Great Ocean Road. Day 10. Geelong

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GOR Day 10. Geelong
The weather picked up a bit yesterday with just the odd small shower as I went to McDonalds with Bill to sample some genuine ?????????? food before dinner at 6.30. I am getting to like this old Gate House on Ryrie. Was it a toll house? The kitchen has an old cast iron gas oven and hob which looks to be 1940’s 1950’s like my grandparents had when I was a little boy wearing a liberty bodice and a thumb in my mouth.
Breakfast was cereal and toast before we went to see the Geelong Botanical Gardens with some exotic plants and trees. Following this we headed east to peruse the bay and look at some of the 108 sculpted bollards created from the old pier timbers since 1995 by artist Jan Mitchell. The bollards are of people who have had an influence in the history of Geelong such as the aboriginal people and the early invaders of this continent plus the many people who were mayors, swimming club members, business leaders etc. They are well worth a visit and a great visitor attraction. Geelong was a big wool exporter in the 19th century and it was a major influence in its growth along with a hub for the gold rush in the later 19th century. There is a very interesting Wool Museum with much history and exhibits of the sheep farms, breeding and shearing and textile industry over the past 200 years. A carpet loom was also being demonstrated during our visit with a jacquard attachment outlining the complexity of the machine. Eventually after a few more bollards my legs gave out and I had to get back to my room for a rest before a great meal out at a local Thai restaurant. I don’t know what I ate but it was good and it was meant for Bill. The mix up being the fault of our waitress? Maybe a waiter on steroids, we will never know, but a deep male voice was the order of the day putting us a little off balance. Crocodile Dundee could have established the truth no doubt. Tomorrow on the move again to Queenscliff in better weather we hope.

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Photos

Geelong Botanical Gardens