The Great Ocean Road
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Lotte
02 Januari 2014 | Australië, Melbourne
I realized that I've already been here a month. Time flies! And I've done so much already, I think.
This week I went on my second trip: The Great Ocean Road! For the people who don't know; it's one of Australia's most famous road-touring routes and shows you pretty much all the landscapes of Australia. I didn't have to do it alone, because I went with Marianne.
We started on the 28th in Melbourne. We rented a campervan from Wicked Campers and had to pick it up there. It was a small manual van, with cupboards in the back and a small 'kitchen'. There were 3 'mattresses' that you could lay over the cupboards to make a bed. Our journey started well, because after about 20 min we broke down in the middle of a crossing in Melbourne. I could just start it again and keep it running long enough to go into the next street and park there. We called the rental place and they weren't surprised at all. Little weird right? We took a cab back, which they paid for, and got a new van. This one got us actually out of Melbourne. Our first stop was Geelong, where we stopped for a quick first look at a beach. After that we went to Torquay, where the Great Ocean road actually begins. After a nice sandwich we decided to go further. It was really crowded in Torquay and it's known for surfing (which we weren't going to do). Because of the delay in the beginning we decided to look for a place to stay. We didn't book anything in advance, so it was always a little challenge to find something in the middle of Christmas break! We found a place in Jan Luc, a little outside of Torquay. We bought our own food and cooked it there. After a few drinks we went to bed, because we wanted to get up early to go further.
The next 'big' town was Lorne. It was sooooo crowded that we decided not to stay there long. Along the way we stopped at almost every scenic view. They were beautiful. What I particularly liked was that the landscape changes along the way. We had already seen gum trees, red rocks, the beautiful ocean and green landscapes. By the time we got to Apollo Bay we had already driven 194 km. We wanted to stay at a free camp site in the Otway National Park, which you drive into when you leave Apollo Bay. After a visit to the Visitor's Centre there we found one that should still have a spot. After driving on a dirt road for about 2 km we finally saw a sign with 'Aire River West camping site'. We met some German people (good to have a German girl with you, it makes it easier to connect) and had a lovely evening. What we didn't anticipated was that it would be A LOT colder there. Our feet were freezing and I didn't sleep a lot that night. To make matters worse, we wanted to start the car in the morning.. nothing.. Battery dead! And nooo we didn't leave the lights on or something like that. Old van! But that's the nice thing about a camp site, your neighbors are very willing to help.
So after that good start of day number three we went back to the Ocean Road and stopped at Otway Fly Treetop Adventure. It's the highest (25-45 m high) and longest (600m) walk of its kind in the world. It was really cool to see. The pictures (that will come) will give you a better idea of what it was like. It was funny though, we both had seen 'The Hunger Games' and our first thought was that this arena would have made it harder for Katniss haha. After that it was on to the Twelve Apostles. When we left we saw that the fuel was getting low, so we stopped at the first gas station we saw. 'No fuel until the night of the 31st' O GOD! The next station was 50 km in either direction. We decided to take our chances and go for it. Driving on a road, that has no opportunities to stop, has so many curves and goes up and down, with the arrow at the E is not something you can recommend! I was driving and I would hold my breath at every hill! We finally saw a sign with a fuel tank and it wasn't 50 km yet, so we thought THANK GOD! We drove there... 'OUT OF ORDER' WHAT?! Luckily we weren't the only ones with an empty tank. There were two other cars. Both couples were Australians so we weren't being reckless foreigners! They had called their road assist and they would take some extra fuel for us. First a tow truck came for one car. It had to go back again and take fuel with it this time. It took about 60-90 minutes before we could go. We passed the time with the other couple, which was nice, but it was a real pain for our plans. We went on to Gibson's steps, the Twelve Apostles, Lord Ard Gorge and the Arche. BEAUTIFUL! By the time it was 6 PM we were just past Port Campbell, which was nowhere near where we wanted to be. Since it isn't recommended to drive in the dark, we started looking for a place to stay. Luck was on our side for that, because at the Great Ocean Road Tourist Park Peterborough was a cancellation 5 minutes before we arrived!! We went for a lovely meal at the local restaurant and met some nice people who we spend the rest of the evening with. Campfire, drinks, cookies and chips, starry night and good company. It was a good night! At 1.30 am we decided to go to bed, because we wanted to get up early.
I already mentioned that the fuel was a pain in our plans, because it would take us about 7-8 hours to get to the point in the Grampians that we wanted to see. Also getting into Melbourne on New Year's eve would take about another 3-4 hours. We had to take the van back at 3.30 PM, so we would never make it in time and be so stressed it would not be fun. So the Grampians were cancelled and we decided to go to Warrnambool first and then Ballarat and visit the Wildlife Park there. It was nice and way more relaxed. We got the car back at 3.25 pm and went to the hostel after. The route we took was about 640 km and we shared the driving. Not having a lot of sleep and driving so much made us tired. We went to dinner at Vapiano (which is a really good Italian restaurant) and took a nap after. We would never had made it to midnight otherwise. Around 11 we went to the park near Federation Square with a group from the hostel to see the fireworks. It was good that we left in time because there were soooo many people! At 12 the fireworks started and it was really nice! Apparently in Australia you are not allowed to fire fireworks yourself, so they were fired from the rooftops of several buildings. We went back to the hostel after and Marianne and I went to sleep. We were exhausted!
