i read kerouac's "on the road" a few weeks ago. hence the post title =).
after a fabulous 2-night stay, we left hall's gap for Port Fairy along the coast. arrived just after lunch to learn there was a mixup in the dates and we weren't booked in to the p fairy hostel. so continued on to the town of warrnambool (say WAR-num-bool), the official gateway to the Great Ocean Road. managed to find a room near the beach, and the 3 daughters went into town to get coffees. instead ended up at the pub for beers. ha! cooked dinner at the hostel, mom and i stayed in while e and m hit the town. verdict is that bars in warrnambool are sketch. bar #1 - equivalent to the padernac in corner brook. bar #2 - irish pub w/o irish music but full of young slinky/skanky things. bar #3 - death metal bar. bar #4 - dance bar full of really young, drunk warnamboolians...not quite e's and m's scene. but they got their cover paid by some old dude. yay old dude!
next day started the great ocean road drive toward apollo bay. we stopped at a number of
gorgeous sites, incl the bay of islands, the grotto, loch ard gorge, london arch, the 12 apostles (which are now 6), and gibson's steps. all beautiful and expansive sandstone cliffs, large swaths of beach, and awesome surf. but chilly and so so windy! got lots of wicked photos.
ended today's drive with a jaunt out to cape otway to look for koalas in the wild - and success!! saw 4 koalas! mom's highlight of the trip for sure.
in apollo bay, mom decided she was tired of hostels and wanted a bath tub and luxury. so we splurged on a really nice apartment-style hotel room with two floors, big bath, and seinfeld on tele! apollo bay is a gorgeous little tourist surf town, kinda like jasper or banff. one strip down the beachway was full of cafes, bars, and restaurants.
next day m and i went birding early, then we all explored town. it was mom's bday and so we went to great otway natl park to do the little aire falls hike. a gorgeous walk thru beauty tree fern and beech rainforest. wicked fungi everywhere! great way to spend a birthday. it was also anzac (aus-new zealand army corps) day, a nat'l holiday commemorating lives lost in all wars. saw the anzac parade march thru town. went for bday dinner at nice seafood/b.y.o. wine resto.
next morn i got up early, and drove along coast to watch early morning surfers. then all carried on eastward to lorne, antoher surfing town along the coast, similar to apollo bay. stayed in our own little trailer in a park by the river. e and m took afternoon drive to dean's marsh and winchelsea, which were crap towns. ha!
next day we drove to queenscliff, a village about 2 hr south of melbourne. it was cute, but mara hated it. haha. drove to geelong, a larger centre nearby to go to subway for dinner. haha.
next stop - melbourne!
1st photo is at the grotto along the g.o.r.
2nd photo is me, mara, mom at loch ard gorge
3rd photo is erin and a koala on otway penin
4th photo is mom hikin thru great otway natl park
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