Trip Preview - Victoria (Part 5 of 7)

Now we are into what could only be called "the meat of the schedule". In the first month of the trip, we have gone covered about 70% of our journey. In the second month, we'll slow it down and smell the roses a little. (In our last state, we were smelling the Shiraz).






Shortly after we enter Victoria, we'll be on the Great Ocean Road. This is perhaps the most beautiful drive I have ever been on - better than the Pacific Coast Highway South of Monterey if only because it is straighter (avoiding vertigo for passengers and frustration with crawling behind slow cars for the drivers). We will follow along a route of sweeping views, tiny little towns, cliffs, and other dramatic drop offs. Last time I came through, I took a helicopter tour of the "Twelve Apostles" (image compliments of Victoria tourism). If Alex asks for a helicopter ride, we may go for it (I liked it last time). Otherwise, we will just enjoy the view. There is also "London Arch" - formerly known as "London Bridge", this was a ridge eroded to the point of being a bridge until it collapsed one day a couple decades ago, leaving a startled visitor on the newest island imaginable. So this windswept beautiful drive is just ideal for driving an hour, stopping, walking around, getting back in the car, and continuing on our way (repeat as necessary).


And what is the reward at the end of this long and winding road? Only one of the greatest cities on the planet and quite possibly a visit with my wife, Alex's mom, and the missing partner on this venture - Aneta. Let's start with the visitor first. If Aneta's schedule at her firm permits, she will join us in Australia for a few days. The ideal would be Melbourne as it is a large, cosmopolitan city, it is the mid-point of our trip, and a city that she knows well because of a study she did there in 2001. It goes without saying that both Alex and I will miss her greatly. She will likely make a CD so that Alex can hear her voice and hear a little Bulgarian every day. Additionally, (as I mentioned a few states back) I will keep a photo of her in the car's front passenger seat. Alex likes pointing to the passenger seat in cars and saying "mama" when she is not there, since he knows mama generally sits there. With the photo, we can have a comforting token of continuity. If you've made it this far you can imagine how much Alex & I would enjoy seeing a familiar face (and how much I would enjoy adult conversation at this stage).


So what makes Melbourne so good? Well, it is a large, cultured, attractive, temperate city. The closest US comparison is Boston but with good weather (this is certainly subject to debate and I like Melbourne far more). The defining characteristic is the Yarra River running through the city. On the south bank are several of the nicer hotels and the giant Crown entertainment/casino complex. On the north side is most of the downtown. Along the river on the south bank lies an attractive park. You can bike up and down the river- a few kms away, well into the suburbs, is the much larger Yarra Bend park. This is a great walking city. Whether we're staying south of the river or in the heart of the city, you can get most places in less than a mile. Federation Square is a new entertainment/shopping/architectural statement (thanks again for the image, Victoria tourism). There is a large Greek quarter (yes, the food is great). There is lots to keep Alex entertained and even more to keep me entertained. From shopping areas to outdoor cafes to museums to older architecture, walking around Melbourne you'll find a vibrant, attractive, fun city.



Melburnians are sports crazed (reinforcing that Boston comparison, except I might actually support Melbourne's teams) and have a rather nice, large stadium - the Melbourne Cricket Grounds. I saw a World Cup qualifier game there. Much like Americans, Australians really don't care about soccer and see it as an exotic game played by everyone else. They even have the decency to call it "soccer" - the national team is called the "Socceroos" (although there is an effort afoot to rebrand the sport as "football"). Like Americans, they are pleased that their team is good at it, but they do not discuss last night's soccer game over coffee nor do they stage violent riots in the wake of soccer results. Legit sports worthy of comment are Aussie Rules Football, rugby, and cricket - while I don't personally follow these sports I must commend their choices because they translate well to the sports I do follow (football, football, and baseball). In Melbourne they also make a big deal of the horse races once a year. I don't know if we'll get the chance to see any sports (our timing is bad for everything but cricket), but if we do Melbourne would be a good place to do it.

We will take a few days here. Exactly how many will depend on whether we're spending time with Aneta. There are more things to talk about - St Kilda (city beach), Yarra Valley wines (a step down from Western Australia and South Australia), etc. Regardless, I will be in a great city, a familiar city, and a city with 3.5 million. In short, I will feel very much at home here.

Next up, we'll go to our family friendly destination of Phillip Island (yet again, thanks to Victoria tourism for the image). Phillip Island is about an hour or so south of Melbourne. This is a windswept island where Penguins run on shore every night. Aneta and I saw this once before. Alex will go absolutely nuts. There is a beach (as you can see), but if the temperatures are anything like last time, that won't be a destination. We'll go to the koala center - those sleepy, cuddly-looking, apparently ill-tempered animals are cute to look at.

After Phillip Island, we will go up the coast towards an area called the Lakes District. That just sounds pretty and relaxing. Should be a nice drive along the southeast Victoria coast. We'll cruise through a couple little towns like Sale and Lakes Entrance. Lakes Entrance is a seaside resort town.

Moving on up the coast, we will enter a region called East Gippsland. Is it just me or does that name just sound made up? "Hey, where are you going?" "I'm off for East Gippsland" It sounds like a cross between "I have no idea", "a galaxy far far away", and "somewhere extremely remote". Much like Timbuktu, East Gippsland does actually exist despite sounding mythical or made up. Anyhow, shortly after Lakes Entrance, we will turn inland and start heading towards Canberra through East Gippsland. It appears to be forested, rolling hills working their way up to mountains. As mountains go, these are not Alps or Andes or Rockies, but they are mountains on the order of some of the lower Appalachians. Although several places that we will pass are called "Snowy" (Snowy River, Snowy Mountain), we are not expecting any snow. It is all relative - if something ever sees snow during the course of the year, that makes it "snowy" in Aussie terms (think of it as "snowy like Nashville"). I will be very surprised if I am seeing snow on the last day of February in Southeast Australia (flipping that to US terms, that is like seeing snow on Labor Day). Nonetheless, the drive from Phillip Island across the Lakes District and East Gippsland should be the coolest (temperature-wise) stretch of this trip. As we drive across East Gippsland and rise up into these mountains, we will be done with Victoria and cross into Australia's most populous state New South Wales.

In our penultimate preview, we will explore Canberra, the Blue Mountains, Sydney, and the coast of New South Wales.