Melbourne, Victoria – 31 January 2011 at 8:23am
Kansas City, USA – January 30, 2011 at 5:23pm
Dear Online Journal (and everyone else in cyber space reading my (non)private thoughts),
I’ve got great news!
After almost two months in Australia I finally got to drive a car…Top Gun High-Fives!
Driving is one of my favorite things to do. I feel so alive inside.
Driving is freedom… It’s independence…Its power.
So on Friday night around 6pm I decided to “hire a car” for the next two days... to drive The Great Ocean Road. It is one of the most famous stretches of road in all of Australia, known for its winding roads, dramatic cliffs and spectacular views of the coastline. I got online and found a website called VroomVroom.com (I get excited just saying the name of the website) and found a good deal through Hertz. For approx. $80 AUD I was going to be cruising the coast in a Toyota Corolla Hatchback, I so sweetly named ‘White Lightning’ and it included unlimited miles…good thing too because I wanted to drive for days. I honestly think I would enjoy being an over the road truck driver…mostly because I could use a CB radio but also because I love the feeling of being in control and choosing my own destiny at a faster pace than walking or riding a bike.
I went out to dinner with Megan and Roger at an amazing Chinese restaurant in Chinatown that is known for their dumplings…very tasty…and then went back to their place to pack a small bag for my weekend road trip.
I was scheduled to pick the car up at 10:30am on Saturday which meant I would need to catch the 10:01am tram from Roger & Megan’s but I was so excited I woke up at 6am and was out the door by 9:28am. I rode the tram and tried to read my book but I was too thrilled to concentrate on what I was reading… I got off at the ‘Franklin’ stop, walked the half block to the rental place and spoke with a lovely woman named Joey about my reservation. She got me all set up, I opted not to purchase the additional insurance coverage. Typically I do but I hesitated a moment to see if I would get that gut feeling meaning I needed to buy it…it didn’t happen so I passed on the extra coverage, signed the billed and headed off to the car lot….there she was…my little slice of heaven…White Lightning.
After a quick walk around the car to make sure it was in good shape and to take a snap shot of the license plate in case I forgot what she looked like, me and my little lightning rod were, as my dad says, off like a prom dress!
Melbourne takes the cake for having the most bizarre traffic pattern of any place I’ve ever driven in the world…not to mention crazy, horn-honking crazed drivers. If you can drive in this town, you can drive anywhere. Let me introduce you to “The Hook Turn.” Now I was warned about all of these little, shall we call them ‘charming characteristics’ before I started driving. Since I had arrived in Melbourne I had noticed some odd procedures and tried to pay close attention knowing that I wanted to ‘hire a car’ at some point while I was here. So the lady gave me a highlighted map to make my way out of the city. All the streets I would be using would not have a hook turn (dang it!). BUT…as my good luck would have it the street that I was supposed to use was closed for road construction so I had to find another route…success, I’m going to get to try my first hook turn.
Definition of The Hook Turn: Driving in Australia takes place on the left side of the road instead of the right side…so, if you would like to make a right turn across traffic in Melbourne, you must get in the far left hand lane and wait…wait for the lane to your right (which is going the same direction as your vehicle), wait for the trams that run down the middle of both sets of traffic, wait for the oncoming traffic and wait for all pedestrians to clear the street before you make a right hand turn across three lanes of traffic, two sets of railroad tracks for the trams and a cross walk…it is the damndest thing.
Thankfully, I was awake and understood the rules of these crazy roads and the inhabitants that drive on them.
Once I was out of the city and on the highway, I was cruising…like the Alabama song…’let’s roll the windows down, turn the radio up, let the wind blow through our hair…’ Although at that moment it time it was Meatloaf singing ‘Paradise By the Dashboard Lights’ on the radio but either way it felt good to be behind the wheel again. So good there might be a speeding ticket arriving in the mail…so Dad if one arrives, make sure to save a copy of it for my scrapbook! I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket in another country but I definitely feel like this is a rite of passage I need to go through…you know earn my stripes as a true traveler.
So I made my way down the M1 to Geelong and then followed a two lane road to Torquay where I noticed a farmers market so I stopped to get some fruit and veggies for the trip…plus it was after noon and I needed some lunch.
Torquay was this adorable little surfer town that was full of people who were out and about on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Parents pushing kids in the pram (stroller), teenage boys skateboarding and carrying surfboards, couples walking their dogs…it was great.
One the road again….I kept driving down the winding road that apparently is littered with tourist who are use to driving on the opposite side of the road because these friendly reminders were posted everywhere!
I came across a lovely lighthouse where I stopped to take a photo and make a phone call to try to reserve a room at the YHA (Youth Hostel Association) in Apollo Bay. The lady at the tourism office in Melbourne had recommended it. The plan was that I would drive down the coast to see the Twelve Apostles (a large set of rock formations of the coast – 12 to be exact...ba dum ching!) and then head back to Apollo Bay to spend the night before returning to Melbourne the next day. I had to leave a message…almost immediately a nice gentleman returned my call and said they were all booked up…hmmm funny, the woman at the tourism office said I should have no problem getting a room since school would be back in session on Monday and the peak season was over. Well, she was wrong. So I called the next place on the list and as soon as the voice on the other end answered the phone my guts said ‘don’t stay there.’ So I asked all the appropriate questions and then lied that it was too expensive for me to stay there…even though it was only $25. I looked down at the map and my eye was drawn to a small town called Port Fairy..it just sounds sweet doesn’t it? According to the map, Port Fairy is at least a couple hours past the Twelve Apostles…my original destination… but something inside me (my gut) said to go there for the night. So, I just decided to take my chances on finding a room when I arrived in town. At this point it was only about 2pm and I still have several hours to drive until I reach the Twelve Apostles and then a couple more until I get to Port Fairy…so I better quit stopping as much and stay a little more focused on making my way up (or down) the coast.
