THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD trip

(For those of you who don't have FB, I returned yesterday from a trip to the Great Ocean Road, Friday through Monday with my good friends Vera, Wendy, Nanna and Shayna. Yes, we are all back in one piece.)

I honestly don't know where to start. I've seen so much over the past four days, sights that will reoccur in my memory for the rest of my life. I met people who I got to know much closer, people who have moved from acquaintances to friends. Road trips bond people in a way seeing them from day to day cannot. You get crammed together in tents, see their face light up when they come face to face with a wild kangaroo, hear them give real answers to questions posed lightly, sing with them at the top of your lungs to a song you've never heard before but all simultaneously love because it's unfamiliar until that moment when you've all managed to make out the chorus.

So, here it goes. My vain attempt at relaying what exactly we got into this weekend. (Also, I'm taking all of this from my journal because I'm lazy, so I apologize for the lack of formality.)

Day 1 (Friday)

Woke up at 7 AM and made it down to Flinder St. Station. Reached the wrong platform and had to run to make our train. Got there just in time to see Nanna and Wendy running for the doors, too. Loaded down with backpacks and sleeping bags, we all made it on just before the door closed. We got off, loaded down with luggage and made our way to catch a bus to Wicked Campers on Geelong Rd. After catching the bus, we kind of winged it from there. We managed to get off at the right stop and ended up at Wicked Campers. It was such a hippie place. They didn't even open until 9 so we were there 30 minutes early. Nanna ended up paying with her card and we paid her back with cash. And like that, we were off. Nanna has never actually driven on the left side of the road, so it was a little scary for the first few minutes. But she did just fine besides finding the lights and forgetting to release the handbrake.


Surf Beach in Torquay

And so we were off, winding down the Great Ocean Road. We passed scenery beyond words of describing and made our way to the first big tourist town, Torquay. It's a huge surfing town. It was so quaint, but with rad buildings shaped like surf boards and chill hippies who live for the ocean. We actually pulled straight through Torquay and went out to Surf Beach. It was beautiful and the first time we stopped to get out and see the ocean. I think that in itself made it even more special. We ate peanut butter/nutella sandwiches (the first of many) and were super hyped. The first thing I did was hop out onto some stumps in the ocean. We then walked up the cove and watched some Aussie surfers. They were all bobbing in a group, waiting for the "big one." I couldn't believe they were in the water. It was so cold! Especially with the wind blowing. But I guess their swimsuits were insulation enough.

I noticed the tress were different, too. Like overgrown Bonsai trees, all leaning with green cloud tops. They grew toward the ocean, almost like they yearned for it. We drove on and noticed somewhere between Anglesea and Lorne that we needed gas. Having not driven the car before, we had no idea how long we would last with the gas light on, so we didn't know whether to double back or not. We kept driving and found a little country store to the left with old style gas pumps. Ah, relief! But not really because they were out of everything but Diesel. After getting out to ask a nice Aussie lady where the nearest station was, I realized we’d passed it in Anglesea (17 km back). So we turned around instead of risking it. At the gas station, I picked up some water for cooking. Aussie pumps have to be paid for in the store, not that I really expected anything else. Still, the lack of credit card use here is disconcerting and sometime quite a pain. It was pretty funny, all five of us standing quizzically in front of the gas pump, looking at it like it was a poisonous animal. I saw an Aussie construction guy laughing at us. He almost walked over to ask us if we needed help but Nanna has already started pushing buttons so he went back to his truck.

Otway rain forest

We then went to Apollo Bay. Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain so we didn't get to go out on the Bay, but parked out in front of it and caught coffee in a cafe. It was SO warm! We then ran over to a store and picked up some snags, goon and a lighter for camping later that night. I almost bought a hat, but resisted. Doubling back down the road, we hit Skenes Creek Rd and made our way up into the Otways.

