TO THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD AND BACK
A few weeks ago my friend Charlene and I took a trip down to Melbourne to visit another friend of ours Jody, in need for some fresh air and craving a change of scenery.
As always I have not travelled around my own backyard (Australia) as extensively as the rest of the world. This backyard jam-packed with gorgeous gems and fantastic adventures in such close proximity. Admittedly though outside of the capital cities, it can be quite exxy and getting around takes effort that small getaways turn into full blown holidays.
Now I love a good road trip and with one of the worlds greatest drives just south of Melbourne, The Great Ocean Road, we planned out a weekend to drive along this breezy, serene drive, cruising to some tunes, feeding off the chill vibes and taking in some stretches of coastline. So the plan, fill our stomachs with Melbourne amazing food, wine and coffee, scoop up Jody and take a whirlwind roadtrip down The Great Ocean Road and visit the 12 apostles.
We flew in Saturday night just in time for some dinner.
First stop ‘Hotel (hey-zeus) Jesus’. Authentic quality Mexican bar and diner, or as they say inspired by neighbourhood taquerias and market tostaderias of Mexico. The white tiled floor to ceiling walls with pops of bright pastel hues and hand painted signage over the tiles just reeks of Mexican cantina. The kitchen is filled with chefs hailing from South America or spent more time there than a llama deliver up some mouth watering bites of food along with beautifully blended mezcal and tequila concoctions.
Before calling it a night Jody led us further down the street to Hippo. My new top recommend for Melbourne. Hippo is essentially a small well presented bottle-o thats licensed for on premise drinking. A self serve bar within a bottle-o. Now this might not seem like a height of Melbourne hospitality venues but I loved the idea of this place. A relaxed neighbourhood joint to gather for some chill drinks, with a great selection of drinks to explore in a small intimate venue. With an extensive list of crafts and shelf upon shelf of wines. Not to mention you can BYO food.
With Sunday we picked up our hire car, a hard to miss bright yellow honda HRV, did a quick Maccas run for brekky and hit the road. Got on the highway and headed for the Great Ocean Road.
First stop, somewhere I’ve been meaning to check out for years Bells Beach, Torquay. Known for its great surf, its a mecca amongst surfers and the beach is amazing in or out of the water. For us it was just a pit stop along the drive so we didn’t spend too much time but def took in the views and the vibe.
From Bells we drove out to the iconic Great Ocean Road Memorial arch, the gateway to the drive itself and the starting point when driving from Melbourne. Photos ensued.
At this point we had been on the road for a total of 1 hour.
We had a good chunk of driving ahead to make it too the Apostles. Jody taking on the role of DJ and Charlene continued to switch between snacking and napping and I drove.
Mid-afternoon and we made it to the cusp of Port Campbell national park and decided to first check out Gibsons steps. known for its access down the cliff to the beach side looking out to the Apostles. Unfortunately being mid-winter with higher tides and windier days access to the steps we closed so we didn’t make it down to the beach. We pushed forward to the Apostles themselves. And yep you could definitely feel the tourists here. But we made it! and a sight definitely worth fighting a somewhat crowds.
We decided to stay the night in Port Campbell the town. That next morning we were on the hunt for some breakfast and we found ourselves at the Grassroots Deli Cafe, pretty unassuming from the outside but did it turn out to be a gem. From the moment we stepped inside I was in love. The cafe was a cosy and welcoming place to enjoy some food and also sold a great selection of local wares, from food, to beauty to bits and pieces. But hunger took hold and we had to take in some food. To this day I have never had a better slice of sour dour. I picked up a lovely bar of soap and a tote bag before we stepped out.
We planed to drive back to Melbourne with a pit stop at the Californian Redwoods. In the early 1900’s they were planted as a experiment to see how they would adapt to the Australian wildlife as an option for future logging. The original patch of redwoods still exist within Beech forest, halfway between Port Campbell and Melboune. A bit off road and through the trees we finally stumbled upon the giant redwoods we were seeking. Photo shoot ensued.
We finally made it back to Melbourne and for Dinner Leonardo’s, we were joined by Jody’s boyfriend Phillip and his brother Richard. It was a Monday night and even though it was popping. Maybe not as popping as a Saturday night but every table was full for dinner service and we were wait listed, A mere 25 minute wait and we were seated. This place would definitely be a local for me if Melbourne was my town. Perpetually cloaked in night time revelry, Leonardo’s would not be a morning let alone afternoon type of person, if it was. keeping it old school and layback is definitely their style - think 70’s sitcom set. I could definitely take a seat here and be sat for a few hours at a time.
Charlene had one of the best cocktails drank that entire weekend by any of us - their Amalfi Calling a delectable fresh well balanced cocktail I’d return solely to Melbourne for.
By the time Tuesday rolled around we were packing our bags and getting ready to fly back out . But before that breakfast. Jody took u to one of her favourite CIBI. Japanese inspired , just like the cafe in Port Campbell this place also sold a variety of wares, booked, kitchen ware, and included an adjoining plant shop. We all opted for the Japanese breakfast plate and I’ve been craving their potato salad since.
We did a little shopping, I had to swing but he rental car place because i left that tote bag I had bought in the car an went to collect.
But with just enough time we squeezed in a few last drinks. roof top bar called well roof top. Now I know I’ve been gushing about all the places we hit up this weekend, but this last place seemed to confirm - we were on a roll! tucked away on one of the cities many rooftops, this bar sprawled across the jigsaw rooftop of this building. and was made for day drinking, a unique, casual urban setting. The best part was how one section was strongly reminiscent of the basketball court scene from Princess diaries. surrounded by wire fences that allowed the city backdrop peak through. a range of seating from bar stools, to court style bleachers and beer garden area. serving up perfect menu of hot dogs, loaded fries and burgers along with easily downed drinks, the only thing a regret is not getting to this place sooner and having more time to day drink.
And as usual we were running towards the airport gate with literally minutes before it closed before the flight and back in Sydney, dreaming of the next road trip. Check out the Visuals in moving form belowwwwww! Yewwwwww.
