After crossing the border to Victoria, we were straight into the Victorian Gippsland…
We immediately noticed that in the Gippsland the roads were broader, and the trees were taller.
Our first camp in Victoria was in the small town of Cann River. This free camp was amongst walking tracks in the lush bushland.
The camping area is bordered by the Cann River.
Looking at the greenery around us, it was hard to believe that this town had suffered destructive bushfires in December 2019. In recognition of the work of emergency services during the bushfires, a mural by Simon White depicting emergency service responders was painted on the SES shed. There is also a chainsaw carving by John Brady depicting the timber workers clearing the the area after the bush fires.
Our next stop was Orbost on the Snowy River. The information centre is located in a 1872 historic slab hut. They provided us with a list of local attractions we could explore during our four day visit.
The information centre is surrounded by antique tools and displays.
Just below the information centre is Forest Park. As we went down to the park, we saw a sheep in the middle of the park. We quickly realised it was a pet sheep with the owner sitting nearby. In speaking to the owner he confirmed his Persian pet sheep, is a keen traveler.
When he left, we asked him if we could take a photo. This sheep had the coolest ride in his customised Harley-Davidson trailer.
Orbost is best known for its association with the Man from Snowy River. The Man from Snowy River is a well known poem by Banjo Paterson about a local horseman, and inspired the 1982 movie: The Man from Snowy River.
We were lucky to have our own piece of the Snowy River, as there are various grassy sites along the river where you can camp for free.
The river originates in Mount Kosciuszko and mouths into the Bass Straight. We headed south-east through Marlo to the Snowy River estuary. There was a great boardwalk and viewing platform overlooking the mouth of the Snowy River.
Just past the Snowy River estuary is Salmon Rocks, known for its pink rocks, white beaches and great surf.
The rocks are surrounded by lush vegetation with great colours to contrast.
On the way back through Marlo, we past a few animal sculptures lining the main road.
We ventured south-west from Orbost following the railway line to Bairnsdale that operated between 1916 and 1987. The Wairewa Trestle Bridge also fell victim to the early 2020 bushfires.
The Stoney Creek bridge was a lucky survivor.
On our last day trip from Orbost, we ventured north towards Buchan. After visiting a few caves, we stopped for lunch at The Bluff Reserve.
On our way to Snowy River National Park, we stopped at another cave: Wilson Cave. We did not spend much time in the cave as it was a muddy mess inside.
We took the steep gravel road up the hill to One Tree Lookout. We had a great view from the top.
Not too far from the lookout, we did the bushwalk to Basin Creek Waterfall. The walk provided a great vantage point over the river before an almost vertical drop for the last 100 meters, to get to the waterfall.
After Orbost, we moved to our next campsite near Perry Bridge. The sites at Fishers Riverside Campsite are on the Avon River and even has a jetty for the boaties.
We had a visit from a local echidna, saw loads of water birds and enjoyed a few campfires. We also had great sunsets over the river.
The campsite was fairly isolated and the closest town was Sale. On the way to Sale we drove past the RAAF base. They had a display of decommissioned planes at the main gate.
Its not every day you see a monster tower like the one below. The town of Sale used to be dependent on artesian wells for water. These wells proved to be unreliable and in 1888 the water tower pictured below was built and filled with water from the Thomson River.
We had lunch just around the corner, at the Botanical Garden. The garden is on a lake and focuses on local plants as well as plants from areas of comparable climates.
The garden was also filled with birds.
The Central Gippsland Visitor Centre in Sale and Gippsland Art Gallery was our next stop. The work of Annemieke Mein was on display in the gallery. She surely had lots of patience, great eyesight and a steady hand to create these artworks.
We moved to Lang Lang, west of Melbourne. From our camp it was an easy drive to Phillip Island. Phillip Island is accessible by bridge from the mainland. Our first stop on the island was the Pinnacles.
From the start of the Pinnacle walk, you could see the Pyramid Rock in the background.
Phillip Island Nature Park is best known for its penguin population and related experiences. The smallest and cutest penguins in the world. Tickets are available to attend the nightly penguin parade where the adults return to land to feed their chicks. We were on the island during the day, but were lucky to see a few chicks in their burrows.
The highlight of the Forest Cave Walk on Phillip Island, is the exposed caves at low tide. The inside of the caves are accessible from the shoreline.
From the beach you can also get on top of the cave, looking down into it. Just a few weeks after we were there, four people unfortunately drowned at this site.
Before leaving the island we visited the boardwalk at the Nobbies Centre. There were thousands of seagulls breeding right next to the boardwalk.
The wind was terrible, but the views were great!
Our next stop was Geelong where we settled in for Christmas and New Year. We were lucky to have friends flying in from Brisbane to join us for the festive season.
You could not miss the humongous flouting Christmas tree on the foreshore.
The Geelong foreshore is more than three kilometers long and lined with more than one hundred bollards. These bollards were carved from recycled pylons from the demolished Yarra Street Pier and depict contributors to Geelong’s history.
The Eastern Beach Baths on the Geelong foreshore is surrounded by the Promenade boardwalk. After more than one hundred years these baths are still buzzing in warm weather. When we took the photo, not so much.
An easy train ride from Geelong, took us straight into Melbourne CBD.
The free tram service made it easy to move across the city.
On the way to the Queen Victoria Markets, we passed through the graffiti in Hosier Lane.
This impressive glass facade at Federation Square in home to bars, restaurants and the National Gallery of Victoria.
Geelong is a great spot to drive to the Great Ocean Road. The drive starts at Torquay.
On the way in, we saw our first wild koala on this trip. This chap was in no mood for photos when we passed through.
Not too far from Lorne was the Sheoak Falls. It was an easy walk to the falls, the difficult part was getting a carpark.
The Twelve Apostles were the next stop. Okay, twelve might be an overstatement as there are only eight still standing. Every time you get here, it is an unique experience. They are magnificent!
The thundering cave packs a punch as the water pushes in.
The London Bridge has unfortunately lost one of its spans in 1990. The remaining part is still worth a visit.
The Grotto is another favourite on the drive. You take the stairs down into the sinkhole and once you are at the bottom, you are rewarded with a magnificent view.
There are so many walks and vantage points along the Great Ocean Road, it would be best to spread it over a few days. Our last lookout for the day was Loch Ard Gorge.
We spent New Year’s Eve at the Geelong foreshore where thousands gathered for the fireworks and to welcome 2024.
After New Year’s, we started getting ready to put the car and caravan on the Spirit of Tasmania to cross the Bass Straight to Tasmania for a few months.