Koala Safari on the Great Ocean Road
Posted on 09. Nov, 2010 by Steph in Destinations, Oceania
Australia was always part of the plan. Ever since my golden days of living as an honorary Australian in London I’ve wanted to visit this untamed continent. The rest of this trip: Asia and whatever else, all sprung up around that seed of an idea.
Now, after a full week here, I can say that Australia is even bigger, wilder and better than I could have imagined. It’s full of surprises which unfold right in front of my eyes- gift of pure australianess like a wild kangaroo hopping across a golden field.
I flew into Melbourne to kick things off with a visit to my old roommate Mattie and his lovely girlfriend Jade. In addition to letting me squat in their spare room and eat all their bisuits, they generously volunteered to take me camping on the Great Ocean Road for the weekend. Melbourne was nice, but that camping trip is where I got my first true taste of Australia.
The Great Parrot Massacre
The droce to the campsite late on Friday evening, giving me only backseat glimpses of a rolling shoreline and a luxurious blanket of stars (Jade was highly amused at my excitement over seeing the stars- I’m such a city girl).
When I fuzzily climbed out of the sent into the sunny morning, the world seemed surreal. A brilliant green parrot landed gracefully at my feet and looked up at me curiously. I stared back stupidly, wondering if it had escaped from a pet store or something. Then another one looped gracefully by and I gradually began to realize they were native parrots, more natural than me. I was in the land of wild parrots. Whoa.
“You can feed them,” Mattie said, tossing me a piece of white bread. Cautiously I tore off a crumb and offered it to a flashy red fellow who had landed on top of our tent. He nonchalantly grabbed the morsel, and gazed up at me expectantly for more.
Hearing a clucking noice behind me, I turned to see the parrot troops amassing. There were more than a dozen of them, they were hungry, and I had what they wanted.
They weren’t patient either. The next few minutes were a swirling, horrifying mess of me screaming in terror as parrots took turns dive bombing towards my face in kamikaze fashion. I ran around the camp site, still clutching the offending bread in my hands. Mattie just stood there, laughing at me, until of of the parents Mattie just stood there, laughing at me, until one of the parrots got a little too greedy and started nawing on his tent line. Realizing something important was in danger now he gruffly chased the little vultures away, while I cowered by the car.
First deer, now parrots. I really need to stop feeding the animals.
Koalas Up Close
Later, back in the safety of the truck, we spent some time exploring the Great Ocean Road. As we drove through a grove of spindly eucalyptus trees Jade told me it was prime koala spotting terrirory. We squinted up into the trees to find the furry sleeping lumps:
I was thrilled of course- a real live koala! But somewhat dissapointed at how far away and dull they seemed.Curled up in a tree branch meant only seeing their fuzzy gray backs. However, just a few minutes later we happened across an incredibly rare and lucky sight: a female koala crossing the road with a baby strapped sturdily to her back.
They were maybe three feet away from us and barely fazed. Up close they barely looked real. They look like some kind of animatronic teddy bear that you just want to hug forever and ever. Except you better not dare: the koala has razor sharp claws and little tolerance for cuddling. I’d have to settle for a photo. To see a koala in the wild is something special. To see one this close? Unbeleivable.
The Road
Nothing could top our Koala encounter, but the Great Ocean Road itself comes close. It’s a winding drive, full of gorgeous views. Deep rainforests and emerald farm land alternates with views of the Southern Ocean, rolled out before rich goldshores. There’s a reason this is one of Australia’s top tourist attractions.
The highlight of the Great Ocean Road is the Twelve Apostles, a series of towering sea stacks perched precariously next to sandstone cliffs. Their sparkling beauty is made more poignant by their fleeting nature. The eroding stacks will eventually tumble back into the sea- right now there are only about seven of the original 12 left.
During my long days back in the cubicle, I used to have a picture of The Apostles as my desktop background at work. It was there for inspiration, and as a reminder of what I was working so hard for. Seeing them in real life, while feeling the ocean breeze on my back, I was overcome with both pride and gratefulness at my current position in live. Australia is iconic and it is beautiful. And I’m really here.
28 Responses to “Koala Safari on the Great Ocean Road”
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Phil
09. Nov, 2010
Koalas and Sloths, these animals look high all the time. For real though, koalas suffer from withdrawal if they go without eucalyptus. Your photos are awesome, but only two of them load fully. This may be a problem with my internet? Anyways, enjoyed the post. B well, Phil
Jill - Jack and Jill Travel The World
09. Nov, 2010
What a cool experience. It’s not fair, I never saw koalas in the wild.. .and I used to live there for 2 years
Michael Tyson
09. Nov, 2010
Oh man, do I miss the our feathered friends! We lived in a rainforest for a bit and would feed the kookaburras, rosellas (the green, blue and red ones in your photo), king parrots (the one in the other photo), cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets (my personal favourite because of the way they hop), and galahs.