OMG. They were REAL rain forests and we were winding our way through them. It was beautiful. What made it better was that we came across an Aussie country station. Haha. An odd song with a chorus that repeats, "DIRT! You dig it?" made us laugh so hard. Something happened to the station where it went to static, so the guy goes on with his Aussie accent to apologize for the technical difficulties and says he's going to put in another track. A minutes later we hear the exact same song start again. It was awesome. I hung out the side of the window fawning over flora. It was drizzling lightly in the rain forest and the visual effect was dazzling. I kept leaning out and tilting my lens skyward to try to find the treetops. Some were too tall to see. We were going to do a lot of outdoorsy stuff like the Otway Fly Treetop walk and the falls, but it ended up raining really hard and we were once again in need of gas. We somehow managed to find a pump in Laver’s Hill (an uninspiring town we would soon get sick of.) It was pouring and Wendy got out to pump the gas. The Aussie lady was so nice that she brought out an umbrella for Wendy to stand under and after looking at us, all crammed into our mini camper and half drowned, I think she felt sorry for us. So she ended up giving us two free meat pies (well, actually, one was veggie.) But they were both delicious and WARM! We decided to go to Melba Gully to see the glow worms since it was getting dark anyway.



Night hiking in Melba Gully with a  waterfal behind us.

When we got there and piled out of the car it was already dark. So we grabbed our raincoats and flashlights and took off down the trail. We were really lucky that a family knew what they were doing in front of us. They found the first glow worms and we stopped, amazed to see the small twinkles under the tree roots. It was then completely dark and we night hiked, travelling on even after the family turned back. We made our way out to a waterfall in the pitch black. God, it was an experience. Hearing the rushing water, feeling the mist on your face, gazing out at the little green stars tracing the roots of rain forest trees. It was magical. I swear, if fairies had come out, I wouldn't have been surprised. We even ran into some huge tree stumps, big enough to fit almost ten people in. It was amazing, tromping through God's glory, being blown away by just how big He was, leaning on Him to keep us safe, to guide my feet down the right path. It was surreal.

Wendy's delicious homemade pasta.

The 5 women tent

After seeing the worms and their glowing prowess, we decided to head down to Johanna's beach to camp for the night. When we got there, it was so dark, but mostly windy. There were open green fields with bushes scattered here and there. We saw a few other camper vans parked behind shrubs, so we took the hint and pulled into a far field and parked behind a line of tall bushes. We took down our tent for the first time and were completely surprised when it just popped out, all ready to use. All we had to do was roll out the sleeping bags. The Wicked Campers lady told us it was a two person tent, but we managed to fit 5. After the pasta that is. We whipped out the gas cooker and waited forever for water to boil, trying to keep the wind off by all crowding around it. But it was well worth it, in fact, the pasta was so good we finished two pots full. Who said girls can't eat? We then changed to PJ's and all piled into the tent on top of the car. It was tight, but warm. We all passed around goon and Tim Tams and talked late into the night. I'm telling you, if you want to get close to your friends, just go camping.

Day 2 (Saturday)
Woke up crammed into the far side of the tent with no sleeping bag. Crawled over everyone and down the ladder to put on jeans in the car. It was freeing. The morning was crisp and I realized we were in a huge green field with mountains rolling in the background and cows grazing to our left. Even though the wind had berated our tent all night to the point that I was waiting for someone to rip open the seams and stab us all to death, it actually ended up being a safe night. We had a real experience trying to get the tent back together, but because my dad taught me well, I was sure to pay attention when I unfolded it to remember how it was supposed to go back together again. Basically, I mastered the pulley system and in no time, I was behind the wheel on the left side of the car for the first time. It was a lot to get used to— the majority of the car being to your left reaching for your seatbelt on the right, having the turn signals on the right instead of left windshield wipers on the left— but after you got over those things it was quite simple. Just stay on your side of the road. We turned out of the field and found we were right on Johanna's Beach.

Johanna's Beach after a storm.

