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I was up bright and early unfortunately the same could not be said about the weather. Dull and overcast and as I got in the car it started to rain. As I drove down towards the Great Ocean Road the skies showed no indication of clearing up but I couldn't turn back and wait for a nice day, I had to continue.
I passed through Torquay on my way to Bells Beach. It was on this beach that Patrick Swayze ran into the huge waves to his death in the film Point Break. The beach looks totally different in the movie and the waves were no where near as big. There were still plenty of surfers out in the water and it is a famous coast for surfing. I continued my dull and overcast trip down through Anglesea and onto Airleys Inlet and the lighthouse. By now I was dodging the rain storms. By the time I had reached Lorne there was a break in the weather and I drove inland to see the Erskine Falls. This is such a picturesque area, surrounded by temperate rainforest. Luckily the bugs and creepy crawlies don't like the rain so they all stayed away.
All the way along the Great Ocean Road there are dozens of signs reminding tourists which side of the road to drive on. Apparently so many tourists get distracted by the views that they forget and end up running into each other. They also warn you about looking out for koala's in the trees. While it’s nice to see them you also have to look out for other drivers doing the same as usually you both end up on the wrong side of the road!!
The next section of the Great Ocean Road takes you right along the sea's edge with the rolling rainforest coming down to meet the road on the other side. The last few miles into Apollo Bay were really wet. This is where I was going to spend the night. The hostel was a small place right on the beach. At least you could see the rolling waves smashing against the rocks with a nice hot cup of tea!! There were a few other people in the hostel and we all decided that the only thing to do on a cold winter Sunday night was go down to the pub. We doubled the number of people in the pub and then we did what I used to hate people doing on a Sunday night (well any night really), we stayed around until the very end and had to be kicked out.
The following morning the weather was a little better so I carried on down the B100 (Great Ocean Road). This section heads inland through more rain forest and unfortunately there was plenty of rain. I knew that the most picturesque section was coming up and I didn't want to see it in the rain. By the time I saw the sign for the Twelve Apostils the rain had stopped although it was still a very cloudy day. This being the highlight of the Great Ocean Road it was full of coaches and cars. The viewing platforms have been built so hundreds can stand there at any one time. I think Asia must be very quiet at the moment as most of them are touring the Great Ocean Road. Bus load after bus load of them!! I got some nice photos despite the weather and carried on to all the other sights along the way - London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, The Grotto.
I then headed into Port Cambell for a coffee and to decide what to do next. The weather was clearing up so I decided to stay here for the night and try my luck in the morning. As the day went on the clouds did clear a bit and I ended up having a nice sunset which meant driving back down to all the sights again trying to get some nice sunset shots.
The hostel only had myself and an Australian guy in it. He had also come up form the same hostel as I had been in the night before.
This morning there was not a cloud in the sky. I have no idea how to days can be so different. As soon as I saw how nice the day was I got in the car and went and hired myself a helicopter (and a pilot), so I could see the coast line from the air. I got myself a half hour trip down the coast and even managed to get in the front seat but only by promising not to touch the dual controls. For my first time in a helicopter it was amazing. Despite it only being a few pieces of metal and lots of Perspex it felt quite safe. The trip was really steady until the end when he span it round and did a few drives. It was definitely worth doing and was a perfect day for it as well.
Once my high flying was over I had to make progress up the road on my way to Adelaide. It was now mid day and Adelaide is over 700km away so I decided to stop about half way in a little coastal village called Robe.
I have now left Victoria and I’m in South Australia. I was very good this time and took no fruit over the border. Being in a different state means there are slightly different rules and laws. Despite the road I was travelling down being exactly the same as what it was 100 yards back in Victoria I can now drive faster on it, lucky me, I like South Australia!!
Robe is unfortunately a very small coastal village 370km from Adelaide and 700km from Melbourne. It so far out of the way that I am the only person staying in the hostel which is a shame as the hostel is a fantastic old stone house with rooms the size of football pitches and hallways as wide as the M25. It's also only been a hostel for 6 months so everything in it is brand new. Well it will certainly do for a stop over as tomorrow I should be in Adelaide and that is bound to be busier.
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amanda
non-member comment
keep looking!
They smell of wee anyway the koalas, but they are nice to look at.x xxx