Apollo Bay To Lorne–Sept. 29

Overcast skies starting out today.  The drive is east on the Great Ocean Road.  The coastline today is still rugged but without the landmark sea structures of yesterday.  The road is winding, hugging the cliffs along the way.  There are only a few small villages and public beaches along this stretch of road.  When the highway goes through a grove of eucalyptus trees, you can often catch a glimpse of koalas in the branches above.  There are a few scenic turnouts along the way, but you have to watch out for oncoming traffic around the curves.

There are a few scenic waterfalls along the way, with a short hike to get a good view.

Around 1pm, I reached the small village of Lorne.  This was a very scenic area with nice parks, buildings, and shops.  I decided this would be a nice stopover so I found a YHA hostel in town and decided to spend the nite there.  After checking in, I walked through the town area and noticed the sky getting darker.  I decided to go back to the car and then the rain started around 2:30 pm.  I stopped in a small restaurant and ordered a hamburg – $9.50 but it was good.  The prices throughout the trip have really been high – Australia seems like it would be a very expensive place to live (and travel unless you know how to cut corners).

The rain continued, so I went to my room and rested for awhile.  About 4:30 there were a few breaks in the rain, so I ventured out, but the weather was not good enough to do much sightseeing.  Went back to the hostel where it was very crowded in the common area.  Hopefully better weather tomorrow.