Eden, New South Wales

And here we are in New South Wales!  It really does feel like the home run now that we are heading north.  Still a long way to go though :-)

We have just spent three nights in Eden and it is a lovely town on the southern coast of New South Wales.  The walks around the town have been on our agenda, many of them boardwalks.  Across the road from our caravan park is a path that takes you to Lake Curalo and if you continue walking around the lake you end up at Aslings Beach.  It is a gorgeous beach and we did dip our toes in the water but it was still very cold.  Well, too cold for us at any rate, but there were many who were enjoying the ocean.

Yesterday we self drove the "Killer Whale Trail".  The first stop is the Eden Killer Whale Museum that is chock full of interesting reading surrounding the whale industry at the turn of the century.  It is also home to one of the only Orca (killer whale) skeletons in the world.  His name was Old Tom.  Old Tom was quite the legend as he "herded" the humpback whales into Twofold Bay where the whalers in their small boats would harpoon the whale and take it back to shore to obtain the blubber that was rendered down to obtain oil.  A very sad part of our history indeed.  

The next place to visit was the Rotary Lookout that had magnificent views over Eden and out to sea where it is the perfect place to whale watch when the giants are migrating to and from Antartica.

Davidsons Whaling Station was next place on the list and it sits on Kiah Inlet at Twofold bay.  The Davidson family home is still standing and for more than three generations were Australia's longest operating shore-based whaling station.  The "try works" where the whales were slaughtered made me feel very sad.

From Davidson Whaling Station it is a short drive to Ben Boyd Tower.  Standing impressively on the headland, this imposing sandstone tower was built in the 1840's.  Originally designed to be a lighthouse,  it was never approved for such use, but did become a key lookout point for whalers to spot passing whales.

Today we drove north of Eden to The Pinnacles.  This is quite a remarkable place where millions of years of weathering and erosion have left behind the coloured spires of red clay and white sand.  The photo from drone footage taken from a website (thank you) shows clearly the great hollow that has been carved out.

So that has been our time in Eden.  The van park is practically deserted and we have no neighbours anywhere near us.  I think our next stop tomorrow, Batemans Bay, will be a little different.

Lakes Entrance, Victoria

Lakes Entrance has been a lovely surprise for us even though the weather has not been kind to us.  Having said that, although it has been drizzling rain it has not been cold.  Hallelujah!  We are staying at the Lakes Entrance Recreation Reserve and it is packed with caravaners and campers and is by far the busiest caravan park we have stayed at on our journey.  Our site however, is right on the lake and opposite the amenities block so it is perfect.  

 The drive from Phillip Island to Lakes Entrance through Gippsland, is exactly as we pictured this part of Victoria to look like.  The countryside is lush and green and we pass many farms, including dairy.  There are rolling hills in between the townships we pass through and our drive is very enjoyable.  We didn't check into the van park until after 2 pm and by the time we had set up the van and had a bite of lunch it was time to sit outside and enjoy watching the water-skiers and jet skiers zoom up and down the lake.  It was just raining enough for us to stay close to the van and not venture out for a walk.

It rained off and on all Sunday night and Monday we woke to a very overcast day.  I had found a boat cruise in one of the brochures that was a 2.5 hour cruise through Reeves Channel, Bancroft Bay, around the shores of Metung, across Lake King, into the housing canals at Paynesville, around Raymond Island and into Lake Victoria.  This was the perfect thing to do on a bleak day.

We boarded our boat, Thunderbird, at 1.30 and were on our way by 2.  We found a protected seating area upstairs on the outside deck so that is where we positioned ourselves for the cruise.  As we left the sheltered harbour we saw, over to our left, the man-made entrance to the lakes.  It is very narrow and is constantly being dredged to allow ships to pass through.  Lakes Entrance has the largest fishing fleet in the whole of Australia so it is very important to keep that entrance clear.

I had no idea that the lakes area was so big.  It covers 400sq km and is known as the Gippsland Lakes.  As we passed by Petung we commented that it is a picturesque town and if we had more time we would have explored it.  Next time.  My favourite part of the cruise was through the man-made canals where many million dollar homes are located.  Every home has its own jetty and of course a boat or two moored at said jetty.  Some are bigger than others.  This little blue and white vintage boat caught my eye..... 

We passed by the township of Paynesville and watched the vehicular ferry being loaded to take vehicles the very short distance across to Raymond Island.  Raymond Island has a very large population of koalas and is another place that we would explore if we returned.  After we circumnavigated Raymond Island the boat was now heading back to Lakes Entrance.  It was around here that the rain started to tumble down so we made our way inside to the lounge area to make ourselves comfortable for the return journey.

