The Great Ocean Road and the Grampians

Last Tuesday morning I left Melbourne behind and joined a three day Groovy Grape tour heading for Adelaide. Travelling long distances between major cities in Australia by joining a tour, instead of using direct connections like a train or coach service, can actually be quite competitive also from a financial point of view. It's not only a handy way to properly see the attractions on the way, meals and overnight accommodation are also included in the price. Of course it takes a bit longer, but if time is not an issue, it's also a good way to get to know other travellers.

The tour I joined took in the famous coastal road called the Great Ocean Road, as well as the Grampians, a national park comprising a mountain range sharing the name.

On the first day we drove along the Great Ocean Road pretty much all day long. Some travel guidebooks compare it with Highway One in California, but I got to say the two fight in completely different leagues. The Great Ocean Road, despite its flashy name, is far inferior. Most of it looked quite ordinary to me, with one exception. That was the sandstone region, which was quite unique at least in my eyes, as I've never seen anything like it before.

Part of the sandstone region along the Great Ocean Road.

This part of the Great Ocean Road consists of a shoreline with sheer vertical cliffs, dropping perhaps 30 metres into the churning sea. Archways and pillars of sandstone decorate the coastline. Our driver/guide unintentionally tried to make us miss the sunset at the Twelve Apostles lookout. Apparently traffic signs in Melbourne are as bad as in most of NZ, and we all know you should not put petrol in a diesel engine! Anyway, despite of these bumps in the road we made it in time to admire the twilight at this amazing spot.

The sun is setting over the Twelve Apostles.

The next morning we stopped at another few attractions with names like the London Bridge and the Bay of Martyrs. When we reached Warrnambool, where the Great Ocean Road ends, we had the chance to see some whales at the Southern Right Whale nursery. This time of the year Southern Right Whales come to these "warm" waters to give birth and to nurse their young. From a lookout above the beach, we could see about 10 whales very close to the shore. They were mostly just floating on the surface not doing much, but a few were breaching every now and then, and waving to us with their pectoral flippers. Obviously we were very far from them, so as an experience it was nothing compared to Kaikoura in NZ or (especially) Tonga. But it was still a bit exciting for me to see a new species of whales.

In the afternoon we arrived in the heart of the Grampians: a small town called Hall's Gap. There we visited the Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the MacKenzie Falls (not enough water to be impressive) and a lookout called the Balconies. From the Balconies we had a terrific panoramic view of the Grampian Mountains. The mountains look like a giant has glued layers and layers of thin stone sheets together, broken the resulting plate, and stuck it into the ground at an angle so the sharp edges are jutting up.

The MacKenzie Falls in the Grampians.

There's lots of wildlife in the national park. Kangaroos were munching grass on the oval right in the centre of Hall's Gap. There is an estimated 40 million kangaroos in Australia at the moment, and it's a huge problem because they destroy crops. Because of human land development, it's very easy for them to find food and fresh water. Under such good circumstances they also breed like rabbits. To top it off, Aussies are a bit sensitive about culling the population since the kangaroo is, after all, the national animal. (Kangaroo meat is sold in specialty shops and butcheries, but apparently it's not that common for Aussies to eat it.)

Wild kangaroos in Hall's Gap.

On the third and last day we were supposed to go for a walk in the Grampians in the morning, but it was pouring down, so we started driving towards Adelaide instead. On the way we stopped in Hahndorf, a (surprise, surprise) German village where the first German immigrants to South Australia settled. We arrived in Adelaide in the evening.

On Friday my intentions were to explore Adelaide a bit, however, it took me so long to book flights to Bali and Singapore, as well as to get all sorted with a traveller's insurance policy, that my sightseeing was limited to a stroll through the city centre. By the looks of it, I didn't miss much.

Yesterday I took a flight from Adelaide to Alice Springs, which is located right in the middle of Australia. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the temperature in the desert town was 33 degrees Celsius, the soil is red and almost every second person you see is Aboriginal. Now this is the Australia I've imagined!

I'll tell you more of tiny Alice Springs and the attractions in this region later. Tomorrow I'm going on a three day tour to Kings Canyon and Uluru (Ayers Rock), and next Friday I'm heading towards Darwin. Over and out.

MORE PICTURES from the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians are available here.

Crossroad

Giigan and I have reached a crossroad in our journey. After careful consideration over the past two to three weeks, I have decided that spending nine months or so working and travelling in Australia, in much the same way as we did in NZ, just isn't my thing anymore. It feels like my life would be put on hold if I was to stay here, because it doesn't feel like the experience would differ much from the one I already got in NZ. My feeling is that I have already found what I came on this journey to find, and that my place isn't here anymore.

