Princetown
We left Ballarat early for another big days drive as we aimed for the famous Great Ocean Road (GOR). Passing through sheep country & small country towns (notably Lismore) we arrived at Warrnambool around lunch time. The GOR starts not far from here & soon our collective breaths were taken away as the Bay of Islands came into view, the sandy coloured limestone cliffs contrasting with brilliant effect to the azure blue of the Southern Ocean. There was a temptation to immediately turn into the car park & take in the view but with just 30km to our destination, decided to push on with the promise to return the following day. As we drove those last few kilometres we had momentary views of London Bridge & the Twelve Apostles & it all of our self control to push on.
Our accommodation for the next two nights was to be at Princetown Recreation Reserve, just 6km from the 12 Apostles. It's basically a cricket oval affectionately known as 'The Swamp' (very apt when you look at the outfield) & a couple of tennis courts. Camping is available on the outskirts of the oval. There are some powered sites but they are exposed to the weather so we tucked ourselves away on an unpowered site behind the shelter of some coastal heath.
We unhitched the van & completed our unpacking, now with clockwork precision. As the afternoon sun gradually lowered, kangaroos sauntered in from the adjoining national park to graze on the outfield. I counted about 40 of them. Sunset is a prime viewing time for the 12 Apostles (alternatively referred to by Tomoko as the 12 Asteroids or Astronauts) & the adjacent car park was brimming with camper vans & tour buses. A mixture of nationalities roamed the walkways & crowded the viewing platforms. In the 80's they would have been predominately camera toting, trigger happy Japanese but on this day Chinese & Indians seem to dominate proceedings with some Europeans thrown in for good measure. The weather had clouded over & the water had lost it's lustre somewhat, but it was still an impressive sight. I tried to count the 12 but could only come up with 7 & a couple of crumbled ruins. I searched for the remaining ones in vain only to later discover there was originally just 9 of the limestone stacks.
That night around midnight Shaka woke up excited & demanding to go for a walk. It's becoming a worryingly frequent occurrence & suggests he is suffering some form of doggy dementia. I begrudgingly arose from my slumber & took him outside to appease him. Grazing amongst the campsites were multitudes of kangaroos & they noisily hopped away en masse as we approached. We returned from the walk but Shaka refused to settle, high fiving the door of the van. So off we went again...this time circumnavigating the whole reserve. This still did not satisfy him though & I flat out refused to take him again. Tomoko got up for her turn only for him to immediately trot past her, hop on her bed & fall blissfully asleep. He's a funny old thing.
The next morning, bleary eyed from Shaka's disruptions we retraced our steps to properly view the famous coastline. There are many lookouts dispersed along the stretch of road between Princetown & Allansford & I reckon we stopped at almost every one - each with a catchy title - London Bridge, The Arch, Loch Ard Gorge. There have been many adjectives used to describe these landmarks - spectacular, magical, iconic & they're not far off the mark.
We stopped at the quaint seaside town of Port Campbell. I saw some blokes in their dive gear & wandered over for squiz. They had a bag full of crays, abalone & a couple of fish. I was tempted to go out myself but it's bloody cold. The freezing cold emanating from the sea feels like it's got a life of it's own & my 2mm steamer not likely to provide any comfort in these conditions. We headed back to the van as dusk approached, the roadside signs directing us to drive on the left hand side, a reminder of how popular the place is to our overseas guests.
Apollo Bay
Our next stop on the GOR was Marengo Holiday Park, located a few kms from Apollo Bay. The GOR from Princetown to here sees very little ocean as it winds inland through the Otway National Park. I was tempted to stop at Johanna, half way between the two points but surrendered to Tomoko's request for some electricity. The caravan site was pretty tight to get into & a tree almost took out the top of the van. Only the frantic pleas of Tomoko to stop prevented any damage. After settling in we went into town for a lunch of fish 'n chips. Not unlike the surrounding vertical cliff faces, prices along the GOR are generally pretty steep & despite being very tasty, the $11 price for a piece of King George Whiting seemed a bit excessive.
The next day we woke to blue skies & warmish weather. A couple of surfers tackled Hayley Point, in front of the caravan park. The sets were triple overhead so I was happy to sit on the headline & watch while a nearby seal colony sunned themselves on the rocks. We took a day trip further along the GOR to Lorne. It's a 45km drive that hugs the coastline the entire way. It's pretty tight around some of the corners & difficult to keep both eyes on the road with potential surf breaks popping up all over the place. Coupled with this, we had to contend with the 3500 odd cyclists who were competing in the Great Ocean & Otway Classic Ride. There was little room to pass on the winding roads & it took much concentration & patience to get through unscathed & avoid maiming the lycra-clad riders. Once in Lorne, the town's cafes & coffee shops were bursting at the seams with the now familiar blue & gold jerseys. We browsed the town, had lunch, checked out the pier & got back just in time before a strong southerly change hit.
The weather was pretty average & we opted to stay here an extra night. The thought of towing the van along yesterdays route in wet & windy conditions did not appeal to me at all. Instead we had a lazy Sunday, even taking the opportunity to have an afternoon nap.
Anglesea
Refreshed & rejuvenated we hitched the van, towing it to the previously visited Lorne & a further 30km to Anglesea. The much improved weather, lack of cyclists & weekend traffic made it a cruisy trip. We arrived at the Anglesea Beachfront Family Caravan Park around midday & set up in the 'dog' area' with a 'dog policy' that has more rules & regulations than a Siberian gulag. Anglesea (or Angry sea according to you know who) is only 7km from iconic Bells Beach. As a surfer it's always been a goal to surf here & we checked it out in the afternoon. The Bells car park was inaccessible as the infrastructure from the Rip Curl Pro a few weeks earlier was still being dismantled. Instead we stopped next door at the almost equally famous Winkipop. It was onshore, bitterly cold & just the lone surfer tackling the 4ft slop.
With a couple more days here & our impending trip to Tassie looming, it's time I upgraded my rubber so our next stop was the surf factory outlets in nearby Torquay. Among others, we browsed the concept stores of Ripcurl & Quiksilver which both originated in Torquay. If I was after a bargain though, I had come to the wrong place with all wetties at RRP. Still, it gave me a chance to see what was on offer & as closing time loomed I had overnight to ponder what to do.
Researching wetsuits & Torquay on Google that evening I decided on a 4/3 and discovered that the factory outlets were located behind the flagship stores. I returned the next day armed with this knowledge. There weren't a lot of appropriate wetties on offer but I managed to spot a nice little maroon number that caught my eye. It took some effort to squeeze into (I really must lose some weight) but with the sales bloke assuring it will stretch after a few uses picked it up with 40% off the retail price.
Unfortunately, the straight onshore winds persisted throughout our stay here. I still may get the chance to surf Bells after Tassie so all hope is not lost. Until then...adios amigos.