Hello from the Five Star Vagabond

Welcome to 700 travel blogs, to access a full index on your mobile please scroll to the bottom & choose from 700 locations. Email is [email protected]

Great Ocean Road Australia

November 3, 2014 by David Herd

Twelve Apostles 

Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Great Ocean Road Australia on the south coast of Victoria offers some of the most breathtaking spectacular scenery in the world. Look at the following photos to see what I mean.

Breathtaking scenery

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

I drove from Adelaide to Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road Australia in October 2014, I had driven this road once before in  1988.

Twelve Apostles in 1988

 Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

One of Australia’s best road trips.

In 2009, gone baby gone.

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Now there are only 8 Apostles left. 🙂

Great Ocean Road Australia in 1998

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Of course there were more Apostles back then. 🙂

The Twelve Apostles Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

The Great Ocean Road officially starts at Torquay and travels 243 kilometres westward to finish at Allansford near Warrnambool, the largest city along the road. The road is two lane (one in each direction), and is covered by a speed limit changing between 80 kilometres per hour and 100 kilometres per hour Great Ocean Road as viewed from Teddy’s Lookout, south of Lorne The road is considered a tourist attraction in the area, in which much of the road hugs coastline affectionately known as the Surf Coast between Torquay and Cape Otway and the Shipwreck Coast further west of Cape Otway, providing visibility of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean. The road traverses rainforests, as well as beaches and cliffs composed of limestone and sandstone, which is susceptible to erosion. 

The road travels via Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo Bay, and Port Campbell, the latter being notable for its natural limestone and sandstone rock formations including Loch Ard Gorge, The Grotto, London Arch and The Twelve Apostles.  At the stretch of the Great Ocean Road nearer to Geelong, the road meanders along the coast, with tall, almost-vertical cliffs on the other side of it. Road signs put up along the road warn motorists of possible rockfalls, which have occurred before.  

Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

The whole coast here is quite breathtaking.

Looking east from Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

If you ever visit Australia put the Great Ocean Road on your bucket list.

Nice view on the Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

    Certainly one of the best views I saw today. 🙂

A stunning view

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

It really does take your breath away. 🙂

Great Ocean Road Australia featuring The Arch

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Another famous landmark.

London Bridge

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

  When I last drove this road in 1988 London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road was one piece, some years later the middle collapsed as you can clearly see.

London Bridge 1988

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

I consider myself very lucky to have seen the bridge intact.

London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Now you see it, now you don’t.

Here is one of my favourite travel stories, I’m guessing the conversation went something like this, “gee Dave do you think it’s safe to go out there?” “Of course it is, what could possibly go wrong Kelli? This has been standing here for millions of years. It was the 15th of January 1990 & just as they got to the end of the bridge it collapsed behind them, they were later rescued by police helicopter.

 Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Australia has many wonderful landscapes, none better than this.

Great Ocean Road Australia near London Bridge

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

I imaging this coastline looked the same hundreds of years ago.

Bay of Martyrs

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Small islands weathered by millions of years of erosion. 

Great Ocean Road Australia Bay of Martyrs

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

I bumped into only a hand full of tourists on my road trip.

Bay of Islands

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

  Travelling from Adelaide on the Great Ocean Road the Bay of Islands is the first of the spectacular vistas.

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia Bay of Islands

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Of course the other famous Bay of islands is on the north island of NZ.

Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Here is a photo I found online. 

Bay of Islands

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Magnificent colours.

Bay of Islands Great Ocean Road Australia

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

Too many rock formations are never enough. 🙂       

There is a hole in my cliff.

Great Ocean Road Southern Australia

 Many thanks for visiting my Great Ocean Road Australia photo blog.

