With 1000km on Betsy's clock, we arrived at the 12 Apostles. However, before I could even remove the lens cap to try and capture on camera these massive rock formations rising out of the ocean like high-rise layer cakes on an azure tablecloth, the sky turned an ominus grey. Within minutes, the sea diamonds turned into white horses and I watched in disbelief as a howling wind blew a curtain of rain across the classic view. Timing was never my strong point.
Driving from west to east with a day-long rainbow hanging over the water to our right, this famous drive was just as stunning as one would expect from one of the top ten drives in the world. What I didn't expect was for it to be so diverse. From the yellow limestone of the 12 Apostles, to the red sandstone of Split Point.
Vertigo-inducing cliffs and rocky shores morphed into wide sandy slices of surfer heaven. Long meandering rock face roads unfurled into tree canopied tracks leading to pockets of lush green rainforest reminiscent of some kind of Jurassic park while marshy bog-land brought me back to the wilds of Donegal.
As we drove around bends in Australia I was surprised to find myself arriving in various corners of Ireland; Malin Head in Donegal, Cushendall on the North Antrim Coast, the road to Inistigoe in Kilkenny, and the bit of the Rosslare-Dublin train track which almost falls into the sea around north Wicklow. Maybe it was the 'soft day' weather that was taking me back home.
Speaking of weather, it is really cold here now and I've even purchased hat, scarf and gloves so when Annie suggested camping I initially thought she had lost her mind, but agreed anyway as I'm operating on the basis of 'try anything once' (almost). We selected a campiste in the Otways National Park were likely to be pretty basic. It was dark when we arrived in Blanket Bay and as we drove down the 6km dirt road with a tree canopy so thick not even the full moon could penetrate it, I had the distinct feeling I had just entered 'Blairwitch' territory. Pretty soon though Annie had a reassuring fire going and I just dissolved into 'the vibe of it all' as we cooked our dinner by moonlight and defended it from the brazen nocturnal wildlife .
Maybe it was the bottle of red wine we drank with cheese and olives (classy campers, us) as we watched the glowing orange embers contrasted against the sharp moonlight shadows. Perhaps it was the sleep-inducing hiss and spit of the fire and the thunder and rattle of waves. Or it could have been sedative effect of the warm, smoky Eucalyptus on the briny air.
Whatever the reason, I slept more soundly that night than I have done for a long time – and in recent times I have bedded down in everything from shacks and yurts, to comfortable homes and luxury ensuites.
In the morning we woke to the sight of the sun punching a hole in the cloud and bouncing off the waves 50 yards from where we slept. Just gorgeous.
The Great Ocean Road, long, winding and surprising in the most unexpected ways, is best enjoyed with a good companion and a willingness to veer off the beaten track now and again. A bit like life really.
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