It's a long and windy road

The Great Ocean Road today was, sadly, just the Ocean Road.  It was not a sunny day but quite cloudy, which robbed much of the beauty from this stunning drive. 

Still, the views, even without brilliant blue water, are quite beautiful and rugged with huge breakers crashing on the shore.  Lots of surfers were out taking advantage of the waves.   

We didn’t drive far today, instead taking the opportunity to stop at all the lookouts, explore the little towns, walk along the beach and have lunch at an outside café…wearing our jackets because it was cold. 

Toilets are not required, by the way, in small restaurants.  Odd.  This is the second time I’ve run across a “no toilet” eatery.

The wicked wind blew ceaselessly and dropped the temperature to 17 along the coastal road, a considerable change from Melbourne where, despite cloudy skies, it was balmy and in the mid-20s.   We drove through the fog looking for the Erskine Falls, which was 10 km off the main road but when we got there, it meant a 1 km hike in the forest and quite frankly, the fog was much too thick to see anything so we reluctantly turned back.

Billows of fog were blowing up the hills, pushed by the wind off the ocean.  I could see the wind breathe in the undulations of fog as it sighed up the hills.

 Still beautiful even with the fog.

 The lighthouse at Eagle's Point, which is still operational.

I love this shot.  The fog in the distance seems to glow with an unearthly light.

Quite the house.