COLAC > DEANS MARSH > GREAT OCEAN ROAD > LORNE > APOLLO BAY > CAPE OTWAY LIGHTHOUSE > LOCH ARD GORGE > PORT CAMPBELL > WARRNAMBOOL > PORT FAIRY

COLAC ► DEANS MARSH ► GREAT OCEAN ROAD

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LORNE ► APOLLO BAY

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CAPE OTWAY LIGHTSTATION

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LOCH ARD GORGE

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PORT CAMPBELL ► WARRNAMBOOL ► PORT FAIRY

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DARTMOOR

Departed Colac Showground on Sunday
Deans Marsh
Great Ocean Road
Lorne
Apollo Bay
Cape Otway Lightstation
Loch Ard Gorge - 12 Apostles area
Port Campbell
Warrnambool
Port Fairy
Camped overnight at Dartmoor Recreation Reserve on Sunday

THANK YOU FOR BEING PATIENT WHILE THE PICTURES LOAD

Day 40

Sunday 27th December 2009

Click on the pictures for larger versions





COLAC - DEANS MARSH - GREAT OCEAN ROAD - LORNE


I decided to go back on ourselves a touch after leaving Colac. I wanted to see most of the Great Ocean Road. The map showed Lorne as the logical entry to the road, so we headed for a place called Deans Marsh expecting to see wetlands. I didn't see what I would regard as "marshes" but found this description: One of the original settlers (who must really be called squatters), William Roadknight came across the Deans Marsh area during the search for missing explorers Hesse and Gellibrand in 1837. He returned to establish a new pastoral run at Yan Yan Gurt (aboriginal for everflowing water) in 1838. Traditional belief held by many, is that a shepherd named Charles Dean grazed sheep on all the marshland beyond the boundaries of Yan Yan Gurt, even as far as Pennyroyal, and so the area became known as Deans Marsh. at this website: http://www.deansmarsh.org.au/our_story/history/the_settlement_of_deans_marsh/ We turned towards Lorne at Deans Marsh and headed uphill into the State Forest. After much winding up and down we pulled off to the verge to take in the environment - and give the dogs a break out of the van.

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Eventually we arrived at the Great Ocean Road and headed to Lorne. Lorne was like any popular coastal community, vehicles everywhere and people shopping or heading over to the beach. Maybe it was different at times other than Christmas holidays, but I started thinking I was in Queensland on the Gold or Sunshine Coast. The weather was a disappointment. Instead of blue sky and bright light, it was overcast and miserable, spoiling what is an attractive spot.

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	10.12am



LORNE - CAPE PATTON LOOKOUT


The views along the Great Ocean Road are certainly spectacular. On a sunny day I'm sure it is breathtaking in places. I kept thinking of the people that built the road and how many difficulties, extreme difficulties, that must have confronted them.

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As you would expect, as the driver, I had difficulty taking a lot of the scenery in, so I decided to pull off in places, much to the disgust of what I assume were "locals" using the road for "normal" life. Towing a caravan pisses most drivers off, without me stopping to look at the view, but what else could I do? I found I was supposed to travel at high speed, or be tailgated, on what I regarded as potentially dangerous curves.
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The spot below was caravan friendly, so I pulled over and got out to take pics and have a break. The view is fantastic.

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Cape Patton Lookout 38° 41' 31.40" S 143° 49' 48 E


CAPE PATTON LOOKOUT - APOLLO BAY


The road went closer to the water nearing Apollo Bay, so I took the opportunity to take a few shots of the rocks and surf. It was nearing midday and the cloudy sky was still around, so the colours were disappointing. Opposite the beach was a hillside covered in a flowering shrub which caught my eye.


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Apollo Bay was like many other beach towns. No doubt if we had more time to spend there, we would not have wanted to continue on. Towing a caravan doesn't help, as it's normally an ordeal finding somewhere to park

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Apollo Bay


APOLLO BAY - CAPE OTWAY LIGHTSTATION


The road left the coastline just after Apollo Bay and rose into the Great Otway National Park. Looking in the rear vision mirror I could see the pretty view of the coastline and took the shots below. Driving became more enjoyable once we left the bustle of the coast and I was able to take in more of the surroundings.

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I had always wanted to see the Lighthouse (Lightstation as they call it) at Cape Otway. Every time I looked at maps while planning our trip, I made sure a visit to there was included. So I was excited about this part of our trip. When I saw the directions below I thought, "no big deal, only 12klms"



What I didn't count on was the narrow road leading to the Lighthouse. Many motorists weren't happy to be met on a winding road by a caravan. Below is a section of the road - very enjoyable to the eye.
	12.08pm


When we did arrive at the parking area, we found the public wasn't allowed to see the "Lightstation" unless you paid a fee to be escorted there. Like a lot of places in Victoria and increasingly in other states, unless you have the money, you don't get to see a lot of things. So, we took the other option they left you, which was a walking track to a "lookout" through the brush. We noticed a LOT of people who weren't prepared to pay and took the track. Below is the "entrance" where you pay.

