The story continues....

BRIGHT - BENDIGO - TORQUAY

 
View Larger Map

15/05/2007 - Day 15 - Bright

We slept well at the Motel and in the morning we went back to the RACV depot and found the van ready to go as promised.  The RACV guys went out of their way to fix things up and at no cost to us whatsoever.   Luckily I had AANT Plus which covered us for the tow and the Contractor paid for the repairs to the van and our accommodation at the Motel.   We thanked everyone and headed off to find some breakfast at the local Subway.   We then decided to stay another day at the Riverside CP.   When we were set up I checked the battery because the radio was not working.  I then discovered that the fusible link had blown again meaning there was still a problem with the 12 volt electrics.  I immediately returned to the Auto Electrician who agreed to come to the CP in the afternoon to check the system again.  When I went back to the CP I did a bit of checking myself and found that the Anderson Plug the electrician had replaced the day before was reversed wired.  I mentioned this when the electrician arrived and he confirmed that that was the problem and apologised for his error.  He also had to replace the 80amp fuse under the bonnet for the dual battery system as that had blown as well.  Finally after all the repairs we checked the system and it was OK again.  By this time it was late afternoon so we bought some rough red and had a happy hour with the next door neighbours until it got dark.  What a day!

16/05/2007 - Day 16 - Bendigo

After a comfortable night we headed off back towards Wangaratta along the Great Alpine Road.  We drove on to the Hume Freeway and then headed towards Glenrowan and Benalla where we cut cross country through Violet town, Murchison and on to Bendigo stopping at the Big 4 CP.  We had a quick look around Bendigo City but we both reckon its big and we preferred smaller country towns. Tomorrow we will continue on through Ballarat and head down towards Geelong and the coast. I spoke with a Dutch couple who were parked next to us and discovered that they had been on the road in Australia for the past 4 months looking at various towns and scenic locations in Victoria and South Australia.  This was their 3rd trip to Australia and they were really loving it. 

17/05/2007 - Day 17 - Torquay

We were out of the van park by 9.15am today and on the road to Torquay via Castlemaine, Ballarat and Geelong.  We had decided on the spur of the moment in Ballarat to continue on to Torquay and stay a few extra days there so that we could meet up with an old school friend who lives outside Geelong.  When we arrived at Torquay we decided to stay at the Foreshore CP which was the closest to the town centre. This CP would have to be the worst laid out park going.  It is like a rabbit warren that you can get lost in.  Lots of little tracks, sites all over the place and it took us a good half hour just to find a site that was suitable.  Even the Caretaker said you can get lost at night if you are not careful.  After set up we drove to the town centre and had a quick look around.  It was overcast and started raining so we headed back to the CP.

18/05/2007 - Day 18 - Torquay

It rained overnight and when we woke it was still overcast.  After breakfast we decided to take a drive along the Bellarine peninsula to Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove, Point Lonsdale, Queenscliff and Portarlington where we stopped for coffee.  At Point Lonsdale we saw 'The Rip' (the entrance to Port Phillip Bay) right across to Portsea on Mornington Peninsula. Point Lonsdale Lighthouse overlooks 'The Rip' and protects shipping passing through to Port Melbourne.  The Rip gets its name because of the rough seas that occur due to movements of the tide in and out of Port Phillip Bay through the narrow gap.  All along the coast from Point Lonsdale to Torquay there are lots of surf beaches that are famous for their waves.  We then drove through the country side back to Torquay and on to Bell's Beach the world famous surf beach.  There were some nice waves there and surfers trying them out.   We then had lunch and did some washing in the afternoon. The weather appears to be clearing at the moment but we expect more rain tomorrow.

19/05/2007 - Day 19 - Torquay

Today we took a drive to Lorne on the Great Ocean Road (GOR) to check out the scenery at Anglesea, Airey's Inlet, Lorne and the Erskine Falls.  The Erskine Falls were about 11 kms inland from Lorne in the Otway Ranges and took a bit of effort on our part to get to as there was a bit of walking down steep paths and stairs while it was raining above the tree tops.  We had just enough time to get to the bottom, take a couple of photos and then climb up the stairs and path in driving rain.  All part of the adventure I told Geraldine, who was doing some deep breathing exercises on the way up!!  After returning to Lorne we met up with John and Liz friends from Geelong and had afternoon tea at the tea house near the 'Split Point Lighthouse' at Airey's Inlet.  We then headed back towards Torquay and arranged to have dinner in a restaurant there in the evening.  A good night was had by all.  We said our farewells and headed back to the van late in the evening.  

 20/05/2007 - Day 20 - Torquay

This morning we took a drive back into Geelong to the waterfront area which is a popular place for walks and lattes on a Sunday morning.  We had a late breakfast at the wharf cafe  after a stimulating walk along the waterfront and then drove back to Torquay and spent the rest of the day relaxing in the CP.  Tomorrow we head off down the GOR towards Apollo Bay and Cape Otway.

Previous                                                                                                    Next

Contact me: