Great Ocean Road

---

So, after being in Melbourne, we got back out onto the road to enjoy one of the ultimate road-trips you can do in Australia - The Great Ocean Road.
We completed this beast in 3 days at a nice steady pace taking many photo's along the way and carrying on with drinking some very fine wines at the completion of each day.
On the first day we got as far as Apollo Bay where we saw some amazing Stars and Constellations - even whole Galaxies in a crystal clear night scape - and all for free as we were parked up on the Beach. During the day drove through Geelong, and onto the B100 (G.O.R). Sang along to the Round the Twist theme tune as we realized we were already familiar with Split Point Lighthouse from being kids. It was in Lorne we noticed we were tandem traveling with 4 Grey nomads (A phenomenon that is found on all roads at all times in Australia - the "Bugger the inheritance" Demographic) who were touring the same stretch of road at exactly the same pace and with the same stop offs as us. Two couples both from the US (we think) and the women always followed the 2 blokes who seemed to have each minute planned out. We were most definitely going for the "drift" method of sightseeing though and were slowly adjusting to some hairy tight-bend-or-take-a-swim-driving. They have signs at regular intervals installed on this road which give notices like "Remember there is traffic behind you. Keep moving" (one for the 'stop to take a pic' peeps) and "We drive on the left in Australia" (we can guess who those signs are for).
Day 2 was intensive for us. We took in all of the main stop-offs and look-outs and even tried a dip in the Southern ocean - the southern wind fresh from Antarctica ensured we only got our ankles wet and were sand-blasted to squealing point. We later learned how the Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt actually drowned in the strong rip (though there is a funny conspiracy theory which suggests he was actually captured by a Russian Submarine out Politician Fishing during the cold war). Saw part of a very fat snake but didn't hang around to check out his whole body and met a couple of small lizards along the way. We then doubled back on ourselves to re-capture the famous 12 apostles at sunset (AKA Postcard time) with a zillion other tourists and aggressive photographers - see the pics and judge for yourselves. We hope Thom's trigger finger and my Geordie push-in skills make for some fabulous art.
Day 3 included us leaving our Peterborough free-park stop and heading on down to Port Fairy beach (see ballet pic) to complete the B100 road to cross the border into South Australia.

---

Photos

Have you Ever....Ever Felt Like This?....
That's right "Round The Twist" Fans, this is THE lighthouse, the actual lighthouse where those kids used to live and solve haunted crimes. You'd have thought it was Christmas when me and Thom discovered this and we sang the tune to the point of it becoming annoying over the following days after the event.
If you have no clue what I'm talking about google it.

Gateway
to the great ocean road. I have to admit we actually missed it when we went under this the first time so Thom had to pull a u-ey so we could capture the moment in a photo. I suppose revealing this kind of destroys the point ey?

4 way's to go
This is what I love about Australia, the danger is never to far away from you at any one time and it never EVER fails to be a new utterly hair-raising warning.

Chilly Falls
Big shout out to my wench Amy here - look how cosy I am in your fleece my dear. Thankee Thankee!!!!!
We'd just walked past the previous photo, this is the only way I can explain my odd expression here

Playing with Seaweed
It was just like one of those ribbons on a stick that the gymnasts frolick about with ='s a mini moment of glee for me

An Ocean Road
Throughout the whole time we drove on that road, it felt like finally being inside that Sega Mega Drive game. I can't remember what it was called but I was always the black lambourgini.

One of Many Shipwrecks
See if you can find the anchor and the cannon. (more than 1500 ships foundered along this coastline - only 500 have been discovered)

Sunset at the 12 Apostles
We doubled back along the road so Thom could get sunset shots of the 12 Apostles. It was fierce competition among many photographers for all the right angles and we literally had to leg it up and down the lookout "Loosing Light". A surprisingly serene set of shots though

Ballet on the Beach
I don't know what it is about being by the sea that turns me into a jumping about, splashing kid.... whatever it is Thom keeps getting pics of it and here they all are