12.25pm


There was no way Judy could walk on the track with her bad knees and heart problems, so I decided to go alone and take shots to show her. Below is the track. Fairly steep in places.

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	12.34pm


There was an opening in the brush where, in the distance you could see the "lightstation". The pics at left and right below were taken on "zoom". The sign was erected near the gap in the brush. That was as close as I got to the Cape Otway Lightstation.

12.36pm	12.36pm	12.37pm


As I walked back to Judy and the dogs, about halfway, the view of the "entrance" and parking area appeared. It gives you some idea of the climb to the "lookout" where I saw the "Lightstation".

	12.39pm


As it was lunch time and the dogs were restless from being too long inside the van, we decided to find somewhere to pull over and make some sandwiches and have a cuppa. That way the dogs could at least be outside the van and under the shade of a tree. We found there was no place to pull off on the way back to the Princes Highway. I saw a dirt track to the left and drove along till we could pull up. There was no traffic to contend with. I saw a group of trees that looked perfect and parked under them. We tied the dogs up and gave them water. They were happy, so Judy made a cuppa and we had lunch in the caravan. We were beside a fence that had tents and caravans on the other side. I assumed it was some sort of "eco lodge". I took photos of the surroundings after we had lunch. We noticed a roaring, growling noise. I recognized the noise as a Koala. I looked towards the noise and saw a group of the biggest Koalas I have ever seen. We had been there about an hour when I heard a noise like a motorbike coming towards us. It wasn't a motorbike but it was a Quad Bike driven by a young woman. She roared up beside me and through the noise said "you can't stay here!!" I didn't understand what she was on about, so she turned the bike engine off. She then informed us that if we wanted to stay, we would have to book in, pay, and get a spot inside the complex. To her disgust, I told her we were only having a cuppa under the trees and would be leaving in about 10 minutes. With that, she roared off and went back inside what I have since found is Bimbi Park, which has various forms of accommodation for anyone visiting Otway National Park. A couple of links below give you details. http://www.bimbipark.com.au/ http://www.greatoceanroad.com.au/accommodation_providers/bimbipark/index.htm

Once you click on the pictures you'll see the huge Koalas.

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	2.03pm


Below is where we had our cuppa. The Koalas were in the trees above us. Apparently they are Manna Gums - (Eucalyptus Viminalis). Not familiar to me, being a dreaded Queenslander. I found this article about these Koalas while researching.
2.04pm		2.06pm


Next stop The 12 Apostles. Back we went to the Princes Highway.

CAPE OTWAY LIGHTSTATION - LOCH ARD GORGE - 12 APOSTLES


We left the Cape Otway area around 2.15pm. We still had to travel to our overnight stop at the free camping area at Dartmoor. It was only a reference in the Camps Australia Wide book to me, but I knew we had a long drive ahead. We drove through some beautiful areas on the way to the 12 Apostles. I wished we had more time and money to explore some of the areas we drove through. I was looking for the coastline as we came out of the hills and totally missed the tourist centre. The only reason I knew we were at the 12 Apostles area was because I saw helicopters circling and noticed, as we drove past, their landing spot with offers of flights over the Apostles.

	3.29pm


Because we were fast running out of time, we decided to follow where others were going. Below are views from the walking track leading from the parking area to what is called Loch Ard Gorge.

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THESE pictures are what you see as you reach the viewing deck. Breathtakingly beautiful !!
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	4.00pm


Time to leave. I could have stayed for hours and taken a huge number of pictures, but we had to continue on.
	4.02pm




LOCH ARD GORGE - 12 APOSTLES - PORT CAMPBELL - WARRNAMBOOL - PORT FAIRY - DARTMOOR

We drove on, not knowing what was ahead but knowing we were running low on fuel and daylight.
	4.36pm


I'm not sure what this area is called but we had to have one last walk and take in the wonder of nature. People were coming and going as we worked our way to the lookout. When we arrived at the lookout, a pair of male backpackers were discussing a picture on their mobile phone. They were wondering what sort of snake they had taken the picture of. Everyone they asked recognized it as a Tiger Snake. There were warnings in a lot of places in Victoria to be aware they were around. The backpackers were told of the danger. The picture was of the snake striking at the camera. They thought it was hilarious and carried on like fools. You can't help some people.
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A pretty Banksia Judy took a pic of, as we left.
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The next town was Port Campbell which I had read only had around 600 people in 2006. I was hoping they had a Service Station as we were very low on fuel. I watched the gauge drop to near zero as we drove into the town. As luck would have it, up ahead was an older style Mobil Service Station. The operator was an elderly man who was very friendly and chatted about where we were going etc. He said there wasn't a lot to see up ahead. He said it was a pretty quiet drive other than going through Warrnambool and Port Fairy. We grabbed an ice cream and drink at a Warrnambool Service Station. Being a Sunday, the town was very quiet. After that, we saw typical farming land and as can be seen below, a Wind Farm.
After a long tiring drive, we arrived in Dartmoor and set up camp in the dark at the free camp site. It had been a long day and I slept well.
	6.52pm


Wind Farm - Heywood area