Oz Experience

The next morning found us refreshed from the night in our luxurious room. Kim and Ann less so, having had to spend a night in the room with the young guys who all stank. First, they stank from their rock-climbing exertions, but Ann and Kim had no problem telling them this, in no uncertain terms. Obviously paranoid, they then drenched themselves in rather unsubtle cologne. Klaus, the German kid, then apparently asked Kim if she would undress him. It was probably all to the good that she didn't hear him as I'm sure he prefers to have both of his bollocks still attached. Jenna, meanwhile, had spent the night in the dorm with a snorer. The fact that it was one of the young English chicks delighted Caro, I could tell, although I'm sure we were all disappointed that nothing had happened between Jenna and Melbourne Guy. 

Rosco promised us an active day once we got going, and indeed it was. 

We started out by descending from the Grampians and driving through an extinct volcano. The INTERESTING THING about the volcano was that it had been covered in indiginous trees and shrubs but these had been cleared by the Europeans. When the volcano was declared a national park the area had to be replanted and the only way they could figure out what to plant was to look at a painting done by a very talented artist at the time.

This was also the stretch where we would be going along the Great Ocean Road. So not only were there great views all the way, but several stops for us to have a bit of a look at the bizarre rock formations you get due to erosion. There (was) London Bridge - now referred to as London Arch. This is because a big bit of it fell into the water, leaving what looks like a huge table out in the middle of a bay. The local colour (provided by Rosco) was that when the collapse occurred, a couple were left stranded. 

A news helicopter went to pick them up, but they told it to stuff off. They waited instead for the proper rescue services, but the news helicopter hung about and filmed them anyway, at which point their need for discretion became apparent. It seemed that they were A NAUGHTY COUPLE up to illicit things behind their partner's backs. It's this sort of thing that brings history to life, I find. 

Rosco's commentary was definitely entertaining; and his dancing. He got down to Ann's Madonna cd while driving along and had us all grooving along with him when Ann's Frank Sinatra cd was played. 

"And that one goes out to all the luuuurvers..." Rosco breathed as "Strangers In the Night" finished. 

(Rosco later told us that he loves doing things like that. He once spent a whole trip playing romantic music to a bus full of couples. "They was only one guy and one girl who weren't together. He was 65 and she was 19, so I didn't hold out much hope. Still, you never know.")