Travel Guides and Stories

In November, after 3 months of planning our Australian road trip, we finally boarded our flight to Sydney. Even today, this not-too-long journey has left deep impressions in the hearts of everyone who went along. I think... it will stay with us for life...

Mode of Travel: Independent travel, self-driving    Number of Participants: 8 (friends, good number for car rental)    Red route shows the coastal sightseeing route, blue route shows the inland return route to Sydney

Day One: After sitting on the plane all night, we finally arrived in Sydney airspace at 6 AM Beijing time. After quickly freshening up and returning to our seats, we enjoyed Sydney's scenery from God's perspective... Not long after, at around 9 AM local time, the plane landed and our group of eight headed straight to the airport car rental counter. After nearly an hour of paperwork (besides 4.0 and Dragon Brother's limited English, the rest were basically illiterate and happily wandered around doing nothing, except for Wolf who curiously stood next to Little 4 listening intently, which led to rapid improvement later, but that's another story), we finally got the two Toyota RAV4s that Little 4 had pre-booked online.

The cars were much newer than we expected. Looking around, all the rental cars were very new, which might have been related to Little 4 choosing a large rental company - they have the resources to maintain a quality fleet. After distributing and testing the walkie-talkies, everyone happily climbed into their cars. Navigation and route planning naturally fell to Little 4 - it was all in English after all. Poor Little 4, who never used navigation back home, spent a good ten minutes sweating to set up our first destination - the FISH MARKET (the famous fish market).    Among the 8 of us, 6 had gotten their driving licenses certified, but at the start, we let Wolf and Little Strong, known for their steady driving, take the wheel. Once the navigation was set, Wolf couldn't wait to drive out of the parking lot. But the navigation started acting up, and the airport roads were quite complicated. With cars following behind and a maze of lanes ahead, all moving at high speed, Wolf hadn't yet adjusted to right-hand driving. He momentarily lost control of the distance and grazed a pedestrian. Meanwhile, our other car was nowhere to be seen, leaving us in a difficult situation, sweating profusely from anxiety.    Wolf forced his way into traffic, with cars whooshing past outside. The navigation kept wavering, going left and right, while Little 4 and I anxiously shouted "Left!" and "Right!", driving Wolf crazy! Finally, Little Strong's car caught up, and after driving for a while, everyone calmed down. After many twists and turns, we finally reached our destination an hour later (though the airport is only 12km from the fish market). Everyone was starving, ready to grab a big lobster and start eating. The fish market was so big we didn't know where to start. We divided up tasks - some looking for seats, others ordering food.

↓Shrimp! Shrimp! Shrimp! Everyone loves them

↓Seafood platter, just looking makes your mouth water

↓Once again showing the power of Chinese tourists! The market has lots of Chinese signage, and many staff speak Chinese!

While we were still lost in the delicious options, Wolf, known for his "fierce, precise and steady" approach to food, had already calmly floated past us with a full plate of seafood... After the feeding frenzy, once our stomachs felt satisfied, we began to appreciate the scenery. The fish market is located on the bay, so there are many seagulls. ↓Ah, such harmony between humans and nature... The dining area of the market

↓Beautiful seagulls, but absolutely do not feed them, don't believe me? Just try...

Let's skip over our unrefined eating scenes... ↓Passing by Sydney Harbour Bridge, second only to the Opera House in fame. If we hadn't taken a wrong turn, we would have missed it

Our second stop was our accommodation for the day - the Russell Hotel in Sydney's Rocks area. The hotel reportedly dates back to 1887 and has maintained its original style while keeping prices reasonable. The only downside is that because the building is so old, it can't have private bathrooms, only shared facilities. To experience 19th-century life, we accepted it - public it is. But we encountered another problem: Little 4 had booked 4 rooms, but the hotel only held 2, and due to being fully booked, couldn't offer any more rooms. Little 4 got so angry arguing with the elderly receptionist, but limited by her English skills, our usually sharp-tongued Little 4 was left red-faced and flustered. The receptionist, knowing she was in the wrong, actually accused Little 4 of making trouble while drunk. Poor Little 4, who normally has a one-bottle wine tolerance, was labeled "drunk and incoherent" just because she walked in carrying a beer bottle (leftover from lunch - Australia is expensive, we couldn't bear to throw it away). This became a running joke afterward!

↓The hotel is quite beautiful, with an elegant small lobby

We had to find alternative accommodation, and the elderly receptionist helped us find a nearby hotel. It was half again as expensive, but we were told it had four-person rooms so we accepted. Unfortunately, the troubles continued. We excitedly rushed into what we thought would be a four-person suite, only to be dumbfounded - their idea of a four-person room was just a standard room with two 1.5-meter double beds. Sigh, too tired to argue about the severe overcrowding, we quickly booked two more rooms. At least the rooms were nice and close to the bay. We'd already wasted nearly 3 hours, so we dropped our luggage and headed straight for the bay without resting...

↓The hotel is nice, like a 4-5 star in China. Though old, overseas hotels get more charming with age

↓Passersby... A, B, C, etc...

↓Such scenes were everywhere...

↓Street performers - honestly, they sounded great. I was tempted to buy their CD, but then I thought about the exchange rate and gave up!

