January 22-27, 2024

Our flight from Queenstown to Melbourne via Virgin Australia was scheduled to depart at 2:30 pm for $248 per person one-way.  The afternoon departure meant we didn’t have to rush out of the house and could take our time cleaning up and eating most of the leftover food so that we didn’t have to throw any out, our ability to take anything perishable not likely as we’d be flying. 

We left at the check-out time of 11:00 am which would ensure that we’d get to the airport with plenty of time to get through ticketing and baggage check and any coordination with the authorities as we’d be leaving the country.  Check-in went smoothly leaving us with time to grab some coffee and snacks and spend any remaining New Zealand cash we had remaining, which I used to buy a power bank (they hold enough charge to renew a phone battery a few times) as I had managed to misplace mine.  I’d eventually find the lost bank, so I now have an extra one. 

The flight would last three and a half hours, but we’d get an hour back because of a time zone crossing meaning we would land at around 4:00 pm in the afternoon.  And as a pleasant change of pace, and one we’d take advantage of for the rest of our journey, we were able to book an Uber large enough to take all of us.  We would be staying at the Docklands Airbnb in the suburb also known as the Docklands, close to the banks of the Yarra River.  This would be our second most expensive lodging of the trip at $63 per person per night, and once we arrived and checked in, we determined that it would be well worth the expense. 

Our unit was on the 20^th floor with spectacular views of the marina below and the city beyond, including the now out of service Ferris Wheel.  Much like our first stay in Auckland, it was a lovely unit whose only downside was the neighborhood immediately surrounding it did not have a lot of retail offerings, although there was a robust small market on the ground floor and Docklands Den, a decent Halal restaurant across the street, which we would take advantage of for dinner our first night there. 

The next day would be a full one, and for Marty a highlight of the trip as we would all be attending the quarterfinal matches of the Australian Open that day featuring Americans Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz and the eventual winner of the tournament, Jannik Sinner of Italy.  As luck would have it, the apartment was located just a block away from one of the free city trams that would take us all the way to Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park the large tennis complex that is also home to the John Cain Arena and Margaret Court Arena. 

Even though we are not generally tennis fans, I will admit that it was exciting to be there.  Having arrived later in the morning, we finished up an early match and then watched a fun senior doubles set with older semi-retired pros before Coco came on for her match with Marta Kostyuk from the Ukraine.  The match would go the distance, Coco winning two sets out of three in a little over three hours.  It was very warm in the stadium, the sun beating down on us directly and so I decided to cut my losses and head back to the apartment where a cold beer awaited me, and I could watch the remaining games on the television. 

Kim and Joanna would follow not long after, but Marty and Bev would stay until the end of the day’s matches, truly an act of devoted fans.  The next day would be another full one and the first of a couple day long outings we would take out of Melbourne.  This one was the Great Ocean Road Small-Group Ecotour through Viator for a total cost of $492, another all day outing for less than $100 per person  The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage-listed 150 mile stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia, between the Victorian towns 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.

We met our group at the Atlantis Hotel Pick Up at 7:10am and were soon headed out of town with an entertaining tour guide/driver.  Not quite an hour later we arrived in the quaint town of Torquay where we stopped at a park on the beach for a tea, coffee, and cake break.  The Torquay area is famous for its surf beaches, with Jan Juc and the world-famous Bells Beach located on the town’s south-west outskirts. It was home to the popular Offshore Festival in the late 1990s and many of the world’s most famous surf companies have their home here including Rip Curl and Quiksilver- all of which make up part of the Surf Coast Plaza, which provides shopping and eating, as well as the Surf World Museum.

Our next stop was the Great Ocean Road Memorial Archway, which commemorates the building of the Great Road.  The present arch is the third built to replace the second one destroyed in the Ash Wednesday bushfires of February 1983 and the site is home to a statue depicting those men who helped to build the road. 

We left the arch and drove for about an hour to Apollo Bay, where we stopped for lunch.  We parked in a large lot adjacent to the main street through town.  In winter to spring, southern right whales come to the area mainly to breed, to bear their calves, and to raise them in the warmer, calm waters of South Australia during their migration season.  With that in mind we crossed the street to select our lunch from a variety of locations, settling on the Apollo Bay Bakery because of their broad selection of meat and vegetable pies. 

Joanna ordered their famous Scallop Pie, and I went for the chicken, both full of meat and a delicious way to enjoy lunch.  We lingered over our pies, enjoying the time spent outside of the van until it was time to saddle up and head down the road.  We’ll cover the rest of the Road and its other attractions in our next post. 

Links

Docklands Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3397607?source_impression_id=p3_1718987128_P3J1O9xMtHIv1lf7

Docklands Den: https://www.facebook.com/p/Docklands-Den-100078993789943/

Great Ocean Road Ecotour: https://www.viator.com/tours/Melbourne/Great-Ocean-Road-Small-Group-Eco-Tour-from-Melbourne/d384-3181GOWEST1

Great Open Road: https://www.australia.com/en-us/places/melbourne-and-surrounds/guide-to-the-great-ocean-road.html

Apollo Bay Bakery: https://www.apollobaybakery.com.au/