After a fantastic time in the big city of Melbourne, we decided to do as the Melburnians do: road trip the Great Ocean Road, a 240km highway along the southern coast of Victoria. It connects a number of small coastal communities and was built right after WWI by returning servicemen. Interestingly, it's known as the world's largest war memorial. The Great Ocean Road is shaped like a "V", the downward sloping right-hand section goes from Torquay to Cape Otway and is called Surf Coast, while the upward sloping left-hand section ends near Warnambool and is called Shipwreck Coast. Midway up…

Lock-downs, travel restrictions, and covid fears consumed much of the second half of 2021. But by December the freeze began to thaw - interstate borders creaked open. Ella and I spotted a gap, and found ourselves spending a fantastic three weeks in Melbourne and its beautiful surroundings, bringing in Christmas and the New Year. We based ourselves a stone's throw from Federation Square, the unofficial centre of town, which was predictably buzzing and festive. Long seen as a missing element in an otherwise well-designed downtown, the large public space that is Fed Square is the overdue (and incredibly over-budget) answer.…