Lakes Entrance
It was the first Anzac Day in a long time that I had not attended a dawn service, so I had my own. I left early and stopped at a few small towns along the way, many of them had wreaths around the war memorials from the dawn services. I paid my respects. Continuing on I arrived at Lakes Entrance and booked in for a couple of days to do some exploring and fishing. There is an amazing diversity to this area. I went for a 5 km return walk to where you can overlook the Entrance. A massive volume of water passes through this channel with the tides. The fishing hasn't been that crash hot yet but hopefully it will get better.
Bunyip
Said goobye to my friends and headed east towards Melbourne. I drove through Melbourne, the traffic was really bad, compared to what I'm used to now. I stopped at a rest area about 25 km out of Warragul. Cranked up the generator for a while to get the water hot for a shower. The rest area is just off the highway, so it is a bit noisy, but hey, it's free.
Back to Geelong
Had a bit of a late start, as it's not very far, and took my time getting to Geelong today. I stopped at the world famous surf beach, Bells Beach, for a look around. Many surfers were lining up in the water to catch a wave or three. I got back into Geelong and gave Mark and Michelle a call. I'm staying where we finished the bus for a couple of days before I continue east.
Anglesea
On the road again, I stopped at Lorne and tried my luck with rod & reel again, still none, then went exploring the town. Continuing on, I went sightseeing around Aireys Inlet, then headed north again. At Fairhaven, I stopped to photograph the Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch, as the G.O.R. is the world biggest war memorial. It was built by returned soldiers and sailors from WW1, in honour of their fallen mates. After all that I managed to make it Anglesea, not really far at all. I went out and had a drive around town then took a walk on one of the beaches.
Kennett River
Got the bus packed and left early as I didn't know how far I'd get, especially after yesterdays effort. More amazing scenery around each corner. I detoured out to Cape Otway Lightstation and had a look around, it is also the site of a (failed) telegraph link to Tasmania and a World War 2 radar station. Anyway, I kept travelling, spent a bit of time looking around Apollo Bay and stopped 15 or so kilometres up the road at Kennett River. Just across the G.O.R. is the beach, so I did some fishing, no luck though.
Bays and Rocks
I got up early, went for a walk then got ready to sightsee along the Great Ocean Road as far along as I could, thought I might be able to get to Cape Otway Lighthouse, how wrong was I. There is a lot to see along the section to Princetown, which is only 30 or so kilometres down the road. There's The Grotto, London Bridge, which is broken,The Arch, Port Campbell just to name a few. There are many other little lookouts and sights to see along the way but undoubtedly the most popular one is The Twelve Apostles, sorry 11 now, as one collapsed in 2005. I've got to admit they are a sight to behold but so was the rest of the coastline I'd just been along
Peterborough
I packed up the bus and little white car, said my goodbyes to Mark and Michelle, who'd come down to say goodbye, and thanked them very much for everything. Off I go down the A1 through Winchelsea, Colac, Camperdown and on toward the Great Ocean Road. Arrived at Peterborough and booked in for a couple of nights and got my bus set up. I got talking to a couple that were staying in a cabin next to the site I was on. Showed them inside the bus as they are looking at getting one very soon and wanted some ideas on what is needed and what could be done yourself. I went and did a bit of sightseeing around the Bay of Islands and the Bay of Martyrs which isn't far from here. I got back around 6.30pm and cooked dinner. Southern Brown Bandicoot, that's what the photo is of.
Ballarat
I didn't think this trip to Victoria would be complete without a trip to Ballarat. Mark and Michelle, my friends that I travelled to WA with, kindly lent me one of their cars for the trip. I left early and travelled through some small towns and stopped at Bacchus Marsh for a little while. I arrived at Ballarat and drove around taking in some of the wonderous sights. Ballarat is a wonderful blend of old and new architecture and also, well Lake Wendouree in fact, hosted the rowing events of the 1956 Olympics. I stopped at the Eureka Centre and learned more of the events that led to the Eureka Stockade. I ventured out to Sovereign Hill, which has been done to recreate what Ballarat was like during the goldrush days and spent a few hours there although many more could be spent. I met a couple of people who had been many times and still enjoy going there. I could understand, as it really is an interesting place. I got back to Geelong around 7.30pm had dinner, thanked Mark and Michelle very much and came back to the bus for some much needed rest.
The Bellarine
I went for a drive out around The Bellarine. It has many beautiful towns dotted throughout the region. At Portarlington, you can look over the bay and see the Melbourne skyline. At Point Lonsdale, you can watch ships navigating through the heads of Port Phillip Bay, I was fortunate enough to watch a pilot vessel guiding out a container ship and The Spirit of Tasmania was arriving. Continuing on I stopped at Queenscliff to have a look around. At Fort Queenscliff, there is a black lighthouse, yes it really is black, because its basalt structure was never painted. Its the only one in Australia and only one of three in the world. It really is a fantastic area and you would need a long time to discover all its delights.
