Apollo Bay - Melbourne: Great Ocean Road Part Two

Woke up to a quiet and cold room in Apollo Bay. After lying in bed for a while I got up and went to have some breakfast. Rather challenging when they give you butter and jam, but no one can find the bread (the others and me plundered the fridge in the end, not knowing who it belongs to).

Left Apollo Bay and saw the hilly country surrounding it, so I went on a bit of an exploration tour. Melbourne, my next destination, was close enough, being only a meagre 200km away, so I had time to explore. Drove up the hillside, strangely reminded of twisting paths in the Dolomites, if not as high. Arrived at the top and had good views over Apollo Bay and the Bass-Straight sea. Was still overcast and windy, but I had a nice warm car.

Halfway up a wallaby decided to hop on the road and there where Galahs (parrots) here and there. Getting a bit to far in to the hills I diverted and drove back down to get on to the Great Ocean Road again. Then it was along the twisting roads, being chased by a painted VW bus along a bit of the way and trying not to get squashed by tour buses coming along the opposite side of the road. Last time had been emptier of cars, but then again you could see nothing except the road in the dark. Passed through burnt forests, past rocky and sandy beaches and cliffs and along dead gumtrees. Fact with the gumtrees is that the Otways are known in Australia to have massive problems with Koalas. They breed up and eat the trees so fast they starve themselves after a while and the trees die from not having any leaves. 

Arrived in Lorne where a lot of activity was going on. As it turned out the lifesavers of the surrounding coasts were having a competition with their zodiac boats. When they shot out at sea to drive around some boys and pick someone up, they sometimes hit the waves so fast they just went flying up in to the air. The complete boats just up and left the water with the propellers spinning in the air. Before long my stomach started saying it was hungry, so I left the spectacle and went to a fish and chip shop for some lunch.

Then further along the Road, through Anglesea to Geelong. In Geelong I had a bit of fun getting used to city driving again but after that the highway to Mebourne went nice and smooth. That was until I reached Melbourne itself and crossed the Westgate Bridge. Once you pass the bridge things just go mayhem. Think of a spaghetti plate and then transfer that to the road network in Melbourne city. Subsequently I went around in circles sometimes and got so feed up I went in to a park house and called around the hostels from there. Found one outside the city in Collingwood, in the eastern parts of Melbourne. Turned up and parked my car in the street in front of the hostel, prior to going in and getting a permit for me to stay there. Got fast internet (relatively) and went shopping for some dinner, after which I watched a chess match between a French guy and a German and had a chat.