The final instalment of this OZ adventure is here! Learn about one of the Great Ocean Road best kept secrets and many other spots and tips. Take your passport and tag along

READ THE FULL STORY AFTER THE JUMP

The Great Ocean Road:I have never seen something so majestic in my entire life. The Great Ocean Road is one of those places that, despite taking many photos, you have to see with your own eyes to believe it. Cool facts about it:

- TGOR is part of Australia’s National Heritage
- The road was built BY HAND by thousands of returned servicemen from the war
- It’s the world’s largest war memorial

Best way to see the road: from above! In a helicopter, that is, including a heli tour of The 12 Apostles (rock formations seen above and below, including the one that’s supposed to look like a seahorse, but to me it looks like a snake? Can you spot it?). Unlike most tourist traps around the world where everything is too hyped-up, the 12 Apostles is an actual MUST-DO and it is NOT overrated AT ALL, on the contrary! They should actually have a warning sign that reads “Insane beauty ahead. You’re about to crap yourself”.

While driving along the road you’ll find many little towns that offer different attractions, from topnotch surfing at Torquay Beach to beautiful historic sites at Loch Ard Gorge, but you want to know THE BEST kept secret? Ok, here it is:

The Great Ocean Ecolodge: Oh, I’d kill to go back there again. The Great Ocean Ecolodge is this little lodge secluded in the middle of the wilderness. It’s not only an award-winning retreat but it’s also a conservation centre for endangered species. If you happen to go there, you can either stroll around the eucalyptus trees and relax or you can walk around, learn about the area, and help!

I highly recommend you take the guided tour with one of their experienced staff (our guide was Jesse Lewis, super rad dude!). Oh and just in case you haven’t noticed, yes, there are KOALAS AND KANGAROOS ROAMING FREE! EEEK! These are the most adorable creatures ever. Look how close I got to the little guy pictured above!

I would’ve loved to cuddle with one of them, but as I mentioned in one of my posts for Go Australia; don’t fuck with nature, just let it be and contemplate it from afar. Also, Koalas have GIANT claws that could easy shred your face to pieces, and some of them have chlamydia, so yah no thanks.

Oh! And the food – oh ma bayeezus – so good! All freshly made everyday, super yummy and nourishing! How cute is this victorian-esque dinning room?!

Ok, let’s head back inland to visit Melbourne once more before heading back.

Melbourne: Well, I kinda went cray cray in there, and you can see why in my 1st post, but I’m not done with the goodies from the city! Here, have a mouthful of Melbubble:

- If you want to buy something for your man (or you’re a man), head over to Incu
- For guys and girls go to Somewhere, which is a hidden gem!
- Get some stuff from Harvest Textiles, rad patterns and colours!
- Go to the Arts Centre
- Ride the free tram around the city
- Go to Queen Victoria Market
- And if you’re there in time, check out the Big Design Market!

Ok folks, it’s time to head back. I know, my heart is a little bit crushed too. But hey, Australia is gonna be there! So we can always go back (and we’ll definitely will, RIGHT?!).

If you want a play-by-play of the trip (including the best airline and most amazing flight ever), check out my AU goals in Go Australia.

‘Til the next artful travel!

Thanks a gazzzzillion to Tourism Victoria for taking care of this traveling desperado. All views are my own.

READ PART 1 HERE

Photos: The Artful Desperado

It’s been two weeks since I came back from my trip Down Under and boy do I miss it. The weather, the food, the people – the cute OZ accent! eeek! – I mean, how can you resist?!

FULL STORY + TONS OF OZ TRAVELLING TIPS AFTER THE JUMP

So, I happen to have like 10000 photos which I’ve been slowly but surely editing. So many memories! My head is kind spinning around. I literally went from north to south, from a lush rainforest to the epicentre of fashion and culture – with some koala spotting in between. And lucky you, I am about to share some tips so you can plan your next trip Down Under – ’cause you are SO travelling there!

Let’s do this!