           Istanbul                                 Budapest                        London

Fascinating Istanbul Asia Meets Europe     Hungarian Parliament Building (2)       The Walkie Talkie (5)    

          Mostar                           Dubrobnik                            Split

43638e36-5da5-4162-98e3-635e2c149837        IMG_7425    Split Ancient Croatian Coastal city                     

                 Saigon                            Zagreb                          Vung tau

Ho Chi Minh City South Vietnam       Main Square (3)     Vung Tau statue (6)

 
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

That’s all folks

1g Duck

Click here to see my post on the Outback.

 

After the Great Ocean Road I flew to the Gold Coast.

 

Next time you visit Bangkok take a canal cruise

 

  

Australian adventures

 


Counter only started June16 2020.

This gallery contains 3 photos

Lands End in Cornwall

December 15, 2013 by David Herd

Beautiful blue sky in…..

Lands End, Cornwall.

Lands End in Cornwall

Here we are at England’s most westerly point. Wind levels in winter reach around 20-25 knots, which is windier than most of England. The highest temperature recorded is 28.9 °C, and the lowest temperature recorded is -3.4 °C.

Penwith House

Lands End in Cornwall

This historic building dating from 1860 houses a hotel, a gift shop with maritime gifts, toys and confectionery. Coordinates:   50°3’56″N   5°42’51″W.


Beautiful old building

Lands End in Cornwall

In 1987 Peter de Savary purchased Land’s End for almost £7 million from David Goldstone. He had two new buildings erected and much of the present theme park development was instigated by him. He sold both Land’s End and John o’ Groats to businessman Graham Ferguson Lacey in 1991. The current owners purchased Land’s End in 1996 and formed a company named Heritage Great Britain PLC. Attractions at the theme park include children’s playgrounds and recorded music. Twice a week in August there are firework displays. Nearby is the Land’s End Hotel. In May 2012, Land’s End received widespread attention as the starting point of the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay.

 Blue sky and lots of wind.

Lands End in Cornwall

Land’s End is a headland and small settlement in western Cornwall, England. It is the most westerly point of mainland Cornwall and England. It is on the Penwith peninsula, about eight miles west-southwest of Penzance.

Rugged coastline.

Lands End in Cornwall

This is certainly not a good place for a swim. 🙂

Lands End England’s most westerly point.

Lands End in Cornwall

The sea pounds these rocks 24/7.

Lands End Hotel.

Lands End in Cornwall

We were so lucky to have the beautiful blue sky, photos look so much better. What you can’t see in the shots is the howling wind that nearly blew us off our feet.  😆

 Air Ambulance.

Lands End in Cornwall

I guess this choppers working days are over. 🙂

Neihboring property

Lands End

Not too inspiring realy 🙂

David Herd, intrepid traveller.  😎

Lands End in Cornwall

Many thanks for visiting my Lands End post, please pass it on to your friends and

St Ives is a 40 minute drive, put it on your list.

 More posts for you to see

 

   Istanbul                                 Budapest                        London

Fascinating Istanbul Asia Meets EuropeHungarian Parliament Building (2)The Walkie Talkie (5)   

          Mostar                           Dubrobnik                            Split

                     43638e36-5da5-4162-98e3-635e2c149837IMG_7425Split Ancient Croatian Coastal city                    

                 Saigon                            Zagreb                          Vung tau

Ho Chi Minh City South VietnamMain Square (3)Vung Tau statue (6)

Bangkok Hotels                    Pattaya Hotels
 
Pattaya live webcam
9a1fec74-4461-46cd-8663-97f5893c8f6e (1)

That’s all folks

1g Duck

Holiday Inn

bbc35e6d-80db-4e1c-8f51-83dd84f16520

Fabulous views, excellent restaurants & a very good room rate if you book through THIS LINK.

The building in the middle is the Holiday Inn, on the left is the Amari Hotel which is another very good five star hotel. Use THIS LINK to book for a very good room rate.

Sabai Wing North Pattaya

36555237616_da3ed73d6a_o

The best Pattaya budget hotel, 3 pools & opposite Central Marina shopping mall. For a great room rate just book through THIS LINK.

 

Counter only started June 16 2020.

This gallery contains 2 photos