Day 41

13 March 2013

Today was apostle day!! Now while I was excited about this day, I also was thinking that I have already seen so many photos of these things, and was skeptical about whether actually seeing them for real would be much different....

Day did not start well....wind was huge here last night! We had the awning on the ute out overnight and were woken early morning with a huge bang which made us both sit upright and say WTF was that?! Well it was the awning crashing down! So in these huge winds we are trying to put the awning down while the wind is getting under it and forming a sort of parachute above our heads!! Crazy! Even better news it bent the leg of the awning so we couldn't pack it up properly and just had to do what we could until the morning. Not much more sleep was had after this as wind was so strong, Joel also got up and put tent poles on a diagonal at our beds to brace the roof as it was just swaying around in the breeze! Good times! We hate wind!!! The water pump in the van also burst and leaked water everywhere the night before so we weren't having much luck!

Anyway we packed up and got the hell out of there this morning for brighter pastures! Made it to the apostles, there is lots of parking here for big rigs which is good, and a little kiosk and toilets if you need them. Then a short walk to a boardwalk that overlooks the apostles. Well I couldn't be further from the truth by saying that seeing pictures would do this place justice....it did not! No matter how many pictures you have seen of these things, you will never be able to imagine how amazing it is in real life. The sheer size, shape, coastline....just amazing! This has to be on everyone's bucket list! I was really in awe...from here there are so many little stops you can see more and more of this great coastline.

We then stopped at Loch Ard Gorge which has one of the greatest looking rocks (I think), called Razorback.

Also at Loch Ard Gorge is the thunder cave which is a cool little cave chiseled out by the waves.

Further along the road is the arch, also great, just amazing that this is all naturally occurring!

Then to London Bridge which has collapsed into two pieces now. When this collapsed there was actually people standing on one of the rocks and they were marooned there until a helicopter could pick them up!

Bay of islands is pretty much the last lookout of this great area.

Great Ocean Road done and we are now in Warrnambool staying at a Big 4 park, living it up with jumping pillow, spa, heated pool, gym, table tennis, big TV and hot showers! All of which we have used this afternoon! Only here for the night and then well we are not sure.....

Carly & Joel

 

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Day 34

6 March 2013

Woke up to a fairly crappy sleep last night, the road that the park is on is quite noisy and a major road it seems, pretty much all night! Slept in shorts last night for first time as it is warm days here ATM and it was pure bliss!

Started morning off with a run, there are great bike track/walking tracks all through the park, they must span at least 20km and are right on the water. Back for a shower and to do some washing, hooked up some clothes lines with rope between trees to hang out washing.

Decided to head to Sorrento to check out where we will catch the barge from and just to have a sticky beak. Really pretty down there of course, right on the water, clear blue calm water, can't go wrong. We walked out to the pier where the ferry goes from and sat down to take in the serenity....hehe and we could see the ferry coming back so decided to wait and see how big it was in real life! Well the verdict is it is big and the driver must be good to reverse between some concrete pillars and tight spaces!

We then saw a sign for historic steam tram and lookout walk and followed the signs. Up some stairs and round a corner and there are some old tram lines and information boards with the story of the old steam tram. Walk further and up some more stairs and you get 180 degree views of Sorrento and surrounding bays. There is also a picnic area here if you are equipped with a picnic, we were not so headed back down to keep going and check out Portsea.

Bit more driving around through national park (lots of walks in here), then to shops to pick up a few bits and bots.

It was warm today so at 2ish we had enough and decided to go and sit in the water instead of in the hot sun. It was low tide so there is not much deep water, just knee deep waterholes everywhere, so we just sat down in one of the holes and enjoyed the cool water and great weather!

Back to the camper for our first try at lamb shanks in the weber. We bought a casserole dish to fit in the weber and i would say it was a big success, also found a meat shop that has cheap cheap meat with our lamb shanks only being $5! Cheap meal - done. Tomorrow we will do some more exploring and try and be a bit more active!

