The Great Ocean Road in Australia (page 2 of 2)

I totally agree! I should’ve read between the lines…

It’s not a crime. I think I would’ve offered her cash to rent her trash can… 😅

Which probably wouldn’t have helped matters! Fair enough. So, let’s say with a big smile on top!

Thanks for your message. I’m happy to relive this trip and thrilled to share it.

Sunday, December 10, 2023 Halls Gap

The D’Altons is a simple concept. You build small wooden houses with terraces in a circle. In the middle, you set up a little pond with ducks, trees loved by parrots, flowers that attract pretty birds, and plants that kangaroos seek out—then you let nature do its thing. Tourists are delighted, the animals discover they’re appreciated here, and everyone lives in a harmony that makes everyone happy. Me, with my Sony, I’m in heaven!









Suddenly, a break in the clouds! Grampians, here we come! Since the weather’s a bit unpredictable, we’re treating ourselves to the top trails according to All-Trails.com: the Pinnacle ascent. Let’s gooooo! First, the Grand Canyon…

We knew it was unfortunately closed, but we decided to check it out anyway—and the little detour was totally worth it!

I came out of there (a little over 5 kilometers) in pretty rough shape. Dom, on the other hand, was far from done. I suggested a nice little loop near our place, the Venus Baths. Turns out, instead of Venus, we’d run into kangaroos and wallabies.

And in the heart of the pretty stream, it's mostly young moms and dads who come to enjoy the water with their little ones. It's charming. A natural municipal swimming pool that costs nothing—though in Australia, that’s pretty much the norm.

The parking lot of the so-called botanical garden is next to some kind of industrial zone. In the middle of nature, where animal life unfolds completely indifferent to the consumerist compulsions of humans... We went there to grab a few groceries.

In the magazine section, we’re amazed by the staggering proportion of magazines focused on the automotive industry.

Back home, we’re surprised to see that every studio now hosts a couple. They’re snapping photos left and right, big smiles on their faces.





"Look, honey, kangaroos!"

I act all cool, but when Dom called our kids in R., I wasn’t the last one to walk around the square with my phone camera rolling to show them our critters! Looking for a bit of diversity, we ate Indian. The place is a total trip! The kids recreated their home country with some over-the-top plastic statues...

The best part, though, is inside. They deliver their dishes with a robot that repeats the same phrases to every customer in a high-pitched voice—"Here are your delicious dishes," "Careful, it’s hot"—with overly polite manners. It’s cringe but also a little funny, like something out of Jacques Tati’s *Mon Oncle*.

As for the meal... meh. We’ve been struggling to enjoy food lately.

Monday, December 11, 2023 Halls Gap

It’s raining. We’re dragging our feet a bit, not super motivated to go slogging through the mud. Madame Boss comes by for a chat. While we’re talking, something stirs in the bushes. Some pretty little birds quietly peck around in the lady’s gardens. A Kookaburra, very common in the area, with a truly remarkable call.

Some gorgeous fairy wrens. But the rain keeps at it. We decide to use this time to run some errands about 25 km away—there’s a Woolworths there. Along the way, we see plenty of emus roaming the countryside.

The weather finally clears up in the early afternoon. Right away, we rush to do Chatauque Peak, not far from where we’re staying! A gentle climb through some lovely nature.









Then we settled into our usual end-of-day routine. On the way, we had a few more pleasant encounters.

Thanks again for this discovery. It’s so gorgeous there!

We didn’t make it up there 10 years ago because we ran out of time—we’d brought along two friends with limited vacation days. (Big mistake. You’re so restricted in your choices, and sometimes you even have to call a vote…) We had to get to Adelaide as quickly as possible. 😅

Tuesday, December 12, 2023 Halls Gap - Victor Harbor It’s raining and everyone’s cleared out. The vibe’s seriously fizzled—even the kangaroos decided to keep their distance. "Not enough of an audience, we’re not gonna bother moving for these two losers!" Meanwhile, we’re acting like nothing’s wrong, setting up the table for our famous little breakfasts. Since the start of the trip, with just a few rare exceptions, we’ve been having breakfast on our own. We buy what we need and set up on our terraces. It’s better and way cheaper than what you’d get in a café! But this morning, for some reason, the birds on-site are determined to make us share our grub. Mostly sulphur-crested cockatoos, and there are *loads* of them here. They’re acting like thugs and being *super* pushy.

