Every morning Elena’s head dangles upside down from above awaking the rest of the van with a smile and a laugh. That meter high nook in the top third of the camper van has been her home for nearly 3 weeks. The vans certainly made the trip down The Great Ocean Road an easy one… where ever they parked was home. But is a 3 man camper van the only way to see the beautiful coast of southern Australia? The Great Ocean Road offers travelers a variety of ways to enjoy themselves along their journey down the coast. It was time for The World by Road Crew to get a taste of the luxury The Great Ocean Road has to offer.
On Wednesday morning Steve Shoppman informed the team that the following night in Port Campbell we would see the coast from the other side of the tracks. Damian Fusili and Michael Jojic kindly made room for The World by Road crew at their establishment, The Southern Ocean Villas.
Arriving tired and dirty late Friday night, the words "luxury villas" danced in our heads. Steve checked in and shortly after turning the key everyone’s mood lifted to the sight of beautiful hard wood floors and all the modern conveniences we missed the past three weeks in the vans. The villas lived up to every expectation. After a delicious feast of pasta and pizza in Port Campbell the team sprawled out on the couches, did loads of laundry in our very own laundry room, and began plugging in the computers. Unfortunately, that was not the only thing that was plugged in… in our elated state we failed to realize that we plugged in all the electronics, chargers, a couple of the heaters, ran the washer and the dryer, and when Elena turned on the last light in the bathroom upstairs, blackout!
The past three weeks of camper van living experience came in handy as immediately the darkness was illuminated with tiny flash lights strapped to our heads. A team attempt to fix the fuse situation proved unsuccessful, and moments after a call to the front desk Michael himself was at the front door eager to help fix the problem.
One of the best parts of these small towns is that businesses are small, and a great amount of pride goes into running them. This was evident the next morning when Michael took the time to escort the crew down to film all of the sites Port Campbell area has to offer. The combination of a refreshing nights sleep in a clean and comfortable bed and Michael’s gentle kind demeanor made for a wonderful morning of filming. Everyone was eager to get some work done and enjoy a sunny afternoon by the ocean. The good time in Port Campbell proved to be an excellent ending point for the journey westward as the vans turned east again to begin the trip back to Melbourne.
