Cory U of CUExperiments

Found one! Double dimples in full swing.

Another Great Ocean Roadtrip photo.

-Cory U

Day 3 of our trip was wildly ignored photo wise. Being mostly land views & waterfalls, it’s more to see first hand anyway. I did however get a photo by the Mackenzie falls to send back home to a family friend.

We still did lots of walking that day; Please take note of the steep hill & steps only showing part of what was walked down for proper views of the falls. My poor joints were definitely thankful for the help I had that day.

Next up: Part Two & final video of the Great Ocean Roadtrip

-Cory U

Just a few more photos from The Pinnacle before our big walk back down. It was pretty amusing watching people whole climb up test their limits stepping over gaps & climbing up large rock formations. With The Pinnacle being such a skinny pier, I understand why it’s so caged in now. Didn’t stop the guys from finding another pier to plank on though…

After the long walk back down, we all headed down for an ice cream treat in the town below. In the evening we finally tried a go at bbq Kanagroo & later that night our patio was joined by a bunch of wild kangaroos staring back at us… Ackward.

Next up: A little bit of Day 3

-Cory U

After a 3.1km climb we finally made it to the top of The Grampians! The view was incredible & with only the small town in view right below it was all trees, sky & land all round. The last time I’ve seen views even somewhat similar to this would be in Alberta back home. Even still, it doesn’t compare to this.

I’m not one for heights, but I made sure after going all this way my feet were going to hang over the edge. Completely out of my comfort zone there.

Next up: Even more rocks!

-Cory U

I think these photos explain a lot visually of our climb up The Grampians. Rocks too steep for tiny people to use as steps, rocks above our heads, skinny pathways of rocks, lots & lots of rocks. Layers came off, shirts got cropped, & those that could took them off. (I didn’t mean to rhyme there, just reiterate how warm it was.)

I think my favourite photo of the day was Dana passing out on the sign two thirds of the way up. Only 0.7km left!

Next up: “The Pinnacle”

-Cory u

I don’t think any of us realized how much of a walk we were in for on Day Two. The Grampians are basically big land formations that emerged from the ground, sunk back in, & emerged again making these nicely slanted & ridged rock formations. Being both big Disney fans (we met there after all), we had some Pride Rock jokes go on through the day. I think I recall someone starting to sing music from The Lion King about halfway through our hike.

With a 3.1km hike up rocky slopes, we were in for a big treat! It turned out to be a perfectly sunny & warm day, which was a surprise after a cold spell the week before. Thankfully we didn’t book this tour any sooner, because the weather really was just right for the walk ahead. Wouldn’t recommend a summer hike.

Next up: More rocks!

-Cory U

Finally on to Day Two of our tour! (Told you it’d be a lot of posts.)

The next morning our tour guide left us to some insanely odd directions to walk along the Ocean View of Warrnambool. (Dare you to pronounce that the Aussie way. Hint: “bool” is pronounced more like “bull”.) Turn left, then right, then left a little later, then go down a path & cut through a parking lot. Easier said then done. It was a fairly foggy morning but it cleared up perfectly for our walk later that day.

Along our stops that morning we saw some great Aussie wildlife. I’m thinking by the end of this Adventure 2012 Roos, Wallabies & Emus will be so natural for me to see.

The last two photos show views of an extinct volcano. It wasn’t easy getting photographs of how large the plains were; but I tried.

Next stop: The start of The Grampians

-Cory U

Australia is home to the most venomous snakes in the world! This is not one of them, but still an Aussie native. We did however see a poisonous snake lying on the rocks on our walk the next day.

Next stop: The Beginning of Day Two of the Great Ocean Roadtrip & a video; Part One

-Cory U PS Nick this was totally for you. Beats Paul doesn’t he? (Nick’s response)

Sometimes I think I share more photos of Dana than of me… We both got to hold a baby Joey Wallaby before the end of our first day. Still can’t believe how much he wasn’t scared to be passed around by all of us; I think it helped that he was being fed. Again, too cute!

Next up: Something I did just for Brother Nick

-Cory U

I was so excited to spot this little Joey that my double dimples came out instantly. My left side is where it really shows though, so you miss out this time round. But look how cute this little guy is! It was tricky getting a good photo because Mama was hungry & baby was shy. Too cute!

Next up: Baby Wallaby! Are they also called Joeys?

-Cory U

Everybody meet my new favourite animal; The Wombat! I want to somehow bring one of these cute pudgy animals home as a pet. I can’t believe it’s taken this long to see a real one (there was that Statue on Swanston St). I’m in love & I want one… Maybe I’ll just crochet one!

Other than that there were also Aussie deers, creepy emus, & albino wallabies. I hadn’t thought that albino wallabies existed until we saw them hopping around.

Apparently these wallabies a really special breed & have been taken in by this place for their protection. Breeding two albino wallabies together can just cause a mess of illnesses & diseases which tend to happen in the wild. So they’ve been taken to be separated here to breed with others where the albino gene can be passed on through generations instead. (I’m learning a lot on this trip!)

Next up: A baby Joey!

-Cory U

I think Dana wins in getting the best photo of the Red Kangaroo that day. This guy was hungry & no other Roo could get in his path without consequence. None of us wanted to feed Big Red after this.

The story in this photo? Someone put out some food to feed the Roo in front but Big Red wanted it more. Next thing we know Big Red’s got him in a headlock & throwing him to the ground. I walked over to the wallabies shortly after. Rude Red!

Next up: More Animals!!

-Cory U

PS Never get in the way of a Red Roo. They’re the not so nice kangaroo breed you don’t want to mess with.

The last main stop on the Great Ocean Road was the London Bridge. It’s called that because it looked very much like a bridge in London, just not London Bridge itself. The bridge in London is apparently gone now though so there’s no real proof of that. Hmmm.

This bridge actually collapsed in 1990 right after a group of people walked across it. The event made the news that evening & I have a feeling there were a good amount of jokes about “London bridge is falling down”; I know we had a few. Our tour guide was nice enough to bring along a photo of what it used to look like to compare.

The sun was setting & no picture can show how nicely the cliffs were golden & glowing. Day One was almost finished but we still had some cute creatures to see.

Dana finally got a photo with a “Drive on Left” sign… I unfortunately told her to point the wrong way for a photo’s sake. In my defense, she IS pointing to the left in “real life”.

Next stop: Kangaroos & Wallabies!

-Cory U

PS There’s also a video of “London Bridge” here