Left Halls Gap today and drove to Geelong. I had to see those bollards that Geelong is so famous for. Probably the attraction of the area. The Bay Walk Bollards is a trail through the waterfront from Eastern to Western Beach. Basically these bollards are a pieces of wood sculpted by artist Jan Mitchell. She chose figures of the area that provide a context and representation of life around Geelong historically. In total there are more than 100 figures you can see as you walk the Bay Walk Bollards. Interestingly, the sculptures are made from reclaimed timber pylons and transformed into works of art. All sites are numbered and each bollard display has a name - Portugese Sailor, Nurse, Fireman, Tram Conductress etc. I spent over two hours today trying to find as many as I ... read more

Day 15 is the mid-point of my trip. Had a great day today. I visited Cape Bridgewater from Cape Nelson which is about 30 km away. The major highlight was to visit the Petrified Forest there. Upon arrival they made it clear what I was seeing was not petrified trees but the shapes of rocks eroding over time - very interesting colours, all shapes and sizes. It kind of looked like what you would see stepping on the moon. Actually, it reminded me a little of the rocks around the Tablelands in Newfoundland Canada. An interesting visit. Nearby was the Blowhole, a hole or cave in the rocks that made sounds as the ocean waves rushed in. Although the sea was angry this day no sounds to be heard. Nearby was Tarragal Cave, an interesting cave ... read more

Today I left the Great Ocean Road after ten days. I intentionally took my time and got a great sense of that part of the country, As I left the area I revisited both the Bay of Martyrs and Bay of Islands as their magnificent scenery deserved another look. This was quite the contrast to my next stop - Tower Hill Reserve, with Tower Hill being a dormant volcano showing signs of previous volcanic activity. While there I completed two walks, the two km Journey to the Last Volcano Loop and the shorter Lava Tongue Boardwalk. Unfortunately both were underwhelming. Few signs of significant activity. You could see a small crater and walk around the rim. It looked like a paved circular parking lot. The Lava Tongue Walk as well had a few volcanic rocks on ... read more

After visiting the Twelve Apostles, it was time to visit the lesser visited areas of Port Campbell National Park. These included numerous unique rock formations within the park such as The Arch, London Bridge and The Grotto. All are unique in nature and worthy of a visit. They lie just west of the Twelve Apostles. Further west yet is the Bay of Islands Coastal Park. This is an area of numerous bays, coves and beaches the majority of which also have the rock formations and sea stacks of the area. In my view these are more impressive than the "touristy" Twelve Apostles, with fewer people visiting. I covered the area in detail visiting Wild Dog Cove, Halladale Point, Bay of Martyrs, Massacre Bay, Croft Bay and the Bay of islands. All of these areas have the ... read more

Today was another two-hands-on-the-wheel-and-no-texting-as-you-drive day. I was heading inland and of course that meant the typical narrow, winding roads of the Otway Ranges. First stop was a short hike through a rain forest - Maits Rest. A wonderful short stroll, perhaps 2 km in length, through a rain forest. The lush greens, ferns and trees native to the area were in abundance. To add some ambience, there was a light mist of rain as I completed the walk. Next, off to Cape Otway Lighthouse which they market as "Australia's most significant lighthouse". A lovely piece of land with numerous exhibits and obviously the lighthouse as the main attraction. As one would expect, very windy, and one had to be careful walking around the outside of the top of the lighthouse. However, the views were quite splendid ... read more