night there and in the morning he climbed the cliffs and got help etc. My favourite detail is that she was nervous about the perception she had spent a night in a cave with a seaman, basically of peasants class, the old’un times are funny. On going down into the gauge there was strange graffiti on the rocks, I guess tourists trying to leave their mark, losers.

Don’t threat, it gets more exciting yet, as I was walking back to the bus, I got attacked! By an Eastern Brown Snake:

Unfortunately I bottled the money shot photo because as I went to click the shoot button it jumped at me. In hindsight I am very glad I avoided! I think I will quote straight from Wikipedia here:

Brown snakes are easily alarmed and may bite if approached closely, handled or threatened. Less than half of bites contain venom, and there are minimal effects at the bite site. Sudden, early collapse is often a feature of brown snake envenomation. A prominent effect of envenomation is venom-induced consumption coagulopathy and this can lead to death. Renal damage may also rarely occur. [1]

Other clinical signs include: abdominal pain, breathing and swallowing difficulty, convulsions, ptosis, hemolysis, hypotension from depression of myocardial contractility, renal failure. Notably rhabdomyolysis is not a feature of envenomation by brown snakes.

The Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is the most toxic member of the genus and is the second most toxic land snake in the world, after the Inland Taipan (which may also be found in Australia).

I asked the driver about the picture, if he knew what it was etc, that’s how I know now. But he then continued on the bus to have a go at me (publically) for wearing flip flops, of course he called them THONGS. Ace.

Onto Port Campbell which is a nice little settlement/township, whatever they call it. Strangely there are only two places to get food, both owned by the same person. Competition isn’t exactly great. The target is to make this place the mid point between Melbourne and Adelaide, the immediate town is good and can do the job, however the second you get about a block back it becomes derelict again. Shame.

Last official place on the tour was London Bridge, which of course got the patriotic bone going. It fell down a few years ago, and there was a couple stranded the second not collected to land. You would think they would be happy to see the news helicopter flying in to rescue them. Unfortunately neither of them should have been there, and neither of them were with their other half. Nookie on London Bridge!

On the drive back we went past Colac (that’s where the Timmons family are from) and back into the city. That’s when I wrote most of the notes for the day.