Road Trip - Great Ocean Road, Victoria

 

For years now, Kim and I have been wanting to travel the Great Ocean Road.

Now that I am retired, we have been able to take the time to do just that.  April/May was the ideal time to undertake this little adventure; not too cold and not too hot either.  Also, it was not during School Holiday times so the trip was a bit quieter.

Prior to this trip, we had been discussing the pros and cons of getting a Caravan for our travelling adventures.  After doing some pretty deep investigating we didn't go down that path. We considered we would be just as happy booking AIRBNB, Units at Caravan Parks and/or Motels for our accommodation.  The most expensive part of that decision is food.  It can get very expensive eating out all the time and, when you're travelling from one location to the other, you can't take any food that will require refrigeration.  Not only that, most AIRBNB places do not have much in the way of food preparation or cooking facilities.

We solved this problem by purchasing a car refrigerator.  It runs off the car 12 volt supply and also has a 240 volt adaptor.  So we were able to do a small shop every few days for fresh food.  To get around a lack of food preparation and cooking facilities, we took our Air Fryer.  It was the best idea!  Ours does not have a drawer but has 3 removable shelves like a mini oven.  We were able to prepare our own meals and ensured we had sufficient red wine for the night!  It worked out so much better.  

We took our 2 Schnoodles with us and they were very well behaved.  They loved being on holidays and visiting all the different places we went.  The vast majority of places were very dog friendly, great parks for walking, dog friendly restaurants and cafes.  The only exception to this was Warrnambool where dogs are not allowed in many parks or touristy type areas.

Got some great photos; thankfully Kim is very patient when I wander around taking photos.

I took my Canon 90D along for the ride with my go to lens the EF-S 18-135 and a Tamron 10-22mm wide angle.  After I got home and reviewed the photos taken with the Tamron, I noted a fuzzy spot on those photos.  Checking the lens I found a mould cloud on what appears to be on the inside of the outer glass piece.  I will leave the lens in the Sun to try and stop the growth but am now on the lookout for a lens spanner/wrench to remove that glass and clean it.  I was able to Photoshop around that problem for some photos but others just didn't work out.  I did make a massive error photography wise.  I left my spare battery and charger on the desk in my camera room at home!  Luckily, the battery lasted for virtually the whole trip running out at Beechworth.  We had already visited Beechworth years ago and I have those photos still.  After Beechworth we did a 3 night stopover in an AIRBNB in Canberra; catching up with old friends and family.  It was soooo cold (and raining) in Canberra and we left wondering how we ever spent five years living there in the early 90's and surviving that cold!

I also took along my Canon EOS 300V 35mm film camera.  I had a Fuji Superia Colour 100 film loaded into that.  However, when I started to use the camera, the viewfinder would go black and the battery icon flashed.  I considered that the batteries were flat and that they didn't have the power to operate the shutter properly.  I bought 2 new batteries but this made no difference; same problem.  I then got onto Google and found that flashing battery icon warning also meant that there was a major motherboard problem with the camera.  It appeared to work after I turned it on and off for each new photo but that was a pain.  The Canon 300V is now retired but, I have picked up a Canon 300 for an excellent price, which is almost exactly the same.  I always want to have a Canon 35mm film camera as all of the components can be swapped with my Canon Digital.

The trip through rural Victoria, along the Great Ocean Road and return via rural Victoria is just wonderful.  So many places to stop, go off the beaten track, and get some great photos.  Port Fairy was our furthest destination this time.  I'd like to do the trip again but go further west on our trip in Victoria, hit the Great Ocean Road at Warrnambool and travel west into South Australia and across to Adelaide.

Our accommodation along the way was very good; our only beef being the overnight at Goulburn in a rundown unit at the local Caravan park.  That was a shocker but we were only overnighting to sleep whilst we made our way south.

One tip if you're wanting to do this trip on the Great Ocean Road.  Don't go during School Holidays or over a long weekend.  The road is very winding in many places with little opportunity for overtaking and is only 2 lanes.  It would be a very slow trip when there is the holiday traffic and all of those off road parking areas for sightseeing would probably be filled up!

