This past weekend was one for the books. Not only did I get to drive on the opposite side of the road, which felt surprisingly normal, but I got to see a bunch of Australia's coast line and go on a rad three day road trip. With only our car, hostels, and an end location of Adelaide planned, the weekend led to some amazing sites and memories. On Friday we headed out of Melbourne mid-day toward Torquay to begin our journey along the coast. From there we hopped on the Great Ocean Road, a highway that follows the coast of Australia. Along the way we stopped at view points, random beaches, and drove past small surf towns, beautiful canopied trees, and amazing ocean views. We made it to Port Campbell, a tiny coastal town made up of only one street with a few shops and restaurants, by about 8 that night. The hostel we stayed at was one of the nicest I have been in, 10/10 would recommend.
On Saturday we woke up at the crack of dawn to catch the sunrise over the Twelve Apostle's (a sunrise view is always worth an early morning wake up call and this sunrise did not disappoint). From there we continued down the coast stopping at other iconic Australian places such as London's Bridge, the Gorge, the Grotto, Blue Lake, and so many other beautiful sites. It was a full day of adventuring and driving and was my favorite day of the trip. When driving that night, we pulled over to look at the stars. It was a surreal moment, in the middle of no-where with no light pollution and a clear sky. The stars stretched all around us and seemed so insanely close. It was my favorite moment of the whole trip, one that made me feel small and at peace in the universe. We made it to our hostel in Adelaide around 9 that night and got checked in by a DAAP grad (WHAT, small world), working in Australia for a year. It was a wonderful day and night with great company.
On Sunday we drove around Adelaide before heading to Glenelg, a vibrant seaside town, to walk around the pier and grab some breakie before heading back to Melbourne. It was the perfect end to the perfect weekend before hopping in the car and driving the 9 hours back to Melbourne. As you can see from the pictures below Australia does not disappoint (musings continued after):
3 chocolate bars, 10+ jam sessions, 3 successful games of 20 questions, 5 overtaken cars, 4 spilled boxes of Shapes, 2 rad sunsets, and 500+ km later I am feeling overwhelmed with love for the beauty of Australia and still can't believe I get to call this place home for the next few months. Also shoutout to my rad road-trip pals. There is something about being in a car with a group of people, with nothing but a destination planned that is unlike anything else. I am so thankful for the wonderful people I have met during my time here and their love for adventure and new experiences, I can't wait to see what adventure comes next.
Cheers - keleniak
p.s. Before this experience I promised myself I would do one new/possibly scary thing a week: This week that was driving on the left side of the road/right side of the car, an nerve-wracking/exciting experience, but one that felt surprisingly normal.