Homeward Bound

Sunday 20^th, Monday 21^st and 22^nd November

Sunday

A very interesting trip out of Melbourne today.  The GPS (Betty) is letting us down a bit because she is not giving us much warning of a change of direction, she is also taking us on some strange detours, some of which we refuse to take.  Melbourne drivers aren’t very tolerant and I reckon the first thing that would wear out on their cars would be the horn.  They like to use them a lot.  I reckon I heard a few different tones today.  Lucky today is Sunday and not a weekday where I would encounter a few more motorists.

Once out of Melbourne the freeway/highway becomes a more normal road and is quite interesting.  I can see why there is a thriving dairy industry because the pastures are green and filled with what seem contented cows.

We stopped in Sale to get some bread rolls for lunch and stopped in Lakes Entrance to have them.  It was nice to see a young family who stopped across the road from McDonalds and went and got fish and chips.  Although the scenery wasn’t as good as the Great Ocean Road it was interesting because the sea wasn’t all that far away.

As we got further through Gippsland we seemed to move inland.  We passed over some nice rivers that had boats and houseboats tied up at jetties.  They would be perfectly placed for a weekend getaway.

Eden was a nice place to stay.  Behind the Garden of Eden Caravan Park (where we stayed) there was a board walk that went around the shores of Lake Curalo.  There were ducks and swans there that we could see and fish that we couldn’t see but saw the occasional splash and noise from jumping fish.

Cabin at Eden

Boardwalk around Lake Curalo

Duck on Lake Curalo

Swans on Lake Curalo

Tomorrow we are off to somewhere around the west of Sydney.

Monday

Left Eden this morning and headed north.  Some interesting names like Eurobodalla, Bega, Moruya and Gerroa.  There were a lot of cheese factories on the way, Bega had one too.

The scenery up to Wollongong was interesting because the road passed close to the coast in a lot of places.  We chose the route out of Nowra that took us there purposely even though it added a little extra to the distance.  Nice scenery and lots more contented cows.  I would say that there had been a fair bit of rain there over the previous weeks because everything was so green and seemed damp.

We had our lunch overlooking the beach at Gerroa which is a small village on the coastal route from Nowra to Wollongong and it seems that the beach there is a very popular spot.  While we were having lunch a group of what appeared to be High School Students were being tutored in the finer points of surfboard riding while further along there were about six people windsurfing.  The wind was quite strong and the windsurfers seemed to get a real speed up.  I didn’t see any of them actually jumping the waves though.

Lunch Time View at Gerroa

Windsurfer at Gerroa

Another Windsurfer at Gerroa

Just north of Wollongong is the turn off to Picton.  We headed that way because we were going to stay in the Penrith area but because we got there with time to spare we headed to Windsor which would give us a bit of a head start in the morning.

Tuesday

We stayed in a van park in Windsor last night.  We have headed this way on a number of occasions in the past so there was nothing new for us to see.  The Putty Road still has lots of hills and bends.

We had a nice stop in Muswellbrook where we caught up with Heather and John Welch.  They were heading south and we were heading north so we arranged to meet.  Really good timing.  We only had to wait about 5 minutes.

It is sad to have finished such a wonderful trip but good to be home.

There will be one final blog when we will try and pick the best three things of our trip.

Deb and Den

Meandering Adventures to Melbourne

Thursday 17^th, Friday 18^th and Saturday 19^th November

Thursday

Left Apollo Bay today but headed back towards Lavers Hill and Otway Fly Tree Top Adventures.  This is another treetop walk but for those who are a little bit more adventurous there is a Zip Line Tour.  This is where there are a number of flying foxes set up where you move through the treetops like a monkey.  Deb and I weren’t adventurous, we just did the tree top walk.  It took us about an hour.

Dinosaur in Under storey at Otway Fly Tree Top Adventures

Dinosaur in Under storey at Otway Fly Tree Top Adventures

Tower on Tree Top Walk

After we left there we decided to turn left instead of right as we have a want to do.  It took us towards Apollo Bay but on a nice dirt road about 20 km long.  I enjoyed the journey, however I am not sure about Deb.  We went past a couple of waterfalls but only where we didn't have to walk more than 3 kilometres.

Hopetoun Falls

We had lunch back in Apollo Bay and then headed towards Queenscliffe.  The road along the coast was absolutely spectacular.  There was something new around each turn and because the road was fairly windy the speed of travel allowed you to view it all.  I reckon that we have a couple of hundred pictures to show for it.  I would recommend the trip from one end of the Great Ocean Road to the other.

Grand Pacific Hotel - Lourne

House Build on a Cliff near eastern end of Great Ocean Road

Friday

In Melbourne Today.  Got the ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento and then headed to Melbourne.  The trip across the Port Phillip Bay was really nice, beautiful day without too much wind.  I reckon if there was a bit of a swell it wouldn’t be a really nice experience.  There were about 40 cars and trucks on board.  We were nearly the first off although we weren’t the first on.

