15th October 2009

It rained for most of the night along with the occasional gust of wind. Thankfully though when it came time for us to pack up we were lucky to catch a few rays of sunshine along with it being a little warmer.

We were on the road by 9 am heading for Batemans Bay, a good drive of nearly 460 km.we had decided to express it as we now wanted to be home by Friday morning, so it meant that we wouldn’t have a lot of time to stop and look at the different places we would be travelling through. However as it is not too far from home we knew we could always come back another time.

The country side was very lush with green fields along with most of the rivers and dams being quite full. Through the numerous National Parks on the drive up to Cann River we must have passed hundreds of motor cyclists heading the other way to Phillip Island for the GP that was being held there at the weekend.

We crossed over the  border into NSW from the East Gippsland coastal region without seeing any signs indicating that we had left Victoria or entered NSW. We drove on up the Sapphire Coast on the Princes Highway through Eden towards Bega, diverting for a few km to go into Tilba after stopping at the cheese factory just out of Bega. Here we stretched our legs and visited the shop to purchase some Bega Cheese.

We went through some very heavy rain squalls and on one occasion we pulled off the road until the worst of it had passed over.

This is a beautiful part of the state with so much to do and see that you could spend weeks in the area, no wonder it is such a popular tourist destination, especially during the summer months.

We continued on without any further problems other than the rain until we arrived at Batemans Bay on the Eurobodalla coast.  Here we thought it would be quite busy as its still the NSW school holidays but to the contrary everywhere was very quiet and the caravan parks were all showing that they had vans,cabins and sites available. So without any problem we found ourselves a Top Tourist park and checked in for the night.

We managed to set up just before the rain came down again. We had decided that since our supplies were almost non existent we would go out for something to eat which we did at the Catalina Country Club just out of Batemans Bay.

With that we made our way home to spend the last night under the roof of our little home that we have been living in for the last 5 months before heading for home tomorrow morning.

14th October Lakes Entrance

Well having arrived here we were expecting some sunshine and warmth but unfortunately we had to prepare ourselves to be disappointed as the forecast was for a strong wind warning and a graziers alert for lambs and sheep. So that meant the temp was expected to drop to about 4 deg overnight. I suppose there is no real reason to talk about the weather as we can’t do anything about it. Its mid October and down here they are really copping it. Talk about global warming, I think they've got it around the wrong way! On the plus side of it all, is that they have had the rain which has eased the water restrictions and of course has helped the farmers.

Today we braved the climate and drove out to the Nyerimilang Heritage Park where we read we could experience the peace and tranquillity of the area, a one time gentleman’s holiday retreat and now a public park.

www.parkweb.vic.gov.au

We enjoyed the views of the Gippsland Lakes and watched as the white-bellied sea eagles glided along the thermals of the cliff edge………………………….. The homestead now owned by the government was/is a gracious homestead of the 1920’s era and still portrays the wonderful life style that was enjoyed by the previous owners that once lived there.The home and the 5oo acres is now open for the public to enjoy with its tracks,walks and picnic grounds, of course, in the right weather………… The Gippsland Lakes is a very diverse region and a place that you could spend many weeks exploring.

We drove further on to Metung a small coastal village and a very popular summer tourist holiday area with its boats and holiday homes. We chatted to some of the local shop owners and had a good cup of coffee in one of the cafes. This part of the world is also home to the artist Max Nicolson whose work we admired in the local gallery. Unfortunately his studio which is nearby is only open on Sundays.

Our next port of call was Bairnsdale a much larger town and population. We had driven through here the other day but hadn’t stopped as we were keen to get to the caravan park and set up.  We revisited here to have a look at St Marys, a Roman Catholic Church and the magnificent paintings that adorns the interior.

The ceilings and walls are painted in bold colours depicting an army of angels and religious figures. The man behind the artwork is Italian born Frank Floreani who was looking for work during the depression and was given artistic freedom to create the murals and something that hadn’t been seen before by many of the locals. Having visited many Cathedrals ,Churches etc in the UK and France this we agreed was amongst one of the best.

