Ultimate Australia Travel Guide: Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, East Coast & Nullarbor Adventures

Australia

At the end of November 2022 we travelled from Bali to Melbourne in Australia. The original plan was to stay longer in Indonesia but we received an offer for a housesit that we could not refuse. Initially we had arranged for a housesit from mid December 2022 until mid January 2023 but we were asked to come earlier, so we did. There would be a 12 day intermezzo in the housesit and in that period we planned to do a roadtrip along the Great Ocean Road.

Before the roadtrip alonf the Great Ocean Road we enjoyed the housesit and taking care of the lovely dogs Odie&Lola. It also gave us the opportunity to relax after a hectic year 2022, reflect on that and look forward to 2023. And ofcourse we had all the time in the world to explore the city of Melbourne and the region. For Geert it also meant that one of his logtime wishes could be fullfilled, visiting the Australian Open Tennis.

Great Ocean Road

From December 1st until December 12th we did a roadtrip along the Great Ocean Road in Australia.

The Great Ocean Road is a 240km long road along the southeastern coast in the state of Victoria between the cities of Torquay and Allansford (Warnnambool).

The road is an attraction in the area and it hugs the coastline affectionately. The road traverses rainforests, as well as beaches and cliffs composed of limestone and sandstone.

For the 12 days roadtrip we rented a small campervan and took the time to explore the Great Ocean Road as best we could. In the end we drove along the Great Ocean Road for over a week and added a weekend in Grampians National Park.

Melbourne

Australian Open 2023

For Geert, the visit to Melbourne was special for another important reason. As a former tennis coach, visiting the Australian Open tennis has been on his wish list for a long time.

Now in 2023 the time was finnaly and he immediately took it well. In total he attended the tournament 5 days, 2 days of the qualifications and 3 days of the main draw.

And from experience Geert can say that every Grand Slam has its charm and unique aspects, but that the Australian Open is in any case the most relaxed Grand Slam. What a wonderful atmosphere and especially good tennis!

After the Australian Open we travelled to New Zealand for a 3-month tour. Going back to New Zealand was very high on our wishlist after we visited that country for the first time in 2018. After this tour in New Zealand we travelled back to Australia. We had to leave New Zealand since our visas were only valid for three months, but the plan was to return end of 2023. So, end of April of 2023 we returned to Australia. We did two housesits, one in Inverloch and one in Melbourne, because it was fun and it gave us time to prepare for our Australia tours. When we arrived in Australia we were granted a three months visa but we applied for a 12 months visa as soon as we were in the country. Within one week our visas were granted until April of 2024. That made our planning life much easier. We could now plan two tours in Australia and start looking for a vehicle for these tours.

Our initial thoughts were buying a campervan similar to what we have in New Zealand. But things always go different, pretty soon we were attracted to the option of a 4-wheeldrive with a rooftoptent. Travelling this way may be a good option when in Australia. But we also wanted to travel with bikes, that is something we did back in Europe and what we really missed. So after we did our research we ended up purchasing a Ford Escape 4WD with rooftoptent. And we adjusted it so we could put a bike rack on it and bring bikes on our tour.

As soon as we had successfully completed the housesits and made all the preparations, it was time to leave Melbourne. The plan was to do a round trip in about 4 months, first going north along the east coast. We want to see if we can get all the way to the northernmost point of the Australian mainland. Then make the "crossing” to Darwin and from there in a straight line through central Australia to Adelaide. Then return to Melbourne where we can look after Odie & Lola again at the end of September. Our fist stop on this long long trip was Phillip Island, just two hours south of Melbourne, a small island mostly known for it’s nature, wildlife and the moto GP circuit, yes really.

During the housesit in Melbourne we had lots of time to explore the city and the region. Overall we sitted the house and Odie&Lola for almost 6 weeks.

Our first task was ofcourse caring for the dogs but there was plenty of exploring that we could combine with walking the dogs. For example we took them to the beaches in Torquay, the Botanic Gardens, the Carlton Gardens and Yarra Bend Park.

But we did a lot of exploring without the dogs and learned that Melbourne is a fantastic city with a relatively small but vibrant business district and lively suburbs with different character.

For Geert one of his big wishes was fullfilled when we were in Melbourne, he visited the Australian Open tennis. And not just 1 day, no he went 2 days to the qualifications and 3 days to the main event.

4WD with Rooftoptent

The combination of the 4 wheel drive, roof tent, bicycle rack, bicycles and layout of the car so that we can store our belongings is ideal.

We may have some cold nights in the south in winter, but you can make sleeping in the roof tent as comfortable as you want.

The electric Cube bikes give us a lot of flexibility and fun! And they take you through mountanous areas as well. With the perfect bikerack from Yakima we take these bikes whereever we want.

And with the 4 wheel drive we can also drive on gravel roads and dirt roads in many places in Australia so that we can reach certain places we want to viit as well.

Let's go!