Our first night out of Melbourne was spent at Point Impossible, in Torquay. We got a bit lost on our way in and after driving the last couple of kilometres down a corrugated dirt road we opened Claude’s door to find the pantry had burst open and that food was everywhere. A first, and hopefully a last.

On waking the next morning we were stoked to find that Point Impossible was a gem of a find. Not only was it beautiful, but Jono scored his first surf of the trip and we also found what appeared to be an abandoned hermit’s abode. Yes, really! Nestled in the dunes was a shelter (a hallway, one room, a window and a chimney) carved out of a slab of concrete. We’ve decided to stick with Claude for the time being but we’re keeping the hut in mind as a fall back.

Jono’s first surf of the trip

Jono and Neddy enjoying the hermit hut at Point Impossible

Downwards dog at Point Impossible

A note for would-be travellers: the Point Impossible stretch of coast features a well-regarded (this is according to Google) ‘clothes-optional’ beach, so that’s something to look out for. Jono very successfully* hid his disappointment that we’d managed to navigate to the ‘clothes-non-optional’ section.

After leaving Torquay we of course made a stop at Bells Beach where construction is underway for the upcoming Rip Curl Pro. The strong wind ruled out surfing for anyone other than kite surfers so we spent the time being appropriately awed by this mecca of Australian surfing and the history behind it.

The team on Bells Beach

A quick stop on the Great Ocean Road

Moves with a view on the Great Ocean Road

From Bells we pushed on down the Great Ocean Road, looking for somewhere to pull up stumps for a day or two. We passed a number of picturesque towns that could well have fit the bill – with special mentions going to Ayres Inlet and Lorne – before striking the jackpot in Wye. Our free-camping spot provided us with uninterrupted, Neddy-friendly beach views. The only drawback with this little spot was the toilet paper littering the area. Each day dawned with enough paper to fill shopping bag. To anyone reading this, toilet paper counts as rubbish so please take it with you!

Wye sunrise – no caption needed!

Wye sunrise – take 2

Wye sunrise – take 3

While in Wye we were treated to one truly spectacular sunshine-filled day complemented by an offshore breeze that saw Jono catching wave after wave on the stand up. We spent the rest of the day (which ended with a sunset dolphin swim-by spotted through our bedroom window) playing with Neddy and marvelling at our luck. If our trip treats us to many days as magical as that one we’ll thank our lucky stars.

Jono enjoying the perfect SUP waves in Wye

*not really