Having enjoyed a hot soup to warm us up we ventured down the main street to look at some of the historic buildings, before finding the car and making tracks back to our home.

With the wind picking up we battened down the bed awnings and ensured that everything outside had been secured and wouldn’t blow away in the wind gusts, before settling down in the dry and warmth hoping that when its time for us to pack up tomorrow morning that it wont be raining and not quite so windy.!

Looking at our map we have almost completed our circumnavigation of Australia. We started on May 29th and have travelled nearly 26000 km and spent almost  $5000 on fuel!  and has been worth every penny of it.

We should arrive home in Sydney by Friday 16th October.

Tuesday 13th October-Leaving Melbourne

Woke up to a very overcast day with the rain threatening to belt down at any time. So we had our breakfast and started to pack away the trailer in record time, which was a good thing as it started to rain just as we were finishing and hitching up the car ready to move out.

Setting Tommy for Lakes Entrance just as we were leaving it really started to rain quite hard which continued for a couple of hours until we were well clear of the city limits and heading out along the freeway to the Gippsland.

Our journey took  us through Wonthaggi,  Leongatha, Sale,  Stratford on Avon,  Bairnsdale and finally Lakes Entrance, having tried to follow the coastal road all the way. Every little town and village had so much to offer in the way of walks, boating, fishing and holiday entertainment for all the family.We could have spent months here…………. perhaps another time.

We passed at lot of bikies on their way to  Phillip Island  for the motor bike racing being held there.

Everywhere was so green with folding hills and the distant alpine mountains of the dividing range.

Many of the rivers were flowing and the dams full which  must really please the farmers.

The lakes go from Sale all the way through to Lakes Entrance , and are known as the Gippsland Lakes and are the largest navigable inland waterway in Australia. The lakes Wellington, Victoria and King cover 320 km of shoreline and encompass 340 Sq km which could take you months to explore.

Having settled in to the caravan park we walked out to the waterfront to see all the fishing boats and the hand carved wooden sculptures along the way.

 

Monday 12th October Melbourne

Instead of walking to the Springvale railway station we decided to drive to Glen Waverley and catch the train from there into the city.

It was an overcast start to the day though thankfully not too cold so we were keen to have another walk around the city and visit the museum.

We left the train at the Southern Cross Railway Station and made our way to have at look at the Etihad Stadium and the views across to the development at Docklands and with skies having cleared and the sun shinning, we were able to see across the city.

From here we ventured up Bourke Street to Swanston Street, being blowing around by the gusty winds whilst trying to cover our eyes and mouths from all the pollen coming from the trees that lined the street.

 

Other than that, it all looked quite striking and you could easily have thought that you could have been walking along a street in Paris, with the trees and round advertising type pillars.

Though of course the trams aren’t something you can see going through the streets of Paris.

 

 

From here we went on to the museum to see the  exhibition.      Where we spent a good two hours   viewing                                                                          A Day in Pompeii.

With that we walked to Flinders Street Railway Station and were lucky enough to just catch a fast train leaving for Glen Waverly, so we were back to the car within 20 minutes. However we had to pick up a few supplies before returning to our home which we did at the Woolies supermarket.

We both agreed that Melbourne has a lot to offer with so much more that we could have looked at and walks that we could have done. No doubt we will come back again one day. We had also been quite lucky with the weather having been fine and sunny for three of the four days we had been in and around Melbourne.

Sunday 11th October- Melbourne

Today we drove up to the Dandenong Ranges to Upper Ferntree Gully where we stopped off to pick up our tour map which we followed throughout the afternoon.

 

We visited Cloudehill Gardens and nursery where we took our lunch into and sat under the trees amongst the flowers and garden beds. www.cloudehill.com.au   Thankfully the sun was shinning and the day had some warmth but as the afternoon progressed the clouds came over and it appeared as though we going to get some more rain.

