RTW Day 51 - Cape Nelson

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An early start today for Warrnambool parkrun round the beautiful Lake Pertobe. As I run I can see pelicans and spoonbills on the lake. I consider stopping to take a photo but I can see the old man just ahead of me and can imagine how smug he’ll be if his time is significantly faster than mine.

After the run, we wander along Warrnambool seafront before starting our day’s drive along the coastal Princes Highway.

Our first stop is Tower Hill; a park which offers nature walks. We don’t see any of the animals shown on the info panels, despite getting a crick in my neck looking in the trees for koalas. However it’s a different story when we return to the car park and find an emu in picnic area. He looks a bit fierce so we decide to lunch elsewhere.

We stop at Port Fairy. My guide book promises black wallabies but despite a comprehensive walk, we spot none. But we have a nice picnic on the seafront before moving on to our overnight destination.

We reach our B&B in Cape Nelson It’s a strange setup; they give us the run of the house and sleep in the shed.

Our host asks if we have seen koalas. When we say we have been trying unsuccessfully for days, she says there are some in her garden. So we finally see a koala.

In fact Cape Nelson is a veritable wildlife feast . We drive to the lightstation at the end of the cape. En route we see black wallabies and echidnas. After a wander through Portland and a curry, we return to the B&B at dusk. There are dozens of wallabies and echidnas on the verges. It’s very exciting, although photographing the wallabies is impossible as they move so fast.

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