After a smashing evening catching up with Drum, Doll and family in Mentone, we set off early for the Great Ocean Road... Ok, so not that early given we were hung over from the bottle of Bundaberg Rum which the 4 of us consumed, post the all-day drinking bbq, but pretty early nonetheless!!!

We took the scenic route along the Mornington Peninsula to Sorrento where we caught the ferry across the bay. Saved us a few miles round the bay and the city, as well as plonking us almost at the start of the Great Ocean Road.

Had a fab day cruising the highway. Me trying to keep the van on the winding cliff-top roads while fending off the now incessant plague of flies, while Rach clung on for dear life at every 90 degree bend and bump in the road! Sounds scary, but it wasn't and the scenery was amazing.

We stopped to enjoy the beach in Lorne, but the flies were simply too much, and on the verge of a nervous breakdown (mainly me, to be fair!), we hauled ass back to the van and hit the road again.

In the end we made it as far as Apollo Bay, where we parked up for the night. This would be a fairy unremarkable part of the story, if it hadn't been for the enormous Huntsman Spider i discovered sitting comfortably INSIDE the back window of the van. They say you learn a lot about people when they are under pressure and it has to be said that i handled the whole thing with a stunning amount of calm and authority... i slowly made a retreat from the van, waited for Rachel to get back from the toilet. On her return, we calmly opened the back door of the van, debated for about 15 minutes what the most sensible course of action would be... at which point i started throwing apples at it! My aim wasn't what it should've been and after a few attempts, the spider simply flattened itself out into the position known as "the crab" and went nowhere.

Eventually cooler heads prevailed... i had one more stab at talking it down, before i took to it with the spatula! I succeeded in removing one leg, but it still took off at a frightening speed over the top of the van. At this point, Rachel picked up the batton and sped after it as it cleared the top of the van and descended the windscreen, where it met a rather crunchy end, as Rachel's 3rd hefty blow finally pinned it to the glass!

There are no photos... we are lucky to even be here to tell the tale...

The following night we would be staying at the Holiday Inn in Melbourne....