The Coast and the Great Ocean Rd take one

So this post has been a while in the waiting! Since our last blog we visited a family friend and had amazing pasta and wine and went to Melbourne for a day, where we saw a comedy show, rode several trams and got very achy feet. We slept at a rest stop roughly 5 minutes from Avalon Airport and flew back home the next morning. Michael and I flew back to the Central Coast for my graduation, birthday and a funeral, as well as for catch ups! Busy times! As a result of this adventure let me just take a moment to show off:

Tada!

Anyway moving on, our flight back to Avalon was rather delayed so again we slept at the same rest area (we left the airport some time after 12am). The next morning, after eventually getting up, we headed to Geelong. We stocked up the camper and went for a walk amongst the bollards on the foreshore. Later that day we visited the famous Bells Beach and went through Torquay. We had heard of a nice camp ground nearby so headed there at a reasonable time to make camp, unfortunately when we got there we found the site was closed due to planned burn offs. With no other appropriate campsites near, we headed to Sheoak picnic area and made use of the flat car park, bbq facilities and flushing loos – even daring to have showers that night by heating the billies up on the bbq. All in all not a bad spot! The next day marked a momentous event – my birthday. So Michael and I travelled along the Great Ocean Road, visited Erskine falls (spectacular!) and settled early at a very lush accommodation site – Big 4 Wye River! There was plenty of king parrots and ducks around, as well as amazing hot showers (I have awarded these showers the best on the trip so far) and a jumping pillow. With goon, some sunshine and being walking distance to the local pub we were set. Whilst visiting an info centre that day I also found the perfect way to spend some of my birthday money – Flying foxes in the Otway Forest. The forecast said Thursday was the day to do it so we booked it in.

The next morning we set out along the rather cold Great Ocean Road. We went to Grey River Road and played spot the koala - a fun game that involves driving along at 30km an hour yelling THERE'S ONE! every 2 seconds or so. We continued along the Great Ocean Road and eventually visited Apollo Bay then headed into the mountains to a little place called Beauchamp Falls. By this time I was feeling rather under the weather and set up in bed whilst Michael made himself dinner, removed bollards so we could park on the grass, made friends with a French man and was offered weed. Good times! The next day, feeling ever so slightly better we headed to Triplet Falls where Michael undertook a lengthy walk and I slept. I'm told it was lovely. I woke up, drugged up and it was off to the Otway Fly where we walked on platforms above the forest canopy, saw dinosaurs (I kid you not!) and went on our zip line tour. The tour ran for just over 3 hours and involved using a series of flying foxes and rope bridges to zip from tree to tree 20m above the forest floor. It was amazing. We couldn’t take cameras on the tour because if they fell they were lost forever, but we’ll always remember the experience.

That night we headed to Aire River Crossing Campground, where we were showered in rain. Gosh the weather has been wonderful! Anyway we slept well and headed off the next morning to Blanket Bay via Aire River. Along the way we saw several hundred Mana Gums and within their branches many Koalas. My camera got a serious work out. We pulled up at Blanket Bay that afternoon and set up shop for a couple of days. Next to our campsite was a gum with two Koalas in it – Meryl and Beryl as I named them. There was also a mum and bub koala around the corner. That night we had a wonderful fire and met a few ladies who had trekked 22km that day along the Great Ocean Walk. We also met a rather random german fellow, whom we taught how to cook potatoes, put sticks in a fire and how to make sure his car doesn’t die. Not sure how well the last session sunk in but all in all good fun. Since then we played on the beach, did a couple of walks and I took many more photos of Koalas. And that my friends is where the tale ends for now, fingers crossed next Saturday we have the internet and our fingers aren’t frozen solid – a hint at what’s to come: more Great Ocean Road and for some silly reason the Grampians where the temperature is averaging out to 8 degrees each day (we're off to kmart to buy a hot water bottle!)

Lesson of the week: Don’t get sick, it sucks butt!