Melbourne & Cairns

After Sydney, we headed south to Melbourne for four days. Melbourne is super trendy; think man buns, ironic mustaches, and street art, though it's also home to the Great Ocean Road, which was my favorite part.

And some koalas.

The first day we took it easy and went to the Queen Vic Market, which was awesomely right next to our hotel. The market had everything from fresh produce to meat and clothes. We stocked up on stuff for breakfast and lunch, because after so many days of restaurants you just kind of want to make some quick meals.

The 12 Apostles

The following day was our big adventure on the Great Ocean Road. We had booked a tour with Outback Billy before arriving, and the bus picked us up fairly early in the morning. The tour started with a bit of a hiccup as the tour guide got lost picking up a few of the other guests. Once we got on the road, the beauty truly began.

The start of the Great Ocean Road!

We made a quick stop at the beginning of the road for pictures, then made our way to a scenic lookout. At this point, it was really cloudy and looked like it might rain. The tour guide told us that the clouds could burn off, or stick around; weather is so touchy when it's close to the ocean! On the way back to the car, she told us to be on the lookout for koalas in the trees, and told us they would look like basketballs.

Oh ya know, just a koala chilling on the side of the road.

Luckily, we saw one in a tree in someone's yard! Just like when we would see moose on the streets in Alaska, it crazy to see wild animals in very populated areas. It was also amazing to see such a frail looking tree support such a big animal.

Trees at Mait's Rest Rainforest Boardwalk

The next stop was Mait's Rest Rainforest Boardwalk. The forest was covered in ferns and the massive trees were about 300 years old. Some of them were so big you could stand inside of them.

Finally, by mid-afternoon, we got to the 12 Apostles, the main highlight of the Great Ocean Road. There are currently only eight apostles, or limestone rock formations, left. Since the formations are in the ocean, they are always eroding and susceptible to complete collapse. At some point, they will no longer be there, so I felt very fortunate to have seen them.

The pile of rocks in the front is one that collapsed in 2005.

Shortly after taking in the beauty of the 12 Apostles, the tour went to the Loch Ard Gorge, which was equally impressive.

At this point, we were allowed some swimming time, but Melbourne is a lot colder than Sydney, so Mark and I passed on that opportunity and enjoyed the scenery instead.

These people froze their butts off.

After the Loch Ard Gorge we were supposed to go to the Loch Arch, or London Bridge, but since we got lost in Melbourne and some of our group had to catch a flight, we had to turn around. I was kind of mad about that fact, but the rest of the day was awesome, so I can't really complain too much. If we wouldn't have gone on the Great Ocean Road, I don't know if I would have liked Victoria all that much.

Sleepy koala agrees.

The following day, I went on a mad shopping spree at H&M. I know, I know...you don't go to Australia to shop at a chain store, but it's essential when you live in Japan and are not the size of a middle school child.

We also got to take in the city, which was pretty cool.

Other than the Great Ocean Road, Melbourne is famous for its street art. Almost every alley is covered in beautiful graffiti-style murals. 

Artists are given alleys, and it is easy to tell them all apart. This is all sanctioned by the city of Melbourne and traditional tagging is illegal, though some of the art was ruined by it.

Look at Mark really being one with this piece.

We spent our last night in Melbourne at this super trendy, aka crowded as hell, restaurant that had stagecoaches for seating. Originally we were trying to go to a Thai restaurant called Cookie, but they wouldn't let us in without a reservation. The staff sent us up the stairs to Choo Choo's, which was supposedly owned by the same chef and offered a similar fare. 

The best picture I could find for Choo Choo's, courtesy of thetoffintown.com.

We were seated in the bar at first, which was super uncomfortable, but then they moved us to the stagecoach. I loved the stagecoach because you could shut the doors and have a romantic dinner, though some drunk dude opened ours to say hello. After dinner, we spent our last night on our deck drinking craft beers, which seemed like the only way to say goodbye to Melbourne.

We spent the rest of our vacation in Cairns, which is where you go if you want to see the Great Barrier Reef. There isn't much to do in Cairns other than the Great Barrier Reef, so I wish we would have spent less time there and more time in Sydney. 

I thought Cairns would be our beach time, but I researched the area poorly and didn't understand that swimming in the ocean is not allowed because of alligators. The Great Barrier Reef is indescribable, and something that you need to experience in person. We only snorkeled the reef because we had to fly out the next day, but it honestly seemed like you got to see more that way. I feel incredibly lucky to have gone to Australia, as it is something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember.