Before J had to fly back to Germany on business, we took advantage of the only full weekend that she had downunder and got the hell out of Dodge. To be accurate - it was out of Melbourne, and a very spontaneous escape.After a confusing week at work where stuff just seemed to be going wrong, I was ready for change. Coming home, I put it to J that we should cruise down the Great Ocean Road and go see the 12 Apostles - a sight that I had always wanted to see, and I knew that J was going to also love the area.
On Saturday after visiting the South Melbourne markets for food supplies, we picked up a Saab Turbo convertible from Avis; a quick stop home to stuff some clothes into a bag, and we were off!
A warm, clear Spring day meant that the car roof was down, and remained that way for most of the weekend. Clearing the motorway, we were soon passing through Geelong (sorry Wendy, we will pop in one day!) and on our way to the coast.
The Saab - our baby for the weekend!It was heaven. The cool salty sea air, the warming heat from the sun, great company, a cool car and stunning scenery - we couldn't have had it better.
We briefly stopped at Apollo Bay for a stretch before carrying on.
The fishing boat harbour at Apollo BayAs we had heard that the 12 Apostles were best viewed at either sunrise or sunset, and we had no idea of how long it was going to take us to get there, we didn't want to risk arriving too late. Our timing was perfect, and we joined the hundreds of other people lining the cliffs to watch the sun set behind the main cluster of outcrops. The crowd reminded us of our similar experience when viewing the sunset at Ia on the Greek Island of Santorini!
The 2 Apostles to the east of the main bunch - the light was sublimeWe hadn't booked any accommodation, and the number of people that were at the 12 Apostles lookout had us worried that we would be sleeping in the car. We headed into the nearest town of Port Campbell, and were lucky enough to get the last room in one of the better looking motels; albeit highly overpriced. After a less than memorable meal in the motel restaurant where the chef had used about a kilo of garlic in our pasta, we were soon in the spa bath in our room, drinking wine and relaxing after a great day in the fresh air.
We weren't in any hurry on Sunday morning and made it out of the motel by 10am. J was desperate for a caffeine fix, so we bought coffee and croissants and sat by Port Campbell Bay before starting the drive back to Melbourne.
Port Campbell BayMoving more leisurely now, we first stopped at Loch Ard Gorge, so named after a ship of the same name foundered on rocks in a storm; 52 lost their lives and only 2 managed to survive.
The Loch Ard Gorge reserve is part of the Port Campbell National Park (which also includes The Twelve Apostles), and is a beautiful area with lots of walking trails to the various bays within the park. We did a couple of the shorter walks before continuing on our way. 
We stopped at the 12 Apostles again to see them during daylight. I doubt that there would be any time of the day in which these promontories would not be picturesque - it's a magnificent part of the planet.
We were reminded that we were in Australia by sighting koalas in the gum trees lining the road that lead from the main highway to Cape Otway! The cape was often the first sighting of land that ships would have of Australia if they had ventured around the bottom of the African Continent on their travels eastwards.Built in 1848 and only the second lighthouse to be on mainland Australia at that time, the 18m sandstone tower was decommissioned in 1994 and replaced with a small solar-powered beacon.
The telegraph house could send telegrams by morse code to anywhere in the world, but was mostly used for local transmissions between ships and the shore.
Cape Otway played a part in the mysterious disappearance of 20 year old aviator Fred Valentich, who disappeared in his Cessna 182 in 1978, during a flight from Melbourne to King Island. Fred reported to air traffic control that he had reached Cape Otway, but soon came back on air to say that he was being buzzed by an unidentified object while flying over Bass Strait. Fred and his plane were never seen again, and no trace or wreckage has ever been found. Read more about it here. After leaving Cape Otway, we drove back into Apollo Bay where we stopped for lunchtime fish and chips from the Greek-run fish shop, before driving for home.
There's so much area and variety to explore in Victoria, and we have great intentions of doing it all whenever J can make it back here. This week however, we're meeting in Mauritius for a week of sun, relaxation and catching up with some dear friends.
See you on the other side!