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.........

Wilsons Promontory

hello all,
After several weeks watching the weather forecast and avoiding long weekends I headed off to Wilsons Promontory. For those who don't know the area.......Wilsons Promontory is the most southern point of mainland Australia, a rugged landscape filled with huge granite boulders. 

Toora Wind Farm

 First stop was the Toora Wind Farm, this picture gives you some idea how big these things are........they sit on the top of the foothills adjacent to a lookout which gives spectacular views across Corner Inlet to Wilsons Promontory.

Across Corner Inlet

 The very helpful lady in the Foster Tourist  Information Office told me of a free? $12.00 campsite on the way, so I decided to have a look. It is called Shallow Inlet Camping Area, not to be confused with Shallow Inlet Caravan Park adjacent. It was a beautiful, well shaded, secluded camping area with resident Managers, TV reception, 3G mobile reception and good spotless long drop dunnies.
It was here I decided to wrestle the monster...............

Shallow Inlet

 Some time ago I purchased a OZ Trail shower tent, up until now I had gotten away with a quick nude up in secluded areas for a shower but this time I had people on both sides......no option but to break out the shower tent for the first time. We used one similar up in the Kimberley last June but I didn't have anything to do with erecting or packing it up.
Well, what an adventure this turned out to be..................the shower tent comes in a circular bag....all good so far.......unzip the bag and whamo...............it leaps out of the bag and pretty well self erects in about 2 seconds...........still all good so far. 

The Shower Tent AKA Rubics  Cube

Shower complete, modesty intact and the fun began...............after an hour wrestling this thing, standing up, lying on it, swearing at it, threatening it with incineration, I renamed it Rubic after Rubic's Cube..........folding this thing up to go back into the bag is next to impossible.
I highly recommend people buying one of these as it would keep those know all pesky teenagers out of your way for hours.................or as a extended party game for hours of entertainment. Several hours later I got it back into the bag, don't ask me how? as I have no idea and possibly won't be able to do it again.
I needed to head to Wilsons Promontory for therapy.

on the road to The Prom

Now, for those unfamiliar with the area, it pokes out into Bass Strait, is very exposed and subject to regular extreme weather, which is why I have been careful with my timing. Winds over 100KPH and torrential rain are not uncommon. In 2011 over 380 campers were stranded after torrential rain flooded the campground, caused landslides and washed away the bridge on the only road in. The campers ended up having to be helicoptered out leaving their cars, caravans and possessions behind until the road was repaired. 
This trip the weather was superb.

Norman Island

 Upon arriving at the Parks Vic Campground and forking over $54 for two nights unpowered camping I needed a drink.....
I can't understand how the DSE (Department of Sustainability and Environment) or Dept. of Scorched Earth or Dept. of Soot and Embers and they are more well known as can justify these sort of prices is beyond me.............Pretty rude I think.

Whale Rock Tidal river

Wilsons Promontory really is a magnificent and special place with spectacular scenery, and well worth the visit.

Mt Oberon from Tidal River

Norman Beach Tidal River

Glennie Island Group off Norman Beach

Mt Oberon from Norman Beach

If visiting here I recommend you don't go to bed early, during the day you are surrounded by Pink Galah's, Silver Gulls, Pacific Gulls and Crimson Rosella's, by night Possums, Wombats and believe it or not a Hog Deer Stag with large antlers seemingly not too concerned by the people following them around with torches trying to get photos.

Tidal River

Tidal River meets the sea

Mt Oberon

 I cant believe how good the weather was for me.....day times 30-32C with warm nights and no wind for 3 days.............unheard of here! There is numerous horror stories of shredded annexes and tents and endless rainy days but the weather excelled.
And on the last night a great sunset.

sunset from camp

Squeeky Beach

 All said a good trip, it's home now and let the crowds have the long weekend to themselves. All going well between the long weekend and Easter I plan to do a run along the Great Ocean road to Mt Gambier and the Blue Lake and return inland.
Stay tuned.....bye for now.