Ready to Go when Needed

General Cargo Carrier on Port Philip Bay

Another Way of Getting There

Bathing Huts near Sorrento

We travelled from Sorrento to Frankston along the coast road then headed from Frankston to Melbourne on the highway.  I can’t say I was impressed with the traffic.  We ended up on the toll-way and the sensor in the car was beeping an awful lot as we passed under the sensors.  Don’t know what the bill will be.

We went down to St Kilda to see the sea.  We left the caravan park and the outside temperature was 36 degrees which increased to 39 degrees before we got there.  Just as we got there it became overcast with a bit of a blow and  within 10 minutes it was down to about 25.  It got even lower before we got back to the park

Something We found at St Kilda

We visited the Darebin RSL for dinner.  The meals were nice, Deb had pork belly that had been cooked for 8 hours and I had lambs shanks.  I didn’t have to sign in because I was a member of another sub-branch.  I even got cheaper drinks.

Off to Queen Victoria Markets tomorrow.

Saturday

Early to Queen Victoria Markets.  It is pouring with rain today and cold.  It was fortunate we left early because the traffic wasn’t too bad.  We were able to get some good parking close to the markets, don’t know if it was because we were early or because the weather wasn’t too good.

The markets seemed to have everything.  There was a fruit and vegie area with separate organic section, clothing, food court and a deli section containing more meat, fish, cheese and bread than Melbourne could eat.  A foodies delight.

Lots of Bread

Butter for Andrew's Toast

Terrine's of all Types

I got myself a genuine imitation leather belt to replace the one I have been wearing for years.  Thought about replacing it in Fremantle but thought it would last a few more weeks.  Hasn’t self-destructed yet but is very close to it.  We got some fruit which was reasonably priced as well.

After the markets we went out to visit Ross and Mary Chapman.  Ross is a professor in the Business School at Deakin University here in Melbourne.  We had a really nice lunch and very pleasant conversation which lasted the afternoon.  Time flew and we unfortunately had to take our leave late in the afternoon.

There's not much they don't have

Tomorrow we are heading home.  At the present time we plan to head towards Eden.

Deb and Den

Heading Towards Victoria

Monday 14^th, Tuesday 15^th and Wednesday 16^th November

Monday

Today we headed away from Adelaide towards Victor Harbour.  Although it was not on a direct path towards the Great Ocean Road Deb and I thought it would be a nice place to call in to.  We weren’t disappointed; it is really a beautiful place to be.  The unfortunate part was that the jetty was under repair and the horse drawn tram was not in operation. 

The town itself is very old and there are a lot of older buildings like the Grosvenor Hotel built in the 1890’s and Mt Bracken, a house built in the 1870’s which has been fully restored and is up for sale.  If you check on the net you can probably find out how you can purchase it.

Mt Bracken - Victor Harbour

Grosvenor Hotel - Victor Harbour

We took the road from Victor Harbour along the coast and decided on the port of Robe as our destination for the day.  The road goes past Lake Alexandrina where the Murray River discharges into the sea and an adjoining lake , Lake Albert.  We had lunch at a town called Meningie which is on the shores of Lake Albert.  We’re back to having crackers, vegemite and cheese for lunch.  A real change from the Indian Pacific.

Port Fairy

 We ended up in Robe which is a little town of about 700 people.  After looking at the local directory I reckon every second person must be employed in the hospitality industry.  It must really come alive during the holidays and long weekends.  The coast adjacent to the town is really rough and we were able to get a couple of photographs.

View from Cabin at Robe

Office at Robe Caravan Park that was an old stable

We booked into a cabin at the local Top Tourist Park.  They were quite a bit cheaper than their competitor.  The cabin was really good with a great view of the fresh water lake behind the town.  We went to the local IGA for our dinner ingredients and when we got there at 5.00 pm we thought we had plenty of time, unfortunately they were starting renovations so we had to run through the shop trying to remember what we needed.  Ended up with chicken breast and salad veg.  At least we are eating a healthy diet.

Tuesday

Headed down the road to Mt Gambier.  It is only about 1hour 30 minutes away so we should have time to look around when we get there.  Visited the local tourist information centre and got some very good information.  Was able to get a brochure on Flinders Ranges that I will send to Raymond.

The information we got was really good.  There was a booklet with all the attractions and a handout with a guide which referred to the pages in the booklet., really handy when you don’t want to delve through the booklet.

Umpherston Gardens

Umpherston Gardens

We visited a sinkhole that was made into a garden in the late 1800’s by a person by the name of Umpherston.  It has been restored, not to its original design but with a few more natives, so it is a combination of natives and exotics.  The original was also partially filled with water which has disappeared with the drop in the water table.