 

We continued the drive which gave us breathtaking views of the surrounding ranges and on through the magnificent towering Mountain Ash Trees which lined the narrow road that snaked its way up to the top. We continued  to do the loop which took us up to Mount Evelyn  then past the Silvan Reservoir, which is Melbourne's water supply and  back down to Monbulk.

We went back to Kallista and Belgrave where we completed the loop. The rain had held off and the day had been most enjoyable and we came away with a greater appreciation of  the Dandenong Ranges and of course the great fear there is of Bush Fires which earlier this year had caused such havoc and loss of lives in  Victoria.

We set Tommy to get us back to the caravan park in Springvale and were back there in just over half an hour.

www.parkweb.vic.gov.au

Saturday 10th October Melbourne

Celebrating  Bob’s birthday today!   Happy Birthday!!

With a beautiful day forecasted we decided to travel into the city of Melbourne which was celebrating a week long Art Festival of Melbourne.

The Yarra River

Having been advised that we could walk to  Springvale  it being the nearest railway station we set off to find it, where 30 minutes later we fronted up to buy our tickets and were advised that all seniors could travel for free over the weekend! What a bonus.

After 35 minutes we arrived at the Flinders Street railway station and armed with our tourist map we headed for the Yarra river where there was much activity going on, with the rowing eights,quads and solos gliding up and down the river.

On to the National Gallery of Victoria where we checked out the French impressionists after which we walked over to

Victoria Park which in the warmth and sunshine was most enjoyable. Everybody seemed to be out enjoying the break in the weather which was expected to last over the weekend when the rain and cold was due to return 

The Up Hill Road.                       Paul Cezanne

On to Federation Square for lunch and then a quick look into the Ian Potter Centre NGV where all the Australian Art was exhibited.It was great that in both  galleries I was able to take any non flash photos as I wanted.

We hopped on to the free shuttle bus outside Flinders Street Railway Station to do the 40 minute tour of the city which gave us a good opportunity to see where everything was.

It was time to head back to the Sundowners Caravan Park where we arrived back at about 7 pm after having a very long and tiring day which was however most enjoyable.

Melbourne is a very vibrant and cultural city and had a very pleasant feel about it. We will be back again on Monday to have another look around.

Tomorrow another sunny day is forecasted so we’ll drive out to the Dandenongs.

9th October 2009 – Apollo Bay

www.greatsoutherntouring.com.au

 

We continued on along the Great Ocean Road which was built as a memorial to all the Victorian soldiers who died fighting in the First World War. We followed the coastline to Lorne where we stopped for our morning break and stretch of our legs by walking through the town trying to keep out of the cold wind. They say that if you are tired of Lorne then you might as well be tired of life. Well that may be so, however on this day it seemed quite deserted with nobody enjoying the thin strip of pure yellow sand and the dark blue ocean waters. It is however a favourite holiday destination for many people and during the summer it is humming with outdoor activities and life.

Leaving Lorne we continued on, stopping at the various lookouts to admire the views. From Lorne  to the heart of of the Otways there are many water falls in the area.

We chose to tackle the walk to view the Sheoak Falls which was quite spectacular with plenty of water running. From here it was on  through Aireys Inlet, Anglesea and Torquay.  It was a bit disappointing for us that it had been so cold during our drive and adventure along the Great Ocean Road, however we enjoyed the experience once again and saw many changes and improvements that have been made since our  last visit 25 years ago.

From Torquay it was all about some serious driving to enable us to traverse Melbourne. So we set  Tommy up for our destination caravan park in Springvale which guided us through the maze of flyovers, motorways and also over the Westgate Bridge which was truly an experience. Thankfully our E-Way toll pass worked just fine and beeped at all the right places, however we had no idea how much it was costing us.

 

Mt Gambier 7th October

Rained during the night and was again quite cold. However armed with our trusty map and with all the places that we were told we had to see we set off for a day of sightseeing.

Mt Gambier is built on top of extinct volcanoes and is  the second largest city in South Australia and one of the richest. Here the major industries are pine plantations, dairy produce and seafood.

