Great Ocean Road Victoria

Leaving Hall's Gap in the Grampians, we headed south again towards the Ocean Road. We drove through Victoria Valley of dense gum forests with craggy peaks to our right and forested slopes to our left. We eventually emerged to very flat pasture land as we neared the coast.

We arrived at Port Fairy - a traditional fishing port which was delightful and spent the entire afternoon on the beach. It was a very hot day (40 degrees) and the sea was crystal clear and very refreshing with low surf rolling in. It was fun riding the waves with Peter's noodle! (Editor's note: a noodle is the Australian word for woggle i.e. polystyrene tube!). In the evening we strolled around the fishing marina and had fish and chips in paper (as you do).

A cool change occurred overnight and the following day was cloudy and a mere 25 degrees as we made our way along the Ocean Road stopping to view the clay and limestone cliff formations and erosions such as Childers Cove, Sandy Cove, The Grotto and London Bridge which lost an arch in 1990. We stopped at Peterborough for the night!

Next day dawned bright and sunny again and we continued along Gt Ocean Road viewing all the sights en route – The Blow Hole, Thunder Cave, and The Loch Ard Gorge. The Loch Ard was an iron hulled ship bringing immigrants from England in1878 when it floundered here with only two people surviving. Next we saw the Twelve Apostles – gigantic limestone pillars about 65m tall, but gradually being eroded by wind and waves. We parked up for the night at Marengo Beach near Apollo Bay and went up for a walk to Paradise to search for platypus in the Barham River – but no joy.

We made a short hop the following day to Cumberland Gap. The Cumberland River is a tranquil stream that tumbles down a spectacular ferny gorge to meet Bass Strait at the foot of the Otway Ranges. We walked up the track following the river flanked by magnificent cliffs and blue gum forest, luxuriant fern glades and delightful groves of blackwood, hazel and blanket leaf. We had to cross the river several times over stepping stones but managed to keep our feet dry. We had camped here several times for bushwalks in the 70s, so it was nice to return and retrace our steps. That evening, we joined our neighbours, a family from Warrnambool and sat round their campfire with a few 'tinnies' (beers)! Meanwhile a kangaroo came up to our campervan opposite and was grazing quite happily.

Next morning we left Cumberland Gap and called in at Lorne – a nice coastal town where we bought the weekend paper and had a coffee. Then we visited the Erskine Falls which entailed 415 steps down and then we had to come up again (no need for the gym today). On the road we saw a huge echidna, so I escorted it over the road safely in case it got flattened by a car. We had a picnic lunch at Airey's Inlet beneath the lighthouse and ended the day camping at Anglesea where we spent a lovely afternoon sunbathing on the beach. At the end of the Ocean Road we reached Barwon Heads and Queenscliff where we crossed port Philip Bay at the Heads by ferry to Sorrento.

Our final week will be spent at Philip Island to see fairy penguins and koalas and the Wilson's promontory for a final couple of days bushwalking before staying with our friends Ron and Ann at Mooroolbark, Melbourne. It is forecast to be another hot week!