CONFIRMED!! The most boring, overstated, overrated drive I have ever done! Don't know what all the hype is about this area but I definitely don't see it. A muddy, murky river, lined with decrepit looking old houseboats, and Junker "riverboats" that look much like the motels in the area! If I knew what we were in for prior to heading to Adelaide on route to the Murray River, we would have ended our drive at the close of The Great Ocean Road and either headed back to Melbourne or head toward Sydney cross country. In my opinion, the 1600 kms we have driven along the Murray River Scenic Route (??? WHAT!) thus far has been a big waste of time and money. Looks like we have another full day of monotony before we reach the east coast again. Very reminiscent of parts of NZ we travelled through, but worse! Maybe we are on the wrong road? I cannot wait to hit the coast again.
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Here we are in Renmark, another long day with not much to see other than a dozen kangaroo and a couple of emu. At this point, I am not sure that the 4 days and 1500 kms was worth the trouble. We did enjoy the trip along The Great Ocean Road but I think it could have ended there and maybe we should have headed straight north from there. Adelaide was nice but I don't think it was worth the long drive at this point. Beautiful city with lots of interesting buildings downtown. Visited the Botanical Gardens, Glenelg & Port of Adelaide. Glenelg is stunningly beautiful with some pretty luxurious condos on the Tasmanian Sea with the owner's yachts parked right at their door step. Had dinner at a patio restaurant on the beach. Port of Adelaide was kind of a sad story. The original historic city of Adelaide has many vacant and decaying buildings. Looks like a revitalization program was attempted but obviously a bust! SAD... On our way along the Murray River tomorrow on route to Sydney. Probably the most boring drive we have been on thus far. Reminded me of my young days growing up in Saskatchewan where you could watch your dog run away for 3 days. One thing I have failed to mention in our previous blogs, pedestrians have to "give way" to vehicle traffic at street corners and even cross walks. You are taking our life in your hands crossing the streets in both countries. Today we witnessed an elderly woman who was almost bowled over at a crosswalk. The driver did not even slow down! Given the friendly nature of the people, pedistrians could become an "endangered species" in these parts. The parks in Australia are everywhere and they are manicured perfectly. I dont know what the tax rates are in this country but I would guess they are pretty high! We haven't had to pay to enter a national or state park to date and they are phenominal. Leaving tomorrow for Sydney with stops along the Murray River. Woooppsss!! I guess I spoke to soon and passed judgement on Torquay before I should have and I am now prepared to eat my words. Leslie is to blame as she made me turn around and go back to Geelong. We must have entered Torquay from the wrong side of the tracks. After passing through there again this morning, we discovered it is one of the top surfing destinations in Australia and the place was buzzing. It was actually very cool! We gave the town about 3 hours and then we began our trip on The Great Ocean Highway and it was GREAT! The road was relatively busy with tour buses and a moderate amount of vehicle traffic. Got stopped on the highway for a random breathalizer at about 2 pm, which I thought was pretty strange. A lone cop with a portable blow machine that he made me utilize. Of course I behaved myself and save my drinking time for happy hour after we check into our room. With some of the accommodations we have had, I could have drank the entire bottle!! The scenery along the route was absolutely incredible, The Twelve Apostles, London Bridge and many more spectacular sites along the way. After a long day on the windy, narrow, ocean road, we arrived in Warrnambool and checked into the motel, another older complex owned by a couple our age who were very nice. Again a little dated but spotless at a $115/nt rate. We will continue on the ocean road tomorrow to Mount Gambier, approximately 120 kms from Warrnambool...HOW DO YOU LIKE THESE NAMES? Another fabulous day! I guess I may have spoken too soon!! Had a great morning in Melbourne. Left the hotel at noon for the airport to pickup our rental vehicle. Michelle at Ace Car Rentals was very helpful and put us into great little Toyota. Off we went to Williamstown, a neat little seaside suburb minutes from downtown Melbourne. We made a pit stop at Werribee Park to view the mansion and grounds and then made our way to Geelong to begin our trip along the great ocean highway. After stopping at the library we noticed a huge market taking place which we were told was a weekly event with live not so great entertainment and a large food court. We stayed and had a bite but were not too impressed with the city and it rapidly went downhill from there when we decided to take our chances and drive to Torquay in search of decent accommodations. Things went from bad to worse and we doubled back to Geelong and booked a room at the Comfort Inn Parkside...MISTAKE! Why do they always look so good on the website. Unfortunately it was late and Leslie was tired so we bit the bullet and paid $125/nt for a S.H (short for...you guess)! What a disappointment after a great room in Melbourne. To think we could have stayed at the Hilton Melbourne on the harbour for $135/nt. Oh well, the weather is fantastic in the south but they are not so lucky in Queensland, where flooding has destroyed many homes and displaced a lot of people. Looking forward to a better day tomorrow. You are probably beginning to think I am a real whiner!! Leslie may agree with you. The flight from Christchurch to Melbourne was great. Air New Zealand is a fabulous airline with great service. Three modes of transportation from the airport to downtown Melbourne, rent A car(not recommended), taxi ($50) or Skybus ($17 or $28 return). We opted Skybus return. Skybus dropped us right at the front door of The Mercure Welcome Hotel. The hotel kindly upgraded us to a superior room with a king size bed at no extra charge. Went out and toured the city a bit and returned to the room at 9:30 p. Lots of people on the street, mainly you kids. Seemed to be a happening place. Ready for a long day of touring, a good nights sleep and back to the airport to pickup our car on route to The Great Ocean Highway. NIGHT & DAY!!! We love Australia already. We spent an absolutely fabulous day in Melbourne. The city is beautiful and boy does Melbourne know how to treat a tourist. The Mercure Hotel is in the heart of the city. We walked to Federation Square and caught the FREE City Circle Tram. The route took approx 1.5 hrs and free of charge. You could also jump on the City Circle Bus which took you on an extended tour of Melbourne, free of charge as well. The city is vibrant and full of action. From 9 am to 7 pm, we were left loving every minute. There were tourist information people on every corner assisting you with every question you may have. These guys appreciate your business and want you coming back. If this is an indication of what the rest of the country is like, we may not want to leave. The weather was fantastic, about 30 degress...A Blue Blazer!! There is so much to see and do in this beautiful city. We really enjoyed walking along the river front with the 1000's of people. Planted right in the centre is The Crown Casino & Hotel, absolutely amazing. This lavish structure boasts a foyer like we have never seen with massive marble columns reaching up the ceiling, which has to be 4 stories high. Certainly a place for the rich & famous, not us!! Food prices are comparable to home and restaurants are equally as reasonable with plenty to choose from. One of our stops was the Queen Street market where with 100's of food vendors selling great grub from a variety of nationalities We are planning a half day of touring again tomorrow morning and then off to the airport to pickup our rental car. Just back at the room chilling over a DH Krahn (Krahnic) & Leslie with her favourite, Malibu & Coke! Went for Thai Food at a restaurant just up the street from hotel. Very good...$20 for the two of us. |
Glen
I have always been a straight shooter and a go getter. Many have said Leslie must be a saint to have put up with me for over 40 years. We have been business partners since the day we got married and each played an intrigal roll in our business success. There is nothing more important to us than our Family & Friends. Our love of people and travel has allowed us to develop amazing friendships around the world. Archives
November 2017
Categories"The New Gineration"Disclaimer:
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