One thing we chanced upon was the Irish Festival at the village of Koroit.  What a great time it was; so many people dressed up, food stalls, some great Irish music being played by different groups, displays of Irish dancing.  The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the long line up for the Guinness Tent! 

Anyway, I'll let the photos tell the story of our trip.

I was in raptures to capture this scene in Goulburn.  The leaves had started to turn for Autumn
and there were no cars on the street on the Sunday afternoon.  Such beautiful colour!

The Paragon Cafe is an icon of Goulburn.

Goulburn laneway

Wangaratta is a lovely town in rural Victoria.  So many beautiful
buildings, parks and very tidy!

Wangaratta, Victoria

Saint Patricks Church - Wangaratta, Victoria

So many heritage buildings in Wangaratta.  It pays to look up to capture the older
style architecture.

One thing I noticed about rural towns in Victoria.  They have many styles of 
architecture showing the progress of the area through the different eras.  The
Art Deco style of the Court House looked amazing!

A little more Art Deco in Wangaratta.  I am wondering if that cylindrical part is
covering a water tank?  Love the font used in the building name!

The Tin Man - Seymour, Victoria

Train Station - Seymour, Victoria.  Seymour is an historic railway town.  In it's prime it 
employed over 400 workers.  They and their families made up one third of the 
town.  It was an important railway hub for the Goulburn Valley area.

The start of the Great Ocean Road at Torquay Beach

Surfer - Jan Juc, Victoria

This dog was having so much fun in the shallows of the rock pools at Jan Juc.  Taken from
Bird Rock Lookout

Beach and rock pools at Jan Juc

There is no easy access to the beach at Bells Beach.  Lots of stairs to climb!

The surf at Bells Beach on this particular day was pretty flat.  And then there were all 
the stairs to climb at the end of a session.

Anglesea River - Anglesea.  Our first day when it rained.  Luckily it didn't last all day.

We pulled into Urquhart's Bluff at Anglesea on our way west.  
These Magpies are obviously used to being fed by the public.
We chatted to the driver of the car who was there having lunch.  He said
that he wouldn't share his lunch.  He was eating a Chicken Pie and 
he couldn't bring himself to feed chicken to another bird.

Tide's out - Guvvos Beach from Urquharts Bluff

Painkalac Creek - Aireys Inlet

Look at this beautiful place - The Lighthouse Tearooms at Aireys Inlet.  This was a lovely
little place to visit.

Stopped at Lorne for a spot of lunch

Very popular coffee place at Lorne!

The Lorne Theatre.  Single screen Cinema as well.  Great
Art Deco architecture built in 1937

We overnighted at Apollo Bay.  Went for a Sunset walk and captured some
beautiful moments.

Apollo Bay Sunset

Apollo Bay has a lovely little harbour with fishing and pleasure craft.  
Couldn't resist the black and white rendition.

Such a picturesque spot is Apollo Bay.

Well looked after War Memorial in Apollo Bay.  Just catching
the last of the golden light at Sunset.

What lies down the cliff face at Gibsons Steps.  It nearly killed me walking down and then
up the steps to get to this beach but it was worth it!  Bit slippery and narrow and
had to squeeze my way past others coming down or up!  It would be very overcrowded
in peak holiday times.

The first of the 12 Apostles.  Taken from halfway
down Gibson Steps.  These stacks are eroding and only 6 of the
original 12 remain; the last one fell in 2005.

Irrespective of how many Apostles are left, this stretch is awesome for its Seascapes!  These
two stacks were joined at the top and were known as Island Archway.  The top of the
arch collapsed in 2009.

The rain we had in Anglesea had cleared by the time we hit Port Campbell National Park
which includes many magnificent photo opportunities similar to this!  Thankfully
the weather was sunny and quite mild for the time of year.  Love the cloud 
formation in this photo.  The colour of the water close to land was a beautiful blue/green
whilst further out was the deepest blue that I have ever seen an ocean.  The Great
Ocean Road does not hug the coastline all the way along but where it does it is 
hard to keep an eye on the road and not gaze out onto the beautiful Bass Strait and
Southern Ocean.

Okay okay, just one more?.........

