Everyone knows how you take a road trip.   You fill up on gas, throw a cooler and some snacks in the back seat, pick out your tunes, and set off to follow the map and speed your way across the highway.   On the Great Ocean road, we decided to take a road trip.   We had fuel, snacks, drinks, and a good old fashion paper map.   And we went 150 km in 10 hours.   Nope, there wasn’t traffic, not even 20 cars around all day.   We stopped every 3 km for the majority of the trip. [Ed. note: there is shit to see!]  And it was totally worth it!

Even better?  My husband arranged a surprise helicopter ride over the sights.  Thirty minutes of us, uninterrupted views, and one random Asian girl in the back seat.   It was unbelievable.   The Boy forced me into the front seat with the good camera…that I’m not yet so good at operating, so 80% of the photos are fuzzy or with a window reflection of the helicopter control panel.   Fortunately, this is a blog and I only give you about 5 shots per post, so all you have to know is it was awesome!

The road was winding and curving and everything my husband could hope for…if he had his Audi with the Sports package and special tires from home.   In the rental car SUV, he found himself frustrated having to go the speed limit and not being able to pass every bus along the coastal road like his own car would know how to do.   So we drove slow and enjoyed the view.   [Ed. note: oh don’t worry. I still passed people. But I also stopped and enjoy the view – a lot.]  Life was rough…

We stopped on the second day (because when you only do 150km of 243km on day 1, you have to stop overnight and start fresh….) at many places.   Day 2 wasn’t quite as full of costal cliffs and scenic lookout spots, but it more than made up for it with the rest.   First, the Great Ocean Road has a completely random and unexpected forest for California Redwoods, planted here 70 years ago. [Ed. note: it’s in the damn middle of a rain forest. There is a giant rainforest on this road, complete with red and blue parrots flying around, and vines and giant trees. And in the middle of the rainforest, by the river, there is a California Redwoods forest.]  I have no clue why or how or what, but we walked among them and I felt like I was back on the road to Napa…

The rest of the road is just waterfalls.   And if you learned anything at Wujal Wujal, it is that we ALWAYS stop for waterfalls.  [Ed. note: because waterfalls are awesome.] We did two this day, both completely empty of people and waiting for us to climb.   I let the Boy hit the pool on his own for the first and joined him on the second (aka the one that looked less likely to drown me…) and couldn’t believe how lucky we are to have this be our life, if only for 3 months…  I know we come home soon, but man, it’s good to be us…