Our journey along the surf coast and beyond has been quite eventful...we've seen koalas AND kangaroos in the wild for the first time, we've experienced bush-camping and we've learnt (the hard way!) that sleeping in a public place (i.e. within a town) is prohibited in Australia!

After leaving Melbourne last Tuesday (23rd Feb) we headed southwest, stopping at Geelong for lunch looking over the waterfront, then east of there to explore the 'Bellarine' peninsula. Here we stopped at Point Lonsdale for views of Port Phillip Bay and the Mornington Peninsula across the water. Afterwards we continued around the peninsula to Ocean Grove where we hit the water to practice our surfing. It was quite choppy so balancing was a bit of an issue for both of us! We'd scoped out the area beside the beach earlier and decided this place would be perfect to free-camp for the night. There were showers (cold, but we're starting to get used to that!), a free electric BBQ area and no signs suggesting that camping was prohibited, so we slept beside the beach for the night...bliss!

On Wednesday we continued around the peninsula, stopping briefly at Barwon Heads, before heading to Torquay, Victoria's surf capital. It was here that Ripcurl and Quiksilver were first established and the town has huge warehouses containing massively discounted stock as a result...if only money wasn't so tight!! We decided to check into a campsite as Brucey was in need of a power boost for the fridge, but were begrudging spending the money to do so after our amazing free camp venue the night before! So to warrant the cost, we checked into one with a pool and spent the whole day chilling out on the sunbeds beside it!

It was really cloudy first thing on Thursday so we decided to use this time to take a look around all of the surf warehouses. Despite wanting to buy a lot more, we bought a pair of flip flops each (I've broken 2 pairs since being away and Alex has just about worn threw the sole of his!) and a teeny Ripcurl wetsuit for me (this isn't even a 'shorty' it's more like a swimming costume, but it was reduced from about 75 quid to about 9 quid and will keep the necessaries warm!!) By the time we emerged into the daylight, the cloud had cleared, so we headed to Jan Juc, a beach just outside of town for more (attempts at) surfing. We hadn't yet decided where we were staying that night, but had been aware whilst driving around town that there were a lot of signs saying that sleeping in vehicles was prohibited. These signs were also placed in some of the tiers of the Jan Juc car park, but not the car parks that were further up the road, so after showering by the beach and using the free BBQs back in town, we returned to a car park further up the road to sleep the night... That sleep was interrupted early the next morning by a loud banging on the van door and a man asking us to open up and show him our ID!!

The guy turned out to be a 'surf coast local law enforcement officer' who issued us with a $125 fine for sleeping in our van in a public place! He actually did us a favour in that it should have been $125 per person and he also suggested that we write a letter to the council to appeal the fine. So we've written said letter and we're currently awaiting the verdict! We left Torquay that morning, feeling less love for the place! Continuing along the Great Ocean Road, we stopped off briefly at Bell's Beach, a famous surf beach, for a quick look at the waves (too big for us!) We then continued to Anglesea where the waves were a more manageable size. I even managed to start balancing on the board - I wouldn't call it surfing yet, but I'm getting closer! Given the fate that had befallen us the night before we made sure we checked out the free-camping options nearby in the visitors information site and were told about a bushcamp called 'Big Hill Track' inland from Lorne so we headed there for the night. You'll be pleased to hear (Mum!) that we turned down the offer of a bed at a guy called Roger's place. He approached us in the car park 'cause he wanted to look at the van, then offered his house to us for the night! We considered for a while (I genuinely think he was just being friendly!) but thought it was best not tempt fate again!

On Saturday, the weather had changed completely - it was overcast and chilly! We decided to continue along the coast to Apollo Bay. On route we saw our first koalas in the wild - they were at the side of the highway! We ate lunch at Apollo Bay and bought some fresh fish ('Trevally') from the harbour to cook that evening. We then continued to Johanna Beach, where there was a free-camp site right beside the beach. If the surf is no good at Bell's Beach, they hold the annual Rip Curl contest here instead. Suffice to say they were not conditions that we wanted to attempt!

