I packed my car with as much gear as it would carry. The rest of it was stored with friends of friends (where it was to stay for another 3 years much to their annoyance) or dumped - literally...my bicycle although in pieces, would no longer fit when I squeezed my camping gear on top - it got left on the driveway! I had celebrated my 24th birthday only a short time beforehand and I had told everyone there that I would be back by September at the latest. Little did I know how life would take me in a totally different direction at that point - but my subconscious must have had an inkling because I packed my whole life into that 1982 bright red Ford Meteor (with the very (un)cool mags).

The one thing about travelling that I love is going in one direction. I really don't like returning along the same path. I knew that driving across a country like Australia would definately be a one-way trip and that feeling of freedom and new experiences is one I still eat up whenever I get a chance to.

I stayed in a small town just outside of Melbourne, in the campgrounds there after the first leg of the drive. On the next day I drove through Melbourne city, nearly killing myself trying to follow their wierd road rules which involve giving way to the right when trams are in the way or something like that. On through Geelong to Torquay, where the world-famous Bells Beach can be found. The day I visited there, the stormclouds were building and the yellow sand and grey seas made an interesting contrast. The caravan park I stayed in at Torquay was at the bottom of a hill. I had to climb the hill and stand on a fence to get a signal from my old analogue brick phone (my brother had given it to me as a present). Ahhh, the early days of mobile technology (I now work for that company in the Wireless area!).
Onwards to along the Great Ocean Road. I was averaging 500km a day by now. tbc.