London Bridge (is falling down, falling...fallen already)

Along the stretch at Great Ocean Road, around Port Campbell, we stopped at the London Bridge so called cos it did fall down, I think, in the 90s.
It's apparently now called the London Arch. A little spiel below from one website about the London Arch aka London Bridge.

The first formation you will see is London Arch, a natural arch formed through erosion. London Arch was previously called London Bridge, due to the close resemblance of it's double arches to the actual bridge. The name changed to London Arch in 1990 after the first arch collapsed, leaving two tourists stranded. The tourists were rescued by helicopter and fortunately nobody was injured.

































When we arrived at the platform, on our left was the London Bridge. Below is a pic of what the scenery on the right of the platform was.

Lunch @ Port Campbell

We intended to drive ahead to Port Fairy to have lunch (2 hours away) but I was really famished so we decided to stop at a town, Port Campbell (abt 15 mins from 12 Apostles), for lunch instead. Yum yum! And we continued shopping and picked up one Billabong shirt.

A pic of the pier at Port Campbell.

Twelve Apostles

We left Apollo Bay at about 10.30am this morning after our shopping jaunt purchasing various Billabong stuff. It was such a good shopping trip that I said I love Apollo Bay cos it has good shopping. And Phill's retort was "yah, forget abt the nice scenery, the shopping is good and that's all that matters." I had to laugh cos I was just being a true Singaporean! ;O)

More than halfway through the drive from Apollo Bay to Port Fairy, we stopped by at Twelve Apostles (still part of the Great Ocean Road) to take in the sights and have a breather. Phill had by then been driving for quite a few hours. There was a helicopter pad when we arrive offering helicopter rides. We were all looking wistfully at the helicopters taking off but didn't dare to ask the price cos we knew it was going to be expensive. Perhaps next time we'll take the helicopters when we can afford. Anyway, I didn't think it was that good to see the sights from a helicopter. I much prefer seeing it on the ground. But Phill said it should be a good ride.

Let the pics speak for itself. Below are some pics we took at 12 Apostles but at the rate they're falling, it's really more like 8 Apostles, than 12. One recently took a tumble....Phill said they may have to come by in the night and start constructing man made ones...hahaha!

Sorrento to Queenscliff Ferry

This morning, leaving Philip Island behind, we drove (rather, Phill drove) to Sorrento several hours away to catch the ferry to Queenscliff.

The ferry leaves hourly from 7am to 6pm everyday between Sorrento and Queenscliff. We were there just past 12pm and decided to explore the Sorrento beach and while our time away before the next ferry (at 1pm) arrive.

Pictured here, my mum enjoying the beautiful beach. In the background of the pic is the pier which the ferry operates from.

















It was a scenic and calm 45 mins ride from Sorrento to Queenscliff. We enjoyed the ferry ride and had our lunch of sandwiches, sausage roll and jam donuts. Yum! When we arrived at Queenscliff, we decided to proceed to Apollo Bay instead of stopping for lunch since we already had lunch on the ferry.

We drove along the Great Ocean Road (which had beautiful views but impossible to whip the camera out to take pics - better views ahead of us on the Great Ocean Road tomorrow) and finally arrived at Apollo Bay at 4pm. A long drive, especially so for Phill. zzzz!

We had a rest at our motel and then explored Apollo Bay, which is fairly small, a couple of shops (about 20) in the main street, a pub, a cinema and quite alot of accommodation places. Quite a nice, neat place but I prefer Lorne (we drove past it earlier today and Phill and I stayed there in our previous trip to Great Ocean Trip). Lorne looked like a more expensive, trendier spot with lots of good shopping. Phill prefers Apollo Bay cos it's quiet and scenic.

Penguins!!!

At the start of our 6 day trip around the Great Ocean Road, our first stop and sleep over was at Cowes, Philip Island. Our main purpose was to watch the penguin parade. And boy, was I in for a treat!

There were several categories of entry. General entry $17 where you are put in a large platform with 100s of other patrons, Penguin Plus $27 where it's an exclusive platform seating 150 people and you're close to the penguin's little houses (we took this one), and others that included a tour prior to the parade and an eagle's eye view of the parade which was high up and covered.

We wanted to go for a tour prior to the parade but by the time we arrived at the ticket booth, the tour had started so we paid for the parade and decided to kill time by looking out for some seals on a platform. But I didn't seem to see any and I wasn't willing to feed $2 into the binoculars stand.
















When we arrived at Penguin Parade, the only pic I could take was this.
















Beyond that point, we won't allowed to take any pics. I suspect it's to protect the centre's revenue cos they didn't allow video camera either. If lights were what they're concerned about, usually most tourist sites don't allow digital cameras but they do allow video cameras though.

As we were there at about 5pm, we walked around at the retail places, my dad ("the documentary man") was videotaping everything around and then we sat down for some drinks before the doors were open to the parade. The Penguin Plus ticket entitled us to a free drink each, which was good.

Initially, Phill was apprehensive about paying an extra $10 for Penguin Plus entry. But when the penguins did arrive in droves at close to 6pm and we could see them at a close distance of less than 2 metres, he ended up saying we got the best spot. The penguins were so small, cute and the way they wobble was so endearing. And they were calling out to each other and heading to their little homes. Some they had built and others were little wooden boxes built by conservationists at the centre that were similar to those the penguins built.