Loch Ard Gorge 

Loch Ard Gorge is named after a ship that went aground on Muttonbird Island in 1878. The 
only 2 survivors were washed ashore into the Gorge.

Stalagmites form in one of the caves in Loch Ard Gorge.  

As you drive along you will see signs to London Bridge.  This arch
(now apparently called London Arch) used to be connected to the
mainland by another arch that collapsed in 1990.  
How scary for the two tourists who were on the seaward
side when the arch collapsed!  They were rescued by helicopter.

The Local - Peterborough, Victoria

The Bay of Martyrs - is also a part of the Port Campbell National Park.  Nearby there is 
Massacre Bay and Massacre Point, so named because a group of First Nation men were
murdered; driven over the cliffs by European settlers.

This was my favourite spot on our road trip holiday; Port Fairy.  Sitting on the Moyne River
as it makes it's way down to the Southern Ocean.

As you see, there is a long boardwalk and 
mooring for boats; a lovely spot on a 
beautiful sunny day!

Port Fairy has some great looking accommodation houses.  If you want a quiet
getaway this is the place.

Our 2 Schnoodles Archie and Daisy photobombing!

Pooch waiting for Dad to catch dinner! Port Fairy.

If I was to own a boat, I would love a little putt putt runaround like this one.

1847 and still going strong

There are so many small cottages in Port Fairy just like this one.
A lot are for holiday accommodation.  The brick is bluestone I think.

Heading back to Warrnambool from Port Fairy, we took a detour up to Koroit Village
and discovered an Irish Festival!  Not sure if this garage is still a going concern.

And we found a beautiful red headed Leprechaun woman
to be sure!

Koroit Irish Festival

Koroit Irish Festival

Many musicians were found at the Koroit Irish Festival and
some really good Irish tunes were played!

Koroit Irish Festival

An Irish Jig - I asked what they were drinking and they
replied Cranberry Juice.  No indication what is was
mixed with though!

General Store and Post Office - Cape Clear, Victoria
Cape Clear was so named by Irish goldminers who came from that named location
in Ireland, although it is over 100 km from the sea!  During the gold rush
Cape Clear was home to approx 25,000 people.

Not sure if this is the same building but I have read that the
Post Office in Cape Clear was established in April 1865 and is still
ran and owned by the same family.

Managed to get a little street photography thing going
whilst walking around Ballarat.

Very popular street dining area on the main drag of Ballarat

I might have to do a separate blog entry about the architecture
in Ballarat.  It's pretty amazing.

Old and, appears abandoned, service station in Smeaton, Victoria.  That building next door
is the Cumberland Hotel, reportedly the oldest weatherboard pub in Victoria.  It closed
in March of 2023 and has been boarded up and a security fence installed.

No fuel prices shown!

Took a day trip from Ballarat up to Maldon, a beautiful little
town.

The Maldon Kazbah!

Jacket Potatoes, Pies, Pasties and, Devonshire Teas - Maldon, Victoria

Iconic Australian facade in Maldon

We had been to Daylesford on a previous holiday with the kids but one area that I 
wanted to re-visit was the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens; it is a simply beautiful place.

We had to pass through Maldon again on our way from Ballarat to
Bendigo and stopped for a coffee and another look.

Years ago, we took our kids on a small railcar trip from Maldon to Muckleford.  That
trip has now extended to Steam Trains running on the Victorian Goldfields Railway up
to Castlemaine.

Kim taking the weight off at Maldon Train Station.

Bendigo is also another place I love for its architecture.  Although, parking in the CBD is a pain.

Bendigo Graffiti

Love the detailed work on this tower clock - Bendigo

This is something you don't see everyday.  A Ducati motor cycle
with it's own 1st floor hotel room!

I could walk around Bendigo all day and get 
some great street photography work!

Another thing that has vastly improved since we last visited Bendigo is their tram network.
Very popular.  The tramlines have been extended and a round trip is about an hour.
It is a must if you're visiting and, it's doggy friendly!

Daisy and Archie loved their tram trip!

Tram trip Bendigo

Our tram driver - what a great job!

The conductor gives a history lesson on Bendigo on the tram trip.

The last photo I was able to take - the water tower at Elmore.  Lasted
for about 70 years as the towns water supply.