From North to South – Australia in a Snapshot

Port Douglas: This teeny town is packed with majestic beaches and natural beauty. It’s close to The Daintree rainforest (more details of the forest in here), Mossman Gorge, and of course, the Great Barrier Reef, which is a MUST in your bucket list.

For accommodation, hands down go to QT Port Douglas, it’s suuuuper funky, and they have insane food, like you can eat your face off and totally not feel guilty about it. The peeps there will take good care of you! I mean just look at this gal, how adorbsss (say hi to Emily everyone! She’s the go-to girl for QT Port Douglas).

Lizard Island: If you have some extra dollars to spend, you MUST visit Lizard Island, also known as paradise, also known as heaven on earth and all other awesome things you can think of. This place is so beautiful, words cannot describe it (just look at the photos on their site!). I was there for a day and it was totally worth it. The reef is just a few steps away from your room! Basically you wake up and you go hang out with Nemo. Since it’s an island where the only inhabitants are the people in the resort and a few scientists, you literally have the whole beach to yourself – you can hike, swim, explore the mangroves, and drink lots of delicious OZ wine. Sold!

To fly to Lizard Island, you can take a plane from Hinterland Aviation, which is about an hour and a bit away from Port Douglas.

Now let’s fly south!

Melbourne: I cannot even begin to tell you how much I LOVE this city. Art, fashion, design, food, culture, you name it they have it! And not just that, people are SO friendly (maybe I’m a bit jaded of the snobbery here in Vancouver haha). I was walking down one of the many laneways and arcades (where all the cool shit is!) and ended up at Comme des Garçons where the gal working there gave me TONS of tips for shopping. How nice!?

My recommendation to get acquainted with the city is to take a tour with Hidden Secrets, these guys know everything there is in fashion and culture in Melbourne and can totes customize something for ya.

Things you MUST do in Melbourne:
- Grab a coffee at Brother Baba Budan – so good!
- Visit Craft Victoria, an amazing store FULL of stuff created by local artists and designers
- Stroll around Brunswick and Gertrude st. where you’ll find unique shops
- Do as many laneways as possible! Especially Hosier lane
- Pop by T2 Tea Shop, so colourful! And the tea is delish (they got tons!)
- Visit a few galleries – I could go on and on about all of them, but here, check out this site where you’ll find the latest arty events.
-Eat at Tonka, mouthwatering!
- Grab a few cocktails at Chin Chin / Go Go
- Need free WiFi while you people watch? Go To Federation Square (you should go there regardless)

How freaking hot are australian arty peeps? I was lucky enough to see some of them in action! I even met one local film artist, who took me for drinks to The Everleigh, SO DREAMY! Both him and the place. Oh poor guy didn’t know I was totally creeping on him the whole night haha (sorry dude!), as for the dude on the photo above, I like to think that he’s pointing down at the spot where he’s going to kneel down to ask me to marry him so I can move to Australia…..right!?! *eye twitch* – one can dream. K, enough creepin.

Woweee…so many memories! Dudes, this is just half of it! The 2nd part will include more Melbourne goodness, PLUS the Great Ocean Road and a hidden Ecolodge which is probably Victoria’s best kept secret! All this and more coming on part 2.

All photos: Artful Desperado

To see more about #GoAustralia, including other bloggers who were also sponsored for this trip, visit Go Mighty Go Australia. All views and tips are my own.

Photo : Mike Matas

While spending another sleepless night thinking about how my brain can get a hold of itself over this craziness of mine that started about 3 weeks ago (yeah, you know who you are) I stumbled upon this uber amazing video by MikeMatas .

The video shows a whole lot of snap shots working together in perfect sync to lure you into the addictive essence of far away destinations and adventures. The video is about a trip that Mike Matas and his girlfriend made to Morocco and Spain.

Let it speak for itself

A-WE-SO-ME!!!  oh, if you are uber cool then check it on vimeo in high res, this stupid blog doesn’t allow me to actually put it on the post, but here is the link http://vimeo.com/videos/search:mike%20matas%20morocco/74310a5b

Make sure to stop by his website and give him some love.

Thanks Holliday Matinee

Gbox