"Hey guys! We see you!" After a few attempts at forcing their way in, we hold our ground. We’ve been told it’s really bad to give food to wild animals—it could become a bad habit. An addiction. Long story short, the answer’s no, and our former feathered friends aren’t taking it too well… It’s a shame, but we don’t linger. The call of the open road is too strong. We’ve got a 6-hour drive to reach the coast, with just a few short stops—like in Kaniva…

Or in Coonalpyn.

We finally arrive in Victor Harbor. The hotel might win an ugliness award—special mention for the brown carpet with its *inspiring* wavy pattern—but it’s got a balcony with a sea view (if you crane your neck, anyway), a bathtub, and last but not least, it’s just steps from the bridge connecting this little seaside town to a cute island that boasts a small group of penguins. Shall we go see?

It’s a really, really cool island, Granite Island, but when it comes to penguins... we didn’t see a single one!













So, we had to go drown our frustration in alcohol (it’s sad, really)...

You’ve got to accept it—you can’t see EVERYTHING. Looking through your travel journal, I can already tell the southwest... and even skipping the "center" is giving me FOMO. But hey, you’ve gotta be realistic. There are the little ones to think about, and the budget! Anyway, there are limits, and that’s okay!

Oh, poor you! They’re so cute, though—the little penguins on Granite Island. We went to see them at the Rescue Centre during feeding time. Is the horse-drawn tram still running? No? Well, we didn’t sleep here; we came from Adelaide, crossing the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Yeah, you can’t do it all—there are limits (or boundaries?). But when you push past the limits, there are no more limits (sic).

We’ll *definitely* have to come back for the centre! It’s the heart of the country. Stunning landscapes.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023 Victor Harbor - Adelaide

85 kilometers. Still, almost an hour and a half drive. Adelaide didn’t let us approach easily—there was a bit of friction with the traffic. At the Alba, where we had our room, they didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet. "I can’t let you have the room before 12:30, sorry-sorry." The lobby, though, where we could see the splendid pool, convinced us we hadn’t landed too badly. Besides, the parking was easily accessible and free. So we set off with a light heart to explore the city on foot. The rain quickly dampened our enthusiasm, and we took refuge at the Central Market. We noticed that French cuisine, even Alsatian, was well represented there.

We also encountered the only mosquito of our entire stay, which is pretty notable! !

Then it was wandering around, as usual. We finally got our room—pretty decent, though the "Meriton" effect does make everything else seem a bit bland. The view from the terrace was nice. As soon as we settled in, we set off again to explore every accessible corner of the city center. With a girl like Dominique, you walk! You cover kilometers by the dozen! She’s never satisfied. I have to negotiate hard just to get the occasional bus ride!

We’d noticed there were a lot of hairdressers. That inspired me. I went into the very first one we came across once the idea took hold. A kid. He mumbled something I didn’t understand at all, but I replied with a confident, "Make it short, I’m an old man, do it in a classical way." I’d seen his previous work—all frills—and it smelled like a casting error. After suggesting a 4-step fade or a 4-layer coconut style, he finally took my request seriously, grabbed the clippers, and with a gesture as firm as my voice, gave me a proper buzz cut before I could yell anything other than "help!" !



After walking north for a while, we inevitably ran into the Torrens River.

From there, heading east, you end up at the Botanic Garden—it’s unavoidable. On the edge of the park, there’s a massive colony of flying foxes, fruit bats endemic to Australia. The sight is incredible!

It’s late. The Garden has already closed a few greenhouses.







Well, guess we’ve gotta head back. How far are we? 1.6 kilometers? It’s like walking to the train station back home—no big deal! Here we go again! (Help!)

We really liked Adelaide! A year ago (February 9th), we took the tram to Glenelg Beach...