To me, this was the highlight of the trip and anyone heading to Australia should try and make a trip to the Penguin Parade!!! I absolutely love that night!

Deer hunt

Pic Caption: A public plot of land in Kevington overrun by blackberries which feeds and helps contribute to a growth of deers in the area which the hunter I interviewed said may, in the future, become a pest just like rabbits are at the moment.

I went with one local hunter to a deer hunting site about 45 mins drive away to research for a story I was working on regarding game management. I was initially cautious about following this hunter to the game site cos I didn't know him and I knew the site was really isolated but after talking to my friend, Kaye, who gave me the tip-off for this story, I wasn't too worried.

The trip turned out well. One of those in which I learnt a lot and was inspired in my article and my job as a journalist.

And I saw a deer but it was blocked by some bushes. So I sorta saw half of it and it bolted when it saw us walk near. Apparently, it was not a full-grown adult. We went to its habitat and I learnt how to recognise the hoof prints left by deers and how you find out if the prints are new, a day or a week old.

I also found out more about the behavior of hunters and that not all of them are bloodthirsty. The hunter who showed me around said he had not fired a shot in the past 2 years. And that his fellow hunters do not fire a shot unless they are very sure cos movements in the distance could be a dog, a person, and they didn't want to make a mistake so they have to be very sure before they fire. And the shots have to be accurate so that their target is killed instantly. He also said that if any hunter shoots a hunting dog, they can forget about hunting ever again because it's a grave mistake. I had a newfound respect for hunters and realise that there are some that just give the group a bad name.

Aunty Peggy - I miss you!

My Aunty Peggy passed away late afternoon (Singapore time). I didn't know about it until I finished covering an event, the official opening of our revamped visitor information centre, in the evening. I got an sms from my bro and a voicemail msg from my mum.

I can't believe it. I felt so numb.

My aunt was diagnosed with leukaemia late last year and has been bravely fighting it. I believed she will win the fight and I'll see her again...

My memories of her came flooding back and my tears just flowed.

One distinct memory I had of her when I was little was how she will give me a little present during my bro's birthday and vice versa. She didn't like to see a little kid missing out on a pressie just cos it wasn't his/ her birthday. That made me look forward not only to my own birthday, but also my brother's too.

Another memory was when I stayed over at her place when I was young and had just come out of the shower with wet hair and I was playing with her son, my cousin, Nick. My aunt came to me and offered to blow-dry my hair. While she was doing it, Nick teased her and said she did it cos she liked my long hair. She just smiled and explained to him that I shouldn't leave my hair wet. I enjoyed her mothering.

I'll miss my aunt - her mothering, her distinct voice, and her presence.

Her passing made me realise how sad I am to lose her and how close she is to me.

Thinking back to the last time I saw her in Singapore in January, I left with no doubt that she loves both Phill and I.

I hope she also knows how much we love her.

With her passing, I realise I am much closer to heaven and further away from the world.

I look forward to seeing her again...and am glad our mutual belief in Jesus Christ gives us the certainty of heaven and a place there.

Phill's home!

Phill has been away at camp since Monday and it felt strange to be home alone on Monday.

By Tusday, I was getting used to the idea of having the remote control all to myself and watching TV programmes I don't usually watch... =P

And today, I couldn't wait to see Phill again - being home alone sucks!

I hate it when he has to go away at camp. Although this camp at 15 mile creek, which is not far from his school at Benalla, was for 3 days (one day shorter than his Canberra camp), I didn't hear from him at all cos there was no reception there and only one office phone for use (but not for personal calls). By all accounts, it was a fun camp for the kids but Phill looked really tired. He's having tomorrow off from school so he can finish his report writing.

It's my father-in-law's 70th birthday today and Phill and I wanted it to be a special celebration for him so we agreed to take him and my mum-in-law to Puffing Billy. It's a steam train ride (lasts 3 hours) on first class fare which includes an enclosed area and food (yum!).

We set off at 8.15am and arrived there very early at 10.30am. The train doesn't leave til 12.20pm so we stopped at a local cafe and had a coffee. And we slowly took a walk around the streets and shops until it was 12pm.

It was a fun ride. The last time Phill and I went was about 7 years ago. We had 2 stop overs at Menzies Creek and Emerald Lake, where you can hire paddle boats. Phill and I hired the boat the last time and I remembered us having heaps of fun but I think Phill did alot of the paddling, that's why it was fun for me..... =P

At the end of the ride, Phill drove us home and we arrived at about 5.30pm, rested for a while and then took my parents-in-law to dinner at a local hotel. I had steak which I shared with Phill and it was yum! My mum-in-law had soup and my dad-in-law had chicken schnitzel (crumbed chicken). We then headed back to our place, had a cake cutting and ate some.

Shortly after, my parents-in-law headed home and before she left, my mum-in-law said to me," Vic, you brought life to my life." I thought that was a really nice thing to say!

We believe my parents-in-law enjoyed their day and I'm so glad!