Great Ocean Road Adventure #5/6 Break of Dawn!

0600 hrs. Otway camp dormitory. The raindrops fell non stop and we could hear the drips from the warmth of our beds. The half awoken committee was determined to make Fotoholics camp a sleep camp. After all, it was ten degrees above freezing outside and we were all snugly under the sheets. I had other plans:
Fully armed with my camera and tripod, I managed to gather a few more people to experience the sunrise with me.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the clouds were out in the droves that morning and the darkness lingered on as a hint of sunlight peeked through the clouds. The Antarctic winds blasted into our face sending the ten brave Fotoholics into a shiver.

The wind was blowing so strongly that this time lapse was only fifteen minutes long. Yet the clouds were going places. This was the only interesting shot of the sunrise that did not come. Suddenly, I felt something hard hit my skin. Hail!!! Mixed with rocks! That was when I turned around and told the rest of the photoholics "Run!".

The next five minutes seemed to be the longest one in Australia. It was clear that we were being hit hard. Hail or sand we did not know. Desperate to protect our eyes and face, we shield our faces from the coastal wind.

The gale showed no sign of letting down and we rendezvous under the roadway, sheltered from the passing rain. Soaked and cold, we dashed to the cars before we succumb to the might of nature.
Safe in the car, we watched the storm pass over us until the first true rays of the sun penetrated the seemingly never ending cloud cover.

Haha.. Ngiah is gonna be so sad he missed this one!
After our little excursion of extreme weather, we headed back to base camp. Only 10 minutes had passed and the skies turned blue and pretty!
A few of us took the opportunity to snap away while the birds look in amazement.That's me!The cold beach was no place to be until this guy surfaced from the ice cold waters. Balls of steel!

Making it back, we broke fast and here is a scene in the kitchen!

Before we left the camp, we prepared ourselves for a group picture. Da Wei with his fish eye went to set up his tripod. Yet the weather was relentless and unleashed another torrent of rain!
This time we were smart. We stayed indoors!