We did all the local tourist attractions visiting the blue lake which hadn’t turned too blue as it usually occurs in mid November when it then turns a brilliant blue which lasts until April when it then returns to a gray colour for the winter. This is also the water supply for Mt Gambier, it contains 36ooo million litres with an average depth of about 80 metres.

We also visited Brown, and leg of mutton lake the later having dried up over the years.

Despite the strong cold wind we walked up the steep pathway to the Centenary Tower which had been built in the 1930’s to mark Mt Gambier's 100  years of existence.

Drove back in to the centre of town to look at the Cave Gardens and the Engelbrecht Cave which go under the town across 6 streets and about 19 houses which is the extent that it has been explored by experienced cave divers,it  had for many years previously until the 1970’s  been used as a local tip and was finally cleared of all the rubbish by the local Lions club and revitalised as a tourist attraction.

Walked through the town doing the history tour of the old and important buildings which included the Robert Helpmann theatre who was a native son of the area.

Looking for another cave we headed for the Umpherston sink hole which had had quite a history as part of a family estate. They had exquisite gardens, a lake in the middle with a row boat and even a small island.

They said it was like  a fairy land. Saw mills were built next door to the family estate and then it eventually it fell into disrepair along with the family home home being demolished in the 1960’s. Eventually it was rescued and now has been transformed into a beautiful sunken garden full of arum lilies and many other colourful hydrangeas.

Making our way to visit the tourist information bay and to see a replica of the Lady Nelson I was greeted by a very friendly member of the South Australian Police who pulled me over for a random breath test at 4 in the afternoon. Coming up negative we then decided to call it a day and made our way back to the caravan park for afternoon tea, dinner and a drink.

6th October-Mt Gambier

Drove from Adelaide through the hills and over the Murray Bridge stopping at Tailem Bridge to buy some fresh bread and some eggs from a local man who had lived in the area for 52 years since arriving as a boy from the UK in 1952.

This is the mouth of the Murray which opens into Lake Alexandrina , had it been a warmer day we might have taken the ferry across to Wellington. Drove along the coastal road which goes through the Coorong the National Park which is a series of inland waterways,flat marshy lakes with sand hills and then the ocean. Stopped at the big lobster at Kingston SE (lobster capital)for lunch and also bought half a fresh lobster for our dinner. Went along the coastal road going through to Robe which we didn’t recognise at all due to all the new developments that had taken place. Continued on to Mt Gambier staying at the Kalganyi caravan park, where it was cold and wet and quite late so we went to the RSL for our dinner.

Driving  through these areas it was mostly flat with huge pine plantations, some of which had recently been logged and then reseeded and dairy farms which all looked really good due to the amount of rain that had fallen over the last few months.

8th October Mt Gambier to Apollo Bay

Packed and on the road in under two hours. Overnight the temp had dropped to under 4 deg, however the morning was a bit brighter with the the temp up to 8 deg. We were over the border into Victoria driving the coastal road to Portland. More low laying flat land with depression visible everywhere in the fields with many fenced off for safety. They landscape was very green with plenty of dairy cows and the pine forests in abundance for mile after mile.

Drove into Portland stopping off at the beach front which all looked pretty bleak in the cold windy rain. Drove on to Port Fairy which had many more tourists evident and in the summer and warmer months is obviously a very popular place.

Went on to Warrnambool which we drove through without stopping. Further along we made a stop at the local cheese factory  and the Devondale milk processing plant. From here on we joined the Great Ocean Road stopping, and looking at and walking around the Bay of Islands,

The Grotto,London Bridge (now fallen) The Arch and finally the 12 Apostles, where it had been transformed with a (yet to be opened tourist information bureau), a new underpass  of the road and a walkway to the viewing platforms to see the

12 Apostles. Once again it had all changed over the last 10 years when we previously just pulled off the road to a car park and on to the viewing platform.

We continued to drive in the rain over the Ottway Ranges on narrow winding,mountainous roads through more pine plantations and down into Apollo Bay where we stopped at the Apollo Bay Bay Recreation Reserve park for the night.