Travels of the Gypsy February 2020

To keep reading March 2020

Saturday 29th February - Ballarat

Another cold night of 8.2 and upto 28.2 during the day. It was cloudy to start with but once the cloud was gone it turned into a lovely day.

Well it's officially the last day of summer today, and what a summer it has been. Floods and fires around the country have meant that we have changed our travel route several times, but safety is the first priority.

We went for a drive to Clunes today. It's about a 30 minute drive along some single lane roads and also dual carriageways. I suppose that we could have got there by major roads but the GPS knows best. There was even a section of dirt road as it took us the backway there.

Clunes was an additional town to visit as it featured in the TV show Backroads. This show has presenters that visit towns or properties around Australia and show what makes the town tick. So why Clunes?

The show featured Clunes and also a business called 'The Odd Sockery'. This small business is run by two ladies who make nearly pure wool socks the old fashioned way - on a sock machine. We were very interested in this as Clive's dad has one of these machines. It's larger than the one the ladies have, but has sat for many years unused. When Clive was young he remembers his dad making socks on this machine. Something he now plans to do once we settle back home in Hervey Bay. It's worth googling if you don't know what a sock machine is.

Medical appointments were finalised and it looks like another short busy trip for us next week. We're only there for 6 days and there is something on everyday. We'll be glad to get back on the road for a rest. We also made room in the car for the suitcase and the walker as on Monday morning we fly back to the Gold Coast.



The car
wash.

Clunes
main street.

The Club
Hotel 1870.

Lake
Learmonth.

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Friday 28th February - Ararat to Ballarat

A low of 11.1 last night and a high of 21.5. It's a coldish day.

A short drive of about 85km today to Ballarat. We're staying at Jeanette's and Gary's house. They have acreage at Windemere and are allowing us to camp here for a few nights before we head back to the Gold Coast for a week. We've camped up the back and have power from the shed. We'll sleep in the van even though they have a room on offer. So much easier for me as I know where everything is and where I am. They have a family reunion on in Halls Gap, so we have the property to ourselves for the weekend. Very peaceful, but there are lots and lots of flies.



The
house.

Loo
views.


.

Our camping
spot.

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Thursday 27th February - Ararat

A cool 9.6 last night and upto a pleasant 23.8 during the day. The breeze was still a bit on the cold side.

We went for a drive around town today. First stop was the Information Centre which is housed at the train station. This station was built in 1875. This station has two platform faces, catering for the standard gauge and broad gauge tracks.

Then it was a drive around town. Lots of old buildings. From here we then went to Alexandra Gardens Park. It features multi-level lawns that slope down to an ornamental lake. An 800m wheelchair friendly path allows for a walk from the gate to a coffee shop. There are Japanese themed islands with pretty bridges allowing access. There are many different water features and also large shady oak trees. There is a very large Orchid House here, but sadly we are here at the wrong time of year to see them. Certainly worth the walk around if in Ararat. A good days walking for me.



The Town
Hall.

One of the
water features.

Gai out
for her walk.

The
bridge.

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Wednesday 26th February - Warranambool to Ararat

Another cool night of 13.2 and a top of 21.7

A two hour drive and the same sort of scenery, so today's drive was a bit tiring as we didn't pass through many towns. It's meant to be a cool night tonight, so the blankets will be back on the bed. This is summer??? We both ended up having a sleep this afternoon, so it catches up with you every now and then.

We're staying at the Pyrenees Caravan Park. It's only $22.50 a night and we have a drive through site. It's a nice and basic park with just a playground. Plenty of space and lots of bush around us. The park is located about 2km north of Ararat.

It's Ash Wednesday today and unfortunately Clive was unable to get to any Mass. First time in ages he has missed this one.



The park's
offerings.

The view
from the loo.


.

Sunset
.

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Tuesday 25th February - Warranbool>

A warmish night of 11.5 and upto 22.9 during the day .