↓Looking out at the Sydney Opera House

↓A glimpse of the plaza, with three handsome guys

↓The world-famous bridge

Night views

We had dinner right across from the Opera House - Chinese food! Don't laugh! The prices? Don't mention them! Painful! (To commemorate our first proper meal in Australia, here's the menu: crispy chicken, beef on iron plate, honey BBQ pork, mapo tofu, stir-fried pork slices, steamed green fish, two vegetable dishes, fried noodles, and a bucket of white rice)    End of Episode One

Day Two: We got up early, excited about the upcoming Blue Ocean Road journey. Little 4 never fully trusted the navigation, but we really needed it for the complex city roads. Once we left the city, Little 4 took out her guidebook and started navigating manually. ↓Houses along the way

Her instincts proved right - the navigation was trying to take us on shortcuts. Fortunately, Little 4's sharp eyes caught the turnoff for the Blue Ocean Road. Strangely, after we stopped following its directions, the navigation went silent, and from then on would randomly stop working - what a temperamental device! After a stretch of mountain road, we drove onto the cliff-hugging Blue Ocean Road. This scenic highway only opened in late 2005, with one section being an elevated sea cliff bridge. The views are absolutely stunning.

There are viewpoints all along the Ocean Road, but you can't just stop anywhere. There will be many observation decks for tourists to park, sightsee, and show their affection. About an hour after leaving Sydney, our little dancer started crying for a bathroom break. To avoid her sulking face, we had to find a small restaurant by the road to use their facilities. Who knew that this plain-looking restaurant would be so amazing inside - we immediately decided we had to have coffee here before moving on! Pictures as proof!

↓Coffee shop with unbeatable ocean views

↓Oceanfront cottages - imagine how much these would cost in China!

↓Our "tour leader" Little 4, with ice-cold beer + coffee

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↓I wish I could become a bird~~~

↓The back of the white house faces the road, with its unassuming entrance

↓The cafe entrance

Little Dancer's first bathroom emergency turned out to be a blessing! In her excitement, she forgot to note down the name of the place - what a pity! (Later found out it's called THE SCARBOROUGH HOTEL, but I really can't remember the exact address. Interested travelers can look it up.)

Reluctantly leaving our first delightful discovery on the Ocean Road, we continued on. ↓Scenery along the way.

↓Even the real estate offices are this beautiful

↓Austinmer Beach along the way, mostly local holidaymakers

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↓The vehicle in front is our companion

While passing through an inland stretch, we hit traffic. The rumbling of nearby trucks was getting annoying when suddenly we heard a burst of horns from ahead, and traffic slowly started moving. We were surprised because this was the first time we'd heard car horns in Australia, and the vehicles ahead seemed to be honking quite enthusiastically, one after another. We thought there might have been an accident and all craned our necks to look, only to discover we were surrounded by trucks - all kinds of colorful trucks in every direction. Was this a truck gathering? Looking at the roadside, we realized it was indeed a radio station-organized truck meet, with local residents lining the road cheering. The trucks were honking to interact with them.

↓Once we understood what was happening, how could we miss this truck feast? Quickly grabbed the camera and started shooting wildly.

↓The radio station's promotional banner

↓The celebrating residents along the way - they immediately got excited when they saw our cameras pointed at them!

↓Even vintage cars came to join the fun!

↓This truck cab is my favorite!

↓How residents participated

↓I love this fire truck!

↓Such a sunny truck driver!

↓Cool! Cool! Cool! I really love this truck culture!

↓After joining in the celebration for nearly an hour, we finally parted ways

After this feast of "Transformers", everyone agreed that this traffic jam was well worth it. Next, we headed straight to our lunch stop - Kiama town. ↓After parking, while searching for food, we discovered there was a weekend flea market by the sea - the most beautiful flea market I've ever seen.

After lunch, we headed to our next destination - Batemans Bay, famous for its oysters. For someone like Little 4 with a keen sense for good food, this was not to be missed. Unfortunately, we arrived in the town near evening, and the seafood shop announced they were sold out of oysters, telling us to come back tomorrow morning when the fishing boats return. Little 4 was immediately devastated, pounding her chest in despair. With no other choice, we bought some promising-looking shrimp to take away. They turned out to be delicious and were quickly devoured!

↓Super fresh shrimp and the shy young shop assistant

↓The shop owner was very nice, gave us 11 dollars worth for 10 dollars

↓After enjoying the food, we started exploring the town. The town is small and quiet, but the scenery is equally breathtaking

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On this trip, except for Sydney and Melbourne where we pre-booked hotels worried about availability, we planned to find accommodation as we went. We'd heard that after 7 PM in Australia, most lodges don't have staff for check-in, so our first spontaneous accommodation search made us a bit nervous. Seeing it was getting late, we decided to stay in Narooma town for the night. Our top priority was finding a place to stay. At the town entrance, we spotted what looked like a motor lodge with independent houses. We immediately sent Dragon Brother and Little 4 to investigate, with me trailing behind. The rooms were better than we imagined - kitchen, living room, master bedroom, guest room, children's room, all complete. The price was good too - 380 AUD per night. The first day's standard rooms had cost 320 each, so this was much more economical per person. Everyone was very satisfied. With 8 people staying together, the men would sleep in the children's room, haha! (Bunk beds, perfect for four people)

↓Spacious dining room and kitchen

↓Children's room, sorry guys, haha

After solving the accommodation issue, we immediately prepared to tackle our hunger. One group stayed to organize things at home, while another group went into town for supplies. The entire town was deserted - if it weren't for the beautiful sunset before us, this quietness would have been a bit creepy. We dove into what looked like a supermarket, only to discover it was a liquor store. The selection was dazzling - even I, who never drinks, felt tempted to try something. We decided to do our alcohol shopping first.

