The Great Ocean Road

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  Adelaide to Melbourne, Australia
Wednesday, April 4, 2007

The road itself is nice, the ocean was pretty spectacular too...but it wasn't great! My experience of driving the Great Ocean Road was dampened somewhat by the weather. It was dull and extremely windy, but i'm still glad we did it. Myself and Rikke hired a car in Adelaide and 1,400km and 4 days later we found ourselves in Melbourne. And as the sole driver, I can tell you the distance in that time is exhausting! But the bonus of having our own car and not doing an organised tour, means I can now say 'I've driven the Great Ocean Road' rather than just been on it! and we saw much more of the surrounding areas.
 
Day One
 
Not long after picking up the car, we made our first stop in Adelaide Hills, where we climbed Mt. Lofty summit for panoramic views of Adelaide

12 Apostles

. After crossing the Murray River (I was disappointed by the Murray Bridge - it wasn't anything special) we drove through a quaint town called Handorf, apparently Australia's oldest German town. Next stop was Coorong National Park, where you can find impressive pink salt lakes and huge sand dunes. Our final stop for the day was Mt. Gambier, but it was already dark so we found a campsite and spent the night in the car. Yeah it saves money, but bugger me it was uncomfortable, not to mention cold. For the first time since leaving home, I was actually freezing!
 
Day Two
 
Unable to feel my feet we left the campsite and explored the town. Mt. Gambier was an area of volcanic activity many years ago, so the place is full of craters. The 2 largest are valley lake and blue lake (originally named after the vivid blueness of the water, which no-one knows why!). We ate breakfast in the most scenic place to date, The Umpherston Sinkhole. It was  basically a hole, where the floor had collapsed but it has been beautifully landscaped. Crossing the Victoria state border, we headed north into the outback and The Grampians National Park. A mountain range where we visited McKenzie Waterfalls, amongst many scenic lookouts. On the way south again, we were lucky enough to see 3 kangaroos and a pack of 12 emus on the road

13th Apostle

. Actually, this was the first time I'd seen wildlife on the road, usually I assumed the warnings were lying! A nervous ride to the coast followed, underestimating the vast distance between places and the general lack of petrol stations meant we arrived in Port Fairy with the fuel light having been on for 15 minutes!! We were able to see Griffiths Island off the coastline before dark. Another cold night proceeded in the car, but learning from experience, I wore everything I owned!
 
Day Three - The Great Ocean Road
 
It wasn't long before we hit the Great road, and the purpose of our adventure. The sights came thick and fast;
-         The Bay of Islands - a collection of rock stacks off the coast.
-         The Grotto - a rock formation with a hole through the centre, viewing out to the ocean.
-         London Bridge - looks like London Bridge at sea.
-         The arch - self explanatory.
-         Loch Ard Gorge - a passageway cut through the cliff edge

A little bit warmer

.
-         12 Apostles - main event. Not all are still standing but a line of rock stacks hugging the coast.
The road then bent inland and onto Cape Otway, where there are gorgeous beaches. Our trip next took us through a cluster of small, nice coastal towns, including Apollo Bay, Lorne, Anglesea and Torquay, before arriving in Geelong for the night, Victoria's 2nd largest city. It was a good day but to make it 'great' the weather could have been better. To make it even better, I'd have been driving a convertible!
 
Day Four
 
We actually arrived in Melbourne a day earlier than planned, so we went out to the coastal district of St. Kilda. This place was lovely and reminded me a little of Glenlg in Adelaide. During a brisk walk along the beach we bumped into my friends Hanna and Natasha, and arranged to meet them later for a drink. Back at the hostel we got talking to other people and after a few drinks we were all ready for a good night out in St. Kilda. Definitely recommend it, a very trendy place.
 
The following day we moved into the city centre and handed the car back...luckily with no dramas, as the chips in the paintwork (caused by attempted parking) went unnoticed!! ;-)

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Bay of Islands	Blue Lake	Eating healthy	Flying without wings
Loch Ard Gorge	London Bridge	McKenzie Falls	St. Kilda
The Arch	The Grampians	The Grampians 2	The Great Ocean Road
The Grotto	The Sinkhole	Yes I'm cold!

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