Clive went for a drive by himself today to Hopkins Falls. Measuring 90m wide and plunging 12m over dark basalt rocks theSe are the largest falls on the Hopkins River. Located only 15km from Warrnambool this is a popular picnic spot. In winter you can see baby ells jumping from ledge to ledge during their winter migration. Clive used his SLR camera here to take some photos with his ND filter. Still needs more practice.

From here he came back into town and went to the Fletcher Jones Markets. These markets are open daily and are situated on the original site of the Fletcher Jones factory built in 1948. Surrounding the factory are beautifully maintained gardens that are open to the public.

Fletcher Jones is known for it's quality Australian made men's trousers. In it's heyday the company employed over 2700 staff and had over 55 stores in six states. By the 1960's it was the largest Australian user of fine merino wool. The Fletcher Jones and staff model was based on a co-operative with all staff having shares in the company. Initially the Jones family had over two thirds interest, but by the 1970's the staff held over fifty percent of the shares. The company also made women's clothes and in 1956 for the Melbourne Olympic Games the Company was awarded a contract to outfit the Australian Women's team. Today the company has only two stores and an Internet presence.



It's a long
Way across.

From the bottom
lookout.

Playing with
the ND filter.

Fletcher
Jones.

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Monday 24th February - Warrnambool

The temperature didn't get above 20 degrees today with last night being 14.0 and only 19.7 during the day. It was overcast all day today with a cool breeze.

We went for a drive down the coast to Port Fairy today. It's a very pretty town and under 30km from where we are. It's here that the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean and there is a small fishing fleet based here. The bay was used as a base for whaling and seal hunting in the early 19th century and the bay was named by the crew of "the Fairy' in 1828.

In 1835 a whaling station was established and the first store opened here in 1839. In 1843, James Atkinson purchased land, drained the swamps and then sub-divided and leased the land. He named the town 'Belfast' after his hometown in Ireland. In 1887 the town was renamed Port Fairy after an Act of Parliament. Recently, Port Fairy has been voted as one of the world's most liveable cities.

On the way back we stopped off at Tower Hill. There is now a wildlife reserve with koalas, emus, kangaroos and many other species of waterbirds roaming freely. This reserve sits inside an extinct volcano, formed some 30,000 years ago. In 1892 Tower Hill was declared Victoria's first national park.



Port Fairy
Harbour.

Artwork on
the foreshore.

Tower Hill
cliff side.

Tower Hill
lakes.

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Sunday 23rd February - Port Campbell to Warrnambool

It was cold again last night. 5.7 degrees again. Thankfully with the quilt on we were quite warm. Almost too warm. It was a beautiful sunny day reaching 24.0 degrees. A good day for travelling.

It's only about 60km for the last stretch of the Great Ocean Road. Beautiful scenery with all the cliffs. It's a bit like the 12 Apostles. We Called into the Bay of Martrys and also the Bay of Islands. Absolutely beautiful.

Clive went to evening Mass at St. Joseph's in town. This again is a lovely old church with many stained glass windows.




.


.


.


.

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Saturday 22nd February - Port Campbell

Well it was COLD last night. Yes, COLD. It got down to 5.7 and only upto 22.6. It was a freezing cold night and we had a blanket, crochet blanket, (full one), feet blankets, my knee crochet blanket and my electric blanket. WOW!! Clive has threatened to get the quilt out now as they are forecasting another cold night tomorrow.

We went out after lunch to the Port Campbell Ice Creamery Shop and had ice creams. Clive parked by the harbour and walked up the street to the shop. When he returned we sat in the car enjoying them watching people in the sea and on the beach. It was delicious and the sun was out too.



5.7
degrees.

The Ice
Creamery.

Port Campbell
Harbour.

The quilt is
On the bed.

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Friday 21st February - Port Campbell

The weather is sunny and blue skies. Still the wind is a bit on the cool side. It went down to 13.2 and back to 23.5 during the day.

