Gully and Elise's Travel Blog: The Great Ocean Road

The first stop on our camping trip was the Great Ocean Road, a 250 km stretch of road east of Melbourne. This road follows the coast, and also goes inland past rolling farmer’s fields and forests. It is a very beautiful drive, but somehow we found that it was lacking a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ that we couldn’t put our finger on. Then we realized it – Australia’s cliff-hugging ocean-side highways just have nothing on the ones in Eastern Europe and South America. A road wide enough for two, or even three cars? Signs warning of tight curves and road hazards? Guard rails? Where’s the fun in that? And everyone drives so politely and slowly – like they actually value their health and lives.

Another observation about the Great Ocean Road is that every second vehicle is a 20-year old camper van or station wagon, packed to the brim with unwashed backpackers. So I guess we’re not really blazing any new and unprecedented trails in Australia, we’re really just stuck on the same old backpacker trail. It’s actually nice to be following the crowd for once. And camping in Australia is great – because it’s free!!! There are little camp areas and rest areas everywhere where you can just park your tent for a night or two, and not pay a dime. The only problem is the lacks of shower facilities – hence the unwashed-ness. I can say from experience that there is something undignified about standing in your underwear in an open field having your boyfriend pour water on your head while you try to rinse the conditioner out of your hair.

-E