Australia - October 2008

A brief visit to southern Victoria as part of a business trip took me, with old friends Chris and Paul Phillips, along the famed Great Ocean Road, which stretches for 250km from Torquay, west of Melbourne, to Allansford, east of Warrnambool.

Views near the Twelve Apostles

We viewed beautiful coastal scenery, overlooking the cold Bass Strait between Australia and Tasmania, thankfully in fine weather.
Our second day took us northwards into the temperate rainforest of the Great Otway National Park. The rainforest is comprised of huge stands of Mountain Ash, the world's tallest flowering plant, and giant ferns dominating the understorey. We walked the Otway Fly Tree Top Walk, a 600m long walkway, 25m above the forest floor, a pleasant experience for those of us who do not suffer from vertigo! 

Temperate Rainforest, Otway National Park

Otway Fly Tree Top Walk

Temperate Rainforest

Mountain Ash, Otway National Park

Vertigo, what vertigo?

Melbourne, my base for the week, continues to impress. A fine, cosmopolitan city, with great coffee shops! Check out Dizzy's Jazz Club in Richmond: a fine jazz drummer called Paul can sometimes be seen jamming there on a Friday night! 

Yarra River, Melbourne 

CBD, Melbourne

Federation Square, Melbourne

And, finally, a great trip home over north and north west China...more mountains to explore!

Tien Shan

Xiqing Shan, I think!