On Sunday it was still overcast so we continued further along the Great Ocean Road to Port Campbell where we checked into a campsite (we were in need of a decent shower - not one beside the beach!) On route, we stopped at the 12 Apostles (although finding 12 is pretty impossible from the viewing point!), then at Loch Ard Gorge. It was here that a ship, the Loch Ard, hit a reef and sank in 1878. Of 53 people on board, only 2 survived. They were swept through a narrow gorge and onto a small beach and the boy dragged the other survivor, a young girl, into a cave before heading to find help. You can access the beach and see the cave where they sheltered. Whilst here we bumped into a load of Japanese tourists and for some reason they wanted their pictures taken with us! I took a pic of Alex with one guy 'cause I thought it was so funny, but then I got dragged into the pics too!! That evening we had kangaroo sausages ('kanga bangas') for tea! Probably not a purchase we'd make again in a hurry!

We continued along the coast on Monday, stopping at the other main limestone formations that are all along this stretch of coast. London Bridge was one of these. You used to be able to walk along the top of this, but in 1990 the outer span collapsed and fell into the sea minutes after 2 people had crossed it! They had to be rescued by helicopter from the far limestone cliff, but fled when the press arrived because apparently they were having an affair! Afterwards, we continued to the end of the Great Ocean Road to Warrnambool, where we stopped for our lunch. The weather still wasn't great and the sea still rough as a result, so we decided to stay on dry land and head inland from here to the Grampians National Park. We drove to the middle of the park, spotting several wallabies along the way, before stopping at one of the bushcamps. We learnt what a 'bush shower' was (see pics!) and swiftly decided against having one!!

We awoke on Tuesday to find a couple of kangaroos by the van! They didn't seem overly bothered by us-they were just looking around for food! We donned our walking boots and headed off to do some of the walks around the area. The first of these was a short walk down to Mackenzie Falls (ok going down, but strenous to come back up to the carpark!). Next we headed to the 'Balconies', a rock that looks like the the open jaw of a reptile! In the afternoon, we headed north in the park along some dirt tracks, before following a short walking track to the Gulgurn Manja Shelter, where there is some aboriginal rock art. We then tackled the walk up a hill called Hollow Mountain. As you will see from the pics, some of this was like rock-climbing rather than walking! Well worth the effort though - the views were stunning. That night we headed back to the same bushcamp that we'd been in the night before.

On Wednesday morning we decided to attempt the walk to the 'Pinnacles', despite the Rough Guide stating that it was for fit walkers and that you should avoid it if you suffered from vertigo! It was a pretty strenuous walk overand through amazing rock formations, including a part known as the 'Grand Canyon' before reaching the summit for an incredible view out over the park from a fairly scary rock that hung out over the drop! After lunch, we left the Grampians and headed west to Penola (home of the just Sainted Saint Mary Mackillop!). On route we made our second state-crossing... into South Australia! We stopped at the visitors centre to ask about nearby places to stay and spotted an outdoor public swimming pool, so decided to have a quick dip before using the free BBQs in the park to cook our tea. We then headed just outside of town to a rest area, also used by lorries, to sleep for the night! The facilities were basic to say the least... there wasn't even a toilet!

The rest area was in the middle of the Coonawarra wine region - basically a long road with about 30 wineries all along it! So on Thursday, we headed to the 7 recommended by the Rough Guide to do some tasting! We started this at 10am and left the last winery at around half 2 in the afternoon. Alex was driving so had been sensible about the wines that he tried, whereas I was trying them all, so an hour later, I had a TERRIBLE headache as I remembered why drinking in the afternoon (or morning!) is never a good idea! Afterwards, we headed back towards the coast where we checked into a campsite in Mount Gambier - our current destination. The only powered sites available had ensuite facilities - basically a little block with a toilet and shower in that you park right next to and are given the only key to - what a well-deserved treat after roughing it for so long!