There is a time for everything, and right now I'm ready to begin a new chapter in my life.

This decision has nothing to do with travelling together with Giigan. We've been on the road for well over a year by now, and still get along, some might say remarkably well. Giigan will remain in Melbourne for the time being, and in Australia most likely until his visa expires in about a year.

Yesterday (Sunday 13/9/09) we travelled by train, bus, taxi and hitchhiking to get to the Red Hill Brewery on the Mornington Peninsula. There we celebrated our year-long journey together with plenty of good food and beer.

My immediate plans are to travel through Australia for the next two weeks. I'm leaving Melbourne tomorrow morning (Tuesday 15/9/09). I'm joining a three day tour of the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide. From Adelaide I continue to Alice Springs in central Australia, where I go on a three day tour to Uluru (Ayers Rock), the Olgas and Kings Canyon. My last destination in Australia is Darwin, where I will arrive on 27th September.

From Darwin I will fly to Bali in Indonesia, where I'll start a 2½ month journey through the whole of South-East Asia, taking me through Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. In early or mid-December I will fly from either Bangkok or Hong Kong to Copenhagen, where I'll join the demonstrations during the UN climate change conference, before going home to Finland for Christmas!

I look very much forward to the coming months and the future, and my spirits are high, as are Giigan's. It's been an incredible year travelling in Oceania. We've seen and experienced marvellous things ranging from climbing volcanoes, Kiwi beer festivals, snorkeling with whales, road trips, making new friends and so much more. The most remarkable thing though, has definitely been being able to make the decision to embark on a journey like this in the first place; to leave friends and family and our lives back home behind. That is a decision I can honestly say I probably wouldn't have made on my own. I am immensely grateful to my travel companion Giigan for being in a position to, and having the will to see a bit of the world for an extended period of time.

We will continue with this blog of course. Giigan writing about his Oz experience, me about my long journey home.

This is not omega.

Canberra

Viihdyimme Coledalessa niin hyvin, että kun lauantaina 22.8. lähdimme jatkamaan Australian valloitustamme oli meillä haikea, joskin rentoutunut ja iloinen olo. Onnistuneiden matkapalaverien jälkeen olimme tulleet siihen tulokseen, että pari päivää Canberrassa voisi olla paikallaan. Etukäteisodotuksemme eivät olleet korkealla, koska monet australialaiset kuvaavat kaupunkia termeillä tylsä, byrokratialla täytetty ja hallinnollisten asioiden ympärillä pyörivä. Nämä termit eivät kuitenkaan käyneet kertaakaan mielessämme saavuttuamme Canberraan!

Canberra on varta vasten suunniteltu Australian pääkaupungiksi, kun oli ilmeistä, että Melbournen ja Sydneyn väliin tarvitaan tasapainottava tekijä. Vuonna 1908 valittiin alue, joka kelpasi molemmille kilpakumppaneille. Kansainvälisen arkitehtikilpailun jälkeen (v.1913) Walter ja Marion Griffin Chicagosta valittiin toteuttamaan suunnitelmaansa, jonka vallitsevana tekijänä oli geometrinen puistomaisuus. Virtaviivainen ja luonnonläheinen ote on säilynyt hyvin nykypäivään yhdistettynä viimevuosina kaupunkiin nousseella modernin arkitehtuurin hengellä.

Saavuttuamme Canberraan oli Jarmon sisko Arja meitä vastassa ja saimme oivan tilaisuuden tutustua kaupunkiin lähemmin hänen pitämällään kaupunkikierroksella. Asiantunteva opastus yhdistettynä mielenkiintoisiin lisätietoihin tapahtumien taustoista auttoi meitä orientoitumaan Canberran nähtävyyksiin. Kierroksen jälkeen majoituimme Arjan ja Brianin residenssille ja osoittautui, että sama ystävällinen vieraanvaraisuus, josta nauttimme Coledalessa sai jatkoa. Brian, lahjakkaana historian professorina, pääsi valaisemaan meitä Suomen historian nyanseilla, joita emme olleet ennen kuulleetkaan! Hänen englantilaistyyppinen huumorintajunsa ja erittäin vahva historian tuntemuksensa sai meidät viihtymään, eikä ehta suomalainen sauna yhden kylmän kera tilannetta koskaan pahenna...

Tämä suloinen ja seurallinen kaveri ystävystyi kanssamme nopeasti.

