Melbourne to Adelaide Road Trip

After about a month of living and working in Melbourne, Tash and I decided to hire a car and drive to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road and the Grampians, taking a slight detour to see the penguins on Phillip Island.

Phillip Island

Instead of spending $80 on a tour from Melbourne, we decided to visit Phillip Island whilst we had a hire car to save money. The Little Penguin is the world's smallest penguin, and Phillip Island is one of the best places to see them in their natural environment. At dusk, people come to watch up to a thousand wild Little Penguins emerge from the sea where they've been feeding and march across the beach to their sand dune burrows. It was an amazing experience to see nature in full force and outside of a zoo. Februarywas the ideal time of year for us to go because it's when the younger penguins aren't yet old enough to fish, meaning we could catch glimpses of them in their burrows as we walked down to the seafront to wait for the 'show' to begin. After sitting on the tiered benches for almost an hour with the freezing wind whipping harshly against our faces, we finally saw the first few penguins begin to emerge from the waves. I could almost hear David Attenborough's voice as one penguin - who had been separated from the rest of his group - retreated back into the sea when he realised his vulnerability at leaving the water on his own. But being in a group didn't necessarily mean they were free from danger. Well, perhaps 'danger' is a bit strong, but it can't be nice for the Little Penguins to be greeted by a flock of mischievous seagulls teasing and pecking at them when they finally do reach the shore. The whole thing was incredible to watch, the only disappointment was not being able to take photos, but after all the stress the poor little creatures endure during their commute home from work, it's quite right that everything is done to avoid causing them any more.

The next day we drove towards Sorrento (where we had spent a month working in a sailing club at the beginning of the year) and took the ferry across to Geelong. We had to pay $60 to do this, however it seemed to make more sense than heading all the way back to Melbourne and driving around. We were told that the views from the ferry on the journey over are very beautiful, but unfortunately we missed it all as we slept for the whole ride, desperately trying to recover from spending an extremely uncomfortable night's sleep in the car.

Again in a bid to save money, we slept in our car instead of paying for hostels. We didn't even pay for campsites; instead we parked the car down residential side streets, but being discreet was especially tricky with me leaning on the horn in my sleep all the time.

We were really looking forward to reaching the Great Ocean Road as it's one of the most scenic drives in Australia (which is a big deal for a country whose majority of scenery comprises mile upon mile of baron, burned out, dry wasteland). And the sites along 151 miles of coastline definitely didn't disappoint.

The Twelve Apostles

Probably the most famous of the Great Ocean Road's landmarks are the Twelve Apostles. It was early evening as we neared the 12 limestone formations jutting out of the sea, and as we had our hearts set on seeing them at sunset, we drove as quickly as we dared around the hairpin bends and made it just in time. We bought fish and chips and watched the sunset whilst eating them and drinking red wine. Despite the other tourists, the gentle waves lapping at the shore was calming and the atmosphere was peaceful and serene.

After another agonizing night's sleep in the car, the next morning we tried to sneak into a nearby campsite in Princetown to use the shower in an effort to make ourselves feel more normal. Embarrassingly we were caught by the campsite owner just as we were about to make our escape and after a long angry lecture he forced us to pay $10 each for the privilege of using his facilities. Fair enough I suppose, that'll teach us not to steal.

We continued our journey along the Great Ocean Road, stopping at the Bay of Martyrs and the Bay of Islands. The coastal scenery is absolutely stunning, however the road doesn't run parallel to the ocean the whole way, which is a bit disappointing. Although, there's no denying the tree-lined roads which frame meadows that stretch endlessly off into the horizon are beautiful in their own right too.

The Grampians

At Portland we left the Great Ocean Road and drove up to the Grampians National Park. In comparison, this leg of our journey was less impressive visually and extremely deserted. Feeling a bit spooked out we drove through the eerie trees without stopping, our fear further heightened by Tash's mention of the film 'Wolf Creek'. A story about three backpackers who get lost, attacked and murdered in the Australian outback by a madman, it wasn't the best film to watch whilst travelling around Australia. At least I watched it after I'd been to Hughenden though.

Halls Gap

We made it through the Grampians alive and stopped at Halls Gap for some lunch after reading in the Lonely Planet that it's the most visited place in Victoria. I can't imagine why. Not only is it tiny, but our hopes of a cheap and cheerful lunchtime sandwich were well and truly dashed when we discovered that the only cafe in the whole place sells grotty fish and chips at the extortionate price of $19 per portion.

Hahndorf

After a disappointing lunch, we continued on towards Adelaide and decided to treat ourselves to some dinner in the German village of Hahndorf. Compared to the soulless truck-stop towns we kept passing through, we were pleasantly surprised with quaint, characterful Hahndorf. We ate delicious reasonably priced Asian food at the Mustard Seed Restaurant, but the icing on top of the cake was the first taste of authentic South Australian Shiraz that accompanied our meals.

About an hour outside of Adelaide I became totally captivated by South Australia's hilly landscape. We witnessed a gorgeous sunset, whereby the sun cast its rays over the rolling hills, turning them from dull greens and browns to blinding shades of amber and gold. It was the perfect end to our roadtrip and a warm welcome to South Australia's capital.