My god, it was beautiful. We ran out onto the beach and watched the stormy waves crash in over coral. Some of the waves were three times my height. Nanna I decided to get a jumping picture off a huge bank of coral. Of course, the picture didn’t actually work, but it was a cool experience anyway As we walked back up to the car, I noticed my hands were stinging I looked down and realized parts of my hands were bleeding from how sharp the coral was. I hadn't even noticed. Anyway my first REAL battle wounds. I was excited. After another round of sandwiches while staring out at the beach, we took off and I drove on the road for the first time. We decided to drive back up to Laver’s Hill to try to get to the Otway Treetop since it had been closed when we tried the day before (missed it by 30 minutes.) As I was driving along, bobbing my head to music, taking in the breath taking fields of grazing cows/sheep with wattle tree cast as a backdrop, I rounded a bend in the mountain and had to slam on the breaks. I quickly put on my hazards and pulled to the side of the road. I noticed a car had been lagging behind us for the past 5 minutes. He pulled over, too.


Only a temporary set back.


Nanna and Wendy got out to check out how permanent the tree laying across the road in front of us was. It was big enough that the five of us couldn't move it and I got out to judge how the Aussie family was going to take it. The man caught my eye, who was scratching his head, and called out, "Alright, I'm go’n to grab the chainsaw!" And just like that the truck pulled a U turn and was gone. I turned back to our group. "All right....er...I think he said he's going to grab a chain saw." It's just not the normal reaction you would expect, ya know? Most people would turn around and go a different way, but here was this guy driving back to however far away he lived to get his chainsaw. Haha. About 15 minutes later, we all worked to help the guy clear these large logs from the road. We got them moved and drinking out of my little orange juice box, headed toward the Otway treetop walk.


Hiking in the Otway rainforests.


We were all for doing it, until we saw the prices. It was 25 dollars per person for a 45 minute walk. Some of the people in our group didn't want to pay that much, and even I can concede that the prices were steep. So we went hiking at Triplet Falls instead, which is surrounded by the same vast rain forests that the treetop walk puts on display.



Triplet Falls.

 It was so amazing tromping through the rain forest, seeing ferns taller than you are and trees that seemingly reach to the heavens. Mist hangs in the air and your feet sink in with each step. I felt like I was in a Jurassic park movie. I kept wondering what all the trees had seen. Can you imagine looking down on all of the animals and people, every year gaining a broader perspective as your height increases? How wise they must be. Then we made it to the falls as and they were awe inspiring, surrounded by lush green plants. There was one point where I looked to my left and saw something flash by. Thinking it was a trick of the eye, I focused harder and realized there was a small brown bird staring back at me. He was so well camouflaged with the forest floor! It was amazing.


London Bridge, Great Ocean Road.

12 Apostles, Great Ocean Road.

After Triplet Falls, we decided it was a good time to get out of the rain forests and back to the beaches, since it was a Great Ocean Road trip after all. Our first stop? 12 Apostles. It actually took a lot less time than expected and of course, it was mind blowing. I guess the thing about seeing landscapes that have been splattered all across post cards and the Internet, is that when you see them in real life, a real peculiar feeling settles. It slowly begins to dawn on you that no matter how many pictures you take, no matter how many words you try to describe with, no one will know what it feels like to stand there and see something so miraculous until they do it themselves. Until they stand in the midst of something so grand that they can't help but recognize how small they truly are in the overall scheme of things. In life.

It was beautiful and my camera was dying so I tried to be conservative with the battery. We then drove to Gibson's steps, London Bridge, the Arch and the Bay of Martyrs. They were all spectacular views. At London Bridge, we ran into a Japanese tour group. My God, I've never seen so many Nikon and Canon cameras. When they all started pointing their lens and smiling at us, we took off for the lower outlook, which ended up being prettier by far. As we were pulling out, we got stuck behind the buses and realized they weren't moving. The Aussie bus driver told us there was a bike race going on so I backed up and parked facing the GOR. Low and behold, we watched as a policeman on a motorcycle rode in front of a huge cluster of bikers, neon clad and gasping for air. I’d say, more power to them!


Bay of Martyrs atop the coral.

Our last stop, the Bay of Martyrs, was the most fun. We actually ran out onto the beach and the sun hit the water just right. Then I had the grand idea to climb more rocks so we all clambered atop some dead coral and took pictures. I carved my initials into the sandstone. I think we'd have all liked to stay there forever. We then drove to Port Fairy because we were all starving and in need of something other than sandwiches.