↓Alcohol from front to back

↓My favorite Baileys! This is the only thing I can drink a bit of. Seeing how cute it looked, I immediately grabbed a bottle

↓The cute store owner, seeing me taking photos with my phone, voluntarily posed for a picture

↓After much searching, we finally found the town's largest supermarket. Bought milk, eggs, ham, bread, fruits and vegetables, then headed home! The chef started preparing dinner for everyone

↓The facilities were really complete, even including a grill, but unfortunately we forgot to buy oil! How silly! We could only have dry-fried sausages

↓Somehow we managed to put together a table full of dishes. Playing music from our phones, eating self-cooked meals - so cozy~

After eating and drinking our fill, we continued drinking and chatting outside while stargazing... A fulfilling day, a tiring day, a happy day...    End of Episode Two! To be continued.....

Day Three: After a quiet, dreamless night, we were woken by bird calls. Looking at the time - it was already broad daylight, but only 6:30 local time. We truly were "sleeping on Beijing time, waking on Sydney time" (we went to bed at 11 PM Beijing time, with a 3-hour time difference). While still drowsy, we were drawn outside by voices: "Quick, get up~ get up~ there are parrots!!" Without time to change out of pajamas, I grabbed my camera and stumbled outside... Such cute parrots~

My backup snacks, meant to be car snacks for today, were all used by these bird people to feed the birds! After feeding the birds, we started on the real tasks - cleaning the kitchen and packing luggage. Before leaving, we took several photos as souvenirs. We were really satisfied with this place. Oh, forgot to mention, the lodge was called "Big 4" - we saw more of them later during our journey, seems to be a chain. Highly recommended!

A young couple camping outside our door last night

Bidding farewell to Narooma town, we headed straight for Eden. I knew Little 4 was going there for the local specialties! (It's the oyster capital.) We added our first tank of gas of the trip on the way. At the gas station, we realized we didn't know what grade of gas to use, but this didn't stump us. While the women were wandering around, the men had already successfully filled up the tanks. The specific process: details unknown!

Trendy dog~ I want to dress up my Duoduo like this too!

This is where we had lunch

As beautiful as a fairy tale world

The main attraction: Eden town's specialty - oysters! Truly worthy of being the oyster capital. Though small in size, the oysters were plump, rich, and sweet. Dragon Brother managed to eat three dozen here!

After eating and drinking our fill, we set off! Destination - Melbourne. Passing through Lakes Entrance, we encountered a "bay" (not sure if it was a lake or the sea). We stopped for a walk and were amazed to discover black swans in the water! They swam leisurely towards us from the opposite direction. Afraid of startling them, we tiptoed closer to the water's edge. Unexpectedly, they stretched their necks and came straight for us, completely different from their elegant, noble, romantic image in fairy tales. We hurriedly took out our precious bread to appease them, hoping to get a photo opportunity. I finally understood - in Australia, the animals are clearly more dominant than humans!

Where two lakes meet the sea

Melbourne lies at the end of that sunset

Due to navigation issues, we kept driving around the outskirts until after 10 PM before finding our hotel. Exhausted from the journey, we just showered and went to bed

The hotel rooms were quite nice, and the location was excellent - shops and cafes lined the street below, making everything convenient (Punthill Apartment Hotel - Flinders Lane)

End of Day Three, to be continued....    Day Four: Finally had a chance to sleep in, but unfortunately my built-in biological clock faithfully performed its duty at 6 AM Beijing time. Dance Girl and the others had been drooling over the cafe breakfast downstairs, and by the time I finished washing up and went down, they were already at the table. What was placed in front of me..... My goodness! Enough for two people, but the taste was really good - soft pancakes soaked in honey, sweetness seeping into your heart....... This must be a waffle? (Writing this now ~ I'm so hungry~)

Today's Melbourne day tour itinerary is as follows:    1. Taste local breakfast    2. Shopping at Victoria Queen Market    3. Visit St Paul's and St Patrick's Cathedrals    4. Survey Melbourne's cityscape    5. Find a sumptuous dinner (must be seafood-focused)    6. Walk along the Yarra River to view night scenery    After filling our stomachs, we headed straight to Victoria Queen Market. This market reportedly opened in 1878 and has maintained its traditional style through 130 years of history. Perhaps because our expectations were too high, we were quite disappointed when we got there. For someone familiar with Yiwu's small commodities market, this was too simple - like an old-fashioned street market. I even forgot to take photos. Little 4 said tourist souvenirs would be cheaper here, so let's look around. Indeed, there were many items with local characteristics, like UGG boots, wool blankets, small trinkets, etc., but you need some discerning ability. In the end, we barely bought anything - I only bought myself a kangaroo plush toy as a memento, which ended up being my only Australian souvenir, sob~ We encountered this car in the market, looks familiar - isn't this the Dharma Initiative's work vehicle from the TV series "LOST"?!

Time flew by, and suddenly it was 3 PM. Our group prepared to walk to the Yarra River, taking in local customs along the way. Melbourne's city center is quite small, mainly composed of 3 vertical streets + 3 horizontal streets, one river, one center, one cathedral - you can see it all in one day.

Ah~ I always have an inexplicable fascination with vehicles. How handsome~ seems to be a Suzuki, most motorcycles in Australia are Suzuki

Xinjiang cuisine! Seeing Chinese characters made me emotional~ though Melbourne does have many Chinese people

Street performers, all very talented

We heard melodious, pleasant drum sounds in the distance. When we got closer, we were stunned...!

