After weeks of planning, our trip is finally about to begin!! Everything is prepared from gaffa tape to peeled carrots (which Thomas ended up forgetting!!! Not impressed).
Its 9.30pm the night before the trip and I'm trying to sleep. 10.30pm, I'm still way too excited to sleep... I can't stop thinking about all the amazing attractions we will get to see. 3am, still awake. I have to be up in two hours. 4.30am, FINE! I give up. I'm now out of bed cooking omelette sandwiches for Thomas and I.
At 5.45am, I hear a bike roaring down the street... This must be Thomas, who else would be crazy enough to be riding at this hour. Bags on the bike and ready to roll.
After riding a crazy ~700km over the past 9 hours we are finally here at the beautiful town of Lakes Entrance!!
Its 3pm only... What now?? 3.05pm. Boat hired. Thomas is behind the wheel of our vintage putt putt boat ready to explore the waters of Lake Entrance - really the best way to see the area!!
Day Two. Another early start. Another ~500kms. Today we are going to the Great Ocean Road!! Can't wait! WHEE!! Mid morning, just passed Sale, our first taste of the stunning Victorian landscape. I deafened Thomas as I yelled into his headset, this is JUST the start of our AMAZING adventure!!
Lunchtime. Just pulled up at Sorrento ready to hop onto the Queenscliff ferry to cross Port Phillip Bay. I can't believe our bikes are going sea bound!
Mid Afternoon, we finally arrived at Torquay. The official start of the Great Ocean Road. Feeling way excited now!!!!!
A couple hours of riding, we finally rocked up at The Grand Pacific in Lorne which overlooks the Bass Strait. View is spectacular.
Day 3. An even earlier start. ~600km and 4 attractions to cover. I think this is going to be the highlight of our journey. 7.00am, we hit the road to Princetown. Nice flowy twisties and majestic views along the way.
9.00am, helicopter charter to see the 12 Apostles. Mind blowing.
Can this get any better? Noon, arrived in South Australia. I can't believe we made it all this way. We are going strong and bikes are going strong too.
Umpherston sinkhole and its garden is truly beautiful.
And the colour of the water at the Blue Lake is unbelievably blue. Nothing we have seen before. So worth the trip to South Australia.
Final attraction of the day. The Grampians. 3 hours on, we finally arrived at the Grampians Motel with the mountain ranges on both sides. Chris and Jeff owns the place. Best service so far.
7.30am, breakfast on the front verandah overlooking the Grampians. Breathtaking.
8.00am, did not want to hop on the bike. View was way too nice. 8.15am, we finally made our way to Mackenzie falls. An uneventful wrong turn into dirt road ended up being a nice surprise. Half a dozen deers with antlers (reindeers???!!!) running for their lives when they heard our bikes.
Late morning. We hit more dirt road. So much fun and one of the unexpected twists of the trip ;).
Mid afternoon. Arrived at Echuca. A quaint town by the Murray river. Best fish and chips we've ever had.
Day 5. ~500km. Expecting an ok day only. So wrong. Mid morning, past through Yarrawonga. Thomas started waving like crazy. I slow down and look around. My eyes lit up as I saw one of the prettiest sight of the Murray River. You have to be there to experience this!
Rode across bell ridge to Granya. Thomas decided to go swimming in leathers and helmet. A sight to behold.
Day 6. I don't want the trip to end. Late start for ~600km. Ski chair lifts to the top of Mount Kosciuszko. Thomas decided to forgo leather jacket and wet weather gear. Should have listened... Was absolutely freezing... Felt like it was winter.
Mid morning. Rode down Thredbo pass. My favourite stretch of road. Visited Charlottes pass... My new favorite stretch of road. At its peak, we were rewarded with the lush green of the mountain ranges, alpine flowers, fresh water streams and snow. Truly stunning. An awesome way to wrap up our adventure.
The remaining trip back to Sydney was very wet. Completely drenched from head to toe even with rain gear but we brought back the biggest smiles on our faces.
And for those interested... here's the link to Google Maps! =) Hope you enjoyed our journey.
