One thing I continuously heard that I had to do while in Melbourne was take a drive down the Great Ocean Road. Lucky for me, Jo had a car and a plan.
Side note: it’s really nice when you have local friends that have a car and a plan. It means that I get to sit back and enjoy without stressing about the details. And that’s a gift. Thanks Jo!
We woke up early and embarked on our road trip adventure around 8am. We picked up Jo’s friend Maddie, picked up some breakfast, and hit the road. After driving for about an hour or so, we determined that we should stock up on snacks. I mean, is it really a road trip without bags of chips and energy drinks?
Our first stop of the Great Adventure on the Great Ocean Road was a blueberry farm. I knew that Australia produced a lot of blueberries mainly because I have friends that work on blueberry farms for visa extensions. When we got to the farm, I realized two things: 1) the flies are absolutely overwhelming and 2) I’ve never had a freshly picked blueberry.
I can never go back to grocery store blueberries again. The blueberries were amazing. Fresh, sweet, juicy – perfect. Once we picked about 5 kgs (not for us, but for Jo’s family), we continued on the road trip.
We then stopped off at Johanna’s Beach, and I saw the biggest waves I’ve ever seen. Easily 9 foot waves. Madness.
And then our Great Adventure on the Great Ocean Road took a turn for the worse. We got stranded.
When we were about an hour outside of any town or civilization, Jo’s tire started making this horrible screeching noise. We quickly pulled over into a random house driveway and inspected the tire. We couldn’t see anything wrong with it. Meanwhile, flies were everywhere, and there was a disgusting smell (later we would discover the kangaroo carcass). Our only option was to pull forward in the driveway and remove the tire.
Later the home owner came out to see what was going on, and he gave a little help too. But once the tire was off, we still couldn’t see a problem. We could only hear it.
Jo ended up calling a mechanic that said he’d drive in and check it out. So that gave us lots of time to wait. So what better way to wait than with a picnic of snacks? Good thing we loaded up before.
The mechanic eventually made it out and discovered there was a rock on the brake pad. He easily removed it in less than five minutes. Luckily, insurance covered all expenses. So after a dramatic lunch break, we were back on the road towards the 12 apostles.
I still can’t get over how stunning Australia is. It’s such a chill country, and yet they have so much to boast about. I wish it wasn’t halfway around the world from my home. I’d love to enjoy these beaches more often.
And just like that, it was time to turn the car around and head back to Geelong. We all sat quiet with the windows rolled down, some good tunes playing on the speakers, and smiles on our faces.
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