Lorne to Geelong–Sept. 30

The nite at the hostel was a bit cramped.  Three guys and three gals in a small 6 bed (3 bunks) room with no shelves or storage, although I did sleep quite well.

The morning was clear.  I first went to Teddy’s Overlook which gave a clear view of the sea and mountain road.  Then I drove to Erskine Falls which was a high (100 foot), beautiful waterfall.  The path was still wet but manageable, there were a lot of steps down to the falls (and the same amount back up again).  Had the whole scenery to myself.  Then went back into the town of Lorne and explored the beach area – which I missed the day before because of the rain.

Driving along the road, there was a monument to the 3000 men who built the Great Ocean Road.  These were mostly soldiers who came back from World War I and needed jobs.   Interestingly, 64% of the Aussies in the war were either killed or wounded – the highest rate of any country in the war.

Next, I drove to Aireys Inlet, which has a beautiful lighthouse set above some colorful cliffs.  While walking along the beach, I noticed a Jack Russell terrier running back and forth chasing the waves.  He just kept running back and forth, running in and out of the waves, barking at them – very amusing.  I got back to the car just as the rain started again.  It let up about 20 minutes later and I was able to get up to the lighthouse and walk around the area.

Stopped for a break in Anglesea as the rain let up and walked around a bit.

Got to Torquay around 1 pm and stopped at the info center.  I had planned to stay there for the evening and explore the area, which is a surfer’s heaven.  But the staff at the center told me the hostel was closed and all the other accommodations were likely filled because of the weekend and beginning of school holidays.  I panicked for a bit but went to the McDonalds across the street and got a wifi connection.  I found an Econo Lodge motel available in the town of Geelong, along the route to Melbourne.  With the big rugby and soccer games going on around the area, there were not many rooms available.  So anyway, got a treat of staying in a nice motel room for the nite prior to my journey to Melbourne in the morning.  There I need to turn in my rental car and get settled in at the Space Hotel (a high rise hostel) in the City Center.