Tathra NSW, Bega NSW, Cheese factory, Bird Route #1, Far South Coast Bird Watchers

We've been holed up in Tathra for the last two days. Mostly because I've godda head cold and feel rotten, but partly because the weather is not brilliant.

Yesterday we went next door and bought yet-another-fishing-rod as I'd cleverly left them all at home and now that we are at the coast Judy is desperate to go fishing. We tried her hand at the mouth of the Bega River, where she immediately pulled in a small Rock Cod, then snagged two rocks in quick succession before giving up. Then we drove up along the beaches and soon emerged at Bermagui, where we tried her hand again from the wharf, but only a token effort!

I took cold&flus tabs and went to bed early and slept 12 hours.

Today I was feeling slightly more human so we ventured all the way up to Bega. It never ceases to amaze me that Judy can drive the car into a foreign town, and drive straight to the big shops without a blink of an eye. It further amazes me that when you emerge from the underground carpark, you inevitably come out right at the door to Millers. It must be some sort of a conspiracy I reckon.

After the shops, we went further up the road to the Bega Cheese factory, not that you see the factory, but they do have a reasonable factory type shop, a museum and an info centre. I was browsing the info place when I came across 3 little leaflets marked Bird Route #1, two and three. They looked interesting and on the way back we decided to follow Bird Route #1 just for fun. The instructions tell you to go so far and stop and see this and that and some other of the avian family. At our first stop we pulled up behind another car where the occupants were doing the same thing but with proper binoculars. We continued on and stopped at the next big tree as directed, where Judy immediately spotted a mother duck and a bunch of ducklings in the distance. Before we knew it, that previous car had pulled up behind us and the two ladies emerged gushing enthusiasm and waxing lyrical about the Australian Shell Duck family and how clever we were to find them as they don't see them en masse that often and that most of the chicks sadly don't survive. She requested copies of our snaps and it was then that we discovered that she was the author of the said Bird Route #1 pamphlet and a member of the Far South Coast Birdwatchers group. We were in luck, two nice ladies that actually knew what we were looking at! They made our day and our emailed snaps may well have made theirs.

Back at the wharf, as you always gravitate toward the wharf in Tathra, we watched the fishos and surfers and waves for a while then decided to have a coffee at the on-wharf cafe. And I'm glad we did because I had the best Portuguese Tart I've ever tasted. Whacko, we'll be back!

Twitchers at Large, just west of Tathra NSW

Australian Shell Duck and brood. Tathra NSW

Oh good, they all float. Tathra NSW

Tall white bird. Tathra NSW

Look mum, i can walk on water. Tathra NSW

Orchid. Tathra NSW 

Tathra Beach from the Wharf. Tathra NSW

Tathra NSW, Tathra Wharf

Made the tiresome journey around the coast, first through Orbost and then to Cann River where every van on the road in the south east of Australia stopped for coffee and a ’pitstop’, then after coffee and cake, we pushed ahead and right on through to Tathra where we had booked into the van park for the next week and a prettier sight I have not seen for some time. This is not really a fun journey, it’s just hard work, up and down, round and round, bump, bang, crash, road works, stop, go. It took nearly 5 hours for 300 km. 

We settled into the Big 4 and although in no way busy, there a few other vans here. Across the road, another van park which seems to be trading on the fact that Frankie J Holden is a part owner, is doing big renovations with new cabins and a new water play park getting ready for the coming summer season. This park is very nice but will probably have to upgrade to compete with the park across the road. Like most other parks on the south coast (and also through Gippsland) there is a high percentage of permanent vans and cabins, that take up a substantial part of the park. It looks as though these are slowly being replaced with cabins and it isn't unrealistic to think that van sites will begin to be taken as well. 

We took a drive around to Tathra wharf and it is as I remember from many visits over the years, still signs proclaiming that at last it has been ‘saved’ and the latest in a long line of businesses with its doors almost open, and fisher persons all hopeful of an evening meal jumping on their lines. Today the sea was running fairly well and I've got a few snaps of the waves rolling in. The one with the rocks and the ‘soup’ is where I have been diving a few times in days past. Someone told Judy about a whale was here just yesterday rubbing itself against the pylons to scrape of a few unwanted barnacles, so now we are on whale watch alert again! She really wants to see a Southern Right Whale.

As ever, hopefuls dangle a line, and the swell rolls on by. Tathra, NSW

Stock load was once the reason that Tathra wharf existed , Tathra, NSW

Beach. Tathra, NSW

I used to go SCUBA diving right here, just clamber down, fully kitted out and jump off that rock in the middle foreground. Tathra, NSW

Queenscliff Vic Bairnsdale, Vehicle ferry, fog

Awake before the alarm. 6:15am. Stumbled out to the bathroom. Had to stand still and take a second look. All I could see was fog. It's OK, I found the ensuite, it was only 2 metres away.

We were booked on the ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento at 8am, which for us means being there at 730. Luckily it was only 5 minutes away from the van park. Take a look at our trip to the ferry:

OK, yes this is Queenscliff. Where is that boat?

Down here maybe?