Who did this? Too funny!

Melbourne's unique historic trams

Public bicycles - they look much more sturdy than Hangzhou's public bikes

The magnificent cathedral, worth visiting

More passersby, A, B, C....

Look at this backpack - time to reduce the burden, right?

Mid-section of Chinatown. Thankfully Australia has "7-Eleven" where you can buy instant noodles that suit Chinese tastes. They even have "Uni-President" - if only they had "Kangshifu" too.

While we were wandering around, Wolf and Old Sea had already found our dining spot - "Food is Fresh" in Chinatown, a seafood hotpot place. Now that dinner was settled, the women could shop in peace. Due to local lifestyle habits, stores close at 6 PM, though Chinese-run duty-free shops stay open a bit later until 8 PM, so we had to hurry with our shopping. The duty-free shops mostly sell similar items - "UGG", "Jurlique", health products, wool products, etc. After observing and comparing several stores, we had doubts about the "UGG" boots and didn't buy any. Later we saw the same items in Sydney's Chinese duty-free shops were even more expensive, but we ultimately decided they were likely imitations and didn't buy. As for "Jurlique", the airport duty-free was slightly cheaper, so if time permits, it's more convenient and economical to buy at the airport, with more souvenir choices too.    The dinner quality was indeed good. We ordered specialty Australian fresh abalone, snow crab, Australian fatty beef, etc. Learning from our first Chinese dinner experience in Sydney, I decided to ignore the prices and just enjoy the food. The seafood was truly delicious, the beef was amazing, and though we collectively winced at the bill again, given the deliciousness, we let it go....... ~~~Australian fresh abalone

Snow crab, fresh and sweet

Australian beef is a must-have. If you can't handle steak, hotpot style works just fine - the taste was excellent

Iron plate Australian beef - the restaurant brought us the wrong dish but gave it to us at half price. A lucky mistake, it was so delicious that Little 4 managed to stuff down three more pieces even though she was already full to her throat. I don't know how she did it??

After dinner - takeaway! (What a group of people with eyes bigger than their stomachs!) We took an evening stroll along the Yarra River, trying to settle our stomachs that were filled to the brim... For tomorrow's Great Ocean Road journey, we returned to our rooms early to rest. Nothing more to tell about this night!    End of Episode Four! To be continued......    Day Five: Old Sea was truly wise - yesterday he led everyone to haul back a bag of rice from a Chinese supermarket, promising to provide Chinese breakfast every day. Dance Girl got everyone up early, saying she had porridge ready and waiting (forgot to mention, this trip mostly had four people sharing a room, as many Australian hotels have two-bedroom setups). When we got to their room, everyone was already sitting in a circle. Last night's takeaway plus preserved vegetables with plain rice porridge - so perfect, except this breakfast was a bit too hearty: steamed grouper?! Iron plate fatty beef?! And that fish head thing?!

After eating our fill, we began the final highlight - the Great Ocean Road journey. The Great Ocean Road was built in 1919, starting from Geelong and ending at Portland, spanning just 260 kilometers. Given the many scenic spots along the Great Ocean Road, Little 4 specially arranged three days for exploring this route, while typical tour groups only do a one-day round trip. (After the trip ended, we unanimously agreed that even three days weren't enough for the Great Ocean Road - really can't imagine how tour groups manage with just a day trip.)    Here's another truck, probably carrying fresh milk? After this journey, I've become quite obsessed with trucks.

First stop on the Great Ocean Road: Torquay town. It's said to be a surfer's paradise, so of course we had to check it out. But the weather was bad, overcast, and the waves weren't big. We only saw a few scattered practitioners. Nothing much to see, so we quickly took some photos and moved on

While wandering around, we discovered this family on the grass. They were so harmonious, I followed them around taking photos for quite a while

Angelsea town, the most eye-catching thing in town is the lighthouse built in 1891, one of Australia's earliest lighthouses. Since it's not "the earliest", there's no entrance fee. The lighthouse is pure white with a red cap, reportedly the most beautiful lighthouse along the Great Ocean Road. While parking, we accidentally discovered a cliff-side path leading to the lighthouse - absolutely the perfect spot for enjoying the scenery!

This place has a special feature - lots of fruit flies. At first, we thought they were regular flies and found it disgusting, but later learned they were fruit flies. They particularly like people's backs - everyone's upper back was covered with fruit flies. You shake them off your clothes and within 2 seconds they're back on your back. Couldn't stand it! There's a path down to the beach here, but no need to waste energy - there are places to park and play by the seaside right after leaving town.    To save time, we headed straight to the next small town, LORNE, another quiet little town. At the town entrance intersection, pizza shop

Again seeing wildlife strolling the streets - such scenes are too common in Australia

You can see families pulling caravans everywhere in Australia. So envious - Australians seem to always be thinking about how to play rather than how to work

Strolling through the small town (actually frantically looking for food)

Wow, a vintage car

The important task of ordering was given to Dragon Brother - he looks quite dazzled

It's not that it tastes bad, it's just that we're not used to it! The most painful thing in Australia is the food. The staple food is French fries thicker than your thumb, sigh! Chinese food is only available in cities, and it's quite expensive. In small towns, we just had to make do

Relaxed locals, too leisurely, too enviable....

