Tooradin

We were going to stay in Lorne for Australia Day but we forgot to book and when we arrived the place was full.

We took the ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento and tried to find a place to stay on that coast, unfortunately they was completely full. Sooooooo it was up the coast and we finally found somewhere to stay in Tooradin, very small place but hospitable.

On Australia Day the locals laid on a sausage sizzle and film show which we thoroughly enjoyed. Went to the Fisherman's Cottage Museum, met a lovely couple from the historical society very informative about Torradin.

Great Ocean Road Apollo Bay to Airys Inlet

Just some of the views along the road. All taken from the car as stopping in the middle of all the traffic seemed a bit suicidal. Will go back next week and take views from the viewing points. Like I should have done this week.

Johanna and the hinterland

We had a day in the car, travelling through the forests and viewing waterfalls.

The Light house station at Cape Otway, we went to the lookout for the photo as the price to go into the station made us laugh. Lots of Koala in the trees driving to the station, nearly knocked over another tourist who thought the road was there for him to stand and take photos.

Hopetoun Falls. Very steep steps down to the falls, this photo was taken at the top, then I walked to the bottom for an very inferior photo, I know, nitwit.

The rainforest walking to Tripet Falls

Part of Tripet Falls

Marks left by early loggers, it's where the boards are wedged in so they can stand to chop the tree down. Big logging camp here. This is on the walk to Tripet Falls, Trev counted 302 steps up from the bottom of the falls, again I know, nitwit.

Great Ocean Road. 2

Second day, the 12 Apostles are sadly only 8 , the others having succumbed to the sea. Having the ranger tell us yesterday that in the 90's the arch connecting London Bridge to the mainland collapsed without warning made today's march across limestone cliffs slightly disconcerting. We are still here and the cliffs are still there. As you can see some further collapse might be imminent.

Princeton campsite by the Gellibrand River very peaceful spot.

A patchwork shop in the hinterland very near Lavers Hill. It just popped up and I had to stop.

Our lunch stop, Apollo Bay harbour.

Great Ocean Road pt 1

The Great Ocean Road starts at Warrambool, then goes inland for a bit and pops out on the coast at The Bay of Islands. Then it's The Grotto, London Bridge, The Arch and Port Cambell. It was late afternoon by then and we were just a bit viewed out, so camped for the night and we will resume tomorrow.

London Bridge has us in front.
The Arch is an arch
Bay of Islands, lots of islands
Port Cambell has the jetty.
The Grotto

Port Fairy and Griffiths Island

Lovely couple of days by the seaside. Port Fairy is a paradise for being on the beach. Lots of quaint cottages and a lot of big holiday homes. Our little patch of grass did for us even though we needed a mortgage to pay for it. To be fair the campsite only opens for 6 months of the year so I suppose they needed to charge double to catch up for a year.

Griffiths Island was a 3k walk that uplifted the soul, sea breeze, wonderful surfing waves and lots of sunshine, the Shearwaters which are nesting we're out to sea fishing I will try to go back tonight when they are home to see them nesting.

It's is a really lovely part of the country, I can understand why so many people visit.

Portland

At last, back to the sea. We are in a free camping spot, after some of the fees we have had to pay, I feel like staying here weeks. But we won't .

While in Portland we visited the lighthouse at Cape Nelson, the blowholes that didn't and the Petrified forest that isn't. We visited the seal colony that did and on the way home a Koala that was waiting on the side of the road for a lift, but when we stopped he thought better of it and ambled across the road and back home.

And just for good measure a photo of the hill we had to climb to get to the seal colony, over the tallest cliff face in Victoria.

Mount Eccles National Park

This stopover was not planned but we just took a chance, what a surprise we are in the middle of a koala reserve. The park is an old volcano so lots of walks around the rim and the lake below.

The Koalas arrived late yesterday afternoon grunting and arguing, we wondered what the noise was, looked up in the trees and found koalas all round.

Halls Gap

Extreme heat again and we thought we would beat it by coming to Halls Gap. Not. It was the first time there was a complete fire ban and we couldn't even use the gas cooker. All cooking had to be done in the camp kitchen on electric. Eerie hearing about all the fires in Victoria and sitting in the middle of a forest. Lots of the fires had been set by arsonists so it felt really unsafe because you have no protection against idiots.

Apart form that enjoyed ourselves. Went for a walk up to Chataugua Peak, I got very spooked at the top didn't like it at all. Trev took the pictures. Took in the Grand Canyon Loop in the afternoon which was a mistake and we overdid it. Went for a drive to Mackenzie Falls and wisely did the top flat walk and left the rock hopping to fitter souls.

the photo of the metal is of a bridge washed away in the 2011 floods. It looks quite substantial so would not have liked being there at the time.

Week 56. Bendigo

We left Tumut and travelled through Kosiusko National Park through Cabramurra to Corryong ten across country to Bendigo.

This was going to be a sight seeing stop, it was a shame about the temperature, high 30's to low 40's but we continued, didn't do as much walking as we wanted to but did see lots of wonderful buildings and museums.

We had a tour around the Town Hall another round the Shamrock Hotel which included afternoon tea. We inspected the Tram depot and had a warm ride on a tram. The pottery museum first opened in 1858 is still running as a pottery with lots of the old kilns still in place. They still make clay for pottery to sell to individuals and schools.

Blowering Dam and the Tumut River

Blowering Dam is part of the Hydro Electric Scheme of the Snowy River. I had no idea how big the scheme is and the number of dams that make it up. Also the Tumut Pond Dam that's the curved grey one.

I wanted to do the same thing as the kids in the Tumut river, ride down on the current but they told me the water temperature was 11 degrees. I declined.

The suspension bridge was built by the Army in one day as a training exercise. It crosses the Tumut River just below the Blowering Dam.