Saturday, Day 42 - Feb 17 - 6am to 7pm, Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Geelong, located on the shores of Corio Bay, is very vibrant and the second-largest city in Victoria, on Australia’s southern coast. Its name originates from the Aboriginal word for bay - jillong. Founded in 1802, the city became a thriving industrial center after the 1850’s gold rush. There is much to see -  the vibrant, renovated waterfront and the Art Deco Eastern Beach or take a drive along the dramatic beaches of the Great Ocean Road. This is a new port for us. We spent a few days on the GOR in 2015 and its beauty is drawing us back again today on an all day free tour, The Great Ocean Road and the 12 Apostles, starting at 8:30AM for 10 hours.

Today is a testament to Dick’s love and tolerance. This is going to be a long day, 10 hours mostly on a bus,  but Carolyn wants to enjoy the beautiful scenery one more time...it is a great drive!  Geelong is a tender port and we anchor at 8AM. We are in the lounge at 8AM to pick up our tender/tour ticket and the tour is called at 8:20AM. The tender ride drops us at a very nice Yacht Club and park area that looks like a great place to explore, but we hurry on to the buses.

By 8:50AM all 38 of us are loaded on the fairly comfortable coach, Dick and Carolyn each get a double seat on the water side of the bus so we are fairly comfortable. It is a beautiful, cool day. We see a bit of Geelong then head southwesterly along the Great Ocean Road, which winds along Victoria's windswept shoreline, a rugged area known as the Shipwreck Coast because an estimated 700 ships have been lost here. Built by soldiers returning from World War I, the incredibly picturesque Great Ocean Road is the world's largest war memorial as it's dedicated to the casualties of that global conflict. Driving along, we pass surf beaches, whale lookouts, lush rainforests and majestic mountain ranges, punctuated by stops in delightful seaside towns. We take lots of pictures, but they are though the bus windows mostly. We make one photo stop and then a brief stop in the town of Lorne which boasts a surprisingly Mediterranean feel.

We have both a guide and driver today. The guide gives us lots of information on everything Australian, some interesting other not so much. As guides go he is good, but he could have talked less for our taste.

About 11:30AM we stop in Apollo Bay which features a historic downtown with a Saturday market in progress and a serene beach. We have about one hour of free time here. Several of our group join us at a fish and chips place, the first café we find that is serving lunch. The first three didn’t start lunch service until 12 noon!  After a good lunch we walk back to the bus through the little market. We have fond memories of Apollo Bay from our 2015 trip as it is where we shopped for fresh lamb to grill on the barbie during our stay on the GOR. Today the little village is packed with tourists.

Then we drive on to Port Campbell National Park, site of the Twelve Apostles. For natural wonders, few sights compare to this distinctive collection of once twelve, now eight towering limestone stacks formed over the centuries by the pounding surf. It may well be the most photographed spot in the state of Victoria. Just down the road we stop at Loch Ard, a gorge so scenically primeval that numerous movies and TV shows such as "Journey to the Center of the Earth" were shot here. Both sites are crawling with Asian tourist, many in big family groups. It is the beginning of the Chinese New Year and many are on Holiday. 

We return to Geelong the “back way” through Victoria's rural farmlands making a brief stop in lovely Cobden before returning “home”.We get back to the Yacht Club where the ship is tendering about 6PM. To get to the dock we have to walk through the club bar area. Everyone is very friendly asking how our day was etc.  If we had time it would be nice to enjoy a drink. The club and harbor area is a lovely setting.

We are exhausted once again by the time we get back to the room. After unloading and cleaning up we decide to go up to the Galileo Bar on deck 11 aft for drinks. Dinner service has started and they are having an Australian buffet in the La Veranda tonight, but we are not hungry. Instead drinks and snacks sound good.

It is a long pleasant sail out of the shallow bay into Bass Strait. We luck out at the bar with fried calamari, spicy chicken wings plus nuts and chips. Guess we know what we are having for dinner. Sarah, the social hostess, joins us for about an hour and we have pleasant conversation about the ships and traveling.

We enjoy several drinks and several rounds of calamari and watch as the sun slips below the horizon ending the first truly good day we have had since Carolyn first got sick.