 We were back in port by 4.30 and with the rain still tumbling down there was not much to do except return to the van for a cup of tea and nibbles before early showers and bed!

The rain eased through the night and this morning we woke to a cloudy day, but no rain.  We had been itching to do the "heritage walk" around Lakes Entrance so that is what we did today.  It was lovely and there were many people with the same idea as us.  It is a 6km circular walk that also included a walk across the footbridge to the surf beach.  We were gone for almost two hours with many stops along the way.  

Tomorrow we once more pack up the van and move further north to Eden on the Sapphire Coast in New South Wales where we will enjoy another three night stay.  I need to research things to do........

Phillip Island Walks, Victoria

My first knowledge of Phillip Island was watching Wayne Gardner race his 500cc motorbike at the inaugural Motorcycle Grand Prix in 1989 and winning that race.  That race captured the hearts of Australians and secured the Philip Island Grand Prix as a world class race track.  It is a beautiful race track with the blue ocean of Bass Strait as its backdrop and during our stay here on the island we have driven past it numerous times.  The size of Phillip Island is 40,000 acres and has a permanent population of 14,000.  The population soars to 70,000 during peak holiday periods (now!).

Yesterday we tackled the 8.5 km Cliff Top Walk at Cape Woolomai.  We hadn't hiked since Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain so we were really looking forward to it.  Although there is elevation of around 130 metres it is a gradual incline and only 80 odd steps.  Just my type of walk.  But it's the views that make this walk spectacular. A far percentage of the walk is along the beach before ascending the cliff top and again after the descent.  The only part of the walk that I found difficult was waking over the sand dune to reach the car park at the very end.  My legs were very tired by that stage.

Most people only walk as far as the Pinnacles and then turn around and they are certainly a sight to behold with the heavily eroded rock face.  Philip commented that they look like a miniature Tasman Island.

We continued the circular trail all the while taking in the breathtaking views in all directions.  At the halfway mark we reach the highest point of Cape Woolomai and you can see almost all of Phillip Island from this vantage point.  

The second half of the hike takes us away from the coastline and for most of this section we are walking on soft grass.  There is not a lot of shade on this walk so when we do come to a shady part of the walk I am pleased as the day has really warmed up. 

The tide plays a big part in this walk as the final section is along the beach that cannot be accessed at high tide.   Low tide is around 1.30pm so we had to do this hike in the middle of the day that is not always the best time to be walking.  However, we carry three bottles of water so we never de-hydrate.  The beach is a welcome sight as it is slightly cooler at the waters edge and the sand is hard and flat that makes walking so much easier.  As I mentioned previously the hardest part was the very end when we had to cross a sand dune to reach the carpark!

Today was a much easier day for us.  We drove to "The Nobbies" that is just a little further along the road past the Penguin Parade.  It is the southern most end of Phillip Island and has a prolific bird population of gulls, terns and cape barren geese.  The circular boardwalk is around 800m in length and all along the boardwalk are fairy penguin burrows.  How on earth they reach these burrows is beyond my imagination but we were told by our guide that some walk several kilometres to reach their burrow.  We see pads along the cliff edge where the little penguins have made their way.

Once we return to the car we drive to the largest township on Phillip Island, Cowes.  It is very busy here but then again the whole island is full of tourists and the bridge leading to the island is just a continuous stream of traffic.

 We will definitely return to Phillip Island but not in the school holidays. February/March would be a good time to visit. Tomorrow we start heading north to Lakes Entrance that is still just inside the Victorian border.  We are going to be there for three nights so I am already researching things to do in the area. 

Phillip Island Penguin Parade, Victoria

There is a saying, better to be born lucky than rich.  My mum is one of the luckiest people I know and I "think" she may have passed on her luck to me.  

We are now at Phillip Island and the sole reason we have come to Phillip Island is to see the Fairy Penguins.  I think I have wanted to see these little creatures all my life so you can imagine how disappointed I was to find out that you have to purchase tickets to see them. I mistakingly thought that the viewing would be a free access public area.  Wrong.  So after we had set up the van we walked to the Information Centre to purchase tickets only to be told that all tickets are sold out until the 11th January.  I admit to shedding a tear.  I was so disappointed.  However the lovely young girl at the information centre quietly said to us to go online around 4.30-5.00 pm and we might just snag a ticket from a cancellation.  So I did.  I kept refreshing the website for what seemed like ages and all of a sudden, there it was, two tickets that had just come available for the "Guided Ranger Tour".  I could not believe my luck (thank you mum!)

