Victor Harbor to Melbourne

Victor Harbor  21/11/12

We left Adelaide at 10am after Craig washed the car & caravan. We are heading down the Fleurieu Peninsula today to Victor Harbor. We had lunch at the nice little coastal town of Normanville. Then we carried on to Cape Jervis which is where the ferries leave from to go too Kangaroo Island. The ferry was halfway across the Passage when we arrived, but they run 2 ferries so we were able to see the other one still at its’ moorings. We then continued onto Victor Harbor along a nice rural scenic drive. We arrived at 2.30pm at the Victor Harbor Beachfront Holiday Park which cost $29.50 a night. Victor Harbor is the schoolies destination of choice for Adelaide & surrounds. The manager of this caravan park told us they had 938 schoolies there over the weekend. They charged them $60 a night each, & spent $22,000 on security & fencing. He didn’t get much sleep & saw many sights that he hopes never to see again, & then spent the next 2 days cleaning up. Today (Wednesday) was the first day they were taking bookings again from the general public. On the plus side due to Adelaide’s recycling efforts, he estimates they have made $3000 from bottles & cans. Later in the afternoon we walked into town & went to the information centre & had a look around. When we walked past one shop front we were surprised to see that it was a radio station with the radio announcer sitting right at the front of the shop & facing towards us. He then went on air & made mention of Braydon standing there looking & said hello to him. There was obviously a speaker outside, & then he waved & said goodbye to Braydon. We travelled 177km today.

22/11/12

Today we went on the well-known double-decker Horse Drawn Tram from the mainland via the 600m wooden causeway over to Granite Island. It took 20mins. to be pulled over by 12 year old Thomas, a Clydesdale horse. We had lovely views over the Bay, the Bluff & the Island. When we arrived we walked the 1.5km Kaiki Walk around the Island, with spectacular views. We also went to the Penguin Centre that looks after distressed Little Penguins, where we saw a few being fed & learnt about the colony found at Granite Island. Their numbers are being reduced here dramatically, so much so that they don’t think there will be any left this time next year. In the year 2000 there were about 2000 of them, & this year there were only about 25. In the afternoon we drove out to the Bluff & then went grocery shopping.

Kingston SE  23/11/12

We left Victor Harbor at 9.30am, & today we had no plans as to where we would stay tonight on the Limestone Coast. We stopped at Strathalbyn & went to the Visitor Centre. They told us of 2 nice places on the coast, so we headed to the first of these, Kingston SE. On the way there we had to catch a free ferry across the Murray River at Wellington. Dianne got out to take some photos of the car & caravan going on, but then nearly missed it as the guy started to shut the gate. It was only us & a truck that fitted on for that trip. We arrived at 3.15pm at the Kingston Caravan Park which cost $37 for the night. After setting up, we went for a walk along the foreshore where we were attacked by a magpie a couple of times. We had fish & chips for tea from the caravan park café & ate it outside as it was such a lovely evening. We travelled 291km today.        

Robe  24/11/12

After taking a photo of the iconic Big Lobster “Larry”, we left Kingston SE at 9.15am & headed the short distance of 50km to Robe. We arrived at the Sea-Vu Caravan Park at 10.45am which cost $41 a night. We had a lovely site up high overlooking the coastline & beach. After setting up we did the washing, & then for something different we watched a wedding that was being held in the campsites directly across from our site. When it was finished we went for a drive to the headland & had a walk around. 

25/11/12

The whole town had the power disconnected today, which meant that the town centre was dead as most of the stores did not open. We went for a walk around and took the kids to the swings. With beautiful weather again we decided we would do some 4 wheel driving today, so we drove to some tracks that run along the foreshore and headlands along the coastline. The tracks were very sandy with some very steep sections to try out the car. The track was fairly narrow in parts but we had some fun.

 Mount Gambier  26/11/12

We Left Robe at about 9.30am and headed along lush green farmlands before arriving at Mount Gambier at the Big 4 Blue Lake Holiday Park at 11am which cost $38 a night. Mount Gambier is built on the slopes of an extinct volcano with three craters, the largest containing the world famous Blue Lake that mysteriously turns a vibrant blue during the summer months. We set up camp and had some lunch before heading into the city and having a look at the “Cave Gardens” which is a sinkhole in the middle of the city with beautifully maintained rose gardens & landscaping. After this we did the grocery shopping. We travelled 133km today.

