this year.

The Great Ocean Road is one of the worlds most scenic drives, as the path clings to cliffs that tumble to the sea below. Speed limits posted range from between 80-100 km/h, but these speeds are never achieved in reality as the terrain enforces natural limits. Why anyone would want to blow past this section of Australia at any speed over 50 km/h is a mystery anyway. Slow down and enjoy the drive and view.

Along the Great Ocean Road are a number of geological structures that amaze onlookers of any age. The Twelve Apostles is most likely the most famous of these sites, with London Bridge being a close second. The Twelve Apostles are giant rock stacks that have been left standing in the ocean after many years of erosion from the constantly pounding surf. Looking at them reminds me of the flower pots of Tobermory Ontario’s Flowerpot Island, as well as the coast line of the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.

London Bridge was once a complete bridge like span of rock, until a section collapsed in 1990 leaving two tourists stranded until being rescued by helicopter. That is the nature of these rock formations: they are ever changing. Eventually all of wondrous sites will succumb to the power of the sea — with new formations being created by these same forces.

See the complete set of photos at flickr.

On Easter Monday we took the morning to stroll around the waterfront of Geelong, a suburb of Melbourne (sorta like Barrie is a suburb of Toronto). It had a fun laid back atmosphere and lots going on: helicopter rides, seaplane flights, merry-go-rounds, restaurants, and funny wooden statues to take your photo with. In the afternoon we drove 10 minutes down the road to attend Narana Fest.

The draw for us was the headliner: Xavier Rudd. A chance to see him in his home country — alas, his home town — seemed like a good deal. With 8h of music, the day was enjoyable and relaxing. I think more concerts in Toronto should consider covering the ground with burlap as it makes for a great dust free day. Xavier put on a great show playing with his brother-in-law from Canada then bringing his two younger brothers on stage to play a new song.

A small and intimate venue Narana Creations has a great thing going on.

See the complete set of photos at flickr.

I may have been a little harsh in my previous post inviting Toronto to be more like Melbourne. I often find myself entering a new city and enjoying it more than Toronto. But I have to ask my self: is this because the city is fresh and new to me, or would I still enjoy the city long term? I ask myself these questions about my other favourite cities: Halifax and Chicago. What happens when the Honeymoon is over? Continue reading ‘Deeper into Melbourne’

We departed Wollongong bright and early Friday morning at 7:30am with myself behind the wheel ready to cruise some 9h south to Melbourne. With little in the way of maps we decided to rely on road signs, intuition, and the kindness of strangers. Enter the first blunder. It seems the Hume Hwy, the fastest and most direct route to Melbourne, doesn’t run through Wollongong, and it isn’t well marked as an exit from the Princes Hwy. Realizing to late to make any worthwhile changes to our path we decided to head on, taking the long way round to Melbourne.

We rolled into a town of unknown name and stopped at a McDonalds to grab coffee and utilize their toilets. Sadly even McDonalds here does espresso coffee, and I was forced to spend $3.25 on a long black. How I long for a Tim Hortons, or even a Country Style or Coffee Time. Asking at the counter my hunch was realized. The shortest route to Melbourne from here would require an inland and slightly north-west path. This was a bit of a back track, but the time spent doing it would be made up in buckets once we hit the Hume Hwy. Thus we made our way inland towards Canberra. Thankfully we had 10 days and time wasn’t really an issue. These small side tracks are what make Road Trips entertaining. We call them ‘scenic routes’ (not detours) for a reason. And scenic this new inland route was. The reason we could not turn inland until Batemans Bay is because an Escarpment runs down most of the east coast of Australia. It’s difficult to find a path suitable for road building, so paths are few and far between.Thus we climbed into the lush wilderness on 2 lane highways that cling to cliff edges and hairpin back and forth as they ascend. With all the holiday traffic traveling towards the coast my path was clear and free.

With an estimated 6 hours remaining until Melbourne we joined the Hume Hwy. I locked the cruise at 114 km/h (the limit is 110 km/h, and they strictly enforce it) and aimed the car south. What will the next 10 days hold in store for this rag-tag band of Canadians. Only time and the open road can tell.

Wollongong to Melbourne via Batemans Bay and Canberra