Today we went back down the road to see the 12 Apostles. On the way out vans were lined up to check in, so it looks like the park is filling up for the weekend. We took lots of photos of the coastline and cliffs. There really are some beautiful colours in this limestone coast. We started off at Gibson Steps. There is where you can see me taking photos and Clive taking a photo of me. There are steps that go all the way down to the beach here, but Clive didn't do this. I think if he was by himself he would have.

From here it was onto the 12 Apostles. The car park is on the non-coast side of the road. It's huge, so they must get a few tourists here. The passenger footpath passes under the main road. Its just over a 1km walk and the surface is all bitumen. Too far for me currently even with the walker. So Clive set off to do this while I waited in the car. They do helicopter flights from here too and the two helicopters were certainly doing some business today.

Next stop was Loch Ard Gorge. Clive again went by himself to the Island Archway and also further on to Razorback. Certainly some different formations here. The Razorback has a very narrow top, that appears to being eroded away by weather. One section even had a hole in the top that Clive photographed.



Gideon
Steps.

The 12
Apostles.

Going, Going
Gone.

The
Razorback.

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Thursday 20th February - Apollo Bay to Port Campbell

Some light rain this morning as Clive was packing up. Not too bad though. Down to 13.3 last night and 21.1 today. Where has the sunshine gone?

So today we are off on the next stage of the Great Ocean Road. In my opinion it wasn't as windy as the first part, which was good. We travelled through some beautiful countryside. Lovely green rolling hills, tropical rainforests and some bush. We had a few light showers along the way, but Clive took it easy.

The road goes inland a bit and then up to Lavers Hill. This town is situated on the top of the range and the outside temperature was 10 degrees here, but the sun was quite strong through the car window.

We arrived at the Port Campbell Holiday Park just before 12.30. There is the Campbell River that runs along the back of this park. The council is currently building a pedestrian walkway across the water to allow access to walking tracks and National Park. We are here for three nights and Clive was told there is no TV reception as the park is in a valley. The only way to get TV is with a satellite dish. So we'll be OK for my Home and Away and MKR. Clive gets out the dish and sets it up. No joy. Moves it to another area across the road and still no joy. There's this bloody big hill behind us. He goes for a wander around the park and sure enough, people at the far end have their dishes out. He looks to where they are pointing and they are missing the hill. Seems that if our spot was down the other end we would be OK. Bugger.

Plan B. Clive sets the laptop up and we stream 7mate via the hotspot on the phone. I was able to watch The Chase, (my daily brain exercise), Seven News, Home and Away and then MKR. Well done Clive!



Tree ferns
are everywhere.

I can see the
sea again.

The bloody
big hill.

Campbell
River.

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Wednesday 19th February - Apollo Bay

It rained on and off all night and showers, sometimes heavy, throughout the day.

Clive did more blog work again. It's his own fault for letting it get so far behind, but it's all good. It looks like work will start on our house in the next few days. The job has now been allocated to a builder who Clive spoke with and he'll be going there to confirm building materials. Clive had a good chat to him about the floor, as he was not aware of any discussions, so Clive sent him emails and pictures.

Bits and pieces of other business sorted out too. There is always something to do, just like being home. There's a cold wind blowing in off Bass Strait, hence the cold weather here. Back onto the Great Ocean Road again tomorrow and it looks like it's a pretty windy road. We shall see and I hope that the weather improves too as this is meant to be a slippery road.

Tuesday 18th February - Aireys Inlet to Apollo Bay

A cool night getting down to only 14.9 and a top of only 23.8 today.

We left Aireys Inlet after 10.30am, as there were showers on and off while Clive was packing up. So back on the Great Ocean Road arriving after 12.30pm. Yesterday we saw a house, looking like it was sitting on a pole. We managed to get some pictures today. These people must have the most amazing view. It rained all the way and was quite heavy at times. The road is very windy and the next part after Apollo Bay looks even worse. At least they have pull over bays to let slow traffic pass. Clive used quite a few of these, as we were taking it easy with the wet and slippery roads.

