Great Ocean Road and Mt Gambier

Hello all,
Grand Prix weekend I loaded up and headed off again to South West Victoria. I had planned to overnight the first night at one of the two caravan parks at Werribee South but both were full. Instead I stayed in a Camps 6 free camp beside the roadhouse on the Geelong Freeway. Don't stay here if you like to get at least some sleep...............the trucks roaring past on the freeway did not stop all night....never again. Besides that it rained.......which it has done a lot on this trip.

Great Ocean Road

The weather was showery all day but warm, which allowed you to stop and look at something without getting wet and transit during the showers. Next night was Apollo Bay.

West towards Apollo Bay

I have had a rotten dose of the flu this trip, so this hasn't helped my enthusiasm for free camping and camp cooking, this trip has been mostly caravan parks and cafe's.

some critter up a tree

Next stop was Loch Ard Gorge, there is still an over abundance of travellers on the road considering we are moving out of the warm weather.

Loch Ard Gorge

Loch Ard Gorge

looking in

looking out

After a bit of a stop at Port Cambell it was onwards to The Bay of Islands.

Port Cambell

Bay of Islands

Bay of Islands

I pressed on to my stop that night Warrnambool Showgrounds. I am a recent convert to Showgrounds, a powered site for $15-20 per night, usually pretty light on kids and usually in a pretty central location. A normal caravan park can be anywhere from $27-50 per night.

Sunset from Warrnambool Showgrounds

After leaving Warrnambool, doing a bit of a trip around Tower Hill Crater Reserve, I headed to Port Fairy then on to Mt Gambier Showgrounds for the night. After a 32C day and a warm night I was woken by a thunderstorm at 7am the next morning, the start of an interesting day weatherwise. Just after packing up camp the showers started.

Umpherston Sinkhole

The Umpherston Sinkhole was amazing, with immaculate gardens and even a barbeque in the sinkhole.

Umpherston Sinkhole

Umpherston Sinkhole

 From Ulpherston Sinkhole it was off to see if the lake was still blue, as it changes back to green in March. This is when the wind started, and boy did it blow......

Blue Lake Mt Gambier

Blue Lake

With the wind came the rain, as I headed out to Cape Banks, my nephew stayed here a few weeks ago and recommended I have a look. Driving the 30 odd kilometres out there was interesting enough. I had 100kmh plus crosswinds, horizontal rain, and blinding red dust rising from the paddocks.

Cape Banks

 I need to ask my nephew if that is a shipwreck in this picture, there is no way I was going to look.............I was having trouble just standing up in the wind.

Blurry Cape Banks Lighthouse

I know the picture is blurry but you try taking photo's in over 100kph winds, without a word of a lie, sitting in the vehicle waiting for the rain to stop (parked) it was like driving down a rough four wheel drive track, the wind was buffeting me around so much, needless to say I gave the free camp there a miss and headed off.
The Mt Gambier area is interesting with all the Limestone sinkholes.

Little Blue Lake

You are driving along through flat farmlands a suddenly on the side of the road is Little Blue Lake sinkhole.
After visiting Ewan Ponds, I headed to Picaninny Ponds only to find them closed due to roadworks, but it was time to try and find some shelter from the wind for the night. After studying the map I decided Princes Margret Rose Caves might be the go. I had the wind behind me for an hour or two which had been good. I had to backtrack about 6km from Picaninny Ponds road to get to the Caves...........into the wind.........well I turned out of the side road in first gear, hit the clutch and went for second gear and nearly blew backwards, it was like I was trying to charge gears with the handbrake on....
Princes Margret Rose Caves campground was pretty underwelming. expensive at $25 per night unpowered with dirty amenities. But at least it was sheltered from the wind but not the never ending showers.
Last night was spent at Hamilton and tonight at Halls Gap in the Grampians.

Southern Grampians

Boroka Lookout overlooking Halls Gap

Tomorrow it's off to Melbourne overnight, then to check out a company that makes custom liquid storage bladders. I am looking at one for water behind the seats in the cabin for water with about 55 litre capacity and one for between the headboard on the tray and the camper for diesel with about 50-55 litre capacity. This would solve my dilemma about fuel and water carrying capacity.
I have just completed a few fuel consumption checks with pleasing results. On a run up into the high country for the day without camper and a bit of around town was 8.8 l\100km
From Apollo Bay to Mt Gambier with camper 11.8l\100km.
Next trip is camper less.......on the second week of the school holidays my nephew, his family and myself are planning a trip into Wonnangatta Station in the Victorian high country. This is low range 4x4 country and no place for the camper but hell its going to be hard going back to the tent and air matress.......................the last time I was there was probably sometime in 1988 by memory.
Until next time.........