The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s most famous drives and is aptly named for the huge amount of breathtaking beauty that can be seen in a short distance. The road winds around northern cliffs, forest and rivers. To the south, white surf crashes into the rocks and blue ocean laps at endless beaches. I met a few people who were disappointed with the drive. They apparently thought “great” describes the length of the drive. The stretch of road that follows the curves of the shoreline is only about 100 km long but it’s the stops along the way and the incredible scenery that make the road great.
Evan and I set out early Wednesday morning for a little brother/sister companionship. We took a long walk and had a great talk on the beach of the famous surf town, Torquay. We followed that up with a hearty Aussie brekkie in a beachside cafe, then a little factory outlet shopping at the surf shops, which started the day perfectly. High on my list of priorities for this road trip was to see Bells Beach, the surfing capital of Australia and where it all began. The beach is home to some epic breaks and draws top-notch international competitors for its annual surf comps. Besides being famous for the surf, the beach isn’t too hard on the eyes either. The coarse sand is a dark golden colour, with streaks of black. The beach is flanked by high orange cliffs topped with green shrubs. Surfers walk out to the break over rocks topped with a soft and slightly slimy, bulbous sea plant.
The highlight of the day, however, came after lunch in Lorne, a lovely seaside town in the middle of the most scenic part of the Great Ocean Road. We had been told that an area near Kennett River was good for spotting koalas and headed off the highway onto a dirt track into the eucalyptus trees (the only type of leaves they eat come from these trees.) Right away I saw a chubby grey bum resting on a tree branch. Koalas usually sleep for about 20 hours a day so we were very lucky that this one was awake and having a stretch and a scratch. He was also very close to the road, enabling us to get a good look at his cute little face. We ended up spotting five more in the trees and a few kookaburras as well (a native Australian bird.)
I took over the wheel for the next part of the drive while Evan had a nap- brave guy! I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to driving on the wrong side. The drive turned inland and, I thought, was equally as scenic as earlier. Now we wound through valleys and pastures and around hairpin turns that were necessary for the ever-changing landscape.
We arrived at the site of one of Australia’s big tourist attractions, the Twelve Apostles, as the sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky. I love the light the sun casts late in the afternoon- the way it makes the water sparkle and gives a warm glow to everything. While there’s no longer twelve apostles (towers of rock left free-standing in the ocean after they eroded away from the main cliffs) they are still a magnificent sight. Huge orange cliffs line the beach and the five or six apostles are staggered throughout in contrasting and powerful shapes and sizes.
We ended our perfect day by finding an excellent (and cheap) B and B in a little town called Port Campbell. Dinner was Evan’s favourite pub meal: Chicken Parma (Parmesan.) It doesn’t top my list of things to eat but when in Rome...
Thursday morning we visited The Arch and London Bridge. Both are fantastic examples of erosion and The Arch has been perfectly carved from the bottom of a cliff by the ever furious sea. London Bridge was passable several years ago but fell, stranding someone on the ocean end of the rock. The contrast this morning between the yellow and orange cliffs and the blue ocean is staggering. It’s overcast today but the colours are still unbelievable. I would love to see what this all looks like on a sunny day.
The rest of the day we spent with Evan’s dad and step-mom on their acreage near Daylesford, a lovely town famous for its natural mineral springs and for being the gay town capital of Australia. Jos (Evan’s dad) and Monique are both from Holland and quite happy on their little piece of bush land paradise, called Majellum. They rent out their guest house to couples on vacation and offer massage therapy. Their house is open and airy and made of mud brick. Monique’s daughter Anna (12) arrived home from school and we all went into Daylesford for a walk around the lake and an informal tour from Jos. Then it was time for a bbq- the Aussie summer staple and always with sausages, burgers, fried onions, salad, wine and great conversation. A recurring topic is the worm in Evan’s arm. Earlier that day Monique squeezed Diego out of Evan's arm. All I heard was a blood-curdling scream as Diego and a bunch of blood flew at her. He’s much bigger than we thought and has two little black fangs. Internet research revealed that he’s actually a screw worm fly and is a type of maggot- one of the only types that feast on live flesh, instead of dead animals. When animals become infested with the larvae (female screw worm flies can lay up to 500 eggs at a time) they are generally consumed within a week. Pretty disgusting.
As the sun began to set, Jos informed us it was the perfect time for a roo walk and told us which pastures were the best in the area for spotting them. Anna was our tour guide and we went for a long walk down the road without seeing anything but a rabbit. On the way back it was nearly dark and we returned to a pasture close to the house and saw them. Six or seven roos bounded along at the far end of the pasture, close to the tree line. They bounced for a little ways, then stopped, then bounced away again. The pasture was a golden yellow colour and their outlines under the now visible moon were graceful. Yet another image I’ll always carry of this beautiful country. I could hardly believe my luck over the past two days.
We left Friday morning after loading up Evan’s furniture that his dad had been storing. Now that I’ve met both of Evan’s parents I can really see where he gets a lot of his personality traits from. His compassion and open-mindedness comes from his mom Robbie. She’s by far one of the warmest and caring people I’ve ever met. Evan’s dry, sarcastic humour is from Jos- a funny man who comes across as serious until you see the twinkle in his eye. And it’s been a great honour to meet both of his parents and spend some time with them. I definitely feel like part of the family now, as I’m sure Evan did when he was in Canada.
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