Arrived at the Apollo Bay Caravan Park and when parking up Clive noticed what he thought was oil on the ground. Looked to be quite a bit. So he rang the RACV / RACQ and the local mechanic arranged for him to bring the car in at 3.30pm. The inspection cost nothing as this was covered by the RACQ, but only $50.00 to get it fixed. Seems that it was the new pre-fuel filter that was leaking and a bolt was not tight. So, in actual fact it was diesel leaking. While this was being done, Clive walked the 1.5km into town and had a walk around there. The Information Centre has these carved wooden poles and some different structures. Quite beautiful really.

These Melbourians are crazy. There are two people swimming in the pool and it's only about 20 degrees. Really! You can tell who the locals or maybe tourists are. We're rugged up just trying to keep warm. Rain and storms forecast for this evening.

Fish and chips for dinner tonight. The Blue Grenadier was lightly battered and very tasty. They also have local lobsters that you can buy. $40.00 - $50.00 per half depending on the weight. The fish shop is licenced and was almost full when Clive went there for our take away. Must be good food.



An amazing
house.

We're close to
the water.

Low clouds
on the hill.

Beautiful
carvings.

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Monday 17th February - Aireys Inlet

A cloudy 21.1 today and 15.5 last night. They day started sunny, but there is a cool change forecast.

We drove out to the Split Rock Lighthouse. The car park is at the bottom and people were parked up and walking up this steep dirt road. Clive decides to drive up it as he knows I'll never be able to walk it. Lovely views at the top of the lighthouse and also the ocean. There's no parking allowed up here. At the car park they have a great picnic area that was in use by a lot of people.

From here it was a short drive along the Great Ocean Road to stop at the Memorial Arch. This is a tribute to the Diggers who made the road. This road is reputedly one of the world's most scenic coastal drives. With the popular 12 Apostles near Port Campbell to iconic surf breaks. National Parks with magnificent waterfalls and rainforests.

The Great Ocean Road is 241km long and is the world's longest war memorial. It started as a project and was built by returned soldiers from 1919 to 1932 and is dedicated to those soldiers killed during WW1. It runs from Torquay to Allansford, much of it following the coastline. It passes the famous surfing beach of Bells Beach. The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race took place along this road a few weeks before we arrived. Starting in Geelong, the men's race is 171km long and the women's 122km.

Then back home for more discussions with the Real Estate Agent about the house. Ongoing dramas. We're leaving here tomorrow for Apollo Bay. Clive bought me a mini lighthouse for our momento cupboard, as they sell them in the park.



Aireys
Inlet.

Split rock
lighthouse.

Plenty
of surf.

Great Ocean Road
Memorial Arch

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Sunday 16th February - Geelong to Aireys Inlet

Yes it's still cold. Down to 14.7 last night and only 20.1 today. One good thing is that it has stopped raining.

Today we're going to Aireys Inlet, for our trip along the Great Ocean Road. This should take us about ten days, with four planned stops. It's just over an hours drive and we leave the Showground about 10.30.

The drive was very pretty with lots of ocean views. Seems all the traffic is heading back Geelong way, as lots of caravans and cars. Plenty of upmarket cars doing the drive too being Lamborghinis and Ferraris. Maybe it's a tour as they are in groups. It feels a bit warmer, but still cool enough for a cardigan as the breeze when it comes is cool. Lots of signs saying that we drive on the left hand side in Australia, so a constant reminder for the tourists.

We're staying at the Aireys Inlet Holiday Park and we have a nice site. The park filled up in the afternoon.



Start of
the road.

Great
views.


.

Mural on the
amenities block.

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Saturday 15th February - Geelong

It's a cooler day today reaching only 22.1 and last night it was 16.6. Blankets back on the bed again.

It's freezing cold here today after yesterday's rain and the cool change that came through. Not much point in driving around as the roads will be wet and slippery, so the chances of seeing a lot are slim. It's our last night here. Currently at 8p,m it's 16.6 brrrr.

