Melbourne – Victor Harbour

6 – 11 May

 

After a last mad dash cleaning the flat we handed the keys back and we were ready to hit the road. Being Friday we could swing past our favourite Phillipa’s bakery outlet around the corner for a last $5 coffee and pastry deal. Then down to Albert Park for a couple of photos with the Melbourne skyline before hitting The Great Ocean Road.

The beast handled the road well, although it will take us some getting used to handling the vehicle fully loaded. Last time we came along this section of the Great Ocean Road it was dark so nice to really appreciate the grandeur of the road. Our first night’s camp was at Blanket Bay in the Great Otway National Park. What a way to start – going to sleep with the sound of the ocean, only for the alarm to go off at 4am. Time to get up and see some of the Aquarid Meteor Shower. Unfortunately there was a bit of cloud cover but we still saw quite a few meteors zipping around. The next morning was a clear still day to explore Cape Otway lighthouse, Wreck Beach and view the majestic Twelve Apostles as the light faded.

 

It rained off and on as we made our way along the coast to Port Fairy for lunch – an old whaling town established in 1853. We walked around Griffith Island at the mouth of the river before heading to Lower Glenelg National Park for the night. The only ones at the campground we enjoyed the peaceful river setting before the rain brought an early end to out first campfire.

 

The day dawned bright and after having our first sort (and throw out) of unnecessary items that had made their way into the 4wd, we were over the SA border before we knew it. Literally before we knew it, as we were on a secondary road to the secondary road there was no boarder sign, and we sailed through, only to realise about 10km down the road). The rain has really set in for the day, and by the time we reached Mt Gambier it was umbrella time to get out and see the local sites.

 

 

Since it was already wet, we decided to head down to Ewens Ponds – a series of three deep spring-fed limestone ponds. The rain was bucketing down so out went the awning and we suited up for our snorkel out of the rain. Full wetsuit, boots, gloves, hoods and lavacore (polar fleece like garments for under our wetsuits) which given the water temperature of around 12deg meant that we were suitably dressed for a pleasant snorkel. There are three ponds with channels connecting them. It was such clear water, and lots of fun floating down the channels chasing fish as you went.

 

 

By the time we were driving into Port Macdonnell it was dark, the wind was up and it was bucketing down. After indulging in a spot of fish and chips (with proper fillets of fish) at the local hotel whilst the rain moved on, we tried to find some shelter behind hedges too low for our roof top tent. It was windy when we went to sleep, but we were woken by the wind really shuddering the tent at 3am.  It was at this point Marcel decided that if we liked still having our fly we should tie it down to the car. Checking the Bureau of Meteorology wind map it showed that we could expect winds of 35 – 40 knots until 7:30am! Even with the fly fixed in place it was still a rough ride, so we hunkered down and hoped for the best.

 

 

A slow start after a restless night and we found that with daylight we were just meters from the beach. Next stop for us was Little Dip Conservation Park just out of Robe. Again the only folk to be found at the campsite, but we had the company of sneaky mice that were already halfway up your shin before you noticed them.

 

A long drive up past Coorung NP dropped us in Victor Harbour for the night, grabbing a site at the caravan park and made the most of the amenities – hot showers, water for the tank, charging our low secondary battery, camp kitchen … We spent the evening working on setting up the website. Will be great to have a platform to keep you all updated without travels 🙂

 

E