Our tour was to start at 8.15pm but my excitement had us there around 6.30.  There is a cafe inside the brand new complex (built in 2019) that served pretty decent meals and a small selection of beverages so that is where we wined and dined until our tour commenced.  

We all gathered outside the complex and then taken to a room where we were issued binoculars, and a headset to listen to our guide.  It was here that we were also given a website to explore so that we could download photos of the fairy penguins.  No photographs are allowed after sunset so this was a wonderful gesture to ensure that everyone could take away the memories.  Once we were all "kitted out" we were taken to our own private viewing area to wait for the penguins to emerge from the ocean.  At this time of the year there are many babies on the ground and as we walked along the boardwalk towards our seating, we spotted lots of them.  We were still able to take a few photos as the sun was still out.

Once we reached the viewing area we were ushered to a tiered seating area to await the arrival of the fairy penguins.  Some were already out of the water and we watched in fascination as they started to organise themselves into a long line.  They will not start making their way from the oceans edge to the burrows until the sun has completely set but once that sun goes down off they march.  The word "Penguin Parade" describes the scene to a "T".  

It is amazing to watch them.  Many of them walk great distances to their burrows and waiting babies.  It is a slow march for them and their tiny little legs.  They stop many times to preen themselves and where they can't reach, another penguin will come in behind them and preen the spot.  Once they start their march up the sand dunes we start walking back along the boardwalk to follow them.  You are literally just an arms length away from them but of course behind barriers.  Philip swears that one little penguin stopped and looked him in the eye.  I believe it.

We were at the Penguin Parade for almost two hours and it is the best two hours I have ever spent in all my entire life.  I would gladly return time after time if I lived closer and already we are planning our next trip to Phillip Island!

Geelong, Victoria

 Our time in Geelong is drawing to an end.  We have had six nights here and have enjoyed catching up with our friends on numerous occasions.  The trip to Geelong on the Spirit of Tasmania was a night sailing this time.  The loading at Devonport is not as slick as Geelong but nonetheless it went all very smoothly.  Once on board the Spirit and after we had settled into our stateroom we went upstairs to brave the wind in the outside area to say goodbye to Devonport and Tasmania. It was an incredible six weeks in Tasmania and we saw and did things that we never thought we would do.  We are pretty tired, most particularly Philip who does all the driving, so the remainder of our journey home will be quite low key. Because of this, I haven't really had too much to write about on the blog.

First of all, Happy New Year to each and every one of you.  May 2024 be a good year for you both health and wealth wise.  We spent New Year's eve with our friends who took us to Austin Winery for a wine tasting followed by lunch.  The wines here are pretty darn good so we did come away with a few bottles and have joined their wine club to purchase more when we get home to Palm Cove. We sampled around a dozen wines and were given a sheet of paper to score each and every wine.  I particularly enjoyed the Prosecco and Pinot Gris.

The wine tasting took around an hour and it wasn't until around 1.30 pm that we sat down for lunch.  We decided on the set course menu that had a little bit of everything, but only small portions that suit us very well.  The chef's specialty is the Lobster Rolls that I have to say were the best I have ever eaten.  I could gladly have eaten another one of them! Pinchys Restaurant is inside a renovated shearing shed.  If we had any complaints at all it would have been that it was quite noisy with its high ceilings and bare floorboards.  It might have been a wiser choice for us to sit outside where many people were enjoying the sunshine.

It was well after 4 when Dave and Lyn dropped us home.  Consequently we never saw in the New Year but we did hear the fireworks at 9.30pm and again at midnight.

The remainder of our time here in Geelong has been spent taking long walks along the Barwon River and also the Geelong waterfront.  The waterfront is a very attractive area and so many people enjoy it. Our friends told us to avoid the waterfront over the New Year holiday, as it is jam packed with people, so we left it until yesterday to walk along the waters edge.

After our walk we went and had coffee with our friends at their apartment on the waterfront.  It is a beautiful apartment with sweeping views from three sides of their unit and just a stone's throw from the main shopping centre in Geelong.  Lyn and Dave are getting ready to sail away on another cruise in just a few days time so we said our final goodbyes to them yesterday, promising to keep in touch.

So, tomorrow we once again pack up the van and this time we are heading to Phillip Island where we are hoping to see the fairy penguins.  It is never guaranteed but you have a better chance here than anywhere to spot the little critters.  Hopefully I will have enough photos to write another blog while we are there.

Judi x