The Great Ocean Road

Okay everyone this weekend was massively amazing so you’re going to get a novel. We left Saturday morning around 8am for the Great Ocean Road. Nathan drove Amy, Amy, Lisa, and I and all our camping crap- the car was FULL! We drove down to Halls Gap and the Granpians which is a mountain range. First thing we did was go to the McKenzie falls. It was so pretty. We sat by the water fall and ate lunch. Then we went exploring and found this little area with a smaller waterfall and a little pool. It was down away from the designated tourist area so it was really pretty and secluded. We just hung out there for awhile- It was a really hot day so we weren’t in any hurry to climb up the hundreds of stairs to get back to the car! I was exploring and wanted to get closer to this one waterfall so I jumped across the rocks where the water was running. Well, I didn’t realize how slick it was going to be and almost fell in! It was pretty funny cause someone had just told my nature instinct- to which I replied I had none. Classic Laurie! So we after climbing on rocks to out hearts content we went back to the car and drove to the campsite. We set up the tent without too much drama which was good. Then we got ice cream. I actually got a milk shake which was really more like chocolate milk- what I actually wanted was a thick shake-who knew! On the way back from the ice cream we saw the biggest spider!! Apparently it’s harmless but holy crap was it big!! Then we decided to go for a hike and actually ended up climbing a mountain. It was about 3.5K vertical and my ass was feeling every step of it!! The top was beautiful but my fear of heights definitely kicked in and I couldn’t even take pictures of it so you’ll have to look at others tagged of me for that one! On the walk we saw a wallabies, lizards, and kangaroos (one with a joey that chased Amy and Lisa). My friend Tyson showed up after the hike. We BBQ that night only to have kangaroos try to come eat it but no worries we ate it first! The next morning we woke up super early and hiked up a different mountain to watch the sunrise. It was only 3K this time and was more rocks to climb then it was vertical. The sunrise was amazing but it was so high up that all my pictures look like I’m hanging on for dear life or freaking out away from the railing. It was a really great experience though. Probably one of the coolest things I’ve done in my life. We climbed around for awhile and then went down to pack up camp. Part of the day was spent driving to the next place but we stopped in Wornabul for some fish and chips. Then we played in this little park with a maze and a big glider swing thing that I can’t really describe but it was fun!! Then we went to the beach. The water was freezing cold but the beach was HOT! I got to play in the sand and Tyson, Amy, and I built a sand castle. We drove to Port Cambell that night and set up camp there. We walked to the beach for a bit to watch the sun set and then came back for more BBQ (Aussie favorite). We went back to the beach that night see the stars. It was so beautiful there I almost feel asleep on the beach. It was pretty cool though cause we got to see a crane lift a boat out of the water at night. The next morning we woke up and headed to more of Great Ocean Road (the good part). First we saw the 12 apostles which are twelve big rocks the were named that to attract tourists. The thing is that like six of them have fallen over because they’re made from soft rock and not formed in a stable way. It was really beautiful. We also saw this cool arch. Then we hit Apollo Bay which is where we had lunch. Basically the rest of the road was along the ocean. It was the prettiest road trip I could imagine and I’ve been on some sweet as road trips (p.s. “sweet as” or “cool as” or “ sick as” is very in here). The boys surprised us with a stop at a waterfall. I can’t remember the name of it right now but it was really great. The girls climbed up the rocks to the falls but it was super slick so we couldn’t really play very much. It was still sweet as. That pretty much finished up the day except for a drive home. The funniest thing is that I got burnt on my left shoulder as a passenger ant at home that happens when I driving!! Good fun, good friends, and, as always, nice accents! Love you!