Youngs Around the World

Our next stop (and, as it turns out, the last stop) along the Great Ocean Road was about 150 km down the coast to Apollo Bay. We found a place to stay just a stone’s throw from the beach, fixed some lunch, and went out for a long walk. Along the Great Ocean Road lies the Great Ocean Walk a beachside trail that takes about ten full days to walk from end to end. We picked up the trail just across the road from our hostel and began walking west, stopping often to marvel at the powerful waves. There were a few families enjoying the beach but swimming in this area is strongly discouraged due to riptides and currents. We stopped for a while at Shelly Beach where the shore was comprised of porous rock; the high tide was washing over the intricate designs on the surface, flooding pores and contours into streams and pools and leaving deposits of tiny shells. We spent about an hour sifting through the colorful shells and playing “chicken” with the incoming tide. It was a beautiful day and we were both playful and energetic. The beach walk was a nice change of terrain from the forest-covered mountains.

We walked back to Apollo Bay along the shore rather than on the trail, which was slightly more challenging with stretches of beach rock to climb over while timing the tide and a knee-deep stream to cross which soaked our shoes and chilled us to the bone. It was a nice afternoon adventure with just enough excitement to satisfy the thrill-seeking Bear and tire him out enough for a relaxing evening indoors.

The next day was the most sunny and warm in the week’s forecast and we were determined to take full advantage of it. We packed some peanut butter sandwiches and apples and drove into Cape Otway National Park to do some hiking. Our reference materials listed several trails, most leading to a waterfall, with an average duration of an hour so we endeavored to walk one trail after another until our legs gave out on us. We walked to a couple of the waterfalls through lush rainforest trails with moss-covered trees, thick ferns and tiny waterfalls trickling down the mountainside into mossy rivulets. The growth overhead was sometimes so dense and healthy that it created a dim, cavernous ambience on the trail, even on a bright, sunny day.

Throughout our drives along the Great Ocean Road, I had been watching the trees intently for koalas and, on our way back to Apollo Bay, I finally spotted one in a thicket of eucalyptus trees. We quickly pulled off the road next to another parked car. The two girls standing there told us that there were koalas everywhere in the trees! We almost immediately spotted a few of the cuddly grey bears perched in the highest branches of the trees. As we spent the next hour canvassing the area, we found koalas everywhere indeed! Some were sprawled out in the treetops, snoozing the afternoon away; others climbed nimbly among the branches, inching toward new bunches of leaves while still others mimicked the curious stares of the audience below and posed for pictures as the mood struck them.

As we got back into the car and drove away, I declared that our Australia experience was now complete! We’ve seen so many amazing animals in Oz: black swans, parrots, goannas, flying foxes (a.k.a. giant furry bats), kangaroos, koalas and a porcupine…and we haven’t even been diving yet!

The Great Ocean Road has been a perfect contrast to our urban Aussie adventures. The coastal waterscapes and rainforest landscapes have been stunning and refreshing, the small towns quaint and relaxing. It is good to get away from the crowds, cigarette smoke, gridlock, noise, constant stimulation and endless distractions of cities to give yourself a little room to breathe and time to think once in a while. While it is a crucial element of maintaining balance, it is incredibly difficult to cut out a sliver of time from the rat race to accomplish it. As we continue to enjoy this rather colossal slice of time out from the race, we often think about how we want our future settled life to differ from the past. I hope to take more time away from the noise for prayer, quiet contemplation and solitude. I found this seemingly small task difficult to manage with a dog, a job, a husband, a social calendar, and a portfolio of memberships and philanthropic activities (it makes me dizzy and a little stressed just recalling it all!) I can only imagine the additional difficulty when you add children to the equation but I am convinced that it is a question of priorities.

A long trip, or simply a significant “time out” really helps to put things into perspective; it gives you time and space to think about what is really important to you, what inspires you and what makes you happy. My perception was constantly skewed while I was tangled in my whirl of activities and commitments and I never quite felt like I could catch my breath. Two poems (and books of the same titles) that I absolutely love – “When I Am An Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple” and “If I Had My Life To Live Over, I Would Pick More Daisies” – are written by mature women who have looked back on their lives and reflected on what was really important. Aaron and I are both so thankful for this opportunity to step out of the mold of insatiable suburban workaholic consumers and get reflective and philosophical before time slips away from us as it inevitably does. Seeing the world is an added bonus.

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