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Published: January 13th 2014
Monday 6
th We wake to grey skies and a blustery wind and set off for Phillip Island. We drive into the centre of Melbourne and the satnav does a good job guiding us through the roads. I only take one wrong turn, get tooted once and one chap waves to me, at least I think he’s waving !
The weather gets worse through the day with gale force wind and rain.
We eventually reach Phillip Island and park at our site, not the prettiest but the best we could get at peak holiday time.
Phillip Island turns out to be like the Isle of Wight with place names of Cowes and Ventor.
We have a short walk through Cowes and it gets colder and I buy an extra jumper.
In the evening we feel colder than we have anywhere in Australia and have to wrap ourselves in blankets and sleeping bags in the van to keep warm ! Where is the Australian summer?
Tuesday 7
th First thing we drive out to the Pannys Chocolate factory for a tour. It turns out to be a kids interactive centre and not that great if you’re
an adult. We do get to see three workers fill chocolate molds and that’s about it. The free bar of chocolate was good though.
We then drive to the opposite side of the island to The Nobbies. It’s where there are thousands of fur seals on the rocks just off the coast. You can’t see them unless you take a boat tour or pay to watch them on close up cameras. We’re the only ones to put money in to the cameras for a view and suddenly we’re surrounded by other people watching our Tv!
We venture outside the viewing centre only to get nearly blown away. The wind’s still very strong but at least the sun’s come out. We go along the board walk and see a couple of penguins sheltering from the wind.
Next stop is the Oswin Roberts Reserve and take a walk. There’s not a bird to be heard or any animal to be seen ! After 45 mins we turn around. Christine jumps out of her skin when she sees the last 18 inches of a big brown snake cross in front of her.
We then drive to Rhyll. It’s a
very small harbour and sea side spot. We walk along the little jetty and see lots of people fishing without much luck.
We then go back to our site for an early dinner before heading off to the Penguin Parade. We arrive at 7.45 as suggested to find the visitor’s centre a bit like Disney, only with cute animals. You can buy all sorts of souveniers and get your photo superimposed with the penguins on a blue screen. We’re not allowed to take our own photos.
We make our way to the two viewing galleries and await the penguins emerging from the sea. It’s a long wait, 9.30 and we now know why some have brought blankets and sleeping bags to wrap round themselves, there’s a strong wind off the sea and it’s freezing !
Eventually the Little Penguins gather in small groups and come waddling up the beach to find and feed their chicks. They’re tiny, only one foot tall as they walk past us a few feet away. We watch for about 45 mins before walking back to the centre and see lots of penguins alongside the various boardwalks looking for their chicks and calling
out.
It was a long wait but they are worth waiting for.
On the way back in the dark we narrowly miss a wallaby !
Wednesday 8
th We set off early and first stop is at Cape Paterson where we have a coffee before walking along the cliff top and then down onto the beach. It’s a lovely sandy beach but the wind’s too strong for people to sunbath or swim. We walk along the sand looking in the various rock pools without any luck of seeing anything.
Our next stop is at Fish Creek where we pull in for a spot of lunch. The place is so small there’s nothing to look at.
We finally arrive at Yanakie for the night. It’s a lovely site on the edge of the sea facing Corner Inlet. Unfortunately by now the wind’s gale force and most people are taking refuge indoors.We brave the wind and walk along the sea shore one way and then back before walking to Duck Point. There’s lots of black swans on the beach and great views towards Wilsons Promontory across the water.
We spend the rest of the afternoon in
the van reading which is a shame as the sun’s shining but it’s just too windy to be outside.
Thursday 9
th We set off very early for Tidal River camp site on Wilsons Promontory in order to claim one of the 20 overseas visitors sites for 2 nights. The camp site’s fully booked out a year a head and this is our only chance of getting a space.
We get our space and changed for a walk. We opt for the 8 k round walk to Squeaky Beach, Picnic Bay and Whisky Bay. It’s an easy walk along the cliff tops and beaches and fairly slow as the scenery is absolutely stunning and Christine takes photos round every bend. The place is incredible and everyone visiting Australia should come here. We stop at Picnic Bay for our picnic lunch and a paddle. We know now why everyone’s wearing a wet suit, the water’s freezing !
The day heats up and it’s hot work coming back. Unfortunately the wind picks up and sand blizzards blow across the beaches.
We return to the van for a quick rest before walking down to Norman Beach where we see
groups building large sand castles and playing volley ball. It’s very family orientated.
Later we queue for the showers as there are far too many people for the facilities.
Friday 10
th We wake to glorious sunshine and drive a short distance within the park to Darby River car park for a 9K walk to Tongue Point and back. It’s a fairly steep climb to start and Christine falls over a tree root off the edge of the path and is only saved from rolling down the cliff by the trees. Luckily no harm done.
We walk along the cliff edge and through the shrubs until we get a view of Tongue Point off the coast. We‘re getting mighty hot and decide to turn back after about 3.5 K.
We drive back to the camp site and park near Norman Beach and change into our swimmies and go off to relax for a few hours.
It’s an enormous beach and we find a spot near some rocks and set up camp for a few hours. Christine cools off by submerging in a large rock pool.
Before we have dinner we walk along the board
walk next to river and see a deer and its calf.
After dinner we return to Norman Beach to watch the sun set over the rock islands just off shore and Christine takes hundreds of photos !
Saturday 11
th We move off our site and park in the car park and then catch the shuttle bus to the base of Mount Oberon. It’s a 3.4 K steady climb up to the top and takes about an hour. Unfortunately we arrive to be surround by cloud and no views ! After a short rest we come down again!
After a quick lunch in the van we drive to the Prom Wild Life Walk. It’s a short walk of about 2.4 k and we see lots of wild kangaroos and emus. More photos !
We leave the Prom and drive to nearby Foster about an hour away and camp up for the night. It’s a typical small township and there are more estate agents than shops.
We eat in the camp kitchen and give our mustard to a group of Aussies and they insist on doing all our washing up in return.
Sunday 12
th A drive today of only about 60 miles and our first stop is at Leongatha so that we can wash the van before returning it in a couple of days.
Then we stop for a break in Koonwarra and by chance get told of a complete historic village behind the tourist info office. Coal Creek Village is a collection of 1900’s original buildings reconstructed to form a typical village. The buildings are really good and we see women spinning and serving in typical shops of the time.
Our final stop is in Frankston for the night and after finding a site we then drive down to the seafront.
Walking along the front we go into the sand sculpture exhibition and see some wonderful creations. They are very skillful and imaginative.
Tonight’s the last night in our van and we can’t believe that the 3 months are up so quickly !
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Roger Smith
non-member comment
Ostentatious?
Good to see that you have an inconspicuous van - don't want to look like a tourist, do you?