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Leaving Aireys Inlet, we headed for the popular tourist town of Apollo Bay, stopping off to see a koala in a tree (along with busloads of tourists) at Kennett River, which is a known habitat for koalas. We were disappointed that the koala seemed disinterested in us, perched high up in the tree, hiding behind eucalypt leaves.
Arriving at Big4 Caravan Park at Apollo Bay to check in, Kim spied what she thought might have been a large bird in a nearby eucalypt tree. On closer inspection, it was a koala, who kindly climbed down the tree to meet us at eye level. We were literally no more than half a metre away from this wild and free iconic Australian marsupial, who was happy to accommodate snaps from our camera phones, turning his head to offer different perspectives. The Big4 park at Apollo Bay is probably the best all round caravan park that we have stayed in during our Australian travels, overlooking the ocean, and having the best sites and facilities.
Apollo Bay was named by a Captain Loutit in 1845 when he sheltered his vessel, the Apollo, here from a storm. The first European settlers were timber cutters
in the 1850s who subsequently established sawmills. In 1936 a submarine telegraph and telephone cable from Apollo Bay to Stanley provided the first telephone connection to Tasmania from the mainland. The Apollo Bay Telegraph station closed in 1963 and is now a museum.
Perched high on a mountain above our caravan park is Marinners Lookout, which we drove to the next morning. What a vista, looking out over Apollo Bay to the Southern Ocean. From there we drove to Cape Otway, which is one of the southernmost points on the Australian mainland. Cape Otway lighthouse was beckoning us to climb, and we obliged. The views from the top were unreal, although we didn’t see our hoped for whales. Nearby was a WW2 Radar facility, that played an important role in protecting our southern coast during that conflict. A German sea mine that was laid in Bass Strait by a German Raider Vessel during WW2 was a reminder how close the war came to Australia's shores. The Lighthouse Keepers cottages are still in good condition, and provided an insight into the important but lonely lives that the keepers and their families led. Morning tea at one of the cottages was
enjoyable.
On our drive back to Apollo Bay, we stopped off to do a walk at Maits Rest, and was surprised how well Vic Parks had built the boardwalks through this historic rainforest gully, full of ferns and towering trees. On another morning we drove up into the mountains following the Barham Rover and stopping off at a picnic area along the river. We also drove to the nearby town of Marengo, and walked along the rock shelf, gazing out at the birds and seals sunning themselves on the rocks. To stretch our legs, we walked 7.4 kms along Apollo Bay beach from the caravan park to the town, and then back to Wild Dog Creek. We enjoyed lunch at a Wholefoods Café one day, and then tried out the newly opened Pit Stop Burgers 60’s themed café the next day.
Next stop is the Twelve (or maybe seven) Apostles, which was the main drawcard for us visiting the Great Ocean Road.
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