Sandpiper Motel Apollo Bay

... We got lost on our way back to the main road and th**efore arrived quite late at the Otway Lighthouse. We still had time to walk around a bit and climb to the top of the lighthouse, but it was not as spectacular as described in some guide-books. As th**e w**e more clouds coming our way from the sea, we drove on to Apollo Bay wh**e we checked into our motel and then had a stroll around the village before having dinn**.

... that we were stuck in barely crawling traffic for 1.5 hours... Once we passed Apollo Bay the traffic became reasonable and we hung on for dear life as we whipped around the curves of the cliffs. Eventually we made it to destination #1: Cape Otway Lighthouse. The grounds included the lighthouse (obviously) and some other old buildings that the keepers used to live in. We walked around a bit and climbed the stairs to the top of the lighthouse, but it was really windy so we didn ...

... to Gibson Steps - about 300 steps down to a secluded and private beach. The steps are bordered by wild plants with a steep view down. Stomach-churning view when you have so many steps still to go! The waves were stupendous, crashing and thrashing onto the shore, the wind pushed us about and sand flew into our faces. The walk up the stairs was not so good! While driving through the most spectacular open scenery and seascapes, every so often there would be a 'scenic spot... 500m on ...

... wasn't all the time but there were times it started creeping up. DANG DANG what is it I need to pay attention to.....what is it I need to change...oooh I had a few days .. spread out over time...a day here or there when I was so angry and frustrated I was getting these signals...remember the body signals...and I was searching ..searching for what I needed to do. Eventually I worked it out. THE FUSION PROJECT had to begin. It's my lifes work I must start it. Sod woofing for feck all ...

... at the bakery, to see if there was anywhere worth checking out close by. After a few stunned looks, the girls behind the counter suggest we go to another town if we wanted to see something. The funny thing was they said it so matter of frankly....we couldn't help but laugh. The Great Ocean Road is one of the truly great costal drives in the world. Laura's folks had done it 4-5 months prior and gave us all the info one could need (about 10 lbs of maps, brochures ...

... s edge, with panoramic views of the rolling ocean. Which brings me to the shed.. We walked in and I had an aahhhh moment. I quickly bagged the room with the view. The shed was perched on stilts on a steep hillside overlooking the Southern Ocean. The view goes around 270 degrees. All for £30 each Definitely the best yet . We are all now perched on the settee looking at the view. I don't think we will be moving far ...

On Saturday morning bright and early we boarded the Ford Falcon and headed on a trip along the Great ocean Road. First stop along the way was in Torquay the surfers capital of Victoria. Every Surfing factory outlet was here- reef, billabong, quicksilver etc. So we had to do a bit of shopping! Luckily the xmas shopping was done the week previous or all the Dolan's and Smyths would be in surf gear for Christmas. Next stop was Bells Beach where ...

... Supposedly between June and September the Ocean Road ocean fills with whales for the winter time. However it seems we turned up too early and didn't see any - normally the first ones to arrive hit the news so everybody local knows when to go down to the coast (this avoids standing around uselessly in the cold). We did learn that for each movement that a whale makes a different name is given, so when it shows its flipper, tail or belly a particular name applies.

... their new album Grand National straight after the show naturally. (thanks to Claire and Jasmine for introducing us to this band back in Adelaide!) We gratefully accepted to look after Jo and Jason's gorgeous house while they are away in New Zealand over Easter, so that we can feed their cats! Debs started painting the fence so naturally of course I went in search of the nearest sk8park to hang out with the local boys! I twisted my ankle at the park and ...

... all but 2 of the 54 onboard. The 2 that survived were washing up into Loch Ard Gorge, a truly lucky and remarkable escape given the strength of the waves and the narrowness of the gorge. All three areas were calming, maybe due to the relentless ferocity of the sea and placid resistance of the cliffs. Personally it made me think about the blip in time that our history is, leading to the thought of why worry? But then we were harassed by ...