On New Year's Day I went back to Barham. I was lucky that I woke up in time, because I forgot to set an alarm! But I got to the bus in time and got back to Barham around 3pm. There I had some 'oliebollen' (can't think of the English word...) that were homemade! I talked to the family a bit and of course wished them a Happy New Year! After I went to the cabin, sorted my stuff, ate some noodles and went to bed!
This week I went on my second trip: The Great Ocean Road! For the people who don't know; it's one of Australia's most famous road-touring routes and shows you pretty much all the landscapes of Australia. I didn't have to do it alone, because I went with Marianne.
We started on the 28th in Melbourne. We rented a campervan from Wicked Campers and had to pick it up there. It was a small manual van, with cupboards in the back and a small 'kitchen'. There were 3 'mattresses' that you could lay over the cupboards to make a bed. Our journey started well, because after about 20 min we broke down in the middle of a crossing in Melbourne. I could just start it again and keep it running long enough to go into the next street and park there. We called the rental place and they weren't surprised at all. Little weird right? We took a cab back, which they paid for, and got a new van. This one got us actually out of Melbourne. Our first stop was Geelong, where we stopped for a quick first look at a beach. After that we went to Torquay, where the Great Ocean road actually begins. After a nice sandwich we decided to go further. It was really crowded in Torquay and it's known for surfing (which we weren't going to do). Because of the delay in the beginning we decided to look for a place to stay. We didn't book anything in advance, so it was always a little challenge to find something in the middle of Christmas break! We found a place in Jan Luc, a little outside of Torquay. We bought our own food and cooked it there. After a few drinks we went to bed, because we wanted to get up early to go further.
The next 'big' town was Lorne. It was sooooo crowded that we decided not to stay there long. Along the way we stopped at almost every scenic view. They were beautiful. What I particularly liked was that the landscape changes along the way. We had already seen gum trees, red rocks, the beautiful ocean and green landscapes. By the time we got to Apollo Bay we had already driven 194 km. We wanted to stay at a free camp site in the Otway National Park, which you drive into when you leave Apollo Bay. After a visit to the Visitor's Centre there we found one that should still have a spot. After driving on a dirt road for about 2 km we finally saw a sign with 'Aire River West camping site'. We met some German people (good to have a German girl with you, it makes it easier to connect) and had a lovely evening. What we didn't anticipated was that it would be A LOT colder there. Our feet were freezing and I didn't sleep a lot that night. To make matters worse, we wanted to start the car in the morning.. nothing.. Battery dead! And nooo we didn't leave the lights on or something like that. Old van! But that's the nice thing about a camp site, your neighbors are very willing to help.
So after that good start of day number three we went back to the Ocean Road and stopped at Otway Fly Treetop Adventure. It's the highest (25-45 m high) and longest (600m) walk of its kind in the world. It was really cool to see. The pictures (that will come) will give you a better idea of what it was like. It was funny though, we both had seen 'The Hunger Games' and our first thought was that this arena would have made it harder for Katniss haha. After that it was on to the Twelve Apostles. When we left we saw that the fuel was getting low, so we stopped at the first gas station we saw. 'No fuel until the night of the 31st' O GOD! The next station was 50 km in either direction. We decided to take our chances and go for it. Driving on a road, that has no opportunities to stop, has so many curves and goes up and down, with the arrow at the E is not something you can recommend! I was driving and I would hold my breath at every hill! We finally saw a sign with a fuel tank and it wasn't 50 km yet, so we thought THANK GOD! We drove there... 'OUT OF ORDER' WHAT?! Luckily we weren't the only ones with an empty tank. There were two other cars. Both couples were Australians so we weren't being reckless foreigners! They had called their road assist and they would take some extra fuel for us. First a tow truck came for one car. It had to go back again and take fuel with it this time. It took about 60-90 minutes before we could go. We passed the time with the other couple, which was nice, but it was a real pain for our plans. We went on to Gibson's steps, the Twelve Apostles, Lord Ard Gorge and the Arche. BEAUTIFUL! By the time it was 6 PM we were just past Port Campbell, which was nowhere near where we wanted to be. Since it isn't recommended to drive in the dark, we started looking for a place to stay. Luck was on our side for that, because at the Great Ocean Road Tourist Park Peterborough was a cancellation 5 minutes before we arrived!! We went for a lovely meal at the local restaurant and met some nice people who we spend the rest of the evening with. Campfire, drinks, cookies and chips, starry night and good company. It was a good night! At 1.30 am we decided to go to bed, because we wanted to get up early.
