Halls Gap, VIC

26 February-3 March 2017

The Grampians

The Balconies

Mackenzie Falls

Boroka Lookout

Grand Canyon

Silent Street

Silent Street

The Pinnacle

The Pinnacle

The Pinnacle

Lakeview Lookout

Lakeview Lookout

Silverband Falls

Lake Bellfield

We really enjoyed Parkgate Resort in Halls Gap as the section we were in felt like a campground instead of a caravan park, we were right next to the bush which kangaroos appeared from at night to munch on the grass around us. It was lovely to see them but they left so many poos that it was like crossing a minefield to get to the amenities.
The Grampians were mighty impressive with jaw dropping lookouts and hard but rewarding walks, our favourite was the walk up to the Pinnacle. First walking through Grand Canyon with lots of hopping over huge rocks that had been placed to make a path through the narrow gorge. At the end were some stairs to take us up and out of the canyon. Still going up we were walking in the sun for some time before entering Silent Street a very narrow corridor through the rocks, so tight at one point that we could only just squeeze through without turning sideways. We eventually made it up to the Pinnacle and the amazing view from the top of the sheer cliffs.
There were some good waterfalls, at Mackenzie Falls the path to the base of the falls follows the cascading water down the steep rocks to the final plunge throwing a fine mist into the air. We also visited Silverband Falls which was pretty despite being less than half a metre wide.

Warrnambool, VIC

22-26 February 2017

Middle Island

Port Fairy

Griffiths Island

Shearwater burrows

Wallaby

Hopkins Falls

Warrnambool is home to Middle Island which has a small colony of Little Penguins, the recent movie Oddball was about the dogs protecting them. People are no longer allowed out onto the island so the penguin burrows aren’t damaged. We did get out onto Griffiths Island at nearby Port Fairy, walking around the island to the lighthouse we passed through the huge Shearwater colony, their burrows were everywhere coming right up next to the track.

Port Campell, VIC

19-22 February 2017

Port Campbell

Port Campbell Holiday Park

The 12 Apostles

Thunder Cave

Loch Ard Gorge

Gog & Magog

Gibson Steps Beach

The Razorback

Mutton Bird Island Lookout

Mutton Bird Island

Shearwaters

London Bridge

The Grotto

Bay of Isles

For the western section of the Great Ocean Road we stayed in Port Campbell, a great little town with an almost rectangular inlet.  We didn’t have the best weather, almost every day was really windy and cold, and we were rugged up like it was the middle of winter.

We were pleasantly surprised that the 12 Apostles were more impressive than we had expected, you see so many pictures of them that you almost expect to be disappointed but they were beautiful.  We also really enjoyed all the varied areas around the nearby Loch Ard Gorge which we had never heard of but spent hours wandering around the offshore stacks, towering cliffs, beaches and blowholes.  We returned in the evening to the lookout next to Mutton Bird Island to wait for the Short-tailed Shearwaters to return to their burrows.  It is a small towering island just 150m by 80m but is home to 12,000 shearwaters.  Sunset came and it was getting dark and we were getting worried as there was still no sign of any birds.  Suddenly we could could see a few birds flying above the island, then there were more and more until there were hundreds of birds darting around above the island.  For the next 15 minutes there was a constant stream of birds arriving and swooping into their burrows.  They were everywhere and mostly silent except for the occasional call.  It was a mesmerising sight.

 

