Ooh Wee

As I wearily made my way back into Federation Square for the final time - I could've done without the magnitude of the crowd there. Unlike the opening ceremony, it seemed nearly everyone had shown up to watch the show on the Jumbo-tron TV.

After watching the first half an hour of the show, we got restless and went for a wander. The closing ceremony was vast enough to cover also the river - the metallic fish rafts this time spewing coloured jets of water, and later fireworks. I met up with some more friends, before watching the stadium fireworks from one of Melbournes ornate bridges. Mark let us in to his work building, 8 floors up overlooking the Yarra, we had a great view of the finale firework show. Again, the explosions sounded hundreds of feet above us as the skyline went apocolyptic. It was a very impressive end to my first experience of this kind. I'd really recommend a 'Games' to anyone, and it's really whetted my appetite for London 2012.

After settling some business on my final Monday, I took advantage of the couch and FoxTel digital TV and managed to watch about 3 movies and 4 episodes of South Park that I'd recorded over the weekend. My final full day in Victoria was to consist of a lot of driving so I figured I owed it to myself to veg out for the day! However, needing some fresh air, I met up with all the guys n gals I'd met here for an early 'final drink'.

At 6.55am, a time I've not frequently known on this trip, I dug myself out of my sleeping bag and trotted off to get the hire car. I stopped by St Kilda to pick up the guys and before we knew it, we were cruising down the West Coast Highway toward Geelong. First stop, Bells Beach - the scene used in Keanu Reaves Point Break (actually the first stop was for a Subway but that's kind of irrelevant). After stopping to watch the surfers emulate their favourite wooden actor, we soon found ourselves at another film set - this time Childrens TV show "Round the Twist", the lighthouse used as the families home. 1 hour later and local Cream Teas , we were making tracks around and along the Great Ocean Road. It was a joy to drive, much of it akin to the Monaco GP circuit with lots of tight hairpins and jaw dropping scenery despite the clouds that followed us most of the day.

We stopped in Apollo Bay and took a swim in the cold water before setting off for our final leg of the Road; to see the 12 Apostles.

The 12 Apostles you may have heard of as being one of the Worlds Great Wonders. The Apostles are huge stacks of rock left where the cliffs around them have crumbled into the sea. Though they are not as hardy as they might seem, as only 8 are now left standing - 1 fell just last year. Nonetheless, they are an amazing sight to see along with all of Australias other famous rocks. Upon arrival we took some drinks down and sat as the sun set beyond the Apostles. It was a truly beautiful moment.