Port Fairy

Port Fairy...well, the only word I can think of to describe it is cutesy. A place where the sun seems to always shine and everyone knows everyone else’s name. Oh, and throw in a bay for everyone to fish from or walk their dogs. We chose a restaurant purely for its outlook onto the bay. It was beautiful, a mini London Bridge with water splashing onto the rocks, pines and a pier to the left and seagulls scavenging for leftovers. I got a fancy fish sandwich and like all Australian foods, it was both delicious and expensive.


A view of the Bay of Martyrs.

I'm going to make it on Master Chef...

We then stopped at Warranbool, a small town that was more dreary than Port Fairy. We basically picking up snags and duck tape (because our tent kept flapping overhead) and decided to find somewhere to make camp. Oh, we first headed to a place where we thought we could see whales because they're in season. Logan's Beach. It was a nice area, somewhere where families come to simply sit and watch the ocean. Unfortunately, we didn't stay long because it was super cold and windy and the whales weren't out. We drove out to Portland and found a really nice bbq place by the beach, but it said no camping allowed. We decided to eat there and find somewhere to camp later. Wendy really wanted to make a fire on the beach but it was simply too windy and we didn’t have firewood, so we stuck with the bbq. We cooked up some couscous and ate it with snags and crisps (chips) and then went out onto the beach at night and gazed out at the city lights twinkling over the water.We ate Tim Tams and talked over everything we'd done so far. Ah, I love the beach at night, I really do. It's so peaceful.

I then drove around in the dark for the next hour trying to settle on accommodation. But honestly, the only thing we could find between Portland and Port Fairy were campervan sites. We ended up stopping at one where an old guy charged us 42 dollars for one night. It was a little sketch, but we were all tired and need of somewhere legal to camp. But, at least the place had showers. I slept in the car that night with Wendy while the other three were up top. Honestly, it was warmer and I wasn't crammed against anyone, so I was happy, even if a sheep could be heard bleating in the distance.



Sunrise somewhere in Portland.

Day 3 (Sunday)

The sun woke me and I walked outside to find a sunrise. We were across from a field and the light was stunning. All of a sudden, I didn't mind paying to park. Even if it did take forever to back in.
 Nanna took over driving and we took off for Cape Bridgewater. We stopped at a cafe overlooking the bay and after talking to the cafe manager, realized we were looking right at the mountain we were getting ready to hike up. With a bag full of snacks, we started up the steep hill with beautiful rolling hills full of sheep and cows to our right and the ocean just to our left. When we finally reached the top, my camera died. I assure you, I was devastated. It was sad, but I'm almost glad because I spend the whole time actually enjoying the scenery instead of viewing it through a lens. 



Yea, we climbed that.




We went to an outlook that overlooked the water crashing into the rocks below and watched a seal colony at play. They twisted and rolled with the waves, just happy to be alive. I could’ve watched them for hours. The water was such a turquoise blue and so clear that, even from the height we were, you could see the seals diving under the water and the kelp clumps they swam around.


On top of Cape Bridgewater.

As we continued our trek, we were surprised to see wallabies just chilling in the shrubs ahead, pricking their ears at us and casually hopping away when we got too close. What was most shocking was when we looked to our right and out of nowhere, a huge Roos sat up and stared us down. I swear the things can be pretty intimidating. Especially the males, when you had no idea they were there. They just calmly sit and watch you, as if wondering what kind of strange creature you are and why you're so poorly camouflaged.



We made it soaked and happy to the petrified forest.

We trekked all the way out, around a two hour hike one way, to get to the petrified forest. There were awesome outlooks over cliff sides the whole way and I felt a little like I was in Ireland for the majority of the time. Right when we needed a group photo an Aussie woman came hiking out of nowhere and asked if we wanted her to take our photo. So random, but we took her up on it. It then began to pour and we were all soaked but it was awesome because Roos were basically within reach. We reached the petrified trees and it was humbling to see something so old. Wild how nature can preserve itself. We then humped it back, bypassing large wind mills, Cliffside ocean, little deserts with snail shells in them, hills and valleys, trees and grasslands and then finally back to the seal platform. As we were ronding the last trek of the journey, I saw an Aussie guy approaching us with a huge camera. He seemed friendly and asked how we were and if we'd seen any whales.




