Woke up at 6AM without even trying. I had to be ready at Hotel Rendezvous (shout out to Craig David) at 7:50AM to depart for the day. The hotel was only at 4 minute walk from the hostel so it all seemed easily manageable.

Went downstairs to the chill lounge and did a quick Y&M, had to get something in. Jaunted back upstairs, got changed, and made my way out the door at around 7:25AM. I wanted to see if I could sneak in a quick breakfast because I didn’t know what the food situation would be, and this was to be a long day. Found this café and they were really accommodating. Dude whipped me up an eggs benny in 5, wolfed it down, got some yogurt and granola to go, and walked over the bus with green tea in hand. It was a beautifully crisp morning with sunshine and blue skies above the newly renovated central station across the street from the hostel.

Chris, from Go West Tours, reminded me of Doc in the Back to the Future. We got on the bus and made our way out of Melbourne (pronounced Mel-burn) and on our way to the Great Ocean Road. Chris told us that we’d be seeing the 12 Apostles, doing a rainforest hike, seeing Gibbs point, and maybe one other thing that I forget now before returning back home.

We exited the city and the landscape began to expand. The bus (of about 20 people) was small enough that you didn’t feel like you were in a charter bus, but also small enough that you weren’t the most comfortable sitting in the seat. Really nice views on the ride out.

We got to our first stop for tea and a morning stroll on the first part of beach found on the GOR.

Got back on the bus and made our way to a second stop to check out the views, perhaps visit the baños as well, can’t recall! What I can recall, however, is that the sky was SO BLUE. Just so so blue, and gradients of blue. It was really something else.

So then as we drove along the road, I was seated on the left-hand side, ideal for photos. These were some of my faves before our next stop for coffee…and koalas!

We got to our next stop and there were these really beautiful birds just birding about. And we were lucky enough to see a koala just catching some z’s in a tree. Really neat.

Got back on the bus and made our way along the GOR and stopped for some photos. The photos here include that stop and a couple from hopping back on the road again.

We stopped for lunch, which was good, but nothing I took pictures of. However, the small town we were in had some lovely views of the beach, so I snapped a couple of those.

Got back on the bus and then made our way to a rainforest! It was really cool, if not crisp. You could see your breath dissipating into the air, melding with sunshine and disappearing. Chris explained to us the various dominant forms of life at three different levels, moving from trees, to ferns, to something else that I cannot quite remember. The hike was about 45 minutes and was really really nice.

We got back on the bus and continued driving with some really beautiful views of vibrantly blue skies and lush green landscape.

I definitely took a nap at some point after these pictures. And, after a short bit, we arrived at the 12 Apostles! Chris said that there aren’t 12, there are between 7 and 9, with one recently collapsing in 2009. He also said that they were called “A Sow and 7 Calves” or something like that. It wasn’t marketable. They changed it, and droves of people flock there. It was pretty packed when we went. But that sun was shining, and it was absolutely splendid. The views and the sea breeze from Antartica (which was nice and refreshing) made for quite a memorable experience.

So we wrapped up here and then went down Gibb’s Steps to the beach. The sand was this amazingly deep red, like that Burnt Sienna old school Crayola crayon. It was pretty spectacular. The sand, these massive cliffs on the left, and then this large expansive sea to the right. The sand was super fine yet gritty, and the foam that washed ashore was extra foamy.

We made ou way up to one last spot. This voce where this ship sank years ago and some dude rescued some gal. Ha. Pretty amazing stalactites and stalagmites, and views.

We got wrapped up and had a chance to catch the sunset over this farm that smelled all types of cow-manure-like.

The sunset was quite magical and fleeting for sure. It was only another minute after this photo was taken that the sun set with that turquoise flash. Absolutely wonderful.

Got back on the bus and made our way back to MEL. We stopped for food, and eventually got back around 8:40PM. Quite the day.

Because I had slept during various portions of the trip, I wanted to go out, as this was my last night in the Southern Hemisphere, and in some ways, ‘Western’ civilization. I had decided that I’d shower and make a decision, especially because a part of me wanted to watch the WC final.

Walked back into the hostel room to see people chatting away lively. Sarah, whom I only formally met this evening, was speaking with Hai. As I walked in, Hai immediately introduced himself, “I’m Hai, like hello”. Cool, I said. We chatted a bit about careers and football. Sarah, 19, wants to study law and Hai, 24, was completing his honor year in Brisbane studying economics. As he explained it, this honor year provides him a masters and, should he so desire, sets him up to complete a PhD in 2 years.

Showered up. What an incredible feeling. Stepped out and asked both Sarah and Hai if they’d be up for a drink. What went from a resounding yes on both parts turned into Hai making the decision to come out. He put in a little work to get ready, and we were off to one of the cocktail bars, The Everleigh, that came so highly recommended.

We hopped in the Uber as it was around a 29 minute walk vs. an 8 minute ride. We got to the venue, and after thinking its as closed, found out we just needed to walk upstairs.

Lovely ambience with a gentleman on guitar complimented by a trumpet. Everyone was dressed to the nines. My kind of spot. I got a Kentucky Colonel and Hai got a refreshing Gin drink. These drinks were delicious.

These first drinks were so delicious that we got another round. My second drink was just Four Roses, a little bit of sugar for balance, and mint. WOWZERS. So. Good. Hai got another gin based infusion. We were weary of both time and distance as we needed to eat something and make it to the casino to watch the game for a 1AM kickoff.

We wrapped up at this locale and made our way to one other place, Black Pearl, on the cocktail menu. Not as chill as a vibe. Loud music. Hai said it best in that this bar didn’t quite decide what it wanted to be – so it tried to mash signature cocktails with terribly loud music. I had a cocktail but with a different rye than on the menu, and Hai found another gin drink.

We wrapped up and made our way down to the Casino. Line was crazy to watch the game and none of the restaurants were serving food, which was a problem because the entire reason we went to the casino was to eat.

We found a ‘healthier’ eating option (rather than pizza) and ate some sautéed veggies, chicken and eggplant (Fuego), and Hai got some dumpling like things to share. The food was so good and exactly what we needed. We promptly ate and made our way to the bar to watch the game, and Croatia lose. France is just too strong, and that Mbappe was running rampant.

After the 4th goal we said that it could be a wrap and we made our way back to the hostel and knocked out.

What an incredibly incredible day! Chris said that the day was an anomaly, given the super warm weather and the ease in seeing a Koala and other such animals. Really wonderful time, only topped off by meeting Hai and having a lovely evening of drink and ball.