Next, it was time to look for cute koalas! We found the spot mentioned in the guide and asked locals, who said the koalas had migrated and told us to drive 10 minutes further. Beach along the way. Look~ Seaweed! And giant ones! Little 4 with seaweed

All kinds of ocean-view houses can be found along the Blue Ocean Road and Great Ocean Road - so NICE!

To be continued... When we reached our destination, with help from friendly locals, we climbed up a long mountain path. The slope wasn't steep, but the path was long. Tour leader Little 4, to boost everyone's morale, promised 10 Australian dollars to whoever spotted a koala first! Those of us lagging behind lazily hopped into the car that Old Sea drove up, zooming to the front of the group. Finally, in the eucalyptus forest, we discovered a couple with binoculars pointing skyward. They excitedly waved us over as soon as they saw us. Ha! We found the legendary koalas! So cute~~~! Spotted another Big 4

On the way up the mountain

Wow~~ Koalas!!!!

Dragon Brother with koala

After much effort finding two koalas, we happily headed down the mountain. Unexpectedly, not far after leaving the area, we suddenly made another discovery by the roadside. At this point, we ignored the rule against random roadside parking, pulled over, and everyone got out to gather around. (Learning from the locals, haha, apparently watching koalas is more important than traffic rules here - there's a brief moment of tolerance). It was even a mother and baby, so close we could reach out and touch them. They weren't afraid at all, very calmly looking at us. When they got bored of looking, they disdainfully turned their heads away, completely ignoring our calls no matter what we did.

We stayed at Apollo Bay for the night. The town was supposedly a big one, but it didn't look like it - just one main street. By 7 PM the streets were already quiet, but it was beautiful, with huge lawns. You can see golf course-quality lawns everywhere in rural Australia, probably because there's plenty of land and few people.

This is the town center, with its eye-pleasing lawns

The guide mentioned staying at Colonial Cottages in this town, which required driving 2km out of town. When we arrived at our destination, we were amazed - 8 American country-style villas scattered across a huge lawn. Inspecting the houses, everything was satisfactory - one living room, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a fully equipped kitchen. The living room even had a real fireplace with neatly stacked firewood beside it, looking very cozy. Luckily only two villas were left, so we immediately decided to take them. Little 4 symbolically tried to negotiate the price, and surprisingly, we got them for 200/villa - the guide had listed them at 380/villa! We really scored with this one! (This turned out to be the most value-for-money and cheapest accommodation of our trip. I shouldn't call it a hotel because everything here was basically self-service)

Reception desk, or more accurately, reception window

The lawn in front of the villa, with an excellent view

The young man at the lodge helping to set up wireless internet. Internet is very expensive in Australia - 3 dollars per hour. If we hadn't urgently needed to send an email, our laptops would probably have become decorative items this whole trip

Our hardworking tour leader Little 4, planning tomorrow's route again, completely ignoring the beautiful scenery outside

The fireplace, just looking at it makes you feel warm

In the evening, we returned to town, quickly dealt with dinner, then went to "visit" the other house, lit the fireplace for warmth, played mafia.......Day Five Complete. To be continued..........

Day Six: We had agreed the night before to have breakfast at Old Sea's "home". Early in the morning, the phone call came asking us to come over. When we got there, we learned that Old Sea had gone to the town's supermarket early in the morning to shop, buying eggs, tomatoes, and even canned fish with black bean sauce! Too delicious! Husband and wife working together to support the logistics! Scrambled eggs with tomatoes~

Scrambled eggs with tomatoes! Canned fish with black beans! Fried sausages! White rice porridge! A genuine Chinese breakfast! Dragon Brother! What are you doing? Eating from your bowl while eyeing the pot!

The only regret was that the weather forecast had been predicting rain for the next three or four days starting yesterday. Both Little 4 and I really wanted to stay another night here, but we just couldn't make it work with our schedule, so we had to reluctantly give up the idea. After breakfast and cleanup, we checked out with heavy hearts. One last look

Continuing on the Great Ocean Road, today's itinerary: Eucalyptus Rainforest - Otway Lighthouse - Otway National Forest Treetop Walk - Twelve Apostles. Even the scenery flying past from the car was breathtakingly beautiful

As we drove along, the trees on both sides became more and more numerous and dense. Could this be the eucalyptus rainforest? Up ahead we again saw foreign tourists with binoculars pointed skyward. Getting out to look - ha, more koalas! Another calm little fellow

The road was empty of cars and people, could be described as "desolate". Just as everyone was playing happily, we suddenly heard a roaring sound. Everyone tensed up, holding our breath to listen. The sound came closer and closer from the bushes, growing more and more angry, as if about to burst out! "Wild boar!" someone shouted, and we all ran for it...... Those with quick feet ran to the cars and looked back, while the beast's sounds angrily faded into the distance. Everyone climbed into the cars still shaken, and we fled...... In the car everyone was chattering about what kind of creature it could have been. Little 4 offered another theory: "Bullfrogs"...... %×&...... ×(&...... ×........ Naturally she was met with a round of disdain.

We discovered by accident that the further in we went, the more koalas there were. Eventually, almost every tree had 3-4 koalas nestled in it - so delightful~

We turned onto a small road and suddenly saw a farm - so beautiful. We stopped to rest and have some snacks

There were too many farms like this along the way, many for sale. I was very tempted to buy one and live in this paradise away from the bustling city. The next stop, Otway Lighthouse, didn't interest me much, mainly because they actually charged admission?! 14.5 AUD per person - forget it, I gave up. While others went up to look, I wandered around privately, nothing much to say.....

