Day 7: Welcome to the Great Ocean Road

We are doing this right! This morning we met up with Chris, Hunter, Kendra, and Farnaz, and hopped into a pair of silver Saab 9-3 convertibles and took off down the Great Ocean Road. (Hunter has taken care of reservations, and has done so with style.)

The weather as we drove out of Melbourne was beautiful, lots of sunshine, and became slightly rainy along the coast. Very bravely we kept the tops of our convertibles down the whole way. If you drive fast enough, the rain does not touch you....

The Great Ocean Road is very reminiscent of the Pacific Coast Highway in California; a drop-off inches from the side of the car, leading down to a rocky beach, with breathtaking vistas around every corner. Chris and Hunter did a great job driving through the rain (and occasional rockslides, floods, and ducks), while the rest of us ooohed and aaahed (and sometimes gasped).

We checked in to an incredible 3 bedroom condo in Lorne (props to Hunter again). Lorne is a small town with a large number of cafes. We had a fantastic lunch at a cafe which served us sandwiches built for two. Those plus some great coffees (chai for Mary) gave us the strength to carry on with our journey.

First stop was at the Split Point Lighthouse, which has a great outlook onto a solitary outcrop, in addition to the lighthouse itself. Then back out onto the road and down to Apollo Bay, with stops at every scenic overlook along the way. After a couple hours of driving, we needed a break, so we had four desserts (Marz Attacks, Chocolate Mousse, Caramel Squares, and Triple Bailey’s Cream) and some more coffee in Apollo Bay.

To finish off the awesome day, we stopped by the supermarket, picked up a couple racks of lamb, potatoes, and asparagus (plus several bottles of wine) and Chris cooked us up a feast. That plus the remains of our dessert from Apollo put us over the top, and we called it a day.

Pictures

Hunter's Pictures