Road Trippin Down Under

The flight to Sydney was what you'd expect - looong. Even coming from Kuala Lumpur it feels like you are truly going 'down under'. But it was all worth it when I walked out to the lobby and a smiling Aussie #1 was waiting! Nothing like getting picked up at the airport by a friend! It's great to reunite, and I was immediately ushered off to an "Ambo" bar in Penrith to get my first dose Aussie culture. Wow - what a place! It was a theme for my time in Oz - Aussie #1 is a paramedic (Ambo), and knows them all over the country. That weekend I was also invited to an Ambo engagement party in Magras Hill. I got to dress up for the first time in a while, and it was great to feel like a lady! 

Aussie #1 has time off, so we decided to the coast and camp all the way to the Great Ocean Road. The weather wasn't looking promising, but we packed the car with tents, toys, and plenty of food and hoped for the best. Our first night was spent camping at Brou Lake and fishing in the Tasman Sea. The rains came, and we stuck it out but caught nothing. I woke up freezing to a soggy campsite - I would have to invest in some pants and a few more layers! Aussie #1 had friends in Moruya, so we headed that direction for lunch and my first western food in a while! We even bought cheese from Bodalla (mmmm), a local dairy. That night we camped in Cape Conrad, where there was more fishing (and the “big one” seaweed scare) and sightings of possum, potoroo, wallaby, kookubura, magpie, seal, and PELICAN! More rain, however, and the forecast was not favorable for the coming week. 

Day 3 we made it to Melbourne, and it was still raining. So much for this camping road trip! We sucked it up and stayed in the largest backpackers I've ever seen. I felt like a sock in a drawer, but it was at least a warm drawer! Aussie #1 and I toured the city in the rain, had awesome burritos (yay!), and went on a live music hunt. Melbourne is a great city - lots of people, multicultural, tons going on. There was a slice of sun in the forecast, however, so we cut our time in the city a bit short. It was time to head to the Great Ocean Road for the 12 Apostles!