Tuesday, January 15, 2008

First Road Trip - Great Ocean Road


We took our first road trip this past weekend. Once I got over the whole 'driving on the left', 'give-way to trams' and the fact that distances and speed limits are in kilometers, driving wasn't actually that bad. Getting into and out of Melbourne can be a challenge for even the natives. What's more surprising - if not alarming - is how many signs along the road say "stay left" or "keep left in Australia". Maybe I'm not the only one who forgets?! ;)


The drive from Melbourne to Cape Bridgewater was 9 hours. This destination is about half way to Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia and our original destination. It quickly became apparent that we could not see all the wonderfully amazing sites along Great Ocean Road and hope to make it to Adelaide in one day. A visit there will have to wait for another trip.


The trip can only be described as breathtaking. Think of the Pacific Coast Highway near Big Sur. We saw everything from the legendary surfing beaches along the Surf Coast, the natural rainforest along Cape Otway, and the famous 12 Apostles rock formations. Our destination was an untouched bay, with a sweeping white sand beach bookended by green rolling hills that end in cliffs at the waters edge. We also saw koala bears sleeping in the trees and a pack of kangaroos grazing in a river basin. On the drive back, I almost fell victim to the mindless 'roos as I nearly clobered one as it darted across the roadway in front of the car. We literally saw it all.


Check out the slide show (top left) and click on it to see all the amazing pictures.

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