Peaceful and Wild

Group photo at the beach

This past weekend, I had the chance to escape city life for a while and join a bunch of friends from Cross Cultures at a beach house in Inverloch, a seaside town about two hours southeast of Melbourne. Don't get me wrong as I love living in the city, but sometimes it's refreshing to leave and enjoy the atmosphere of a smaller town. If my memory is serving me correctly, it was the first time I left Melbourne for somewhere new since moving here... and it was wonderful. This short getaway reminded me of the way I felt when I left London just for a few days to experience someplace different, like Edinburgh or Abergavenny.

The ride from Melbourne to Inverloch was serene and rather scenic even though it was dark by the time we arrived at our destination. As we drove along winding roads and passed by many trees and open fields, I commented on how peaceful the area looked and how it resembled home a little bit;

At the scenic lookout point

however, someone else in the car shared a different perspective, stating that it just looked wild. I guess that much was true and I might agree that I wouldn't want my car to break down in that area, especially if I was alone at night.

Since we were in such a remote area, I was hoping to see some sort of exotic wildlife. There were several signs along the road that warned drivers to beware of kangaroos or koalas that might randomly dart out in front of the car. At one point, we drove by a small animal as it disappeared into the bushes, and I'll admit that it was a bit disappointing to learn that it was just a fox and not a kangaroo or something not native to North America.

It was a relaxing weekend that was equipped with hours of pool, table tennis, card games, puzzles, and scenic walks. We also went to the beach a few times, one of which was supposed to be to watch the sunset over the ocean. However, I suppose my Australian friends don't know me well enough to

Sunset at the beach

know about my............. unfortunate sense of direction, meaning I should be the last person to lead a group of people anywhere. Several of us were to meet the others at the beach after buying our food in town, but we ended up getting there a short while after the best part of the sunset. Oops.....

It was a great weekend and made me think about doing other short trips around Victoria. Caylee will be in Melbourne at the end of February so hopefully we'll be able to drive the Great Ocean Road together. I'm looking forward to it!