C u tomorrow

Carly & Joel

 

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Day 33

5 March 2013

Well this morning started off with drops of water falling on our heads! Every time one of us moved it made the drops of water that had built up from the early morning dew on the canvas to fall onto our faces! Haha good times! Note to self, Bedflys should be put up at all times.

This morning also started with indecision on where to go next. We either go above Melbourne and around to the Great Ocean Road or we cheat?! We did a lot of research and decided to cheat! And cut straight across from Sorrento on the ferry to Queenscliff and straight onto the GOR! Will cost us the same sort of money in fuel to go above Melbourne and this way we get a cool boat ride! So next destination is planned for somewhere near Sorrento so that we are ready to hop on barge in a couple of days.

Found a couple of campsites at Rosebud and Joel's brother had told us this is a good spot for flathead and since we are killing the flathead fishing at the moment, that was our new destination!

Heading out we went through Seaspray which is such a great little tiny town. This is really where the country meets the coast! Little beach shaks right on the water, one caravan park and one small shop, that in one trip to this shop, you can.....pick up your mail, get some bait and tackle, pick up your groceries, get lunch and buy a 6 pack of rum and cokes. Best shop ever! However all we wanted was breakfast and they had nothing....so off to the next shop. Another point on Seaspray, if you are looking to invest money in property, look here! In 15 years I reckon it will be a tourist Mecca! Two secs out from the beach it turns into big country properties, sheep, cows etc it is just quite weird really! There is also these trees on the way out of Seaspray that are like big oak trees on either side of the road that have grown together to form a tunnel over the road. Very unique!

We stopped in at Rosedale bakery on our travels and picked up breakfast, nice bakery and there are some life size wooden carvings of motorbikes which are pretty cool and one of Ned Kelly out the front. We then followed the GPS along the highways to get to Rosebud. The highways here are very similar to QLD, just felt like we were heading down to Brisbane. The biggest thing I have noticed in VIC is that they are big on the tired driving bandwagon. Every few kms is a sign saying Wake Up! Or The only cure for fatigue is sleep, or Powernap Now or my personal favourite...Open your eyes.... My only question is, if your eyes are closed would you see the sign?

Make it to Rosebud, pay for 2 nights for $25 a night and head to our camp site. Set up and look out at our view and surroundings and decide what's the rush....lets stay 7 nights!

So we are here for 7 nights and it is going to be a very relaxing, fishing, walks along the beach, swims in the bay type week! Can't wait! We had a bit of a stroll along the beach tonight and need I say more!...

Goodnight

Carly & Joel

Ps. I have set up a new mobile site for the blog so if you view it on your phone etc now it will be a bit easier to navigate and you will be able to comment on posts. If you use an iPad to view the blog use the mobile site as well as it will allow you to comment also. Any other annoying issues let me know. Haven't had much feedback on the Facebook issue.....??!

 

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Day 32

4 March 2013

Packed up Mallacoota camp this morning and hit the road again. We were considering staying more nights in Mallacoota to clean them out of flathead but decided we had enough for now. Hehe

Our journey took us through Cann River, Orbost and Lakes Entrance. This was a very nice seaside town and also very touristy, for a Monday there was people everywhere, places to stay here are quite expensive too so kept driving. Bairnsdale, Sale and down to Ninety Mile Beach. WikiCamps has led us to a few free camp spots on this beautiful beach so we headed down to Golden Beach. All along the esplanade here is campsites numbered from 1-20. Some are quite boggy and small, some not real level but we found 19 was pretty good for us and set up here just for the night.

Easy setup as we kept the ute hitched up so took us no time at all. Joel did a bit of chainsaw work on some dead trees and helped clear the bush up a bit. Nice of him! And we may have used that wood to start a fire which we cooked our steak and vegies in the camp oven on. Oh and our scones for dessert!

And that's us done for the day!

