Today was the start of our campervan adventure which I (Tom) had been looking forward to for a long time! The first challenge was actually getting the campervan. We booked the pick up from Melbourne- what we didn't realise was this meant a suburb of Melbourne, miles away from the extensive public transport system. It was like that film planes, trains and automobiles- and trams and taxis. We eventually picked up the van about midday and set off for the supermarket. The van was actually really cool with everything you need- fridge, microwave, sink and running water (well manual pump action running water!). We stocked up on food and drink and made our way towards the Great Ocean Road. Our plan was to head from Melbourne to Adelaide and back in 8days- taking in the famous Great Ocean Road and the Grampians National Park. It was also a test run for the longer three week campervan experience we have planned for New Zealand (would we or would we not kill each other!).

We didn't leave Melbourne until 2pm so our first stop was in Lorne at the beginning of the Great Ocean Road. Lorne is a small, pretty beach town with lots of nice restaurants that we ignored in favour of a 'van' cooked spaghetti bolognese- which was actually very nice and made a change from dirty hostel kitchens. The site we stayed in was really nice- right on the edge of the river.

Next morning we were up early to try and get some miles under our belt- but not before Maria had had her pancakes (I've a feeling we'll be getting fat on this trip). We drove (notice no walking anymore!) to a local Waterfall near Lorne walked 100m to the viewpoint, took a photo, ignored the information signs telling us about the walk to the bottom of the waterfall. We then got back to the van and realised I had left the cap off the water tank on top of the van back at the camp site and had driven off! We rushed all the way back to search for it- we didn't want to lose our $500 deposit- eventually finding it in the middle of the road! Being lazy still and not realising just how much ground we had to cover to reach Adelaide we sat on the beach in Lorne for a few hours and eventually decided to hit the Great Ocean Road after lunch.

We had planned to stay in a place called Warnambool the last town on the Great Ocean Road that evening but we didnt realise how long it would take to drive 150km! The Great Ocean Road is a beautiful road along the coast line but its so windy and there is so much to stop and see along it that it took us forever! The most famous site we stoppe at was called The 12 Apostels (in the piccy above). It is just a load of rock in the sea but quite beautiful when there! We eventually got to our destination and set up camp. Its nice driving around with everything you need in the back but its a chore having to take down your dining room each night to make your bed!

Our 3rd day of our trip involved a LOT of driving as we hadn't planned o it taking so long to get to Adelaide so there was a lot of singing along to the radio and stopping off to put in petrol. The highlight was finding a HUGE model of a lobster at a restaurant on the side of the road. Australia really is a strange place! The ever changing landscape of Australia does keep you occupied while driving along though! We drove for 8 hours straight and eventually hit a place called Meningie. The only thing in Meningie was a huge lake, which we camped next to. The next day we drove a few hours to Adelaide where the adventure continues. By the way we havent killed each other yet!!