Published in Overland Issue Print Issue 199 Winter 2010 Main Posts / Writing the great ocean road, December 30 Amanda Surrey we set out early with coffee no music the speakers dismantled weeks ago from the back seat she says ‘take the western ring road’ we bypass the city the bridge to the west and begin the long straight road to Geelong cut across flat brown fields petrol stations industrial satellite towns close to the city the traffic slows we pull up behind surf boards and bicycles attached like Christmas decorations to giant four wheel drives pass the church and its steeples veer to the left and out to the coast here it unwinds from my passenger seat like a sand coloured ribbon the water impossibly blue the lighthouse long stretches of coast and scrub through to Lorne pulsing with people and sun block we stop for lunch walk the length of the pier young kids daring jumping twisting off the side turn back past surfers by the side of the road I sleep and wake later on the Westgate bridge my shirt stuck to the seat the seat to my back my back to the road Amanda Surrey Amanda Surrey lives and works in Melbourne and grew up in New Zealand. More by Amanda Surrey Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays First published in Overland Issue 228 11 November 202211 November 2022 Main Posts On the last day of Subscriberthon, our amazing online editor gives you one last (very good) reason to subscribe Editorial team What's in store for the last day of Subscriberthon? First published in Overland Issue 228 10 November 202210 November 2022 Main Posts On the second-last day of Subscriberthon, our favourite editor-duo give you reason #1002 to subscribe to Overland Editorial team What's in store for the second-last day of Subscriberthon?