Great Ocean Road etc (Part 3)

After raining all night, Monday was a little worrying to wake to. We had decided to head up to Hopetoun Falls, but there were two routes to get it. With one being labelled a track, we were unsure whether we’d be able to get through it in a Toyota Corolla, so we headed back to the information centre to double check what sort of condition it was in. Instead, she recommended that we go back the way went the day before and along the Turtons Tourist Track. This worked just fine for us, and Turtons Track was simply beautiful.

The small of the other track down to the falls however, was a little more worrying, and the turn off for the waterfall even more so. Taking it nice and slow, and seeing virtually no tourists, helped us to arrive in one piece. Still raining, we headed down into the rainforest to the Hopetoun Falls, which were worth the walk down (and the fear of having to get back up the hill). Again, photos to come.

Next we decided to head to the Triplet Falls, but getting lost and having to do a u-turn when we realised we were heading back towards Apollo Bay, we decided to stop for an early lunch instead. Kat and Trav discovered the small area of Redwoods just near the Hopetoun falls, and we went exploring. The area is simply stunning with the towering Redwoods and beautiful stream running past.

By this time we deemed it late enough that most tourists would have left and we could go to the Otway Fly – something Kat had really been looking forward to. It was still raining, and at the bottom of the rainforest, we might have stayed slightly dry, but 27m up, there was no chance. Still, the views were something different, and the 47m tower was fun (if only to see Trav so scared!) The walk back to the visitors centre wasn’t quite so fun, but headbutting the dinosaur at the end of the walk was worth it.

After that, we decided to take the same route back to Apollo Bay, along Turton’s Track and through Skene’s Creek, wanting to stick to roads that we knew while it kept raining and was getting darker.

Again, we had to dry out all of our clothes, and decided to have another lazy night in with ice cream, nachos and the projector.

The next morning we started our way out of town. We came back along the Great Ocean Road again, wanting to have another burger and chips at the same cafe! Between Lorne and Geelong though, we headed inland and came in through Geelong and back to the city. The rest of the afternoon was a chance to dry off and catch up on washing before we all went back to work.

Great Ocean Road etc (Part 2)

Sunday (7th) dawned earlier than usual for us, so after our complimentary continental breakfast (only until 9.30am, but considering we were the only ones in our unit, I’m sure it didn’t just disappear after that time), we headed down to the tourist information building to get some better maps and details about the waterfalls and walks.

Deciding to take it easy for the day, we headed to Stevenson Falls, up near Forrest, which was considered either a 20 minute or 1 hour easy walk, depending where you took the car. As we got up to the turn-off, we ended up on a narrow, almost gravel road, which caused initial panic, but became easier as the weekend went on.

As we came up to the carpark (a campsite), we could see that the road to the second carpark was open – which would mean a shorter walk – so we took it and without getting bogged, arrived in the carpark.

The walk was easy, and very nice, just as the brochure described! The path was pretty wet, but no rain was seen (yet), and we had no problems getting up to the waterfall.

The metal platform caused some problems, with the feet of my tripod slipping through! I still managed to get some shots (to come), and the area was simply beautiful. Travis let his adventurous side come through as he climbed over the other side of the river, then up onto the massive rocks in front of the waterfall. I could see it all ending in tears, but he’s home and we’re all fine! This was also the point where I noticed all the lichens and fungi growing – obviously, being a rainforest, the damp and dark conditions are perfect for it.

As we headed back to town, it was decided that I was getting fish and chips for lunch, to keep me happy and quiet. It was delicious, and there is nothing quite like eating fish and chips, on the coast, in winter while it drizzles!

Instead of heading to another waterfall (we’d seen two, we’d seen them all), we decided to take a look at Mait’s Rest walk – which takes you past a 300 year old myrtle beech tree. Again this was a very easy walk, which unfortunately meant there were lots of children, but the forest was so dense that you turned a corner and could barely hear them. It was stunning – although I’m disappointed they didn’t point out this specific tree; we’re left assuming that one of the many huge trees is 300 years old and the rest are only 200-and-something!

The rain was coming down quite steadily by this point; Kat kept pointing out that we’re in the rainforest in winter and I kept arguing that the rainforest could do without rain for a couple of days. While we were out in that direction, we decided that our last stop of the day would be the Cape Otway lighthouse.

Although I couldn’t see it from the carpark, the lady in the shop was adamant that it was just over the hill, so we paid our preposterous $15 and went through. The rain and wind was a little disruptive, but we skipped the communications museum and went straight up to the lighthouse. Grateful that we made the climb to the top, the views were amazing and the wind from up there just exhilarating. Looking out to the rough sea, it’s obvious why the lighthouse was necessary. Travis was only a little bit scared.

Coming back through, we also managed to buy discounted tickets for the Otway Fly, which would be one of the activities the next day. All that was left was getting home to dry out before dinner.

The gas heater turned out to be a godsend, as our jeans and shoes all went in front of it, as well as ourselves. Thankfully we managed to drag ourselves out to dinner, and we went to Cafe 153, which was slightly disappointing. The food was tasty but nothing special and the service was a bit of a let down, but at least I managed to get some seafood for the second time that day!

Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay, The Otways and The Rain (Part 1)

Before we (Kat, Trav and I) had realised it was the Queen’s Birthday long weekend, we had arranged to go away for four nights to Apollo Bay and the Great Ocean Road. Of course, once we realised this, we had already booked an extra day off work and were hyped about it, so we just had to get a move on and book the accommodation quickly before it was gone!

We left on the Friday night (5th June) after we’d finished work, and headed down to Torquay. Of course, an accident on the West Gate delayed things by half an hour or so, but all in all, a relatively quick trip was had. A stop for fast food in Geelong, Kat’s first booze bus and we arrived in Torquay by 9pm. We stayed in a small cabin there just overnight before moving on in the morning.

We took a leisurely drive down the Great Ocean Road the next morning, stopping frequently at the lookouts and towns. Our first stop was Aireys Inlet, where the Split Point Lighthouse is. We had a walk down to the beach before heading over to the lighthouse (which we didn’t go up) and wandered around in the sunshine before moving on. I’ve since found out that this is the same lighthouse from the TV show ‘Round The Twist’ and would have been much more excited there had I known that!

I can’t remember the other various stops that we made, but we timed it so that we came into Lorne just before lunch time. After a quick walk around, we decided on a place called ‘Bottle of Milk’ which served large burgers accompanied by loud music. Very delicious, and we even stopped again on the way back!

Just as we were finishing, a couple of friends I know from Flickr came in, so we hung around for a quick chat before leaving them to their food. It was a bit of a shock seeing Melbourne people out of town like that!

On the way out of Lorne, we spotted Sheoak Falls and decided to stop for a quick look. The walk up wasn’t exactly easy on my ITBS, Kat’s legs or Trav’s lungs, but we got there and managed to have a look around before more people arrived. We only went to the bottom lookout, deciding that as it was, getting back to the car would be a struggle! Unfortunately, this set the tone for the weekend. If only we’d have been fitter and more prepared…

After several more stops and more beautiful weather, we came into Apollo Bay in late afternoon. On arrival, we couldn’t see anyone there to check in, so we left a message and went to grab a drink. After they had called back and directed us to another building, we checked in, paid and were then directed to our own 2 bedroom unit on another site. It was an older unit, mostly decorated 70s style (wood panelling, old gas heater and stove), but was ours for three nights so was quite convenient.

The rest of the afternoon was relaxing, and we had a look around town and just rested our legs. Although the TV had a few issues, we had brought laptops and a projector, so could cuddle up and watch a movie after dinner.