Portland, Victoria

 Yesterday we bid our last fond farewell to South Australia as we crossed the border back into Victoria.  It is an easy drive from Mount Gambier to Portland and we check into the NRMA caravan park around 11ish.  Portland has a population of around 10,000 and it was Victoria's first European settlement.  There is a little bit of everything here from whale and seal watching to dramatic coastline with volcanic cliffs. There are historic buildings that blend in seamlessly with an industrial port. The 250km Great South West Walk hugs the coastline between Portland and Nelson and is one of Australia's most recognised nature walks.  

Late in the afternoon yesterday we walked into the town area along the foreshore and watched fisherman haul in their catch right beside the port where trucks, transporting wood chip, were being unloaded.  We were mesmerised by how the timber trucks are driven onto a ramp that is then lifted with giant rams, straight up into the sky - almost vertical.  This apparently is the way to easily unload the wood chip.  We presume the truck driver exits the truck for this manoeuvre!

The walk is just what we needed after being relatively idle the past couple of days.  We trudged up a very long staircase after walking along the beach for a short distance and came across a very quiet kangaroo.  The roos here are almost black and quite small.

This morning we woke to a chilly cloudy day so it was just the day to do one of the scenic drives around Portland to Cape Nelson Lighthouse.  It is not a long drive, probably not more than 20k, but we stopped so many times that I lost count.  The southern coastline of Australia, and in particular South Australia is incredibly beautiful and yet rugged.  We were on the lookout for the Blue Whales that start feeding around this area throughout the summer months.  Alas, none today. Our first stop was the Point Danger Garnet Colony but they are a long way away from us and you would need binoculars to see them properly and I do not have a zoom on my camera that is good enough to photography these lovely birds but I have uploaded a photograph from the web for you to see.

Right behind the Gannet lookout is a shooting range!  I would say it is not the ideal place when you have a colony of birds right in front!

As we continue along the scenic drive, for many kilometres, we see giant wind turbines and it is not long before we come to a massive power station.  There are many transmission lines running from the power station and we wonder how far the power travels.  It is also pleasing to see a dairy herd grazing quite happily under the whoosh of the wind turbines. 

Just before we reach Cape Nelson Lighthouse we stop and walk a short distance along the Great South West Walk where we are rewarded with a stunning view of the coastline below us and the wind turbines in the distance.

Cape Nelson Lighthouse is looking stunning with its fresh coat of white paint and we walk around the perimeter of the compound where there are many houses where lighthouse keepers lived in 1884 when the lighthouse was first engaged. Now, the houses are used for rental accomodation for those who wish to see the lighthouse at night, that would be pretty special.

It was a lovely morning sightseeing and we are preparing ourselves mentally for a 12km hike tomorrow, along part of the Great South West Walk, at Cape Bridgewater.  So, until then......