THE refreshing breeze off Bells Beach blew through the back door of my campervan and I couldn’t help but smile with a big appreciation of another beautiful view.
After picking up my Melbourne campervan rental, the drive to the majestic Great Ocean Road was only about 112km from Melbourne. As rewarding as the drive was, the real bonus was about settling in for some great surfing in a beautiful setting along the coastline.
It was so easy to look down to the beach and watch the surfers running to the waves to compete in the Rip Curl Surf Pro at Bells Beach. I have never attempted surfing in my life but, this is a sporting event that must be experienced and I would highly recommend working something like it into your travel itinerary when on any road trip in Victoria.
Sinking my feet into the sand, I secured a front row position to watch big names such as Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning search for the perfect wave. It doesn’t get much better than that if you’re a surfing fan.
Many times while travelling I have found myself pulling over and taking in the views at various lookouts, however, I realised after this weekend that I have never stopped completely, walked to the edge of the water and really watched the intensity of surfing. The coastline of Australia offers an amazing playground for all ages and the Great Ocean Road, which runs for about 245km from Anglesea to Warrnambool, and offers great caravan parks along the way.
ALYCE PEARSON
