After a good day of driving and finding our way out of Melbourne yesterday, we have finally made it to the Great Ocean Road. Stopping off along the was at the epic breaks of Torquay and Bells Beach, the surf breaks that have put Australia on the map for professional surfing competitions- we wanted to also have the chance to paddle out. Much to our dismay, the winds were wild, and the surf completely blown out, yet big. Just a few guys out, we opted to watch them, quickly layering up with all the clothes in our bags. Our first caravan park experience was a good one, as it's off season, and we had the place to ourselves. Surprised we were that they had a fully equipped camping kitchen with microwave, stove and fridge. Apparently this is the norm here in Victoria. We camped in a little town called Airey's Inlet... the woman at the reception desk said the town was named because of the "airey" wind that always blows in the town. Guess our plan to follow summer around the world will be put on hold until we pass the area notorious for blistery winds. Glad we brought the Patagonia wool thermal long johns, as it was so cold that night, we slept in long johns, pants and fleece. How will we ever make it in Nepal or Antarctica if we can't even keep warm in the Australian summer?
We awoke in the morning by the same type of laughing birds that were at Church's Point- the Kookaburra. As you listen closely to them (at 6:00am each morning) you can hear a couple of them laugh, and then there's always one that doesn't quite get the joke, and starts it's laughing a couple seconds later, which then starts the whole group laughing and cackling again. It's hilarious, and we find ourselves waking up laughing with them.
Happy chugged up the steep hills of the Great Ocean Road, and wound us around the cliffs, pausing at the side of the road for the occasional photo opportunity. We saw a ton of kangaroos carpeting a golf course, koalas napping in trees in Kennett River, and then stopped for lunch at Skene; a picturesque beach I fondly have named creme brule beach. Walking across the hot sand, there was a thin crusty layer that broke into a thousand shards of crispy bits beneath my feet, like the topping of a freshly torched creme brule dessert, breaking way into soft fine sand that melted through my toes.
Happy dipped down into a beautiful bay, Apollo Bay, and that's where we decided to call it another day, in a caravan park overlooking the bay in Marengo, just past the town of Apollo Bay... it was an amazing evening, big golden full moon shimmering and dancing on top of the waves. Life is good.