Pyöräily on varmasti paras vaihtoehto kaupunkiin tutustumiseen, sen laajan pyörätieverkostonsa, alueen tasaisuuden ja sopivien etäisyyksiensä ansiosta. Saimme lainata Arjan ja Brianin pyöriä ja niillä sitten aloitimme tutustumisemme kaupunkiin. Ensimmäiseksi suuntasimme National Museumille, jonka ilmainen näyttely ja rakennuksen moderni arkitehtuuri oli vaikuttava.

National Museum ja sen avara aula.

Jatkoimme kaupunkikierrostamme kohti Australian War Memorialia, joka on toinen tärkeimmistä nähtävyyksistä Canberrassa. Vaikkei sotahenkinen ihminen olisikaan, niin museo on sen verran massiivinen ja aidon oloinen, ettei se jätä paatuneintakaan aktivistia kylmäksi. Yksityiskohtia pursuava näyttely, joka keskittyy selostamaan historialliset tapahtumat australialaisten sotilaiden näkökulmasta, avasi meille aivan uuden näkökulman menneisyyden traagisiin tapahtumiin. Museo keskittyy kaatuneiden sotilaiden muistamiseen ja onnistuu herättään kysymyksen kaiken sen kärsimyksen ja väkivallan tarpeellisuudesta, mitä sodat aiheuttavat.

National War Memorial. Australialaisjoukot Vietnamissa.

Tiistaina oli vuorossa poliittinen osuus. Aloitimme opastetulla kieroksella vanhassa parlamenttitalossa. Australian päätöstenteko tapahtui siellä vuosina 1927-1988, kunnes uusi nykyinen parlamentti valmistui. Kierrokseen sisältyi käynti äänieristetyssä pääministerin kabinetissa, jossa pääsimme leikkimään ministereitä vuoteen 1977 sijoittuvassa depatissa, koskien Australian tulevaa siirtomaalaispolitiikkaa ja sen vaikutusta yhteiskunnan kehitykseen - sanomattakin lienee selvää, että kokemus oli valaiseva ja mielenkiintoinen.

Australian demokratiaoppitunnin jälkeen oli aika lounaan ja rakkaan harrastuksemme laadukkaiden pienpanimo-oluiden metsästyksen. Canberran ainoa pienpanimo Wig & Pen osoittautui varsinaiseksi löydöksi. Jopa siinä määrin, että panimon kauttaaltaan ensiluokkainen tarjonta (13 eri olut lajia - jokaiselle jotain) yhdistettynä nerokkaisiin kausioluisiin ja nappiin onnistuneeseen specialiin, nostaa sen tämän reissun (tähän asti) parhaaksi panimoksi! Uuden Seelannin valiopanimot, sekä Lord Nelson Brewery Sydneyssä ovat lähellä, mutta Wig & Pen on vain sellainen helmi, että pelkästään käynti siellä on matkan arvoinen! Vahvimmin mieleemme painui kausiluonteinen speciaaliolut, Russian Imperial Stout, joka viinin tapaan saa levätä puolivuotta tammitynnyreissä ennen kuin se asettuu tarjolle. Tätä stouttia kuvailevat parhaiten termit liköörimäinen, rikas, täyteläinen, vivahteikas ja sen pehmeä suutuntuma viipyilevän jälkimaun kera oli uniikki olutkokemus! Miedon viinin alkoholipitoisuudellaan se sopii täydellisesti jälkiruokajuomaksi konjakin tai cherryn sijaan.

Wig & Pen pienpanimo. Kippis!

Wig & Pen omasi oluittensa lisäksi mukiin menevän keittiön ja maittavan lounaan jälkeen pääsimme jatkamaan tutustumistamme politiikkaan. Kierros uudessa parlamenttitalossa kannatti, onhan se saavuttanut mainetta nerokkaan arkkitehtuurinsa ansiosta. Paluumatkalla pyörähdimme vielä National Libraryllä vilkaisemassa Nick Caven valokuvanäyttelyä.

Päivä oli kaiken kaikkiaan antoisa niin historialliselta, kulttuuriselta kuin kulinaristiseltakin kannalta katsottuna.

Kolmannen ja viimeisen päivämme käytimme Australian Institute Of Sportsiin tutustumisessa. Heidän ohjelmansa ja ensiluokkaiset fasiliteettinsa ovat tuottaneet koko joukun menestyviä urheilijoita. Sieltä jatkoimme pyöräilyä kylmähkössä kevätauringossa kasvitieteelliseen puutarhaan ja siitä eteenpäin kaupungille. Kyllähän meidän piti vielä yhdet erinomaiset paintit päästä maistamaan.

