Hohoho, Merry Christmas - or should I say Happy Easter; I’m not very timely with these writings.
During 2016 Cindy and I took a trip down the Great Ocean road to go camping in the Otways. We stayed relatively close to the beach and the lighthouse and loved it, however we were pushed for time - it was a lot further driving than we had planned. So we decided to go back, and this time see the waterfalls that are abundant in this national park.
Our trip was only for a few days, over Christmas we’d had a scorcher of a weekend - hitting 40°. Catching some sun rays and seeing some manta rays whilst fishing on the Frankston Pier. However, we only caught puffer fish, which we threw back.
The weather forecast for the week was set to be rain, sun, wind, rain, thunderstorms, rain, sun… so we packed a little of everything. Raincoat, swim shorts, hoodie, t-shirts, thick socks, thin socks and my storm proof, fiberglass ribbed, wind tested Blunt Metro umbrella. This is going to be a beast of a weather weekend.
It’s a 100km drive (~60mi) to Torquay, the start of the Great Ocean Road and the hometown of Quiksilver brand and the famous Bells Beach. From Torquay, and a little shopping, we head along the coast to Lorne and then up into the forest, to a town called Forrest, through the rain.
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We set up camp in the rain, make dinner in the rain, go to bed in the rain and wake up in the rain.
We’re tired, and wet. We’ve been attacked by leeches, mosquitoes, spiders and a million bugs. Our first night in the forest was tiring.
Maybe we should just go home. Joking/Not Joking.
Sitting in the car before heading out on a day trip to see waterfalls, we’re relieved to feel dry and take the opportunity for a quick nap prior to walking around the national park.
The views at the waterfall are stunning, and a little patch of sun shines through to make our day feel warm.
We also have enough dry weather to have a lunch that doesn’t end up as soup. Tuna salad wraps with chipotle aioli; try saying that three times fast.
Chipotle Aioli. Chipotle Aioli. Chipotle Aioli.
Walking through a foreign forest in shorts and a t-shirt might not have been wise. I seem to have contracted an allergic rash to all the leaves I’ve been brushing up against. My arms are red raw and itching. Anyway, another night of bugs, and itching, and rain, and camping, and noisy tent neighbours.
And waking to sunshine and warmth and home-time!
Our casual meander through the park puts us in close encounters with Blinky Bill. The foreigner in me can’t contain his excitement.
G’day mate.
And the sun holds out until lunch-time for a quick dip on our way back to Melbourne.
Back at home, back to work the next day. I’ll be cleaning Cindy’s car next weekend.
The Otways are great. Plenty of waterfalls, camping spots, beaches and hikes. Being inland in the rain meant a lot of creepy crawlies and quite a few leeches, but the scenery is beautiful. We stayed at Lake Elizabeth and were promised Platypus sightings, but the weather kept us away from the lake at dusk and dawn. When the sun shines, it’s a perfect place to be.
As always, Lorne is a nightmare over any public holiday with standstill traffic backing up for kilometers, especially with the falls festival going on over the New Year.
Flickr gallery of my trip https://www.flickr.com/photos/omgaz/albums/72157682059470626