Day 2 - Lakes Entrance to Warrnambool

Lakes Entrance to Warrnambool - 795 kms 10:35 hours.

This leg of the trip takes me through the Great Ocean Road. I have travelled down this road before and this time it will be in broad daylight the whole way through. It is also a longish leg so I have to find a balance between making distance and stopping to enjoy the sights

Once out on the road, I stopped at Darnam. I ended up just near the Big Stump. It is a 6 metre tall tree stump transplanted on the roadside. I don't know if this qualifies for one of the Big So and So tourist attractions as it is rather low key. I just stepped out of the car to use the toilets nearby and stretch my legs a bit.

To save some time, I did not hug the coast on the way to Melbourne. I will be doing that once I reach the Great Ocean Road anyway. But the effects of driving in Victoria started to catch up with me. Normally, you drive at near the speed limit and your speed drifts 5 kph on either side. In Victoria, I had heard they book you for driving over the limit by as much as 2 kph. So I drove below the limit and kept the variation much tighter. This can get quite stressful over hours. By the time I reached Melbourne, I really started feeling the weariness. Overcome by fatigue once I reached Melbourne, I took one of the exits. I was in an industrial area. I pulled over and took a nap. I woke up in about 30 minutes and I set off.

By 4 PM, I had reached the start of the Great Ocean Road. I had at least 4 hours of daylight left - enough to reach the end of this road. I pulled over and took photos whenever I felt like it.

At 6 PM, with plenty of daylight left, I passed Marengo where the Great Ocean Road leaves the coast and plunges into the Great Otway National Park. The road is flanked by tall trees. Then by 7 PM, I was back at the coast. This is the more famous part of the Great Ocean Road - the 12 Apostles and a few other well known lookouts.

Once again, I would reach my destination after the restaurants had closed but I was not about to forego a decent meal. I stopped at Port Campbell, found a restaurant (12 Rocks Beach Bar) and sat down with a cold beer, half a dozen oysters and a battered fish and chips. The dessert was a lemon sorbet but it was frozen solid and I packed it away to be eaten once I reach my motel. It was starting to get dark at 9 PM! Port Campbell marks almost the end of the Great Ocean Road. It continues along the coast and turns inland soon after, at the Bay of Islands.

I finally reached my motel to find reception closed. Fortunately, a Japanese tourist was in the same boat and had called the manager. Soon a sleepy and irritated manager turned up and gave us our keys. The room was pretty ordinary but, as usual, I am just there for the night, so I wouldn't care. I finished my now half-melted sorbet and went to bed.