I cannot believe you saw a koala and cub up close! They made a special appearance just for you me thinks
Matt Hope
09. Nov, 2010
I want a freaking Koala! So cool that you got to seem them so up close!!!!
Amanda
09. Nov, 2010
Oh my gosh, those koala are too. freaking. cute. The Great Ocean Road looks gorgeous. I’m already jealous of your Australian adventure!
Aaron
09. Nov, 2010
Those Koala’s are SO CUTE! And those hungry parrots are starting to remind me of those menacing monkeys one encounters all over Asia! I’ve got in many a fight with one over things as silly as a walking stick…
Andrew
09. Nov, 2010
Koalas were my favorite animal when I was young. Still think they are cool. Especially as their diet tends to leave them in a state of being mostly stoned.
Great pictures.
ehalvey
09. Nov, 2010
LOL, I thought of the crazy thug deer while reading about the crazy parrots.
Those koalas are so ridiculously adorable!! That’s amazing that they made an appearance for you.
aelle
09. Nov, 2010
Awesome fauna! I really look forward to going to Australia one day.
How is switching back and forth between seasons, by the way?
Andi
09. Nov, 2010
Seriously, 2 of the best things in life, koalas and the GReat Ocean Road!!! LOVE!
Matt
09. Nov, 2010
I was in Oz for four nights and didn’t see one bloody Koala – or a Kangaroo! Great photos Steph!
Sofia
10. Nov, 2010
amazing photos steph. yeah Australia is a great place and Koala’s are SOOOOO cute!
Brooke, WhyGo Australia
10. Nov, 2010
Stellar post! Love the photos; love the animals
Annie Bettis
10. Nov, 2010
Beautiful shots! Sounds like a great experience! I’m jealous you saw wild koalas AND went to the Great Ocean Road. I can’t wait to get back! Enjoy beautiful Oz!!
Dina
10. Nov, 2010
I’m hoping to go to Victoria and South Australia end of this month, and I’m hoping we will be as lucky as you spotting the wild koalas!!! Spotting wild animal is one of my favourite travel thing to do. When we drove around Queensland a few months ago, we were lucky to saw plenty of wild kangaroos, wallabies, crocodiles, tree kangaroos, even platypus! But even though we saw several koala street signs, we didn’t see any at all.
Kyle
10. Nov, 2010
Unbelievable. I just got chills looking at that last photo and thinking about how badly I want to go to Australia!
Jason
10. Nov, 2010
Are you equating wild Kangaroos to Sting? Love the pictures!
Tran
10. Nov, 2010
Really? Wild koalas?!? My you are lucky.
Rease
11. Nov, 2010
Aw koalas! They are right up there with Panda bears on the painfully cute and dangerous front. That is so great that you got to see one so close. I’m glad Australia surpassed your expectations!
Andrew Murray
12. Nov, 2010
Wow this is a fantastic post, looks like your having a brilliant time. Your photo’s are absolutely amazing.
I’d love to get up close and personal with those fluffy little Koala’s, not sure they’d enjoy the experience as much as me though
Emily
12. Nov, 2010
Oh my God, that picture of the mama koala bear with her baby on her back is priceless! How adorable. The 12 Apostles are gorgeous…can’t wait to go there.
Verity
14. Nov, 2010
Oh my goodness! You were so lucky to see that baby koala and mum. Wow! I have been living there most of my life I never saw anything like that. That’s phenomenal.
I think sometimes the animals come out more for visitors. When we took my boyf (who is Swedish) to Taronga Zoo it was like an animal bonanza. All the animals I had never seen before depite countless visits came out on parade. Then we saw a wombat crossing the road on the way to the Hunter Valley.
I’m really glad you got to see that
. And the 12 Apostles… it is such a beautiful spot.
Steph
17. Nov, 2010
Thanks Verity! It was definitely lucky.
em
03. Jan, 2011
I have to say this entry made me giggle … a lot! I would have done the same thing if cornered by the parrots, not a fan of the birds – it’s the mad flapping lol!
thankyou so much for writing this blog, it has inpsired me to start one of my own for my travels at the end of this year, although it’s not looking good right now
Em
x
Steph
07. Jan, 2011
Thanks! I hope you can get your own travels moving!