27/11/12

This morning we got the bikes off the caravan and went for a ride around the rim of the Blue Lake, which was indeed a beautiful blue colour. The ride was a little challenging as it is quite hilly, but nothing that we could not handle. In the afternoon we walked up a rather steep track to the Centenary Tower (190m above sea level) where we got fantastic views over the lakes, the city and surrounding countryside, and then hopped back into the car to drive a scenic loop.

28/11/12

This morning, after doing the washing, we went into Harvey Norman to do up some Calendars for Christmas for our families of photos from our trip. We had organized the photos we wanted last night. In the afternoon we picked them up & were happy with how they turned out. We then called into the Engelbrecht Cave, but it was closed when we arrived. The man kindly let us in to view the cave from above, but this cave had to be seen with a tour guide as it goes down into 2 underground chambers where you have the opportunity to see where cave divers can dive beneath city streets.  

29/11/12

We had basically packed up the van ready to move out when Braydon spotted Lizzie the Landcruiser with a flat tyre. What are the chances of a flat tyre in a caravan park! Craig changed the tyre, and he & Braydon headed in to get it repaired at a tyre place. The first tyre place we took it to said we should take the tyre to a Coopers dealer as they might warranty it, so we headed to the Coopers shop. They got the tyre manager to have a look and he said that there was a small defect on the side wall where the bead is. This would not have caused the flat and would not be dangerous if left, but it is a defect and we would be able to get new tyres on a prorate system on what we have used. He looked at the other tyres and said that they were starting to look like they were doing the same thing, so they could be replaced as well. 

 

He worked out it would cost us $710 to change over, which seemed very reasonable considering the chunks of rubber missing, and looking very second hand due to the Gibb River Road. Craig agreed to pay the extra and get new ones, but it would mean them getting them up overnight, so we were able to spend a little more time here. In the afternoon we headed to “The Lady Nelson” Visitor & Discovery Centre, and the Umpherston Sinkhole, which is a beautiful sinkhole filled with lovely terraced gardens and flowers. There are also lots of Possums living in all the rocky escarpments. The kids filled in the rest of the afternoon on the jumping pillow. It was a hot day today with the max. temperature at 36deg which was very high for this region.

Victoria

Warrnambool  30/11/12

We did some shopping while we got our 4 new Coopers tyres fitted this morning. We headed back to the caravan park and hooked on the van ready to head to Warrnambool in Victoria. On the way we stopped to take some photos of a huge koala sitting on the side of the road. He didn’t appear to be injured as he seemed happy enough just to look around, but he didn’t run off. We drove through the lovely little town of Port Fairy which is a little historic seaside village, & it was like stepping back in time. We arrived at the bustling town of Warrnambool at 3.45pm and booked into the Big 4 Warrnambool Discovery Holiday Park at a cost of $40.50 a night. In the afternoon we had a quick drive around the coastal town to get a feel for the area. We travelled 236km today.

Found a way of cutting fuel costs

01/12/12

There is a huge playground just down the road from the caravan park so we let the boys have a big play before heading into town for some Christmas decorations and groceries. Once we were home it was time to watch the motor racing, & then Braydon hired a 3 wheel buggy to have a play around in the caravan park. We must admit that we all had fun on it though. We went to the local Bowls Club for dinner as they had good meals at reasonable prices.

 Port Campbell  02/12/12  Great Ocean Road  

We left Warrnambool at 9.30am and headed for the Great Ocean Road which weaves its way around the cliff edges which skirt the Southern Ocean for approx. 256kms. The first stop was about 15km out of town at the Allansford “Cheese World” where we sampled some lovely cheeses. With the caravan fridge stocked up with cheese we had a look around the adjoining historic museum before heading back to the car. It was time to see our first bit of the Great Ocean Road scenery at the Bay of Islands which is a spectacular group of islands. It was bordering on raining so we just had a quick look around and took some photos before heading straight for the small coastal town of Port Campbell. The Great Ocean Road was built by returned servicemen from World War 1 between 1918 & 1932 as a memorial to their fallen colleagues. We pulled into the Port Campbell Holiday Park at 12.30pm which is very close to the beach and town at the cost of $38 a night. In the afternoon we watched the motor racing as Braydon wanted to see Jamie Whincup hold up the championship trophy. In the late afternoon we went for a walk to the beach, jetty and had a stroll through town. We travelled 72km today.