I already mentioned that the fuel was a pain in our plans, because it would take us about 7-8 hours to get to the point in the Grampians that we wanted to see. Also getting into Melbourne on New Year's eve would take about another 3-4 hours. We had to take the van back at 3.30 PM, so we would never make it in time and be so stressed it would not be fun. So the Grampians were cancelled and we decided to go to Warrnambool first and then Ballarat and visit the Wildlife Park there. It was nice and way more relaxed. We got the car back at 3.25 pm and went to the hostel after. The route we took was about 640 km and we shared the driving. Not having a lot of sleep and driving so much made us tired. We went to dinner at Vapiano (which is a really good Italian restaurant) and took a nap after. We would never had made it to midnight otherwise. Around 11 we went to the park near Federation Square with a group from the hostel to see the fireworks. It was good that we left in time because there were soooo many people! At 12 the fireworks started and it was really nice! Apparently in Australia you are not allowed to fire fireworks yourself, so they were fired from the rooftops of several buildings. We went back to the hostel after and Marianne and I went to sleep. We were exhausted!
On New Year's Day I went back to Barham. I was lucky that I woke up in time, because I forgot to set an alarm! But I got to the bus in time and got back to Barham around 3pm. There I had some 'oliebollen' (can't think of the English word...) that were homemade! I talked to the family a bit and of course wished them a Happy New Year! After I went to the cabin, sorted my stuff, ate some noodles and went to bed!
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02 Januari 2014 - 10:13
Henriëtte:
nou nou,wat een hoop belevenissen!!! spannend hoor wat jullie allemaal beleefd hebben. Benzinecrisis ken ik :) Gelukkig kom je toch steeds aardige mensen tegen. Gezellig om deze trip samen met Marianne te doen. Ook mooie foto's. Lotte, je bent al een echte globetrotter aan 't worden. En nu.... gewoon weer werken hè? . De tijd vliegt inderdaad alweer voorbij. De eerste maand om; nog 5 te gaan, toch? Geniet maar van alles.
Succes en tot je volgende verhaal,
groetjes uit Berg van de Muldrianen. -
02 Januari 2014 - 10:45
Liane:
Ha lieve mop, nou een heel verhaal! Prachtige foto's! Wij zullen er aan denken om op tijd te tanken :)! Maar gelukkig dat er hulpvaardige mensen rondlopen. Na het zien van de foto's krijg ik steeds meer zin in onze reis! Fijn dat het zo goed ging met Marianne en dat je weer goed bent aangekomen in Barham en nog even heerlijk nederlandse oliebollen hebt gegeten. Geniet nog van een paar vrije dagen!! Xxxxx mama -
02 Januari 2014 - 12:36
Riet:
Ha avonturierster,
Jouw leven is niet saai, en je wordt een routineuze monteur, nooit weg. Leuke trip met verrassende ontmoetingen. Kijk uit naar volgende trip. Liefs, je peettante
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02 Januari 2014 - 13:42
Janine:
Wat een gave tocht!! Ik ben blij dat je het leuk hebt gehad, en op tijd was in Melbourne voor 12 uur. En ja, zelfs in Australië loop je vertraging op door allerlei redenen, dat is niet alleen in Azië haha!
Ik kijk uit naar je foto's! Hoop dat het een zeer geslaagde Kerstvakantie voor je was ;) -
02 Januari 2014 - 16:11
Marie-José:
Ha Lotte,
Wat een geweldige trip en wat een hip busje ,haha flower power -time.
Nou wat een geweldige manier om je kerstvakantie door te brengen.
Prachtige natuur en flink vuurwerk. Wat wil je nog meer???
Dat benzine-avontuur hebben wij ook eens meegemaakt in België. Uiteindelijk een soort ANWB en met ons een heel stel anderen.
Geniet ervan en ja ook wat werken hé?En in 2014.....genieten van de mooiste momenten .
Liefs Marie-José
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02 Januari 2014 - 17:33
Marieke:
Ja moeders...dat benzine-avontuur kan ik me nog héééél goed herinneren, haha. Maar wel een heel tof busje Lotte! En supergaaf om op Oudejaarsavond in Melbourne te zijn. Hier in Lapland geen vuurwerk en ook geen oliebollen... HAPPY NEW YEAR! -
02 Januari 2014 - 18:43
Danielle:
Ha Lotte,
Wat een avonturen alweer en ook weer mooie foto's.
Fijn om te lezen dat het je goed bevalt en je de tijd goed door komt.
Geniet er maar lekker van.
Liefs Danielle -
02 Januari 2014 - 19:12
Cherille:
Coole bus!!!!!! Wauw, lijkt me super zo.
En die zee; helemaal geweldig!
We vinden het super om op de hoogte te blijven van je avonturen!
Dikke kus van de Snijders-five ♥ -
02 Januari 2014 - 21:21
Karin Oet Meerssen:
Heejjjj Lotte!!!
Ik vind het geweldig avontuurlijk allemaal wat je doet!!!
Gezellig voor jou dat Marianne er ook bij is!
Geniet met volle teugen en HAVE FUN!!!!!
Veel groetjes van Frank en Karin XX
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