Now in Victoria

Our crossing of Bass Strait was much smoother this time than our outward journey.  Sunny skies and swells of only 1m compared to overcast and 3m, what a difference.

Arriving at Port Melbourne it was approximately 7pm before we drove off the Spirit.  We had asked some Melbournians about the best way to get to the freeway and following their advice worked a treat.  We called into the service centre and had a bite to eat before up on the freeway and head out of town.  Our goal was a roadside stop along the highway towards Geelong.  We found the roadside stop was actually another BP service centre but there was plenty of room down the back and we were able to set up without too much bother just for the night.  There were a few trucks pulled in and out but we were both able to sleep ok until the trucks started moving again in the morning.  There was an Information kiosk at the garage so once it opened we went and collected info re the state.  We were informed that ‘free’ camping is illegal in Vic so looks like we will have to be careful where we stop.  They do not have the rest areas along the highway that we are used to in NSW and certainly don’t have the facilities that Tassie offered.  Oh well if it was always the same we wouldn’t have any adventure.

Monday - Phone calls let us find out that there were no sites available in Geelong  so we decide to bypass the city and head further out along the highway.  This had been going to be our base for a few days however that had to change and now Colac is our base leading up to Easter.  With school holidays also on there is not much room at any of the ‘holiday’ type destinations.  Certainly not along the Great Ocean Road that we planned to drive.  We will then move on to Penshurst  (above Warrnambool) and hide out there till after Easter and school holidays have finished. 

Tuesday we ventured back to Geelong and collected our mail that had been forwarded there to the Post Office.  We spent some time exploring the city and had our picnic lunch in the Botanic Gardens.  At least that was free parking.  Geelong has some lovely old stone buildings in the city and is certainly a hub of activity.  After spending a couple of hours driving around we head out for Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula.  This is the southern entrance to Port Phillip Bay and we found that the entrance is only 3.1km wide.  There is a passenger and vehicular ferry that crosses from here to Portsea on the northern edge of the bay.  We had seen these ferries during our trips on the Spirit and Queenscliff looked to also have some of their historic buildings being well utilised by locals.  Information boards are erected at the point honouring much of the naval history that had been based in the area.  Whilst we were looking for a park for our usual cuppa we heard a train whistle and it sounded like a steam engine.  We found our way to the railway station and along comes a steam train that usually runs in the local area on weekends however with the school holidays they were running through the week as well. 

 My ex railway worker enjoyed checking out the engine and gave me a run down on the workings and what the process was at the start of each shift for him as a junior fireman back in the 1960’s.  This engine was coal fired so the sounds and smells were what we had remembered from many years ago.  The steam engine we had in Tasmania was oil fired and didn’t smell quite the same.

Leaving Queenscliff we set out to make our way to the Great Ocean Road to drive part of it before heading back to base.  We drove around the western edge of the peninsula and checked out Barwon Heads and Torquay which seems to be a surfing centre as most of the shops etc seemed to be surf orientated.  Of course the Bells Beach Surfing Classic is held at this time each year and I guess Torquay would be the main centre for it.  We had hoped to drive pass the beach however the whole area is closed off for the Event so in order to see anything you have to pay for entry.  Needless to say we turned right and headed out further along the coast and headed instead for Anglesea and Lorne.

The Great Ocean Road is a classic drive in Australia and we have done it twice before back in the 1990’s but hope to take a little longer this time and soak it up a bit.  This time we will be doing it in pieces instead of all in one hit as we had done previously.  Just past Anglesea we called into Aireys Inlet and called at the lighthouse which was one of the last built on the Vic coastline.  We enjoyed a walk out to the lookout that has been built past the lighthouse where one can enjoy the view both up and down the coast.  

Driving on to Lorne the road begins the familiar twisting path beside the coast.  We ooh and aah at the homes built on stilts with views across to the ocean.  What it there was a landslip there!!

Lorne has certainly expanded from what we remember.  There are accommodation signs everywhere and lots of shops and cafes built along the ocean front.  We parked at the beach for the last cuppa of the day and watched surfers (maybe learners as the swell was quite small), swimmers, walkers and joggers all enjoying the end of the day and the wonderful nature around them.

Eagle Rock at Split Point

We left the coastline behind and headed up the hills back for home.  Just like Tassie, twisting and turning, most corners only 30 or 40kph but at least those vehicles coming towards us were mainly on the right side of the white line.  The countryside is very different as the hills look brown and dry compared to those lush green hills we have left behind.  Of well another example of this country’s great contrasts.