Aireys Inlet Vic

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As sorry as we were to have to leave Torquay, that sorrow was cured by another morning tea stopover at the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie. Suitably nourished, we continued driving to Aireys Inlet for our next stay. After setting up, we walked 4.4 kms along the Great Ocean Road Walk to Split Point Lighthouse and return to the Caravan Park. The cliffs along this coast are just as stunning as those around Bells Beach. Many of the houses in Aireys Inlet were destroyed in the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, however, many have now been rebuilt, and it is a highly sought after location to either live or have a holiday house.

We were too late to climb the lighthouse the previous day, and so we again walked back along the cliffs and proceeded with our guided lighthouse tour. As there was no local suitable stone to build the Split Point lighthouse, concrete blocks were used to build the tower. Construction was completed in 1891. The light is fixed, rather than rotating, and shows out to sea as a white light when further than 8 kms, and shows as red when closer than 8 kms. This was the lighthouse that featured in the Paul Jennings childrens’ TV series Round The Twist. After exiting the lighthouse, we enjoyed a great morning tea at the Lighthouse Tea Rooms, located in the former stables of the Lighthouse Keepers. Energised, we then walked to Sandy Gully Beach, a total of 8.4 kms.

We wanted to visit the town of Lorne from our base at Aireys Inlet, and we drove there the following day. Nearby we passed a house appearing to hover in the air, which I recognised from Australia’s Greatest Homes. The home is recognised as Australia’s most photographed home, and sits atop a massive concrete pylon, with a ramp linking the home to the adjoining hill. We also drove underneath the sign traditionally marking the start of the Great Ocean Road, which was a project undertaken by the government to employ soldiers returning from the first world war. The house used for the filming of the ABC Series Summer Love overlooks the beach near Aireys Inlet, although it was well hidden from the sand. We had been keeping an eye out for, and were fortunate to spot the endangered Hooded Plover whilst walking along Fairhaven Beach.

Lorne is a tourist mecca, and although it is off season, the town was still busy with visitors. There were many fine eateries to choose from, and we settled for burgers from the Pitt Stop Café, a retro café with 60’s music to match. While in Lorne we visited Teddy’s Lookout and the Swinging Bridge, and drove out of town to walk to Erskine Falls and Cora Lynn Cascades. A gelati in Lorne prior to heading back to our car finished off a great day. On our drive back we called in to see Urquhart Bluff, a surfing break frequented by the locals.

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