Continuing on, we encountered another roadside viewing platform. Forgot what it was called - there were too many such spots, and they were all quite understated, without obvious signs. Finding one and stopping was always a pleasant surprise. Unlike in China, where any slightly scenic spot has to be turned into an N-A rated tourist area, with illustrated advertising boards visible from kilometers away, to the point where you get aesthetically fatigued and feel numb when you actually reach the destination.

On the way to Otway Treetop Walk, we passed a small store at a three-way intersection. We stopped to rest, eat, and look around. The small store had quite a character, with rich variety of goods, and a very enthusiastic owner. What surprised me was finding this in this rural store, among a bunch of condiments! Pearl River Bridge Dark Soy Sauce with Mushroom Flavor - I was moved to tears........

Bidding farewell to the small store, we drove about another 20 kilometers to reach the famous Otway Fly Treetop Walk on the South Coast. This was the second place on our trip that charged admission - 19.9 AUD per person, with a simple Chinese guidebook provided. The parking lot was quite a distance from the ticket entrance

The ticket guy was very cowboy-like

Walking down the muddy trail, the dense jungle on both sides immediately made us think of Jurassic Park - a bit nerve-wracking

After walking about a kilometer, we saw a steel walkway stretching from above our heads deep into the jungle. This is the world's longest and highest steel structure walkway, letting you stroll above the extremely tall jungle canopy - it really felt like traveling back to the Jurassic period. The plants in this rainforest haven't changed much since a million years ago, making it one of Earth's oldest rainforests. Images of Jurassic Park, dinosaurs, and Lost kept flashing through my mind... Too magnificent! The giant ferns on the ground made the already petite Little 4 look even tinier.

Trembling as we climbed up to the higher viewing platform - it was so high that the entire steel structure observation deck swayed in the gentle breeze. Looking around, it was misty with light rain, spectacular! Even the walkway looked tiny

Plants whose names I can't tell - without reference points it's impossible to imagine their enormous size

The giant ferns seemed to be eyeing the humans up in the air with great interest

It's not particularly thick, but it's absolutely tall! Trees so high you can't see their tops

Rainforest plants

It was already past 4 PM when we left the forest park, and we were in a hurry to find accommodation near the Twelve Apostles. Don't remember how long we drove, just recall that the vegetation along the road had noticeably changed. Little 4 got excited: "This looks like the kind of place where kangaroos would appear!" Her description was spot-on. Looking back on our journey, we'd encountered quite a few wild animals (Wolf even ran over a nearly meter-long lizard on the road), but we hadn't seen any kangaroos yet.

Little 4 led us to a B&B (homestay). The car turned onto an almost invisible small road off the main road, winding through the brush for a while. Just as we were getting uneasy (it really didn't look like a place where people would live), the view suddenly opened up... A very large farm with a residence deep inside. Little 4 and I went to investigate. The farm owners were a kind elderly couple who showed us around the house. The house was very cozy, very English-style

The viewing terrace, with a view of the distant sea - a perfect spot for sunbathing and daydreaming

Very cozy, with a high-powered telescope in the living room. We were curious, and the grandmother told us it was for watching kangaroos. "Kangaroos?" We cheered. She pointed to the distant part of the farm, saying those were all kangaroos, but maybe it was too far - we looked for a long time but couldn't make them out, and felt too shy to use the telescope

After careful consideration, weighing the pros and cons, we felt that our rowdy group of 8 really wasn't suited to staying here. We had to painfully bid farewell to the kind grandmother, which left Little 4 complaining the whole way. This is a place perfect for couples on vacation - quiet and otherworldly. Strongly recommended for such travelers! Grandmother came downstairs to see us off.

Our original plan was to watch the sunset and dusk at the Twelve Apostles at this time, but the weather wasn't cooperating. We had to give up and not push ourselves - just find a hotel and rest early. We saw an advertisement for "Best Western" in the tourist guide, and being familiar with it from home, figured it couldn't be too bad, so we headed straight there. Indeed, it was nice, though not the same concept as hotels in China - still a "holiday house"

Each day's activities are starting to feel like a running account, and here we are again at dinner time. The town was tiny, and we found a relatively nice restaurant. We ordered their signature dish "lamb liver..." (crying, Little 4 had mistaken it for lamb chops), "seafood platter" and more..... Just couldn't get used to it, couldn't get used to it......

At least this seafood platter was decent

After dinner, we took a night walk through the small town. The sea was at the end of the road, with geography similar to the Twelve Apostles. A hint of fiery sunset still lingered on the horizon, the sky was an inky blue, and a few locals were fishing. You could only hear the sound of waves - everything felt so peaceful and leisurely......

The group slowly walked back to the lodge, agreeing along the way to leave at 5 AM tomorrow to see the sunrise at the Twelve Apostles. I ended up sorting photos and videos until 1 AM Beijing time, which was almost 4 AM local time. Ahhh....... only one hour until we needed to get up, I fell into bed.... Day Six passed by so quickly. To be continued......

