In between all the meetings and research, luckilly there was time to do some sight seeing in Australia too! I have never been to Australia before so I was excited to see the country's nature and being in Melbourne The Great Ocean Road couldn't be skipped.
On the 11th of February I went together with 4 class mates on a one day trip through the Great Ocean Road, which we had booked via a local travel agency. As we don't have an international drivers license, non of us could drive ourselves. However, as they drive at the left side of the road here, maybe it's for the best that we had an experienced Australian chauffeur ;)
First we visited the highlight: The twelve aposteles. The view was amazing and we were very lucky with the weather. After some more stops along the road, we had a lunch break at Georges beach. Here we could walk downstairs where we could walk along the water and sit and rest on the beach, which was again an amazing view.
After a lot of nice beach and ocean views, our trip continued to a spot where we could spot Koalas. Unfortunately, as it was warm and Kaolas are known to sleep 80% of their lives, we could only see few of them high up in the trees sleeping, Nonetheless, I saw my first real life Koala! And luckily, the birds were a little bit more willing to engage with the tourists, and we got the ability to feed them, which was also quite amazing for someone who loves nature and animals. Our last stop brought us to a small hike through the rainforst, which gave another impression of the nature of Australia. All in all it was an amazing full day tour, filled with amazing views, lovely animals and beautiful nature sights of the country. So far my first impression of this country is amazing! Next stop will be Philip Island, where we might get a closer look to Koala's, and of course the pinguins... To be continued!
Janine Liolios