Carly & Joel

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Day 31

3 March 2013

Sunday morning woke up to a beautiful sunny hot day! Yay! So after breakfast we decided it was time to chase the flathead again!

Joel had played around with a few soft plastic and cut tails off ones and superglued them to the other just to see whether they would have any effect... They looked ridiculous of course but the proof is in the pudding I guess...

There are moorings here for your boats along the waters edge and they cost $4 a day to park your boat in them. We made a discovery that there was old mooring points right up the end towards the rock point and beach end. We asked the lady at reception if you have to pay for these and she said she didn't even know they were there and we should have just parked boat there and not asked! Haha so that's what we did. So it was a lot easier this morning to go fishing as we just carried our gear to the boat, jumped in and off we went.

We started well, flathead straight up! And this continued pretty much all morning! We ended up getting 8 keepers ranging from 35-40cm, 1 dropped at the boat, 1 undersize and 1 that Joel cut the gills and went to wash it over the side of the boat and it slipped from his hands and swam away!!! Oops!

Almost bagged out and we were getting hungry so back to camp for lunch!

Joel loves looking at everyone else's set up and saying how great, good, awesome of a set up they have. I told him the smorning he keeps reminding me of Kath & Kim when they see anything and say "that's nice, that's different, that's unusual!" Joel does this with pretty much every van setup he sees "that's a good setup, ooh that ones a good set up, ooh very nice!" Haha it makes me laugh and is a bit of a running joke at the moment!

Anyway totally off track....had some lunch and decided to see if we could get some more flatties this arvo! Unfortunately it was super windy which we felt hindered our fishing and we only came home with one! Overall though 18 fillets later, gives us (or Joel) a few free meals so can't complain!

Last night at Mallacoota tonight, tomorrow heading to somewhere near Lakes Entrance.

I am also thinking about setting up a Facebook page for the blog....seems that it is a little bit annoying to come to the website all the time to read the blogs and the email subscription doesn't seem all that reliable....what does everyone think about this? Should I do it? If you think it's a good idea please let us know cuz even though I am not a huge fan of Facebook it is where everyone goes for the daily news of everyone's life.....

Carly & Joel

 

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Day 19

19 February 2013

 

Well I think we jinxed ourselves bragging about how we had done it again and found the perfect spot! It was in a good location but turns out at night all the ferals come out and drink (on a Monday night) and cause a ruckus in the park! They kept us up all night and we were concerned that they might come and cause trouble as they were talking shit outside our van. We decided last night that we would pack up and go in the morning even though we were planning on staying 3 nights, there was lots of other parks around if need be.

Packed up early and went and gave the keys back to the owners, they were very good about the whole thing and said they had considered kicking these people out before and would definitely be doing it now, apparently they were hassling some backpackers that were staying there also. They gave us our money back on the nights we had already paid for too which they didn't have to do but appreciated.

We then decided to just drive down the coast and see what we ran into. I had read about a place on WikiCamps (which is what we have been using to source a lot of our accommodation) that was cheap and just bush camping but there was some good reviews on it so went and had a look at this. It is in Moruya which is only just below Bateman's Bay and this place was packed, grey nomads everywhere. Found a spare spot though with water views so pulled up and have decided we will at least stay here 3 nights, maybe longer.... The people are very friendly and forthcoming with advice and experience so we are more at home here. We also get to use all the equipment we have bought for bush camping, but as we have been glamping for a lot of this trip so far we haven't used it yet.

Set up the shower tent for first time, set up the Coleman hot water on demand for a hot shower and any other reason we would need hot water, solar panel is coming in handy for charging iPads, phones and running pretty much anything we want during the daylight hours. The panel actually creates more power than we can use most days so we bought an Anderson plug extension lead so we can pump power into the second battery in the car also. So not missing out on anything and can have a nice campfire as well!

Went for a bit of a fish, apparently people have been catching salmon off the rock wall here and flathead in the river. But we didn't have any luck didn't go at the right time in the tide, however Geoff a few camps down from us wants to show us all his secret spots and what gear he uses and pretty much anything, he is very helpful!

