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By Devanne Sours
Senior-to-be, Outside Hitter
Today has been one of the most relaxing and adventurous days in the land down under. After getting a good night sleep in our new hotel in St. Kilda, we had roll call at the bus at 7 a.m. to make our trek to the Great Ocean Road.
After about an hour drive and a good amount of napping, we stopped to eat breakfast. The coaches got us some blueberry scones, an assortment of fruit and some juice and we were set. We also stopped to grab a coffee and go for a walk on the beach. Pauline, being the knowledgeable person she is, informed us that this was the town where Rip Curl and Billabong originated.
Our next stop was Bells Beach. This is where the World Surfing Tour takes place. The cliffs rose high above the shoreline while the crystal clear water crashed against them. We got to watch some people try to shred some gnar, but I don’t think the surfers considered the four-foot waves gnarly. But us New Mexicans thought it was cool and an amazing change of scenery.
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Boarding the bus once again we got to stop in a special place, Anglesea. One of the best parts of this stop was being able to drive by the house that Pauline grew up in until the age of 12. Seeing where she is from and being in her part of the world instead of ours for a while is a really nice change.
We also took a walk to a golf course and got to see a couple of wild kangas roaming around. A few of us were joking about what would happen if one of the golf balls were to hit a kangaroo. Do you think it would look at you, pick up the golf ball, put it in the baby kanga pouch and walk away? The funny conversations that happen between us like this always keep us on our toes. We soon hopped back on the bus and headed to our next destination.
We travelled a little bit farther, picked a nice shady parking spot and starting walking to the next beautiful sight, a lighthouse at Aireys Inlet. It was picture perfect. From all the different lookouts, we got an abundance of indescribable views. The shorelines, the lighthouse, a few team pics and maybe even a few selfies became a new piece in our collection of memories. It’s amazing to be able to have the opportunity to experience all of these things with this group of girls, because there is absolutely never a dull moment or a missed opportunity for a dorky picture.
The team made their way back to the bus, hopped in our seats and anxiously awaited the next stop. Little did we know, we were about to have breathtaking views. As Pauline drove towards the precious town of Lorne, we had what Cassie House deemed as “majestic” views of the coast. Pictures don’t do any of it justice.
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We then made it to our longest stop on our trek, parked the bus and had a walk on the beach while we waited for surprise food we had been told about. Pauline, JJ, and Kate brought us three giant wrapped packages and our gourmet lunch was served, fish and chips. But this wasn’t the average fish, it was shark! We chowed down, and were enjoying every bite when we realized that we weren’t the only hungry ones here.
Some not-so-lovely cockatoos had made their way to our picnic tables. These were not your average pretty little birds — they were feisty, fighting, feather-filled beings, out to get us. But don’t worry, have no fear, Lise is here! With a stick and a wild yell that can scare more than just the birds away, she fearlessly defended our fries from the ferocious feasting birds, and soon became known as our knight in shining yoga pants. Make sure to check out the photos to see our brave knight and the savage beings she saved us from. Hopefully you get as much of a laugh out of this as we did. After a few girly screams and lots of laughs we wrapped up our meal, fed the terrifying birds some chips and fled the scene.
As we headed home, we stopped at Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Here we got to check out some creepy emus, learn about the Aboriginal culture and get a few unique gifts. Everyone got a good nap in, in some very awkward positions on the way back to our hotel!
Since our exploratory road trip took most of the day, we only had a little bit of time to shower. We got cleaned up and then met for a great dinner at Itali.Co. Even though our time here is coming to an end tonight, we are so thankful that we got this opportunity! Tomorrow we will be on a 15-hour flight back to the states. See ya soon, America!
Fans can follow the team’s Facebook page (University of New Mexico Volleyball) and Twitter (@UNMVolley) to keep track of the Lobos during their trip.