Kennett River, VIC

15-19 February 2017

Erskine Falls

Cape Otway Lighthouse

Redwoods canopy

Redwoods Forest

Hopetoun Falls

Kennett River Beach

Koala jump

Koala

Koala

Kennett River was our base to see the eastern section of the Great Ocean Road where the road hugs the coast and at times it felt like just one false move would have us crashing into the water.  On a drive to Apollo Bay we were sampling the wares of the bakery whilst overlooking the harbour and spotted something in the water, at first it looked like a fish but then we realised it was a Little Penguin doing a spot of fishing.
Driving towards the pretty Hopetoun Falls we were surprised to come across a small forest of Californian Redwoods which were planted in 1939 and are magnificent, we felt so insignificant next to them yet they could still double their size.
We had a short walk through the temperate rainforest but it was almost a much shorter walk when we found a massive tree had crashed to the ground completely blocking the track, we eventually managed to scramble over and under the trunk and branches.  On the way back we passed a ranger carrying a tiny pruning saw, we think he needed something a little bigger to clear that mess.
Our biggest highlight was the number of koalas we saw, most of them in the caravan park.  On a walk around the park one evening we saw 10 koalas.  We were watching one that was trying to have a scratch only to lose balance and almost fall out of the tree, luckily it managed to grab hold of the branch before it fell so we didn’t find out if koalas bounce.  The only downside to having so many koalas around is that it is a very popular spot with tour buses, one day we were sitting in the van and noticed a big group of tourists pointing and taking photos right next to the van, there was a koala in the tree right behind us. Another day whilst driving along a sandy track near the Cape Otway Lighthouse we saw something come out of the bush onto the track ahead of us and realised that it was a koala, it kept coming towards us and even started running before disappearing into the undergrowth just in front of the car. The first koala we have seen on the ground.

The Bellarine, VIC

11-15 February 2017

Norwegian Star – Point Lonsdale

Barwon Heads

Torquay

Bells Beach

Split Point

Split Point Lighthouse

Teddy’s Lookout – Lorne

Marriners Lookout – Apollo Bay

Marriners Lookout – Apollo Bay

Cunningham Pier – Geelong

Geelong Foreshore

On a drive around The Bellarine we stopped at Point Lonsdale overlooking the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, during a walk to the lighthouse on the rocky outcrop we spotted a cruise ship being towed back to port.  It was the Norwegian Star which lost power on its way to New Zealand.

We made a start on the Great Ocean Road travelling through Torquay and on to the famous Bells Beach, there looked like a good surf but no one was in the water. We had a walk around the lighthouse at Split Point.

Heading back towards Melbourne we had a walk along the foreshore at Geelong and out onto the iconic Cunnigham Pier.

 

Melbourne, VIC

5-11 February 2017

Melbourne

Project Audience – Spot us?

RAAF Museum

Werribee – Gorillas

Werribee

Werribee

Werribee

Melbourne Museum – Dinosaur Walk

It was finally time to get the last of the warranty work done back at the Lotus Factory which we had booked in months ago.  It all went smoothly and everything was done in one day.

We spent a day in the city, we wandered around the shops and Shane dropped into work to catch up with a few people then we went to the Channel Ten studios in South Yarra to join the audience of The Project.  There were a few surprises: they took us into the studio less than 10 minutes before the show started, the studio was tiny and some of the sections were pre-recorded.  It was really interesting to see how it all works and we were lucky that they had Ed Sheeran on the show performing live, he was excellent.

Another day we headed out to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook because seriously it has been ages since we looked at planes!  We could have picked a better day for it as it got to 35° and only one section of it was air-conditioned.  From there we went on to Werribee Open Range Zoo, luckily it was already starting to cool down but most of the animals were taking it easy in the shade.  It was good doing the safari and seeing a lot of the animals with so much room to move, the giraffes were a highlight wandering around eating from the trees.

Our final day we caught the tram to Fitzroy for lunch then wandered around Melbourne Museum, the dinosaur walk was laid out so well it almost brought the skeletons to life, especially one that was almost climbing up to the next level.

Warragul, VIC

3-5 February 2017

We stopped at Warragul on the way to Melbourne.  We didn’t really get up to much other than catching up on some washing and shopping so sorry this is a very boring update but hey we can’t be living the high life every day!

Wilsons Promontory, VIC

31 January-3 February 2017

It was a slight backtrack to get to Wilsons Promontory but we wanted to wait for the school holidays to be over before we went there.  It was still fairly busy though as it appears to be popular with backpackers.

There are lots of great walks so we tried to do a good mix of them, starting with the walk out across the Tidal River footbridge to Pillar Point, an outcrop of massive granite boulders with breathtaking views of Norman and Squeaky Beaches.  Part way back we headed off on the Overlook Circuit which has more fantastic views of Norman Beach and leads around to more huge boulders with inland views across the national park.  There were good views over the snaking river and the campground as we headed back to camp.