Clive went to the Vigil Mass at St. Mary Of The Angels Basilica. Talk about a beautiful church. The original church was built in 1842 and the second church in 1846. The first stone of today's building was laid in 1854, with the Nave completed in 1872. The completed church was consecrated in 1937. Some of the artworks and windows in this Basilica are just beautiful and the window between the organ pipes above the entrance is just wonderful. Sadly the photos do not do it justice.



St. Mary Of
The Angels Basilica.

This painting of
Our Lord is huge.

The
Alter.

Entrance window
and organ pipes.

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Tuesday 14th February - Geelong

It's overcast with some heavy rain. Down to 17.5 last night and only 28.7 during the day. Flash flooding in some parts of the state.

We went to see Joe and Pat after lunch. Joe used to be Clive's boss at John Martins all those years ago. We ended up being 15 minutes late as the GPS said to take a hard left. Well, Clive missed that one and took the next left. We ended up on the freeway heading to Colac. So had to wait for an exit to be able to head back in the right direction again.

This reminded us of the time that we were in the UK, heading to his Aunt and Uncle's house in Marlow. They have a roundabout over the freeway that is three to four lanes wide. It's a huge roundabout. Anyway, it took us several goes of taking the wrong exit and trips up and down the freeway to get into the correct lane.

So their house is quite easy to get to, if you take the correct exit. They have a lovely place with a nice Balinese Hut out the back where we sat and had a good chat. They've traded in their van for a motorhome now, so Clive went with Joe to check this out. It's very nice, but I don't think it would suit my/our needs.

Thursday 13th February - Geelong

A pleasant 19.1 last night and upto 28.8 today.

Great weather for the domestic duties to be done. There is no laundry here so it's each to their own. So glad we have a washing machine on board. Two loads of washing done and floors cleaned. I took care of some business not previously attended to and then a lazy restful afternoon. It is peaceful here at the back of the park. You can't see where the other main camping areas are and we don't get cars driving past either.

It feels hotter today, probably because of the humidity, but it going to be 30 tomorrow.

Wednesday 12th February - Pakenham to Geelong

18.2 last night and 26.9 today. It was a pleasant day for driving.

It was nearly a two hour drive from Pakenham to Geelong. We stayed on the main roads and contended with roadworks and traffic. We went down under the Yarra River and then across the Westgate Bridge. There was an accident on an off ramp at the end of the bridge, so the traffic was moving very slowly. We bypassed Melbourne this way, but even so, the closer you got to the city the more traffic there was. Now I know why we avoid the big cities. It's amazing the way the lanes get narrower the closer you get to the city.

We got lost trying to find the Showgrounds. Clive put in the street name as per the Caravan Book on Breakwater Road but it wasn't there. All we could see was the Geelong Racing Club. So up and down the road a few times. It's actually next door to Racing Club, so we did drive by it, but we didn't know.

So Clive put in the GPS co-ordinates and we also phoned them. We were told to ignore the GPS, as there is an old Breakwater Road that is now a dead end that a few people have ended up at. Take the first left hand turn coming off the bridge and Gate 2 is about 700m down the road. Go through the gates and the Admin building is at the far end. How easy is that? We found it.

Lots of vans here now, but there is plenty of space. Park where you like in the green areas. Looking for a spot, Clive sees a car behind us, so he pulls over to let them pass. The guy pulls up and then winds down the passenger side window. "Where abouts from Queensland are you from", he asks. Clive tells him and he's from Burleigh Heads. Talk about two Mister Have a Chats. Like two long lost friends they are. He's been on the road for three and a half years. Anyway, five minutes later he goes on and Clive sees a campervan pulling into the spot he had his eyes on.

We find a spot between two buses that look like they have been here a while. It's a good spot and pretty quiet, with the stables behind us. It's about 100m to the amenities block where there are heaps more vans, so it should be good here. They have a dump point here too. Not bad for $25.00 a night.

Chinese for dinner for me while Clive has spaghetti marinara, delicious.



Getting near
to the city.

Westgate
Bridge.

Pick your
Own site.

Old
machinery.

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Tuesday 11th February - Pakenham

Weather update - 17.8 last night and a pleasant 27.1 during the day.