Day Seven: After what felt like just a moment's sleep, there was a knock at the door. Oh my god, time to go see the sunrise. I opened the door with my disheveled appearance, and sure enough, there was Little 4 standing outside with a grin. I looked up at the sky - overcast, giving me an excuse to go back to sleep. I rejected Little 4 and threw myself back on the bed, only to hear a car starting outside. My heart twinged a bit - this child hasn't even touched a steering wheel since arriving in Australia, is it okay for her to go alone? But sleepiness quickly overcame my worry........ Let's see what Little 4 brought back in photos: (Excerpted from Little 4's guide)

About 5 kilometers east of Port Campbell is The Arch (a small but exquisite arch stone, carved by years of sea water - who knows how much longer it can last), London Bridge (one of the most famous spots, originally had two arches but now only one remains, with high, medium and low viewing platforms - the lowest one even lets you go down to the beach, recommend visiting all of them), The Grotto (a "cave-like arch" formed by sea water impact, with interesting rocks nearby, worth seeing).

↓The sun god rarely showed his little face, but when he did, the cliffs immediately put on a golden coat - very beautiful

When I managed to pry my eyes open again it was already 7 AM. Since we had to head to Sydney today, we only had half a day to visit the "Twelve Apostles", the highlight of this journey. Time was very tight~ couldn't waste any in bed. Got up with great difficulty, and soon the breakfast we had registered for yesterday arrived. Ah, Wolf always has eyes bigger than his stomach, checking off items on the menu like there was no tomorrow, terrified of going hungry. One look at the breakfast portions made me dizzy. Sure enough, two people struggled mightily but only finished one portion with a bit left over, the other portion was all packed up. ↓

Bidding farewell to "Best Western", we headed straight for the Twelve Apostles. The sky was still gloomy. We had a small incident on the way - we were speeding along a deserted road when suddenly a small animal darted out from the roadside, with a big tail.... "Kangaroo!!" everyone shouted! I hurriedly reached for my camera while Wolf swerved sharply to avoid the kangaroo. I was thrown from side to side and ended up not capturing anything. Everyone joked that now we were complete - no need to make up for missing out at Sydney Zoo. When we reached the Twelve Apostles, it was nearly a half-hour walk from the car, with the path still best described as "deserted". Reaching the seaside, it was too stunning for words. They say the best times to view the Twelve Apostles are early morning and dusk - that's when the morning and evening light create the most beautiful scenery. ↓We thought the overcast weather would affect the view, but unexpectedly, it let us see a different kind of beauty: desolate, moody.... At this point I can only blame myself for having too limited a vocabulary!

↓The unique landscape in this area is all created by sea wave erosion. Looking at the three photos below, you can see the waves have eroded deep into the inland - it's truly amazing

↓Can't help but marvel at nature's masterful craftsmanship

↓Sea Grandma has become part of the painting, I really like this artistic feeling (direct shot, no PS)

Wildflowers by the road

Continuing on to the Twelve Apostles, this area finally felt more like a tourist spot, with relatively more visitors and a tourist service center. Viewing the Twelve Apostles up close - reportedly after years of wave erosion, only 8 apostles remain now. The nearest one is among those that collapsed. I think in the not-too-distant future, this world wonder may cease to exist.

↓I'm always the slowpoke - everyone else was already sitting around calmly waiting for me. Perfect chance for a group photo

↓Australian specialty: fat field mice. They're not afraid of people either, waddling along with their heads down as they run. Our whole group bent over following them around to watch - such fun~

Time passed too quickly - it was already 11 AM, we needed to hit the road! At the parking lot we saw a "Thunder Bird" helicopter not far away. Taking a helicopter ride to view the Twelve Apostles was actually in our plans, but the gloomy weather sank this luxurious plan. Let's count it as a reason to come back next time. Next destination - Sydney. Because the distance was so far, about the same as driving from Xi'an back to Hangzhou, we had to take turns driving. I finally got my hands on the steering wheel. I guess I'm just meant to drive - once I got on the road, my previous fears completely vanished, smooth sailing~ ↓Oh oh~ this is.... yep, that's a submarine!

Halfway through, disagreements arose. One group insisted on pushing through to Sydney overnight, while another group suggested stopping wherever we ended up around 10 PM to rest. With opinions divided, we found an empty spot to stop - the leaders discussed while the rest of us stretched our legs. The roadside scenery was lovely..... Finally reached an agreement: we'd try to find accommodation by 10 PM, then head to Sydney early next morning. If we couldn't find lodging, we'd drive straight to Sydney. Back on the road~

Sure enough, we didn't disappoint ourselves, once again breaking the myth that "you can't find lodging in Australia after 7 PM". At 10 PM, we arrived right on time at a large town - YASS. We found a pleasant surprise right at the town entrance - a very distinctive motor lodge.

After settling in, the idle folks went to the garden to drink, chat and stargaze~ I was tired.... sleepy.... off to bed......... End of Episode Seven!

Day Eight: Aha~, today is the last day of our journey, should cherish it well. Opening the room door early in the morning, the weather was especially nice, with a brilliantly blue sky and white clouds like cotton candy from fairy tales - put me in a great mood~ Grabbed my camera and went out, only to find I wasn't the earliest riser. Most surprising was Dragon Brother, who usually loved sleeping in, was already washing the car. According to Little 4, he got up at 5 AM just to wash the car, haha~    The lodge's self-service car wash area - in Australia, everything is self-service. If this was in China, how many people would be out of work?