Australian Institute of Sport.

Keskiviikko 26.8. oli taas matkapäivä. Pääsimme kokemaan Australian suhteellisen suuria välimatkoja ja 10 tuntia ottaneen matkan jälkeen löysimme itsemme keskeltä Melbournen sykkivää sydäntä. Mutta jatketaan siitä lisää seuraavaksi.

Suurkiitokset vielä Arjalle ja Brianille heidän vieraanvaraisuudestaan ja mukavista yhteisistä hetkistä!

More pictures of Canberra are available here.

Sydney and Coledale

And so four weeks in Australia has come to pass. We are currently in Melbourne, but spent our first two weeks in Sydney and Coledale, a small town located about two hours south of Sydney by train.

Sydney certainly lives up to all the praise given to it by guide books and what not. It has a breathtakingly beautiful face, its aces being the Opera House (goes without saying really), the Harbour Bridge, the towering downtown skyscrapers, many green parks and the harbour itself of course. The botanical gardens are worth a look, if for nothing else, then for the hundreds of flying foxes hanging upside down in the trees. A walk along the waterfront encompassing Mrs Macquires Point, Bennelong Point (where the opera house lies), Circular Quay (where all the ferries leave from) and the Rocks (trendy bars and restaurants between the opera house and the bridge) is a must.

Sydney Opera House.

The best view of the opera house and downtown Sydney is undoubtedly from the Harbour Bridge.

And if you're a beer drinker and appreciate a fine pint, the Lord Nelson Brewery on the west side of the southern bridge pylon is the place to quench your thirst. This brewpub/brasserie/hotel really surprised us. Imagine our astonishment when we were forced to admit that the first microbrewery we visited in Oz was actually one of the very best we have visited in the past year! Here was a brewery whose "Nelson's Blood" porter, "Three sheets" Australian pale ale and "Quayle ale" summer ale could battle with the elite troops of the Kiwi beer battalions.

The Lord Nelson brewpub.

Of course, our judgment could be a bit clouded due to what could technically be called a bribe. On our second visit I stepped up to the bar to order a second round for us. I was served by a guy we hadn't seen before and who we later imagined must be the brewmaster himself. Upon ordering I asked for the price of half a pint, hesitated a bit, and then ordered two of them. When giving them to me, the brewmaster just said "Cheers guys" with a knowing smile and disappeared. We must say, we greatly appreciated his pelisilmä ("game-eye"): not charging two poor backpackers for two half-a-pints when the surrounding tables were full of suites paying big bucks for overpriced lunch meals. Kudos!

On Friday 14th August we took the train to Coledale. There we stayed with friends of my family friends back home. The family comprising Jarmo (father), Jane (mother), Ilkka (son) and Kaija (daughter) has Finnish roots as Jarmo was born i Finland. Ilkka has also recently spent six months in Santahamina, Helsinki doing his military service, so we had much in common to talk about. The first weekend we spent hiking with Ilkka, watching Kaija play netball and enjoying the warm winter weather on the beach.

Giigan and Ilkka on "Initial Rock" above Coledale.

The following week we helped Jarmo at work. You see he is an architect and a builder of many things. He has, for instance, designed and built the house the family lives in in Coledale himself. First we helped him on a landscaping project of a backyard of one of his clients. When that was done, we did some work in Jane's and Jarmo's garden and helped Jarmo do some milling. We enjoyed the physical work, as well as the lunch breaks and the sauna!

Cut that lawn!

On Thursday 20th August we did a day trip to Sydney. We visited legendary Bondi Beach, home to the world's first surf life saving clubs (1907). From Watson's Bay we took a ferry to Circular Quay and then changed to another ferry going to Manly. There we had lunch at the 4 Pines brewpub, but it was sadly a disappointment. The trip wasn't a waste of time though, since the sunset on the way back to central Sydney was incredible. Before taking the train back to Coledale, we briefly sampled a few beers at the James Squire Brewhouse. They weren't bad at all.

The Sydney harbour at dusk.

We spent our last day in Coledale working around the house and had (for one last time) a delicious dinner with the family in the evening. On Saturday we took the bus to Canberra, the capital of Australia, where we stayed with Jarmo's sister and her husband. But that is something for next time. Lastly, we'd just like to say how extremely warm our welcome in Coledale was, and what a wonderful time we had there. Thank you Coledale-folks!

More pictures available here.