The Great Ocean Road

You will appreciate what I am about to describe if you have ever driven along a stretch of bumpy, pot-holed stretch of road and then come across a sign warning of "Bump Ahead". It is as if the Roads department only had six signs warning of bumps and the crews had to choose the spots they thought were the worst.

Here we were, driving along the Great Ocean Road (GOR), an absolutely stunning drive along the South Coast of Australia just west of Melbourne, constantly climbing and descending around hairpin turns and switchbacks with the sea on our left and cliffs on both sides. What does the sign say? Winding roads next 4 km. Who's kidding who? The road was no less winding after the sign than what we just experienced! That is, they were amazing. The entire drive along the GOR was perfect. It was worth the two days to get there.

We actually left a couple of days earlier and travelled along the Princes Highway to a town called Lakes Entrance. The driving that day was clear and smooth. Stopping for a coffee break, lunch, and the occasional stroll on one the roadside beaches was the recipe for a perfect day. Lakes Entrance is a very touristy town which is known as an area with a very high concentration of fresh-water lakes: a general rarity in Australia. We stayed in a tidy place called the Heyfield Motel (highly recommended), had barramundi and chips for dinner (highly recommended), and went for a 6km walk along the seashore (highly recommended). We slept well that night and set off early for Melbourne the following morning.

Our drive to Melbourne was also good. The skies were overcast, the scenery was rolling and beautiful, and we did pass over the Snowy River. We did not want to go into the Melbourne, which is situated at the north end of Port Phillip, but chose to take the ferry from Portsea at the end of the Mornington Peninsula across the channel which opens up into the ocean. The ferry crossing was about 45 minutes and by then the sun had come out. Arriving on the other side of the peninsula, we located, without too much difficulty, an older hotel room in a town called Ocean Grove. A very nice feature of all our accommodation so far has been the availability of kettles, bowls, plates, and cutlery to use in your room, and on this night we had some tasty pasties, and dessert. We slept well.

The Great Ocean Road was our destination the next day. In addition to the great driving and scenery was our stop for coffee in Wye River, groceries in Lorne, London Bridge, Gibson's Steps (where we were able to climb down to the sea - see photo), the Twelve Apostles, and the Grotto. Have I used the word "amazing" yet? At 5PM we decided to head back towards Melbourne.

By 7:45PM we were in Melbourne seeking accommodation. Due to the Australian Open and a Poker tournament rooms were difficult to come by. Thanks to the very kind assistance of a clerk at a downtown hotel, we were able to locate a room in St. Kilda's: an area known for its bars, nightlife, pier, and proximity to Albert Park where the Australian F1 race is held in March. As per our routine, we had dinner in our room and followed that up with a walk to the end of the pier; this gave us a perfect photo of Melbourne at night. We slept well.

The next morning we walked around Albert Park and then drove off to Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral; Bishop Peter Stasiuk, the Ukrainian bishop for all of Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania, was formerly the parish priest at Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Toronto, which was my parish. It was nice to visit with him as we caught up with some news and heard about his preparations for World Youth Day in Sydney. The rest of our day was spent touring downtown Melbourne, going to the Queen Victoria Market (where John bought a green, brimmed hat with the Aussie kangaroo on it), taking the free tram around the City Circle, and enjoying the great weather. We headed off towards home and three hours later found ourselves in the town of Chiltern, Victoria, just outside of New South Wales. Our accommodation that evening was excellent and is highly recommended.

After a stop at the Chiltern Bakery the following morning, we sped off, in the rain, towards Batemans Bay. Eight hours later we reached our destination. Our drive included stopping in Corryong, the town dedicated to The Man From Snowy River, travelling through the Snowy Mountains, and making our final descent to Batemans Bay down the slopes of Clyde Mountain.

Imagine taking the Great Ocean Road with all of its twists, turns, and steep drop-offs, bringing it inland a few hundred kilometres, and removing all of its guardrails: that is what the Snowy Mountains were all about. It is no wonder that drivers are obliged to put chains on their tires for some sections of the road in winter; they would be impossible to traverse in the snow without them. Along the way we also caught a glimpse of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme which is a massive hydro-electric project built decades ago and which, I am led to believe, provides a good portion of Eastern Australia with its power.

After turning east at Canberra we headed towards home. About thirty-five kilometres out of Batemans Bay, the Snowy Mountains appeared out of nowhere! Where did all these cliffs, and hairpin turns come from? It was the Clyde Mountain. We were making our descent from 1000+ metres above sea level to sea level, and it was quite the drive. The descent seemed to go on for 15 to 20 kilometres, and all we wanted was a stretch of straight road after all the hours of turning back and forth. This last stretch of highway from Canberra to Batemans Bay is known as the King's Highway.

This place is beautiful.