It's funny because I keep mentioning the Castle movie in this blog (and i do love this movie) but this place also reminds me of the castle because it is right next door to an airport BUT the serenity is just so good that it doesn't matter, no one cares that there are planes making noise.... Like Darryl said a man's home is his castle and this is our castle at the moment!

Carly & Joel

 

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Day 17

17 February 2013

Last night and this morning was freezing, apparently got to 9 degrees overnight here! Where is summer, I am not done with you yet!

Off to Jenolan Caves this morning, it is about 28kms from Oberon and a fairly easy drive. There is a steep section down into the caves entrances which runs for about 5km and is very narrow road, luckily for us there is two entrances to the caves and we seemed to be the only ones using this road!

It is quite an interesting looking place and you can actually stay here in the accommodation. They also have concerts and a restaurant if you are looking for something different. There are 12 different cave tours to choose from all ranging in price from $30-$40. They run at certain times of the day so check this before you go if you want to look at a certain cave. We didn't really mind which one, the next one leaving was booked out, so we decided on Temple of Baal which is described on the website as

"The Temple of Baal Cave is renowned for its beauty and spectacular features. Although this cave is often used as a wedding venue, it is not a ‘temple’. Rather, the unusual name was inspired by limestone formations which reminded early cave explorers of the Biblical story of ‘Elijah and the Prophets of Baal’.

Visitors enter the Temple of Baal Cave via the ‘Binoomea Cut’ a long manmade tunnel. Then, they travel down the ‘Dragon’s Throat’, via a dramatic winding staircase. There are 2 massive chambers, one 42 metres high and filled with beautiful formations. One of these formations, the 9 metre tall ‘Angel's Wing’ shawl, is one of the largest cave shawls in the world. The cave also offers beautiful examples of crystal helictites.

This cave tour includes evocative light and sound, taking you back in time, to the creation and discovery of the cave."

We headed to our entry point and waited for our guide. I was saying to Joel how cool of a job it would be to show people through caves like this everyday and how there are not many jobs women normally do that aren't sitting on their ass so would be cool job. He thought the guide would be a man, but it was actually a nice young girl so there is hope for me yet!

The tour starts in a tunnel that leads to the cave, they then turn lights on slowly to show you different features of the cave. Well this is probably where my explanation ends, I am not sure I can describe what we saw in the cave.... Amazing, crazy, unbelievable to think this is a natural occurrence, silence was had all through the cave when each section was shown to the group, I think this is because no one knew what to say, what do you say, it's nothing like you have ever seen before! I tried to take many pictures, most of which didn't turn out as I made the mistake of taking the little camera and not my big one into the cave. With the lighting it was really hard to get a good shot and almost impossible to get a shot with a person in it! It was either just a shadow of your face or your face was ghost white from the flash and nothing could be seen in the background!

These photos give you a tiny idea of what you will see but seriously get here and see it, it is a must see on everyones bucket list, maybe even on your 30 before 30 list stace?

Included in your tour price is a free self guided tour through another cave called Nettle's Cave and Devil's Coachhouse. They give you a audio unit that tells you different things about the cave as you walk through. Of course it wasn't as spectacular as the paid caves but just different as this cave is exposed to the open air all the time so the cave is dull would be the only way I could describe it.

 

There is also a 1.5km river walk you can do and bistro for lunch. Little tip for the budget conscious, take your lunch and snacks as there are areas everywhere to eat and this will save you some dollars. This is pretty much a whole day event if you want it to be, lots of things to do and look at.

Your cave tour ticket also allows you to get 50% off another tour for 12 months after your first visit so if you know someone that has just been you could get it half price. (anyone want to go let me know)

If you want to spend the money you can actually abseil some of the caves as well!

Overall pretty cool place.

Bateman's Bay tomorrow.

Carly & Joel

 

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