03/12/12

This morning we were planning on seeing the highlights of the Great Ocean Road but Braydon was vomiting through the night so we spent the day relaxing and catching up on things while letting him recover. The weather is fairly cold and windy so it was nice to be indoors today.

04/12/12

After a very windy, cold and rainy night outside, but snug and warm in the van, Braydon woke up feeling better after vomiting again last night. We decided that we would put on some warm clothes and start having a look around at the sights. With the wind still blowing hard we all had beanies and big coats on and headed for the Grotto which is a beautiful rock pool about 8m above sea level. We then headed to see London Bridge & The Arch. London Bridge has changed considerably over the past 20 years with the arch linking the “bridge” to the mainland collapsing in January 1990. The seas were very rough and there were showers coming across but we managed to get out & see these spectacular features & coastline. On the way back we went to a lookout with views over Port Campbell, & then headed back to the van for lunch as the weather was becoming worse, so we spent the afternoon inside.

Cape Otway  05/12/12

We left Port Campbell at about 9.30am & headed to Loch Ard Gorge. It was so named because in 1878 the ship “Loch Ard” sank claiming 49 lives, & 2 young survivors were washed into the gorge. You can appreciate how lucky they were to be washed ashore into this gorge with a lovely little beach as the majority of the coastline is sheer cliffs. There were a few walks we did in this area. The first went out to the beginning of the gorge which was great to see the power of the ocean coming into the gorge & crashing into the surrounding cliffs. The second was a rock stack called The Razorback which was formed over the years by constant wave action, wind & erosion. The third was called Thunder Cave which was another gorge which became very narrow & then formed a cave with the ocean coming thundering in. We then travelled to the world famous off-shore rock stacks The Twelve Apostles.

  They were magnificent & lived up to their reputation. Today was another very windy day so the seas were very rough creating a lot of white water. We were conscious of how different it would look on a calm still day. We had lunch here, & after calling in briefly to see the Gibson Steps, we went to Gorge Chocolates where we sampled some chocolates & Dianne bought some dark mint chocolate which was delicious. We then carried onto Cape Otway in the Great Otway National Park. We arrived at the Bimbi Park (Camping Under Koalas) at 4.30pm which cost $28 for the night. It lived up to its name as there were koalas everywhere. We have never seen so many koalas in the wild, & had fun spotting them in the caravan park as well as on the road into the park. We travelled 118km today.     

Apollo Bay  06/12/12

We were allowed to stay past the usual 10am checkout time, so we left the van put & drove out to the Cape Otway Lightstation. Again there were koalas everywhere you looked – too many to count. We have been to so many lighthouses before but we decided to climb this one which is the oldest surviving lighthouse in mainland Australia & has been in operation since 1848. The views from the top didn’t disappoint as it is perched on towering sea cliffs 80m above where Bass Strait & the Southern Ocean collide. Also in the Lightstation grounds were a restored Telegraph Station & a World War 2 Radar Bunker. 

 

After having a good look around we drove out to Blanket Bay which was a lovely little bay & a nice campground area. We then drove back to the caravan park, had lunch, hooked on the van & travelled the short distance of 37km to Apollo Bay which is right on the coast. We arrived at the Big 4 Pisces Holiday Park at 2.30pm which cost $41 a night. We took it easy in the afternoon & planned our day for tomorrow.

07/12/12

Craig got up early this morning & did the washing. We had a big day planned for today. First of all we went on a lovely drive through rainforest to The Redwoods which was a pretty little spot with a forest of giant Californian Redwoods. We then carried on to Hopetoun Falls where we had morning tea. As we were planning on walking to another falls in the area, we didn’t walk down to this one but had a nice vantage point of them 20m from the carpark. We then carried onto Otway Fly Treetop Adventures which is a spectacular walk amongst the giants of the rainforest. The platform walk rises 25m above groundlevel & to 47m at the lookout tower & is 600m long. It was a long walk to get to the platform so were all tired when we got back. We decided to buy a pass here which would give us unlimited entry to a dozen or so other attractions on the east coast (mainly in Melbourne & Sydney).

 We thought it would be good value because most places are where we would want to go anyway & you get your money’s worth after about 3 places. You also get 20% off lunch so we of course had a yummy lunch there. Then we went to Triplet Falls which was a beautiful walk (1.8km) along raised platforms through ancient rainforest to view the awesome triple cascades flowing over rock ledges. Then we returned to the caravan park via another nice scenic drive. We were all exhausted when we got back as it had been a huge but great day with a lot of walking.       

