Heading south to the Great Ocean Road

We're off on our next trip away - the plan is to drive the Great Ocean Road between Melbourne and Adelaide. That's it! What we do on the way there and afterwards is all pretty much play it by ear.

There are a couple of semi-planned items though - playing golf at Yarrawonga in Victoria with friends who are there for a weeks golf, and 4 nights on the Flerieu Peninsuala south of Adelaide at our Accor Vaction Club property - also another golf resort area.

Yes, the golf clubs are in the back of the car, as is everything except the kitchen sink!

Day One

So, day one - we had spent our first night at the Sofitel on the Gold Coast as Max was having his 60th birthday at Broadbeach where we wanted to be so decided to leave from the Gold Coast the next morning.

Heading out of the coast at 7.00am in miserable drizzling rain and 20 degrees which to date is the warmest we've been so far. Headed on south to Grafton - still heaps of water lying around that region from their recent massive flooding. Through Grafton then on out towards Armidale so gave ROd a call and asked what was for lunch? Fortunately he was home so cooked up a hot choook (well soemone did anyway!) and a nice salad that was freshly grown (well it was in someone's garden wasn't it??) and some antipasto.

Nice way to have lunch on route - thank you Rod.

Armidale was dry with no rain but it had rained virtually all the way there and no sooner had we left Armidale than the rain set in again and continued to do so. Where to next?

Ah, let's go this way.....

A couple of loo stops along the way and pitched into a small town motel at "Dunedoo" about an hour north of Dubbo. The usual tiny town but we were told the golf club had a chinese restaurant open for dinner - not the usual combination one might expect but got there and all the lcoals were watching the footy on the big screen (think it was Canberra they were watching, Pat!). Had a couple of drinks, played the pokies, had a chat to the locals and a pleasant enough feed for a Sunday night at the 'local'. Well we had to eat somewhere and it just happened to be the only place in town that was open!.

Day 2

Currently on the road typing this - managed to buy my self an 'inverter' (or so it's called) which means I can plug in 240V via the cigarette lighter so can quite happily work away here on my PC plus have just watched the movie 'Taken' which I pinched off Darren's machine before I left! That plus a couple of othere movies knowing we were on the road for so long.

It's been raining again all morning through Dubbo, Parkes, Forbes and touch wood cross fingers - the dark clouds are now behind us!

Working our way (for those interested???) down today to Grenfell, Young, Cootamundra, Wagga Wagga, ALbury then maybe stay at Rutherglen or may be head over to Yarrawonga - anything could happen! It might get dark and we'll stop sooner - who knows!

We travelled over 850kms yesterday and 10 hours - probably a little less today but still a couple of days long haul.

Now settled into a delightful vineyard motel - drinkies on the deck at sunset with vineyward at the door - mmm.. deligthful!

Next Day