Walking around everywhere, thinking about leaving tomorrow, I really wanted to capture everything to take with me. Our little cabin↓

The lodge's exterior and sign↓

Cute cat, who's been strutting around proudly visiting us since we checked in last night, and this morning was still refusing to leave our doorstep↓

If the road sign hadn't said SYDNEY, it would be hard to believe this was the main road to such a big city. We passed huge fields of lavender along the way - so beautiful, but unfortunately there was nowhere to stop. What a pity↓

Love the gas stations, you can buy anything you need

We rushed to Sydney with one important mission: to complete our unfinished task! King crab! Back to the fish market for another feast! Ahh ahh ahh~ the dreamed-of king crab~ tender, sweet

I grabbed the biggest leg! For memories! And then.... evil grin...... quickly devoured it!

After two raids and checking all the stalls, we concluded that the freshest seafood was in the separate building by the parking lot. Recommendations: oysters, plump red prawns, king crab (prawns and crabs are cooked, ready to eat). Other cooked food is in the main market - there's one place that uses a number system that's always busy, recommend their prawn skewers, braised fresh abalone etc. The lobster really isn't worth it, no matter how it's cooked. One last photo for memories! Goodbye~ fish market~

After filling our stomachs, we checked into our hotel. This one was quite nice too, pre-booked by Little 4. You could see the entire Sydney cityscape from the room. The afternoon's schedule was quite full - since both the Holiday Market and Queen Victoria Building close at 4 PM and 6 PM respectively, we dropped our bags and headed out. There was a genuine UGG store downstairs at the hotel. Took a look - still so expensive. Sitting at the corner waiting for Little 4, casually capturing street scenes

Along the way, we looked at a cathedral (forgot its name), didn't stop

Arriving at The Rocks Holiday Market, Sydney's most famous market at the end of George Street with over 100 stalls mostly selling crafts. We went hoping to find some souvenirs to bring back. At the market entrance we saw this - what a cool car~

Ha~ Such an adorable baby, very cooperatively posing for my photo

The three-way intersection at the market entrance, with a view of Sydney Harbour Bridge

Hurriedly finishing the market tour by nearly 5 PM, although the Queen Victoria Building was also on George Street, we still took a taxi to save time. Just like in Hangzhou, the starting fare was $11 (I don't want to think about the exchange rate! I don't want to think about the exchange rate!) George Street is a very bustling main street, and the entrance to the Queen Victoria Building was particularly crowded. The building was clearly very old at first glance. Once inside, I immediately fell in love with it - rather than calling it shopping, it was more like visiting a museum - so exquisite. The building houses nearly 200 shops selling various goods. The delicate window displays, the exquisite architecture, the exquisite merchandise, especially the nautical clock in the building's atrium that shows a famous beach every hour - absolutely beautiful. Also experienced the old elevator, which was quite interesting. The small square in front of the Queen Victoria Building

Rest area inside the mall

The chocolate shop in the basement, seeing this decoration reminded me Christmas was coming - so dreamy

Oh~ cotton candy chocolate, childhood dreams

Strongly recommend a "nut shop" in the basement, run by an elderly couple. Their freshly roasted macadamias, cashews, and mixed nuts are incredibly delicious, though a bit pricey. Top recommendation is the "caramel macadamia" - first bought a small pack (5 AUD, just a few pieces) to try, after one bite immediately went for a medium pack (30 AUD) to bring back as gifts. (Ended up keeping them for myself when I got back.) Some spot in the building, every corner is so beautiful! So exquisite! Right here! In my excitement, I accidentally dropped my camera hard on the ground, heartbreaking~ Fortunately, the floor tiles, camera, and lens were all sturdy and unharmed....... scary......

Beautiful carpet

The exquisite nautical clock

Exquisite window displays, this should be the "Four Treasures of the Study"? Didn't look carefully, we were in such a rush I was almost taking photos blindly

Christmas atmosphere

Looking up at the nautical clock, truly beautiful

A corner of the mall

Next we wandered somewhat aimlessly. Little 4 had tried a drink in Melbourne that she couldn't forget, and checked every drink shop we passed. Finally found the last bottle in a roadside store. First taste - hmm~~ quenches thirst~ refreshes the mind~ haha, taking a photo for memories! Strongly recommended for those who like sour drinks!

Another chocolate window display

Sydney street "tricycles" - very stylish

By evening, everyone had scattered for free activities. Me, Wolf, Dance Girl, and Little Strong were both hungry and tired. Seeing a Korean restaurant by the road felt like meeting old friends - we dove right in. Wolf, who often deals with Koreans, exchanged some "shimida" with the Korean waitress and somehow managed to order several dishes: stone pot bibimbap, soybean paste soup, seafood fried rice, sushi, etc. Never had soybean paste soup taste so good before, ordered another bowl after finishing the first, and kept asking for more kimchi again and again...... Paying the bill and summing up - this was the cheapest and most satisfying meal of all! Patting our round bellies, we walked back to the hotel, browsing tourist supply shops run by Chinese people along the way. Same conclusion - UGG boots weren't reliable.    Just as the journey was about to end, another surprise appeared ahead - a certain cathedral was gorgeously dressed up in Christmas lights. Too beautiful for words, we could only stop and keep taking photos. The lights changed like a dream, even passersby were mesmerized.......

The next morning waking up at dawn, around 5 AM, Sydney's streets were empty of people, like a frozen world. Looking out at the distant Sydney Opera House - where we started, we would also end here today........ Goodbye~ Sydney~, goodbye~ Australia~! Beautiful, warm, simple, peaceful - these are my impressions of this land. A perfect ten days, a happy ten days. Perhaps someday, I'll come back again....... I definitely will!

The End