Stalking The 12 Apostles
25th June, Great Ocean Road, Australia
Bang!
What the hell was that?
Picture the scene - it's 3am, you've had fitful sleep so far on account of wind so strong that it seems likely to lift off the kombi's pop-top roof and you awake to a bright flash outside the van and a cracking noise. The wind has died down now but has been replaced with torrential rain, and something just went bang outside the van. That was how I awoke this morning, aware in my confused state that there was something strange happening outside.
I peered through one of the vents in the pop-top and saw something sparking. It looked like a power outlet immediately next to our van, and I wondered whether we were safe to be plugged in to the mains. Then I noticed about 50 metres away another tall pole with various electrical parts hanging off it. It looked like one of the feeds to the caravan park (not quite a pylon, but clearly quite a serious bit of kit) - and part of it was on fire. I grabbed my torch and went out into the rain to see what was going on, still sparking away as it was. Then, all of a sudden, there was a really loud bang and part of the caravan park seemed to go dark. It was enough to make me jump out of my skin and run back to the van, frantically disconnecting the mains supply. This was not a good thing to do - in these cold nights, we need the power for the mini fan heater but risking electric shock was not on the cards.
Thankfully, the electrical fireworks had aroused the attention of the caretaker. Seeing another torch (the caretaker's) pointing at the electrical mains, I ventured back out in to the rain again to see what I could learn. I was reassured by him that I could plug the mains back in to the van, that it was quite safe for us. Music to my ears! Even so, back in the once-again powered van I was still wary, and tried my hardest not to let my toes touch any metal parts!
The morning brought an improvement in the weather. There was a hint of blue up there, so we made our way further along the Great Ocean Road towards the 12 Apostles, stopping briefly for a spot of oh-so-British Devonshire Tea. It's just a couple of hours' drive from River Wye to the 12 Apostles, but naturally it took us longer what with all the road-side stops to take photos of the stunning coastal scenery to our left. But you're probably wondering just what the 12 Apostles are? Here they are:
The 12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria.
OK, there are not 12 here, that's true, but there are 12 of these rocky outcrops dotted along the coast, some of them hidden just under the waves and only visible from the air, all of them the result of many thousands of years of erosion. Looking at how rough the seas can get here, it's not surprising.
The weather - sometimes our friend, sometimes our arch-nemesis - had settled on being 'moody'. Cold, windy, mostly rainy, not the best conditions for taking photos of a place as stunning as this. I felt sorry for those people who were coming in by tour bus and who had to be away for their next destination so soon. We, on the other hand, weren't restricted by rigid timetables, so decided then that we would not stray too far today, thereby giving ourselves the opportunity to come back at the drop of a hat should the weather improve.
Just a little way up the road is Loch Ard Gorge, the site of one of many shipwrecks to occur on this fierce coastline. The vessel Loch Ard foundered off a nearby island losing 80 or so people to the thrashing seas. Just two people survived along with a sculpture of a peacock that was being transported for the 1880 National Exhibition in Melbourne - it's amazing to think that the seas were too strong for so many fragile bodies, yet a 2-foot tall porcelein peacock managed to come ashore in its packing crate intact. Once again, we watched the violent waves crashing through the gorge and understood at once how a 19th century vessel could get into such difficulties here.
Loch Ard Gorge.
Remember what I was saying about returning to the 12 Apostles? Well, the weather improved even in the short time we spent at Loch Ard Gorge, so we zipped back down the road and re-traced our steps to the apostles all over again. But we still hadn't bagged the shot we really wanted yet - the 12 Apostles at sunset. That would have to wait a little - it was only 4pm, and sunset would be around 5:30, so we decided to stay put in the car park and wait. Once more, though, the weather changed much for the worse, so we gave up on that idea and drove to Port Campbell for the evening.
Maybe tomorrow?
Not quite the sunset shot we were hoping for - it was a challenge enough
to avoid lens-flare.