We found the Blue Lake and went on to the Valley Lake Crater where we had lunch, just cheese, vegemite and crackers overlooking a large lake.  Absolutely fantastic.  We went down to the shore of the lake and had a look at the wildlife.

Valley Lake - Next to Blue Lake

Blue Lake

There is another sinkhole in the centre of the town called the Cave Gardens Sinkhole.  Unfortunately there is a bit of construction going on around it and it is missing things like the water feature and there is a lot of rubbish at the bottom of the sinkhole.

When we were on our way back to the car we were admiring a sculpted suitcase that was created to exemplify the input of migrants to this area we were approached by a local who was obviously of Scottish descent who told us a bit about the sculpture and suggested that we might like to look at their library to see some of the things that have been done there.  The children’s area was like an underwater grotto and in another corner there was a reading area for the kids.  There was a coffee shop in the library as well.  I think a lot of municipal libraries could learn a lot.

Wednesday

Off down the Great Ocean Road.  We chose to start the road at Port MacDonnell which is the coastal town closest to Mount Gambier.  Before we left Mount Gambier we took a couple more pictures of The Blue Lake.  Yesterday it was getting a bit cloudy and the blue of the lake seemed to be getting close to black.  It was still blue but we couldn’t remember what colour it should be. 

Blue Lake and Pumping Station

The road along the coast is really good.  It goes close to the coast and away from it.  We stopped at Portland for morning tea.  Deb’s camera battery needed charging so we stopped at a restaurant where we had a coffee and a charge.  Portland is really old and next to the place where we had morning tea was Customs House which was opened in 1846.  Portland seems a busy port and harbour and the views from some of the houses in the town were breathtaking.

Customs House - Portland

We headed along the coast with the sea in view most of the time.  I would recommend the trip to anyone.  Deb took over the driving and a short time after I had started to snooze we pulled into a layby for the Bay of Islands.  To me this was the start of the 12 Apostles..  It was spectacular. 

Bay of Islands

London Bridge

Another View of London Bridge

Talking about spectacular, Deb and I took a 15 minute helicopter ride up to the start of the Bay of Islands to the end of what remains of the 12 Apostles.  It was fabulous!!!!!  The pilot gave us a running commentary of the trip and gave us more information than we could get from the brochures.  We could also see more than we could from the viewing platform or the road.

Our Helicopter

Cliff Top Warning

We made our way to Apollo Bay for the night on a real high. 

Heading off somewhere tomorrow.

Deb and Den

Into the City

Sunday 13^th November

In my last blog I mentioned that I was not aware of what an artistic barista was and I forgot to include a picture of my flat white.  I would like to know how long it took to do.

Barista Art

Anyway about today.  Deb and I drove into the city today to have a look around and to get a tram down to Glenelg.  I reckon Glenelg is a good word because it is a palindrome.  There are not a lot of them and I don’t think that there are any locations that are palindromes.

Glenelg Tram

Glenelg Looking from Jetty

Monument Celebrating Centenary of Settlement in 1936

Notice Dolphin Silhouettes - All are like this

The trip down to Glenelg was another surprise.  On weekends in Adelaide, holders of Seniors Cards travel free on public transport.  Also during weekdays they travel free between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm.

We were down in Glenelg yesterday afternoon and I reckon there were more people around then than there were today.  Good to walk around and easier to see what was there.  Being a seaside area we decided that fish for lunch would be appropriate.  The restaurant we had lunch had been the champion or runner up fish shop for a number of years and the lunch proved it.  As well as the fish and chips we had some salt and pepper squid and I reckon it was the best I have tasted.  It melted in your mouth.  It was not chewy like some squid/calamari I have been served.

A Friend in Rundle Mall

Adelaide is a beautiful city with a lot of old buildings still in use.  When we got to the city today we parked in Frome Street which is close to both University of Adelaide and South Australia University.  Both universities have campuses in the city and their buildings are of the older variety.  I suppose there are older buildings in other cities but not so obvious.

SA Museum

SA Museum

Queensland University have some very good examples but they are at the campus at St Lucia so the general public aren’t aware of them.  So many buildings around here have got a lot of character.

On our way back from the city Deb and I decided to follow our noses and found quite a few older houses that have the thatched type fences, even behind the caravan park there is a house called Carrick Hill which is a period home that still has most of it’s contents intact and its grounds undiminished.  (I got that bit from the web site).

Dry Stone Wall

Shady Avenue

Adelaide House

House behind caravan park - Not Carrick Hill

We’re off tomorrow to head towards the Great Ocean Road.  Haven’t decided exactly the route as yet but will follow our noses east.

Deb and Den.