Oh, ok there it is, down there

Well, at least we found the right place. That is the ferry and he's at least 50 metres off course. Better do a hard right, then left...

Oh yeah, it's in here isn't it.

Out they come, lucky to be back on safe (couldn't say dry, could i?) ground

This is the view out toward the busiest shipping lane in Australia, through which we have to pass to get to Sorrento

We traversed the pond in the murky gloom, blasting our horn all the way. We saw nothing at all. After about 40 minutes the two deckies took up a position each at the front of the boat, walkie talkies in hand. Inching our way carefully forward until the shape of the wharf came into view. Safely docked, we were the first off and we hit the road to ward the east and traveled for two hours through the back blocks of the Gippsland area stopping at Sale for lunch and a rest. Soon after leaving Sale we  emerged  onto the M1, Princes Highway to you, and headed to our destination, Bairnsdale.

While unhitching the van, we noticed that one of the gas bottles was flopping about instead of being securely fastened to the chassis. Must fix that. Repairs effected, we went up to town to get some fuel and to stick our heads into St Mary's Catholic Church, which the lady at the park reckoned was pretty special. We've seen lots of churches around the place and this one looks very typical of the early 20th century churches, being built from red brick, but this one is quite extraordinary inside, being completely covered in murals depicting all the saints and perceptions of heaven and hell, a la Sistine Chapel. It was painted by a 'world famous' Italian artist   Francesco Floreani between 1931 and 1938. Floreani came to Australia from Udine, which is located in north eastern Italy. He had studied painting at Udine College and then later at the Academy of Arts in Turin. Ok enough history.

We took a little excursion down the Mitchell River to Paynesville (gotta love that name) and had a look at some of the boats tied up all around the place, but not before Judy almost trod on a nesting Swan!

Broody sawn. Paynesville, Vic

Boats. Paynesville Vic

Queenscliff Vic, Point Lonsdale, Barwon Heads

Ah, what a difference a little spot of sunshine and an indoor heated swimming pool can make!

The van park has the said pool, and a spa as well, so we've made good use of both of those. Today we toured down to Point Lonsdale which is the southernmost headland of Port Philip Bay and where the 'Rip' is that threatens every bit of shipping that passes through, then out to Barwon Heads, which apart from being the setting for the TV Series Seachange a hundred years ago, is a very pretty spot indeed. We took some coffee and read the papers at the Cafe On The Heads, wandered about and relaxed.

We came back to Queenscliff, intentions of having a look around Fort Queenscliff, only to find that the sign outside which stated amongst other things that there was a tour at one o'clock, really meant that the only time one could visit was at that time and with the tour guide. It seems that the place is still used by Defence for some reason or other and entry is restricted.

Oh, well, back to the shops and replenish the cupboards and have some lunch. We then went back to the lookout at Queenscliff to watch the boats come and go, see the Pilots being ferried in and out and generally laze about next to the ocean for an hour or so.

Lighthouse. Point Lonsdale Vic

Setting for Seachange the TV show. Barwon Heads Vic

Cafe on The Heads. Barwon Heads Vic

Judy.  Barwon Heads Vic

Fort Queenscliff. Queenscliff Vic

Turn right. next stop Tasmania!  Queenscliff Vic

Ships passing in the Rip.  Queenscliff Vic

Queenscliff Vic. marina, trains, 360 degree view

Happy Birthday Paul!!!

Not a moments regret in packing our kit up this morning in between rainstorms and heading to higher, perhaps drier, ground. No such luck, the rain and drizzle followed us all in the way into Geelong, through to 70km of 80kph roadwork and into the van park at Queenscliff. Then it stopped, and the sun came out. Ahhhh. That's so much better!

We unhitched and went straight into town, firstly to check out the ferry connection for Wednesday, and to find a feed. Suitably sated, we walked around the marina, where for no apparent reason, they have a 40m high 360 degrees viewing tower. Naturally, I just had to go up and take a look and some snaps. We also lucked into seeing the local vintage train being shunted up to its shed for the night. Then we decided to do a quick spin through two other little towns, St Leonards and Point Arlington, which are nice little seaside villages. Actually they are probably suburbs of Geelong now, but they would have been nice cosy little seaside resorts in the good old days.

Queenscliff Vic

Queenscliff Vic

Queenscliff Vic 

Queenscliff Vic 

Queenscliff Vic

Queenscliff Vic

Queenscliff Vic

Bird's eye view of you-know-who. Queenscliff Vic

Queenscliff Vic

Queenscliff Vic

Queenscliff Vic

Queenscliff Vic

Gellibrand VIC , Ottway Fly, 12 Apostles

Today didn't start out looking too good. Grey, raining, cold, windy. We had come to see the Ottway Fly, a suspended boardwalk out over the treetops. We went straight there but it was miserable looking with a lazy drizzle making a walk out in the open less than inviting. We decided to go down the coast and see the 12 Apostles first, then by the time we got back it would be clear. Right? Wrong. The weather down at the big 12 was pretty rubbish: really raining now, a freezing, hard sleety rain that was coming in sideways. We rugged up and walked down to all the lookouts anyway, but it was really cold and now we were wet from the bottom-of-the-coat downwards.

