Blogs from Apollo Bay, Victoria, Australia, Oceania

Second day of the Gt Ocean Road, ate a hearty breakfast and set off to Bells Beach where they hold the Ripcurl Pro surf championships apparently!! Must be true there were some pretty amazing waves there, you could see them forming quite a way out to sea. It was quite warm and the sun was shining. I watched some surfing some of them were really good going over the top of the waves and then back in front, very clever and what's more they all looked very fit, well have to have some excuse for ogling them I suppose. Next stop was Anglesea did not look much like the Anglesey in Wales but the weather was about right. By the time I got to Aireys Inlet it had just started to rain. I walked up to ... read more

Saturday was windy and cold, consequently we spent most of the day in the camp kitchen, drinking cups of tea and hoping that the huge intake of fluids would make us heavy enough to not be blown to NZ with the gusts. Eoin tried fishing in the morning, but by the time he set the casting ring, the sinker was behind him. Sunday dawned much nicer, clear blue skies, sunshine and a lightbreeze. After some morning housekeeping, we walked over to the harbour to try our luck. We had been fishing for about 15mins, when Gail caught her first ever fish. Unfortunately, it wasn't of a size suitable for the skillet, but she played it like a professional and bought it up to the wharf. Pleased as punch.Of course, photos were taken, and if you haven't ... read more

Monday night saw us digging out some warmer/waterproff clothing, what a difference a day makes! The heat and humidity of the previous week was just an uncomfortable memory. It rained Monday night and still Tuesday morning, when we got up to leave. We packed up what we could inside the tent and annexe and when BOM forecast a break, we quickly packed up our wet belongings. We headed off and rode to Anglesea, then through Aireys Inlet before stopping at Lorne for a well deserved cup of double shot coffee. This particular stretch is the start of the Great Ocean Road, remains one of the most spectacular tourist drives in the world. Hand built by returned WW1 soldier in honour of their fallen comrades and officially opened in 1932, it is also the world's biggest war ... read more

Due to the constant drizzle all day, we found ourselves tent bound, with only a walk to the shops for some essentials. (beer & chippies) This morning, rain, hail or shine, we were determined to go for a ride, so we took off early before the low clouds changed our minds. We headed inland and up to a little village called Forrest, on to Barwon Downs (a quick comfort stop). It was chilly up in the highlands, but for the most part sunny. We travelled on some beautiful back roads with only local traffic to keep us company. Bells Beach was our destination, and it had decided not to show any of its qualities and looked just like any other beach.....After a few photos, we continued along the same route that we had taken a few ... read more

Apollo Bay We left Portland and took the B100 the Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay. It was warm and sunny with beautiful blue skies and the land either side of the road was yellow either with hay to be harvested or grasses or we found grazing cattle. It looked like Dorset on hot dry summer day. We stopped at Port Fairy for a coffee and read in the window of a shop, 'the best small town to live in' we walked around then took a drive and it is a really pretty place with a river and boats moored up alongside the jetty. The beach has white sand and spread out all along the bay. There were lots of people about and the place seemed lively, this is where we should have spent the evening, ... read more

The wake up call from the captain on the Spirit of Tasmania came through at about 5:50 this morning and it was a much faster disembarking process than the trip to Tasmania. A bleak and dreary Melbourne morning greeted us back on the mainland. By the time we stopped at The Dunes for breakfast at Ocean Grove at about 9:00 am the early symptoms of delirium were kicking in. The hip breakfast venue was a cracking location overlooking the coast and after eggs and coffee we felt half human again. After breakfast we strolled along the beach for a while, this would be a terrific place to get fit if you lived in the area. The compact sand and gentle ocean waves would be a motivating factor to get active daily. The Great Ocean Road had ... read more

Both overslept - jetlag is still lingering!! Stopped off @ the Geelong Royal Yatch Club for coffee and a muffin Great Ocean Road is indeed spectacular, with breathtaking views around each of its many bends. Saw first kangaroo - unfortunately, in a similar state to the parrot from the Monty Python sketch Saw first koala bears - enjoying a power nap @ Kennett River. A few birds, as well. Fish 'n Chips from a chippy for dinner were awarded 10/10 Room @ 'Capt on the Bay' is equipped with bath (see photo) and a double shower - to Kate's delight Heavens opened in the night!! Thoughts Getting rather used to an automatic - not so bad after all!! Who said that it never rained in Oz!! We're starting to realise that are all Australians are very, ... read more

After Nesan recovered from breakfast, the day's cycle began with 20k downhill - very exhilliarating, and fabulous views. 12k on the flat prepared us for another 1 hour up hill, and then a stunning 12 k descent into Apollo Bay via Marengo. The YHA at Apollo Bay is eco friendly and even has its own herb garden. We arrived at Apollo Bay early enough for lunch at NaughtyGirls cafe (my Mum asked whether this was an appropriate place for a man of the cloth to have lunch, but I assured her that it was simply a cafe). After lunch we did a side trip (in the car) to Cape Otway lighthouse. The views were stunning. In the evening, we cooked a great meal with loads of veg and barbequed meat - yum!... read more