Torquay  08/12/12

We left Apollo Bay at 9.30am & continued to the end of the Great Ocean Road at Torquay. It was a beautiful scenic drive but slow going as it was very windy. We stopped at Lorne for morning tea, & then carried on & had lunch at Bells Beach which is Australia’s most famous surfing beach. Today it was hard to believe this as it was very flat. We then drove the short distance to Torquay & arrived at the Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park at 1.30pm & it cost $31 a night. After setting up & having a rest we had a drive around this popular beachside town. We travelled 95km today.   

09/12/12

This morning we went shopping at Surf City Plaza which is home to many surf clothing stores with a number of factory outlets nearby. Torquay is recognised as Australia’s Surfing Capital. We also did the grocery shopping. In the afternoon we drove out to Jan Juc & had a look at the beach & reef breaks which are popular with surfers. 

Geelong  10/12/12

We left Torquay at 9.30am & headed for Geelong. We travelled through Barwon Heads & onto Queenscliff which is a heritage township known for its grand Victorian Hotels & colonial buildings. We had morning tea looking out over Port Phillip Bay. We arrived at the Geelong Riverview Tourist Park at 11.45am which cost $40 for the night. After setting up & having lunch, we drove down to have a look at the Geelong Waterfront & walked along the foreshore of the bay. They have an excellent Beach Swimming Pool which is very large & has diving platforms & fun water activities. We then went to Maccas & all had an icecream. We travelled 80km today.

Melbourne  11/12/12

We left Geelong at about 9.15am & arrived in Melbourne at the Ashley Gardens Big 4 Holiday Village at 10.45am which cost $49 a night. After setting up we took it easy for the rest of the day. In the afternoon we went for a swim in the heated pool of the caravan park. We travelled 78km today.

12/12/12

It was time to head into the centre of Melbourne today. We caught the bus from across the road of the caravan park and headed into the city. The trip was a bit like being on a rollercoaster as you had to really hold on the entire trip. We only paid $7.50 which is pretty cheap for two scary rides. Once we put our feet back on the ground and got our stomachs settled down, we headed to have a look at the Christmas display in the Casino. After a look there we headed to the “Melbourne Aquarium” where we used our passes & had a good look around. We particularly liked the King Penguins as we hadn’t seen any of these before. After lunch we headed onto a city tram for a ride around the city. After this we went & had a look at the Myer Christmas window display and a look around the city. It is such a fast paced city with everyone seeming to be in such a hurry. We then boarded the bus for a thrill ride back to the caravan park.

13/12/12

Today we had to organise some Christmas parcels so they would arrive before Christmas. We headed off to the shops to post them, then called into Aldi for some groceries. This is the first Aldi we have stopped at since leaving Brisbane as we haven’t seen any in the other states. This Aldi however had a Liquor section with really cheap drinks; not that we bought any. In the afternoon we went for a swim in the pool as it is a beautifully hot day today with a max. temperature of 32deg. and not a cloud in the sky.

14/12/12

We decided to drive into the city today to have a look around Harbour Town as it is lightly raining. We managed to get a park easily and had a look around & bought a few things. The highlight of the day was we went to a huge shop called Costco which is an American store. We went to walk in but were stopped at the door because we didn’t have a membership card. They gave us a visitor’s pass so we could have a look around but not purchase anything. It is like a Coles and Kmart combined in one shop and then put on steroids. Everything was huge in size, from the trolleys the size of semi- trailers (almost) to all the food in packets about 10 times the normal size. The prices appeared to be very cheap with all the major brands. They told us one was opening up in Brisbane in a few months. It was just amazing to see. Di loved the size of the Mud Cakes which were $20 but they would have weighed about 3kg and were the size of a tyre (exaggerating a bit).

15/12/12

This morning we went to the Caravan Mega Store to get a couple of spare parts that we have broken, but were very disappointed by the stock that they had. We then decided to go to the Queen Victoria Markets, so we again braved the bus and headed into the city. We had a good look around the huge markets and managed to make a few purchases which is unusual for us at markets. It is such a multicultural city, and you could easily think English is the second language. We had a lovely time looking around but we have all decided Melbourne is not the place for us. It again has been drizzly most of the day.


We have uploaded a youtube clip of our favourite holiday photos so far. If  you would like to watch it try the link below......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfYpRl1lZjs&feature=youtu.be