Now at this point, that was the one adventure we were missing out on. We'd yet to see one. So we told him so and he casually told us there was one in the cove at the moment. Low and behold, after scrambling down a Cliffside with no rails or barriers to keep us from falling off the cliff and into the ocean, we saw floating in the cove, a whale. He was obviously younger, but so beautiful I wanted to jump in and swim with him. Oh, he was so grand. I couldn't help but think he looked lonely, most likely tired after such a long journey at sea. But mostly, I think he was peaceful, content to float in the sun, taking in the view, watching like us, the frivolous seals. It was magical.


We then had coffee at the cove café and the coffee was amazing, but that was probably because we were soaked. We made the decision that we needed to be back before lunch on Monday since Nanna had class. So we hit the places we’d missed on our way down, including a place called Ship Wreck beach.

My god, it was beautiful. And we caught it right at sunset. There was a point where Nanna and I took off running, seemingly chasing the sunset. We came across these giant holes surrounded by lichen. They were perfectly cylindrical, the remnants of lava bubbles having been burst. And we came across odds and ends from ships wrecks. The sun's reflection off of everything was something to behold. But the stairs back up were not. I am so out of shape. I was wheezing by the time I got up them. But it was totally worth it.
We decided we wanted to make it back to Apollo Bay by the night so the drive back Monday would be that much easier. So, as we were passing through Laver’s Hill (again) I hear Wendy ask if we should get gas and Nanna respond with "Aah, it'll make it more adventurous anyway." Now, I know she was just joking at the time, but when the gas light came on only 10 minutes later and we were on a mountain road at night and still over 60 km from Apollo Bay, they were ALL freaking out. It was the first point in the trip where there was real tension. We were 5 girls in a car on empty on a stretch of road with no gas stations or any form of civilization at night with no cell phone service and too far away from both Laver’s Hill and Apollo Bay to make it on empty. As they talked over back up plans, I closed my eyes and did what I do best. I prayed. It went something like, "God. You've made wine, bread and fish last, so I know you can make gas last. I pray in Jesus name you'll help us to reach Apollo Bay safely." And that was all it took. I wasn't scared. I simply knew that there was no way God would leave us stranded. 


Steve-O complete with tent on top.

After 30 more stressful minutes, we rolled into a shell with the arrow way below empty and I praised God. I was so happy. A real life miracle on our little road trip. We then filled up and ate dinner out to celebrate. Then I took the wheel and swerved around right angle mountain curves until we ended up safe outside of Lorne. We picked up some more water and bread and asked a campervan park guy for directions to a camping location. We ended up on Roadknight Point beach for the night, pulling right up to the beach to set up camp. Nanna and I brushed our teeth in front of the ocean that night, spitting out into the waves. I fell asleep in the car again with locked doors and the sound of the ocean lulling me to sleep.




Day 4 (Monday)


Sunrise on Roadknight Point beach.

We woke up and packed quickly since we weren't technically sure if we were allowed to camp where we were. We made sandwiches and went down to the beach where we made sandwiches and watched the sun rise. It was beautiful. We then took off and drove back down the road toward Melbourne. We stopped at a car wash and got all of the sand out of the car and I repacked everything so that it would be easier to grab and go. Nanna and Wendy cleaned the side of the car with the window brushes. Not sure it was the best idea, but we left with our Mini Camper shiny (who by the way we ended up naming Steve-O.) I passed out on the ride back and when I opened my eyes we were back at Wicked Campers. We had to wait forever behind an Italian family who was trying to pay their bond with a card that wasn't accepted. They kept arguing with the girl and telling her how in Italy they could get this and that to which the girl's immediate response was "Yea, but we're in Australia." I almost laughed out loud. But, all was successful and we made it out alive with enough time to grab showers before taking off for class.

Overall, it was an awesome trip. If you're ever thinking about planning a Great Ocean Road trip, just let me know, and I can give you some suggestions. For now, I must catch up on this ever growing mountain of homework....

--From one happy camper.