A Great Visit from Two Great Friends, and Two Great Days on the Great Ocean Road

Wow...that's a lot of GREATs. But they are all so deserved. In early October, I was lucky to have my first visitors to Australia since I moved here in March - my great friends Tammy Gordon and Mary Carlson! T and M made the looooong journey here at the end of the 3rd quarter, and since I am all work all the time during that time of the year, they started in Byron Bay (in Queensland) for some hiking, surfing and touring.

Tammy and me at Opera Bar

After meeting me in Sydney, we (aka The Trifecta) embarked on a two-day extravaganza to see some of my favorite Sydney sites. We started with a snack at my neighborhood haunt, LL's, and were able to catch the end of my friends Jake and Grady's gig. We were then off to Circular Quay to take in the gorgeous views of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge. After sharing a lovely bottle of Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (SSB to the locals), we went to a delicious dinner at Jimmy Lik's in my 'hood.

Sunset at the Harbour Bridge

Mary and Tammy at Bronte Beach

The next day, we were up early and had a wonderful brunch at Swell in Bronte Beach. I had the most delicious truffle-infused poached eggs, and of course a skim flat white (+1 sugar!). T, M and I then hiked the ocean walk from Bronte to the famous Bondi beach, and stopped off at Iceberg's for a beer (or two)! We then headed to the historic area of Sydney called The Rocks, and had a few beers at the Lord Nelson Pub, which is the oldest pub brewery in Sydney. Dinner that night at Fratelli Paradiso topped off a chilly but awesome day.

Mary and me at Iceberg's Bondi 

I then had to go back to work (sigh) so while T and M explored Sydney, I met them for more over-the-top, yummy dinners at favorite local haunts -- Billy Kwong's in Surry Hills (the crispy duck was to die for) and China Doll in Woolloomooloo. Let me say this....there was a dare. It wasn't a double dog dare, but it was a dare nonetheless. I may or may not have eaten (well, no chewing was involved...just swallowing) a fish eye. What the hell!? A free dessert was on the line and we really enjoyed those sweets.

Towards the end of last week, we all headed to Melbourne, which is south of Sydney and a completely different city. There is an ongoing debate in Australia as to whether Sydney or Melbourne is the better city. Both are swanky, metropolitan and home to major corporations. But they are very different. Melbourne is more European-inspired and is known for its art, fashion and restaurants. Continuing on in our food fascination, we took the advice of almost everyone I asked and headed straight to a late Thursday night dinner at Gingerboy. OH. MY. GOD. I am still dreaming about the duck leg curry. I also ate what can only be described as strange. I put a whole egg, without the shell, but lightly fried just enough for the breading to provide a tad bit of structure, into my mouth, bit down and after a bit of gagging, enjoyed. Strange, but good. And life is all about the experience.


For the next two days, we embarked on what was one of the best journeys of my life. Have you ever driven the PCH? Well, times it by 10 (at least) and there you have the Great Ocean Road. The GOR is a 151-mile stretch of road that traverses southeastern Australia, with views of the Bass Strait and Southern Ocean. The road was built by soldiers returning from WWI as a war memorial, hence at almost every stop there is a "lest we forget" plaque honoring those who have fallen. While driving the Road, you hug cliff edges, travel through a rainforest and speed through hilly farms. It is most notable for its sandstone and limestone formations, which were naturally formed (and continue to evolve) from the rough salt seawater crashing against the coastline for millions of years.


We rented a car(!) and I must applaud Mary and Tammy for their insane driving skills. There were really only a few times when one of us would calmly mention to the driver that she was on the incorrect side of the road or should brake a bit earlier in the turns. (Actually, I was encouraging no braking!) It's hard to put a two-day adventure with two of your best friends along the most beautiful stretch of road in the world into words. What moved me was how majestic the views were, and how loud the crashing waves were. Together, the view and sound made the experience so damn amazing. Pictures capture 1% of the beauty - tops. Everyone should witness this once in their lifetime. 


Highlights for me include:
- lunch at Kafe Kaos in Lorne on day one
- what seemed like 16 stops at the chemists
- seeing wild koalas hanging in trees as we drove through the rainforest
- witnessing the magic of the 12 Apostles - virtually alone on the clifftop with whipping winds, crashing waves, and the most heavenly view - and the beach below the Gibson Steps at sunset
- the freezing cold lighthouse visit & the observations of surfers at Bells Beach
- Loch Ard Gorge and the Razorback, the Grotto and the Gibson Steps
- the self-portaits of the Trifecta taken at every stop with my iPhone (RIP Steve Jobs)

Tammy, Mary and our wheels

Me @ the 12 Apostles

Me on the beach in a foggy sunset - Gibson Steps

Gog and Magog

A majestic sunset at the 12 Apostles 

Razorback at Loch Ard Gorge 

One of the wild koalas we happened upon in the rainforest

The Trifecta

After two days driving on the left, we returned to Melbourne for a casual and yummy dinner at Cumulus, Inc. A 5 am wake-up call took us to the airport for a flight to Sydney, where we said farewell (for now). I went to work and the dashing duo skedaddled to start their long flights back to the States.


I can't thank Tammy and Mary enough for coming to visit me. While it was wonderful to show my dear friends around my new hometown, I also loved sharing new experiences with them. I think I can speak for The Trifecta when I say that we had the trip of a lifetime.


Until next time...
xoxo


p.s. This morning I saw an itinerary for a January visit from my sister Hilary and my Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are no words to describe my excitement.