The Great Ocean Road.....

...is very aptly named. We had a great trip from Adelaide to Melbourne. We hired our usual choice of economy compact car. It was a bit of a struggle with all the extra kit that travels with little Ethan. We just about managed to fit the pram and travel cot and everything else in.

I'm going to run through all the places where we stopped for our own benefit really - don't mean to bore you.

First stop - Robe - beautiful bay. Watched a gorgeous sunset over the water. Rented a large cottage (Campbell Cottages) just set back from the main street. Barbecued kangaroo steaks in the dark. Ian was determined to have the full aussie barbie experience despite slightly inclement weather and no outdoor lighting. Good meat though!

Anbother long day's drive to Port Fairy. Bit of an issue choosing accommodation. Lots on offer but already getting more expensive. Eventually found little hotel called the Dublin Inn which was attached to a very fine (too expensive) restaurant. Spent most of the next day at Port Fairy. Walked out along the river to the sea and the lighthouse. Disturbed a brown snake in the undergrowth about to go in for the kill with something small and furry that managed to make a getaway when we inadvertently created a diversion. Really liked Port Fairy. Used to be called Belfast as it was founded by two men from Belfast who set up a whaling business.

After a brief stop in Port Campbell we headed on to the Twelve Apostles. We stopped at a few of the wonderful viewing points along the way (Loch Ard, London Bridge). It was getting late by the time we reached the area of the Twelve Apostles so we went a few kilomteres inland to a Motel and Country Retreat. It was run by two retired police officers, a man and wife team. We had a motel room within baby monitor distance of our room. Their menu was home cooking with no frills which was great. It was a really stormy night that night. We had a chat over dinner with a couple who had driven down from Mildura (about 8 hours inland) and were on their way to Melbourne for the Rolling Stones concert - a 50th birthday present from their kids. They were really sweet people - proper cowboys. We didn't ever find out their names. The man said they had brought up 3 kids and they had always had a roof over their head and food on the table so they had a lot to be thankful for. He was very gently spoken and took his time because there was no need to rush anything. Taking time over things has been a challenge to me on this holiday. I have decided that i miss a lot of pleasures in life because i don't stop long enough to enjoy them as my brain is already busy planning or anticipating the next thing. This is accentuated with a baby when some planning is necessary so that you can have flexibility in your day.

First thing next morning we decided to go and see the Twelve Apostles themselves - although there are only 8 or 9 left. We drove past the visitor centre which was on the opposite side of the road to the sea. It looked a bit busy so we drove on a bit further. Anyway, somehow we managed to miss them! We saw a few from the other end I think and got some photos but we didn't go the point from which all the famous photos are taken. It was a very wet day that day. We headed inland to the rainforest of the Otways and went to the Otway Fly Treetop Walk. A metal walk way through a forest 25 metres from the forest floor. Very impressive if a little disconcerting. I was disappointed that we didn't see any wildlife but the forest was pretty amazing. The day brightened up in the afternoon and we settled down for the evening at Apollo Bay in a tourist park. We rented a 4 star 2 bed cabin for 50 quid. It had a bath spa and a fabulous view over the most spectacular bay.

I had my first run on the beach the next morning. Previously i had kept to the coastal paths but the sand was fine as long as I kept to the very edge of the water where it was firm. I have been getting very poetic meditating on the sea and may blog about it later. In fact I have been feeling more creative all round. I used to be very arty at school. I haven't had much desire to paint since then until this holiday. It is amazing how much more colourful the world around us can look if you look at while imagining painting it. Nothing that we look at is composed of a single colour.

We were very tempted to stay and extra night in Apollo Bay but Easter was approaching and we wanted to bed down somewhere for the last three days before we had to catch our plane from Melbourne to Canberra. We opted for the Mornington Peninsula just south of Melbourne. A favourite destination for Melbournians. Again we found a 2 bed cabin. Not quite as luxurious and no spa this time but we didn't have much choice as most places were fully booked. The beaches here weren't as pretty and the weather was a bit cooler but we loved just reading books and lazing around. We did visit one vineyard here - Willow Creek. They don't export which is unfortunate as they have fabulous white wines. The tasting set up was excellent. I tried about 8 wines plus a couple of extra ones that weren't meant to be for tasting. We were served by a Kiwi who was working in the vineyard in his retirement. He had been a businessman and lived in England (the Cotsolds) for a year. He and his wife turned to Australia after a year as they were disappointed that they couldn't fit into the community. They had spoken to their neighbours at their semi-detahced property once in the whole year when they went to introduce themselves. He said their removal man, who was from London originally, told them not to take it personally as he had been there 20 years and no one made an effort to get to know him in all those years. What a shame!

i saw very little of Melbourne itself. We will have to save it for the next trip. We caught our flight without any problems. Ethan chalked up about 12 "techinical pulls" at the airport (getting women to smile at him). He beat his father by the slimest of margins.

We have been back in Batemans Bay since Sunday and head to Sydney to catch our flight to NZ this coming Sunday. We have one night in Sydney and then fly on to Auckland on Monday. Really looking forward to that but for now I am loving it here. Temperatures in the high 20s and lots and lots of sun. We took Ethan into the sea a couple of days ago. He didn't quite know what to make of it. He lvoed looking at the water but didn't like it coming at him.

Pictures soon I promise. Cheerio for now xx