Leaving the Tent

Once we were settled in our new temporary home, we began to relax and explore our surroundings. Wye River is hours away from Melbourne, accessible by bus to those of us lacking an automobile. The town consists of the Big4 Holiday Park, a pub, and a small general store, both wildly overpriced. The nearest town is a half hour bus ride, or over an hour to a town with decent prices. Luckily, we caught a ride into Torquay for groceries with Sharna and Damo, 2 of the permanent caretakers at the campgrounds, and got enough food to last us weeks!

We worked when the park was busy, mostly on the weekends. Kent spent his Friday and Saturday nights as security guard from 10:30-2:30am. We lazed on the beach when it was sunny, occasionally going for a dip in the "refreshing" (cold) sea. We indulged in rotisserie chicken and chocolate cake for Kent's birthday. We played board games and card games, cooked barbecues, and explored the local area. Sharna and Damo took us to see glow worms along some deserted trails one night and another time We picked wild blackberries and made pancakes. We prayed our tent wouldn't blow away when storms came through, and I gave Kent a haircut. We made some awesome friends and exciting traveling plans.

After making our furtune as casual cleaners and security guard, we couldn't wait to begin exploring the rest of this huge continent. We joined forces with Hannah and Emma, 2 British girls who were also working with us at Wye River, and we arranged to see the rest of the Great Ocean Road and the State of Victoria, and make our way to Adelaide via car rental and campervan relocation.

Picking up the rental car in Melbourne, we made our way along the southern coast until we reached Port Fairy. There were some beautiful sights along the Great Ocean Road, our favorites being the 12 Apostles and the Bay of Martyrs. In Port Fairy we had a treat because all I wanted for my birthday was fish and chips! We found a great "fish and chippery" right on the wharf and indulged in battered flake and yummy chips (fries).

From Port Fairy, we turned north toward the Grampians National Park. In a town called Hall's Gap we found accommodation and close encounters with kangaroos who wandered into the campgrounds looking for food. After the 4 of us enjoyed many gin and tonics, music, and card games, Hannah, Emma, and Kent presented me with my homemade chocolate birthday cake, which was absolutely delicious, especially with Kent's homemade lemon zest whipped cream. I even had a candle to blow out!

The next day we toured the Grampians including Baroka Lookout, the Balconies, and MacKenzie Falls. With a short stop in Ballarat, we continued back to Melbourne to pick up the next vehicle, a "relocation" from Melbourne to Adelaide in a Maui 4x4 pop-top campervan. But that is an adventure for another day...