The Great Ocean Road Again

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What have I been up to recently? Well living and working in Melbourne, which is fine as Melbourne as I've said
before is a place you can really live in, for not a horrible amount of work I can afford my rent and have really got into
the cafe/bar scene around the inner city suburbs of Collingwood and Fitzroy, not really into that whole backpackery St Kilda scene but that's me being lazy with it being so far away.

I have a pretty good thing going with Computershare, being a 20 minute walk from the house I work on campaigns for them, it works well as if i get a few days where I'm not working, i can just do stuff I enjoy, the work is not difficult and you meet like minded people too so all good.

Since Tasmania I've only been away once, for the long Easter weekend, this time for a return trip up the Great Ocean Road, thought it would be rather nice to see the road without the effects of jetlag, and also Easter is one of those weekends one really does want to get away from the city so I teamed up with my housemate Claire and her friend Jon for a weekend roadtrip.

Started very well, good old Avis, they upgraded us from the requested Toyota Corolla to a massive Holden Commodore for free, so once again I get to road trip in executive luxury. It was very difficult giving up the wheel to share the driving. Saw all the places I saw before but what was cool was that we stopped off at Bells Beach just along from Geelong, and it happened to be one of the world's premier surfing championships going on so it was pretty cool to check that out, mind you Bell's Beach is a lovely spot without the huge stands and stages they erected. The first night was in Apollo Bay, staying in the Surfside Backpackers, nice character to the place, Apollo Bay is hardly heaving with places to go out but it was good to mingle with some locals.

Next day was checking out the Apostles etc but in my view the best was the Tower Hill Nature reserve, had been there before on a wet sunday morning, it was busier on a sunny saturday avo but still a great spot, did not see any Kangaroos this time, but did spot and emu, so any trippers up that way, check out Tower Hill. Our stay was in Warrambol, nice town, the Warrambol, in the Warrambol Beach Backpackers, another excellent accomodation choice on my part, such a friendly place and very clean. Warrambol on Easter weekend however is one hard place to find dinner, Mexican was not quite what I'd had in mind, again though it was fun to be out in a small town with the locals.

Finally up into the Grampians, did not stay at heaving Halls Gap this time, and this is a hot tip from me for anyone planning to stay in the Grampians, due if only because the hostels in Halls Gap were sold out, we stayed a little off the beaten track in Wartook Valley, in Assess Ears Wilderness Lodge. Fantastic little find, well done me again! Is out in land that is a satisfying mix of farmland and bush. We got our own little cabin, home cooked food etc and were directed on some excellent walks out in the Grampians.

Then the 4 hour drive back to Melbourne but just outside Ballarat we found this very odd motel by the side of the road, it's theme was pretty much that of a 'brothel' but was thankfully not a brothel, but nevermind the food was amazing, so much better than the dreary freeway service station I'd of had us stop at. Anyway a quality Easter weekend, all the better for having such a great set of wheels.

And back to Melbourne, weather still just about holding up, not the balmy 40c weekends anymore but the sun still shines. Not got that long left in Australia, trying to decide what I do to end my time here, got to go out on a bang after all, well i guess live and work in Melby for a little bit longer, and sadly that will be about the end of my travelblog, well not quite yet.

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Photos

Surf Championships
Just happened to be going on at Bells Beach as we arrived.