I finally made it to the Twelve Apostles around 5/5:30pm. I parked the car and made the trek down to the viewing deck… They were absolutely amazing…breathtaking…although the sunlight was casting a shadow so I decided that it would be nice to see them in the morning light on my way back as well…
You can decide for yourself which one you like better…beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
After taking in the views I returned to the car and set my sights on Port Fairy. I was getting more excited as I got closer… I could just feel that this was going to be a great spot….and boy was I right… Any town that is known for a folk festival has got to be a great place.
I drove through town to find that it was a port town with an awesome canal which personal homes and B&Bs are located on the waterfront…beautiful.
I drove across one of the little bridges and noticed a “take away fish and chips” shop (really it looked like one of those snow-cone shacks) that was packed to the gills with people. By this time it is about 7:15pm and I was wanting some dinner so I decided to stop, grab a bit to eat and find out where I should stay for the night figuring this place should know what is happening in this sleepy little hallow.
Like any small town, everyone knows everything about anything happening in the town and this was true for Port Fairy. The guy behind the counter told me that the YHA had several beds available or Helen who owned the B&B across the street had one bed left for the night…the YHA would be cheaper but it was up to me to decide and they are both very nice places to stay. Me, being the sarcastic/teasing person that I am responded with a smirk and said “What if the bed at Helen’s is already taken for the night?” His response “I’d know about it, just like I know that you are going to be staying at the YHA tonight which makes one less available bed in this town.” Touché my friend, touché.
After following the directions of where to go to find the YHA I pulled up in front of this little gem. Adorable isn’t it? I walked inside to find Alison sitting at the front desk. She was very sweet and rented me a bed in a four person (all girls) room. She gave some recommendations on what to do in town and told me she would hold my room while I went to eat my dinner on the canal and walk around Griffith Island (her recommendation) to see the wallaby, the lighthouse, and these crazy birds that were here for the season. She let my put all my belongings in my room and pay her after I returned from my walk. I swear these Aussies are too trusting!
The fish and chips were outstanding! I was going to order the ‘whiting’ but the guy behind the counter said to order the flake fish…rule #43, never refuse a recommendation from the owner of a fish and chips shop. Eating them on the water front was the icing on the cake. After I finished my meal and looked at the map of the island I took off to see what I could find. The sun was setting so I was able to capture some amazing photos of the lighthouse. When I returned Alison asked if I would email them to her. She makes postcards out of her husband’s photos and sells them to the tourists for $0.50. So she is going to use some of my photos as well and give photo credit to yours truly…yes, another footprint left on this lovely continent…so if you are in Port Fairy stop by the local YHA and pick yourself up a postcard! She is also going to mail on to me and my dad for his collection.
The next morning I woke up around 6:15am and was out the door by 7am to grab a cup of joe from Rebecca’s Café, take a quick spin around the town, fill the car up with petrol and then head back toward the Twelve Apostles. I didn’t stop at several of the tourist points on my way to Port Fairy so I would make it before sun down but planned on seeing them on my way back.
On my drive back I was the only one on the road…again I had the windows down and the radio up…but this time instead of hearing classic rock or top 40s, I heard the sweet twang of Toby Keith singing 'Getcha Some.' I had actually found a country station! I haven’t heard country on the radio since I left the states…only on my iPod. I knew I would love this place…just like home…combines, tractors and cows…lots and lots of cows… They even have their own crossing sign.
On my way to re-visit the Twelve Apostles I stopped at the Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs, The Grotto and the London Bridge.
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| The Grotto |
Ever since I went to the Blue Grotto on the Island of Capri in Italy with Matthew, I’ve learned that you never pass up a chance to see a grotto, never… I was there all by myself because apparently the tour buses don’t stop at this site…what a pity because in my opinion, it is the best one on the map.
Apparently in Victoria Australia the London Bridge did in fact fall down. In 1990 the land mass connecting the mainland to this now island collapsed….
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| London Bridge |
After visiting the coastal sights I had to resign myself to the fact that I wouldn’t have time to visit the rain forests or do any of the hikes in order to get the car back in time before they closed so I headed back to Melbourne with a big smile on my face because I had just driven one of the most beautiful roads in the world!
Numbers at Random:
Kilometers driven in less than 24 hours: 760
Miles driven in less than 24 hours: 472
Total cost of petrol: $88.05 AUD
Average cost of petrol per liter: $1.33
Average cost of petrol per gallon: $5.01…no more complaining about gas prices in the US!
Total liters purchased: 66.55
Total gallons purchased: 17.58
Rental price for White Lightning: $83.14 AUD
The only thing missing: A 5 speed transmission
Miles driven in less than 24 hours: 472
Total cost of petrol: $88.05 AUD
Average cost of petrol per liter: $1.33
Average cost of petrol per gallon: $5.01…no more complaining about gas prices in the US!
Total liters purchased: 66.55
Total gallons purchased: 17.58
Rental price for White Lightning: $83.14 AUD
The only thing missing: A 5 speed transmission
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