Road Trips

Report by Romana S.

One of the best parts about a study abroad in Australia is definitely the variety of things to see and to do. Is there any better way to explore these than with a road trip? I don’t think so.
Close to the end of the semester, after having taken all our exams, four friends and I took off to a road trip. We decided to start off in Melbourne. It was a very long and exhausting car ride. After 12 hours we arrived at our first destination. Instead of heading to town, we decided to go look for a beach where we could rest a little bit after being stuck in the car for so long. We spent the rest of the day with sunbathing and swimming. In the evening, we were just about to head back to Melbourne when we met some people who were from this area. They invited us to a have a barbecue with them. My friends and I tagged along and had a nice evening. Later on, we went out to a club in the Casino. (It has an awesome view on the rooftop, but other than that it was not all that great. I would recommend another club/bar.)

Road trips are fun

The next day, we wanted to explore the city. Usually people say you are either a Sydney person or a Melbourne one. I for once really liked Melbourne which does not mean that I dislike Sydney. Melbourne simply felt smaller and not as overloaded with tall and huge buildings even though it’s the bigger one of the two cities. We went shopping – go figure! I mean we were five girls, after all. And let me tell you, you can do some great shopping in Australia! Anyway, I also enjoyed walking around town and having a look at the “older” buildings.
After a good night rest we took off to Great Ocean Road the next morning. Unfortunately, we took the wrong road and ended up driving through a forest half of the day (instead of driving along the ocean). However, in the end we did reach the 12 Apostles and were able to enjoy the beautiful view. Once we finally got back on the right track and came closer to what we’ve been waiting to see all day long, excitement set in. Then we had a first peak form far away and even that was already breathtaking. It was great and impressive to experience this moment at the 12 Apostles. To round it all up, we ate some ice cream and had coffee there. Afterwards, we continued our trip and headed to Philipp Island. We arrived just in time for the penguin parade. This was the part I was looking forward to the most. The penguins were super cute and tiny. It was amazing to watch them come out of the water and make their way back home.

“Travel as much as possible!!”

The following day, we drove up to Melbourne again to spend the whole day strolling around town and ended off this exhausting trip in a quite relaxing manner. I mean, after all we did spend most of the time in the car.The next morning we made our way back home (to the ICMS). What’s left to say is that I highly recommend to think well about who you are doing such trips with. Travelling through Australia, you spend a lot of time on a tiny space with each other and that can easily get complicated and stressful. People tend to be more sensitive which causes problems and arguments. So, my advice to you: choose your companions wisely! Other than that: travel as much as possible!!