So, I mentioned that Jeff's dad rented a motorcycle. The main reason for doing this (other than to impress our neighbours and our kids) was so that he could ride the GOR. He was pumped. For the entire week leading up to our trip he checked the weather (a few times daily) and then discovered that with the google maps satellite feature he could track the entire road and even see the whitecaps on the swells hitting the beach. It kept raining in Melbourne but Kevin assured me that it could not rain like this for much longer - it just couldn't. Luckily for all of us, he was right this time!Jeff took Friday off and we all piled into the Tarago, all of us except Kevin, who put on his biker gear, donned his "tough guy" black helmet with the tinted visor and we hit the road. I managed not to lose Kevin (or get him killed) as we left Melbourne. Now remember the last time we attempted this trip - just as we arrived in Lorne (120 km from Melbourne) Maddy yacked all over her clothes, her carseat and left our rental van reaking for the remainder of our journey. This time I was prepared. We had a pot lined with plastic bags, all of her clothes were easily removable if puke-stained, extra clothes for everyone, febreeze in the car, I even had a short sleeve shirt on so I could hold her without getting covered in puke, I was ready! Thankfully there was no puke at all on the holiday.
Friday we drove to Torquay, played in the amazing adventure playground close to the beach, ate a quick lunch at the golden arches - Maddy now claps and says "Donalds- park - nuggets" when she spots one - a sad feeling as a parent. We then got back in the car and drove all of the way to Apollo Bay, where we were staying the night. It rained as we were leaving Melbourne (enough that Kevin wanted his rain suit for the bike) but held off for most of the drive. Apollo Bay is less trendy than Lorne but it is more of a half-way point between Melbourne and Warrnambool (the end of the GOR). Our 3-bdrm apt, was really a 2-bdrm with bunk beds in the living room - not the most favourable set-up for our family but it was sufficient for one night. There was a good park but we eventually decided that the beach was the place to be and we were graced with a beautiful double rainbow. Eating in a restaurant with kids that have been cooped up in the car all day is NEVER the best idea, but we tried to have a nice dinner in a bistro on the main strip. Unfortunately for us, most "nice" restaurants have only 1 highchair. This makes eating with our kids MUCH less enjoyable. The food was fine, service was less than hospitable, and we made it back to the hotel to watch some tv. We thought maybe we could just let Wyatt fall asleep naturally (since he didn't really have a room) but at about 9:30, after a few hours of the Simpons (no kids channel here) we decided we might need to take some serious action and so Jeff went to bed with him in the same room as the twins, while I took the bunk in the living room. We knew this was not the end of our night, and I was roused by the distinctive cries of both Cooper and Maddy at about 11. I chose Cooper to sleep with me out on the bunk - a big mistake as he has my grandfathers snore and was unable to really rest in my company. Another rough night, Jeff and his folks took the kids to a cafe for breakfast while I showered so as to feel human again.
On the road again, we traveled to the most photographed stretch of road in Australia (if not the world), the stretch from Apollo Bay to Port Campbell National park is littered with scenic lookouts and amazing sights. We hit the 12 Apostles (as you might imagine, Wyatt, Cooper and Maddy didn't appreciate the stunning peacefulness of the landscape), the blowhole, London Bridge, the Grotto and then had a quick lunch in Port Campbell.
We did the last stretch to Warrnambool without stopping and enjoyed an early evening at Lake Pertrobe (a wonderful spot for kids with at least 4 different playgrounds, a maze, boat rides, pelicans, ponds, tires, etc...) and then learned from the previous night, checked into the StoneCutters Inn, our 3 bdrm-loft apt (beautiful! and well set up, 2 bdrms upstairs with a bathroom, and one downstairs with a gas fireplace, no bathtub but oh, well...) and we ordered some pizza and ate in. This went so well, we also picked up some cereal and milk and had brekkie in the apt. then went and played at the park in the morning. Forgot to mention that we went whale watching from a platform near the "Whale Nursery", a bay where the right whales are known no calve their young. Very cool to be able to see whales without having to get on a boat and go searching for them. Notice in the pic that a surfer is getting quite close to the whales...this is not permitted.
The last day, Kevin decided to go back the way we had come so he could see the GOR in both directions, while we took the more direct highway route in order to get back to Melbourne quicker and spare the kids more car time.
This drive covers some stunning ground. From cliffs and ocean views to dense forest hills and amazing farm pastures. Jeff and I are interested to see what the drive is like in the summer in full tourist season...maybe we'll even write another blog about it....
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