Great Ocean Road

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Yesterday we left cloudy Melbourne early in the morning and took a day trip along the Great Ocean Road looking for the great views we saw on the postcards and a little sunshine. Blayne's cousin Navin drove the car and Blayne's aunt Pettie and uncle Charles packed a trunk of snacks--we provided cookies--and we headed out of town. While I was carsick for part of the trip--the road is incredibly narrow and filled with sharp turns--the views made up for any motion sickness.

We stopped at famous surfing beach, Bells Beach, to watch the surfers--there were a number of surfers enjoying the waves even though the day was a bit windy and chilly in the morning. One surfer brought an old dog which ignored the Ritz crackers I tried to feed him and watched the surfing instead.

Driving along the Great Ocean Road with the ocean and endless sandy beaches on one side and sheer, rocky cliffs and green hills opposite was breath-taking. There are incredible homes that are supported on columns that lean out over the cliffs to maximize ocean views but in many areas there are no homes at all and the beaches are perfect and empty.

We had lunch in beautiful Apollo Bay--there is a string of cafes, restaurants and shops opposite a long, pristine beach. The weather was perfect: sunny and wind-free. For lunch at the Bay Leaf Cafe, Blayne tried grilled kangaroo (served medium rare) and loved it. I had sardines stuffed with feta and peppers. Apollo Bay is also home to a commercial fishing fleet and Charles engaged one of the local fisherman in conversation, quizzing him about fishing in the area and the commercial fishery.

One the way back to Melbourne we drove inland past pastoral sheep farms of green and rolling hills. Blayne and Charles kept exclaiming that the scenery looked like scenes from Lord of the Rings. We saw a group of kangaroos grazing alongside sheep. We drove through a few, tiny farming villages.

As you can see from the pictures, the day warmed up considerably and we ended up with a beautiful sunny day!