Panoramic view along the gorgeous Ocean Road South West of Melbourne.
6/12/2000: Went through customs and headed for some morning coffee and a find a place to wash up and change clothes. Needed to catch a cab to the Maui Campervan rental…stepped outside the airport where cabs are located, saw a cab who was letting someone out…asked if he could help us…of course the cabby said yes…then the security guard approached us and the driver stating it doesn’t work that way. We were supposed to stand in the line for cabs even though there wasn’t one. We were then directed to the proper cab.
Our driver was an emigrant from Egypt…streets are very busy and narrow…it is a holiday in Oz today…the Queen’s birthday. He informed us about the traffic lights…and cameras.
We got our van…larger and wider than we expected. Having a hard time with travel…drive on left side of the road, with the steering wheel on the right side…getting out of Melbourne a real trick! Constantly turning the windshield (windscreen here) wipers on instead of turn signal and getting into the passengers seat instead of drivers seat.
Finally we get on West Gate Interstate-even that is nerve wracking. Then onto A1 Princess Highway 4 lane heading …oh the relief when we left the crowded Melbourne traffic behind. We were finally on our way past Geelong and onto Great Ocean Road.
Lunch at a Sandwich Shop in Torquay–can see the ocean, a hand glider, and people walking along the beach—low tide. Took a walk down to the beach and viewed the tidal pools. Finally, it is sunny out. Have seen cattle, sheep, and horses…lovely trees. Discovered our first round about in the road…turning to the left instead of right…driving is tense work.
Love the ocean highway…very scenic…stopped a number of times to allow faster traffic to pass, walked down to the ocean front to look at the tide pools, snails, starfish, etc. Could not take the wild drivers, heavy traffic……turned north at Skenes Creek to get off of this narrow busy road. Now this was much more relaxed and lovely drive too…more of a rain forest, rather than ocean front/mountainside with steep cliffs. Drove along quaint lonely country roads and unwound from the busy seaside traffic due to the Queens Birthday holiday. Spent the night in the camper at a rest stop almost to Warrnambool.