The walk to Little Oberon Bay took us behind Norman Beach before climbing around Norman Point with views across the bays and around to Little Oberon Bay.  Another short but pleasant walk was along the Loo-Errn Boardwalk which follows the river through estuarine wetlands that were so tranquil as the sun was setting.

Our final walk was up to the summit of Mt Oberon, the road goes part way but the final 3.5km is by foot on a steady climb until almost at the summit where there are a lot of steps up to the top of the granite outcrop.  The view across the campground and Norman Bay was stunning but it was very cold and windy up there.  We didn’t stay long as we could see rain coming, we timed it perfectly as just as we got in the car it started pouring with rain.

The highlight of our stay was finally getting a good look at lots of wild wombats.  Each evening at dusk we had a walk around the campground and found wombats every time.  They have such bad eyesight that we were able to get right next to them and they had no idea we were there.  One did notice Shane’s camera lens and almost bumped into it when it went up for a closer look.  On returning to the van after one of these walks we found a wombat practically on the doorstep.

 

 

Phillip Island, VIC

26-30 January 2017

Pyramid Rock

Cape Barren Geese

Woollamai Beach

Nobbies

Nobbies boardwalk

Little Penguin

Nobbies nest boxes

Antarctic Journey

Penguin Parade beach

It was Australia Day when we arrived at Phillip Island and the caravan park was packed.
Driving around the island we took a short walk along a boardwalk to the lookouts over Pyramid Rock a small island just off the grassy point with views that extend to both ends of Phillip Island.  Further on was Nobbies which has a massive visitor centre along with boardwalks with spectacular coastal views including the Nobbies rock formations which had thousands of Silver Gulls nesting on it.  There were lots of wooden nesting boxes around the boardwalks for Little Penguins, we couldn’t believe how far up the steep hill the boxes were. We could see a few penguins sitting at the entrances to the boxes but most were hidden away.  Inside the centre was the Antarctic Journey which had some interactive activities but the best part was the immersive audio visual display which had stunning images on huge screens and on one we got up close to some virtual seals, penguins and orcas.
The highlight was going to the Penguin Parade, we did the Research Tour which took us behind the scenes to see how rangers care for sick and injured wildlife, afterwards we were taken to our reserved front row seating in the Penguins Plus viewing platform to watch the penguins waddle ashore.  It was great not to have to fight with the hundreds of other spectators to get the best viewing spot and we even had the ranger sit with us for a while answering any questions. It was just starting to get dark and gradually a few penguins began emerging from their burrows and then a few were on the edge of the water. They walked up the beach and climbed over a line of low rocks where a lot of them took a rest then they started heading close to where we were sitting, some heading further inland and others climbing up the hill. There were surges of different sized groups coming past, we could make out lines of them on the path up the hill getting held up when one of the front-runners decided to stop for a break. Some of the penguins were preparing to moult so building up their body weight, these ones looked so fat compared to the others and some could hardly walk while some of the small ones were charging along. A couple of what appeared to be fledglings came out of a burrow and down the hill and were harassing penguins as they went by, poor things must have been so hungry. It was fascinating watching them all hurry by and eventually they were about to turn the lights off so we moved to the other side of the viewing platform where we could see the whole beach and there were waves of penguins still leaving the water. We followed a group of penguins as we left the viewing area, the boardwalk runs next to their pathway so we were walking just centimetres from penguins all the way back into the visitor centre, even having to stop at one point where there is a crossing for the penguins.  Unfortunately no photos from the parade as photography isn’t allowed in case it frightens the penguins, not that that stopped a lot of people.

Inverloch, VIC

23-26 January 2017

Inverloch Coast

Eagles Nest

Eagles Nest

Inverloch was the most expensive caravan park so far at $79.20 a night for a powered site, we had tried to get into another park but it was full. There was an indoor pool and water park, not that we used either of them. The day we arrived was 35° then the next day was only 22° and very windy.
We had a drive along the coast stopping at the Eagles Nest a sandstone stack on a wide rock platform at the base of a bluff. There was a nice view from the lookout above it but it was even better from the beach.
The beach next to the holiday park is on Anderson Inlet a protected bay where the Tarwin River enters Bass Strait. It was low tide so there was a large expanse of sand and the little soldier crabs were out in force. Watching them quickly bury themselves into the sand whenever we got close was entertaining.