Day 312 / 2014 - Melbourne to Geelong

Once Retreat had finished with repairs it was time to move on. We looked at some caravan parks on the North side of the CBD but there were only 3 close to town most were on the south side around the Mornington or Geelong areas. Some friends we had made travelling suggested we stay at Ocean Grove about 20k East of Geelong.

Geelong is a large centre about 90km South of Melbourne along the Princes Freeway. From Geelong you head down the Barwon Heads road to Ocean Grove. We setup at the Riverview Caravan Park which is on the Barwon Heads Ocean Grove Rd with the Barwon river on one side and the Ocean on the other. It's a large government run park and at the moment it is quiet but come 26th December it will be full of holiday makers for at least a month or two.

Geelong is close to the iconic Great Ocean Rd which is something we have wanted to do. Tony Z had recommended not taking the caravan and do it as a day trip. Perhaps go half way in one day and do the other half another time we are certainly glad we took his advice as there are many hill climbs and twist and turns not impossible to do but certainly a lot easier without the van. 

Starting at Torquay our first stop was Bells Beach which is well known as a world class surfing beach. From there we went onto Anglesea a popular seaside village for holiday makers where we did a brief stop to check out the foreshore development. Next we passed through Aireys Inlet stopping for a look at Split Point lighthouse this is where the Great Ocean Road starts to follow along the coast line edge and where the eastern end memorial arch is placed. From here the road starts to twist and turn as you make your way to the next town Lorne. We stopped here for coffee and cake at the Pier Resturaunt before taking a walk out on the pier taking in the vista of the town across the bay. 

leaving Lorne we headed along the road to the next town of Apollo Bay. We stopped here for a picnic lunch out at the small boat harbour sitting quietly on the grass overlooking the ocean. From Apollo Bay you head inland as you pass Cape Ottway. About halfway across the Cape we turned left off the Great Ocean road towards Cape Otway lighthouse about twelve kilometres back towards the coast. Cape Otway is where Bass Strait meets the Southern Ocean. Cape Otway lighthouse was the first of the Australian mainland seen by the colonialist as they made their way from England to Australia. You can take self guided walks through the grounds of the complex as well as climb up into the lighthouse itself. From the top there is a great view up and down the coastline as well as out to sea. A guide gives you a brief about the history of the lighthouse and the buildings that surround it.

Returning back to the Great Ocean Rd our next stop was the 12 Apostles. These are great limestone columns which stick up from the sea floor about 500 metres off the coast. There is a walkway that takes you out onto a coastal point where you can view these natural structures. The place is busy with many tourist and accessing the viewing areas is free. There is a large car park with plenty of room and a kiosk. If you are feeling flush with cash you can also take a 10 minute helicopter flight and have a birds eye view passing over the apostles and Coast line. The Great Ocean Rd goes on much further than here but we had run out of time so returned back to Ocean Grove via the Princes Highway. The Great Ocean Rd is well worth the time even if you just want to marvel at the ancient Coast line Or take in in the atmosphere of the sleepy seaside villages.

Barwon Heads is a small tourist town about 2 km from our park and for those old enough to remember the TV series Sea Change this where the it was filmed at least the outdoor scenes. There is Diver Dan's boat shed and Laura's house which is located in the caravan park. The iconic bridge which we see in the opening credits is also there which is easly identifiable as you approach from the Ocean Grove side.

Anne decided she wanted to visit the home grounds of Geelong cats. It was a large and impressive stadium part of a larger sporting complex. There is the Cat Shop where you can buy just about anything to do with Geelong footy team.

Queens cliff is a town not far from Ocean Grove. This is where you can catch the Queenscliff to Sorento ferry about a 40 minute ride. The ferry caries motor vehicles and walk on passengers across Port Phillip Bay from the  Geelong side to the he Mornington peninsula side saving the long drive via Melbourne which is roughly about 200km.

our last couple of days were spent getting ready to come home for Christmas in Bunbury. We cleaned out the van of all the things we hadn't used for the past twelve months and packed them into suitcases. We then moved the Caravan from Ocean Grove to Somerton where we put the caravan and car in storage in a rather large secure shed which in a previouse life was the Australian distribution centre for Dunlop tyres. Mick and Carley also stored their van in the same location and at the moment our vans and cars look at each other accross the aisle. From here we caught a taxi into Melbourne CBD spending a night in a hotel on Burke street Mall before flying out to Perth and Bunbury the next day.

Merry Christmas to everyone and we look forward to next years travel as we take on Tasmania for the first three months of the year then on up to Cairns for the winter.