Great Ocean Road... Super happy fun high quality good value!

So we've just arrived home from our 5 day Great Ocean Road trip and it was beautiful. Amber and BJ amazingly got 12 days off work so we are all on holiday together. We went up to camp our first night in Port Campbell. Lonnie found a tent for just 22 bucks so that worked out. Our first day out we went to the Otway Treetop Walk. It is a series of catwalks that are attached to the tops of towering trees. Its a dizzying walk not for the lighthearted. The Otway forest is filled with huge trees and large ferns covering the forest floor. It's absolutely prehistoric looking. The highlight is a 135 foot tower you can walk to the top of. Highly recommended!



We then continued to travel great ocean road. We stopped repeatedly to witness the enormous rock formations jutting out of the ocean waves. Most impressive was probably the 12 Apostles. There are only 8 of the original 12 remaining. The London Bridge is another awe inspiring sight. It is now an island but at one point had a land bridge you could walk on. In 1990, the land bridge collapsed and stranded some tourists. We later veered off the road to view koalas in the wild... so cute! We spotted three and snapped some photos.

London Bridge12 ApostlesThe Grotto

Our destination was Torquay, "The surfing capital of Australia". We enjoyed two full days on the beach under the hot sun. We went to Jan Juc beach the first day and loved it so much we went back for the second. A great beach for beginning wave riders. The sun is insanely hot here and it beats down on you. The ozone is so thin it is almost nonexistent. 1 in 3 Australians have skin cancer. So we were careful to constantly reapply sunscreen. With the scent of salt in the air and the warm breeze upon us, we spent 4-5 hours boogie boarding, skim boarding and sunbathing. Lonnie and I got wicked board burns on our tummies. So day two we bought surf shirts which provide spf protection and well as helping prevent board rash. The waves were solid and strong. We caught lots of rays and played in the water long enough to see the tide come in roughly 50 feet.

We also had some delicious Indian and Thai food for dinners. When it comes to dining in Australia be advised this is not a tipping society. There is no concept of customer service. You learn quickly to take full advantage whenever a server graces you with their time, ordering everything at once because you may never see them again. Our dinners average two and a half hours from beginning to end. One good thing though is that they nearly all allow you to bring in your own wine for free. This helps you manage until service and food arrive.
At one point in the trip Lonnie wanted to drive... and so it was. The Great Ocean Road is constantly winding and kinda scary on it's own. But with Lonnie behind the wheel it is extra frightening. So he drove the skinny, cliff hugging curves as the rest of us yelled, "stay left, stay left". Somehow we made it.

This morning our plan was to rent surf boards and hit the waves. But we woke to damp earth, overcast and rainy skies. So after breakfast we decided to do some shopping and check out the local sights. Being the surf capital of Australia, Torquay is comprised of one major surf retailer after another. So basically it's the same stuff over and over. One entertaining item, the current fashion trend is wearing day glow colors done in obnoxious patterns, very 80s. It strains the eyes to look at. It seems the boys here are trying to out do one another by blinding their peers with their blazing neon outfits.

In final thought, the Great Ocean road is a beautiful and peaceful stretch of highway. The natural wonders are free to view and they are breathtaking. Good value!!

Loch Ard Gorge... jealous?



p.s. "Good Value" is our new favorite aussie term. It's used for people or things.
"You know that Johnny fella?" yea " he's good value!"