We headed back up to the Fly, not really expecting much except lunch at the Black Snail cafe, which would be the only thing open for a meal for miles around. We sat quietly and ate our lunch, keeping a beady eye on the rain out through the picture windows. It got heavier and heavier. We wasted time, looked around the shop, stood in front of the ‘fire’, watched the slide show a few times. Sadly, it was not to be, the rain was unrelenting and the cloud cover was making visibility about 10 metres at most. We decided to give it a miss; we can always pick it up next year…

Back up on top of the mountain, we drove past our van at Gellibrand and ended up in Colac, mainly to get a tankful of diesel as we had used our emergency 20 litres down on the coast as town after town displayed a ‘No diesel’ sign. Finally, back at the van, it’s still pouring, so we have hunkered down inside with the heater on and amused ourselves with a glass of wine.

Twelve Apostles. Great Ocean Road. Victoria

Twelve Apostles. Great Ocean Road. Victoria

Twelve Apostles. Great Ocean Road. Victoria

Twelve Apostles. Great Ocean Road. Victoria

Eskimo Judy and The abominable Snowman. Twelve Apostles. Great Ocean Road. Victoria

Gellibrand VIC, railway

Sometime after leaving Naracoorte, travelling through the most lush looking rolling hillsides, we passed into Victoria. Yeah, that’s six states and territories, not the complete set but a good effort nonetheless. We have been travelling on the backroads through the smallest towns and it’s been delightful, well except for the lumpy roads, which became a bit tiresome before we reached our destination. We stopped for coffee at Hamilton, where our clocks was saying 11 but it was really 1130. We drove on from Hamilton through more lovely looking countryside, the vines of the Coonawarra area having given way to the cattle and sheep, which look a picture against the verdant green grass.

We stopped momentarily at Colac to buy some stock at Woolies and then turned south up into the Ottway mountains before getting to Gellibrand. Now this is a tiny town. We chose t because the pictures of the van park looked decidedly better than this os the ones at Colac, and because its 27km further on toward the Ottway Fly, which is where we will go tomorrow.

When we rang up to book the park last night, they lady initially said they had no ensuites or powered sites because the ground was too wet, but then she relented and said we could park on one of the two concrete slabbed sites. We thought this would be OK, until we got here. The toilets they thought we should use must be at least 150 metres away. We ummed and arhed and expressed concern about the loos. We asked again about the ensuites. She conferred with hubby, still down at the 150 metre distant loos ready to throw the power on, and he said that the ensuites would be ok after all! We all trooped up to inspect the sites and they suggested to just park alongside the ensuites block as no one else would be in tonight, so we did just that. We are certainly the only van travellers in. They may have 2 people in cabins, one of whom they know, and there may be one or two permanents in permanent vans out the back. 

We walked uptown, inspected the shop, decided not to go the extra 300metres to the closed pub, crossed back over the road and inspected the old railway station and returned to the park. Hmm. That’s 10 minutes spoken for. We decided to go crazy and walk around the park itself. To our surprise we found another toilet block right next to the original slabs they had suggested, now that is odd, maybe these ones are kept for best! Then it started to rain so we returned to the van, to watch the TV that reputedly only work from time to time, but t’s pulling in the F1 so all is good, and to not use the internet which doesn't work at all where we are but might do if you walked round a bit. They reckon they spent $750 on a ‘booster’ for the house, but that doesn't work either. Actually, the nice lady had graciously given us her password for their wifi, so, i’m siting on their veranda freezing my chops of just so I can post this blog for YOU!!!

Ex-reailway station. Gellibrand VIC

Shop.  Gellibrand VIC

Rick Shaw.  Gellibrand VIC

Our rig, sinking slowly into the sodden ground.  Gellibrand VIC

Port Elliot SA Horseshoe Bay

We took ourselves on a bit of a tour out of Victor Harbor down to Goolwa. Goolwa is on the edge of Lake Alexandrina, which is where the Murray River ends, except for big floods when the lake empties into the ocean. There is a bridge over to Hindmarsh Island, which is where Charles Sturt swum to in 1830, climbed a sand dune and declared that he could at last see the mouth of the Murray River. It is also where Captain Barker swum to in 1831 under orders to retrace Sturt's steps and add more details to his survey. He too climbed the hill and waved at his regiment on the far shore at Goolwa. he then disappeared from view, never to be seen again.

We stopped at Horseshoe Bay, established in 1851 to be the safe port for goods brought down the Murray to Goolwa. They even built a railway line in 1854, the first public railway in Australia. Port Elliot is the town right behind Horseshoe Bay. The bay was only active until 1864 when the penny dropped that it wasn't actually all that safe at all after the seventh shipwreck in the bay. They then extended the line to Victor Harbor and that's how that town came about.

Anyhow, a few snaps from Horseshoe Bay: Unfortunately no whales even though we keep getting told "there were hundreds here this time last year"

Horseshoe Bay, Port Elliot SA

Horseshoe Bay, Port Elliot SA

Horseshoe Bay, Port Elliot SA

Horseshoe Bay, Port Elliot SA