An overcast day today, so we're not planning on doing to much. Clive finally got the blog up to date after my threat and the reading deadline he gave himself. You know the one - only one more chapter, just one more chapter. I can put a book down at anytime, but Clive likes to read from start to finish with no distraction in between. We're off to Geelong tomorrow and staying in the showgrounds.

Monday 10th February - Pakenham

I've taken Clive's books away until he gets the web pages completed, as nothing has been done for February yet!

The showers from last night cleared around 9am and led to an overcast day. It was only 18.8 last night and got to 24.0 during the day. It's funny to watch the news and weather and hear them complaining about the humidity and warm nights. I think they need to visit Queensland to really understand these statements.

We drove to Belgrave to see the Puffing Billy Railway and the steam train. There were cars and buses everywhere and no where to really park and get out, so we had to make do with driving around to get a look. Clive went over the railway line and then saw some people walking, so he headed in that direction. It turned out to be the back of the train sheds, so we were able to get some pictures from here of the train. Because we couldn't park anywhere I wasn't even able to go into the gift shop.

From here we went through the main street of Belgrave and took a couple of pictures of murals on the front of a pub. Then it was off to try and beat the train to Menzies Creek. On the way we saw an old railway bridge with some cars parked beside the road, so figured the train hadn't come through here yet, so pulled over and waited. Sure enough, a few minutes later we heard the puffing and tooting of the train approaching. We were able to catch it going over the bridge. Excellent timing.

Now onto Menzies creek station, where we pulled into a car park and Clive parked the car so that I could see out the front window. A good spot really. We were lucky enough to see two trains going through. Our one from Belgrave going up the line and one returning heading back to Belgrave. With both stopped at the station, if you only want to do a short trip you can change trains here. After both trains had departed we had a look at the old railway yard museum.

Instead of doing a U turn and heading back the way we came, clive set the GPS for home. We ended up on the bumpiest road we have ever been on. I was literally being thrown from side to side and lifted off the seat. This road went on for 2km until we had bitumen again. Good one Clive! We drove past the Cardinia Reservoir and back onto the major roads heading home.

We had McDonalds for lunch.



Puffing Billy
Railway.


.

Menzies Creek
Station.


.

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Sunday 9th February - Pakenham

It's very windy again today, so we had to take the awning in. It got down to 18.2 last night and back to a top of 28.1 today.

Clive went to 9.00am Mass at St. Patrick's. Mass was in the school where they have a church. Fairly plain modern building. The old original church looks to be a lovely building from the outside. It has stained glass windows and is currently closed for renovations. The Priest mentioned at Mass that it would cost around four million dollars to widen the church by 2.5m and refurbish it. Interesting times for the community here.



St. Patrick's
Church.


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.


.

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Saturday 8th February - Phillip Island to Pakenham

Pleasant 18.5 last night and upto 27.9 during the day.

Off to Pakenham today. This should take just over an hour, so a quick trip. A good drive with no major problems except getting off the island. About 1km from the bridge we were stopped in traffic. It was going nowhere. Maybe there was an accident up ahead? Who knows! So Clive gets on the CB to see if we can get some answers. Yep - there's a Surf Marathon going on. So one lane over the bridge is blocked off for this, so it's being policed with turns for either side. Time to turn the engine off and just wait.

After about 20 minutes we finally got through. It was good to see all the competitors running along. Once clear of the bridge we had a free run into Pakenham. We arrived at the Pakenham Caravan Park and have a reverse in site on the very end. No trouble reversing as there is plenty of space. Beside the van is our own ensuite with shower and toilet. A first for us and at no extra charge. The park seems to be pretty full and Clive heard the manager say that all the cabins were full.



Crossing
the bridge.

Some of the
competitors.

View of our
esuite from the loo.

Bear wearing
slippers.

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Friday 7th February - Phillip Island

A mild 16.7 last night and upto 27.5 today.

It's a bit cooler but very smoky. Some heavy rain in some parts near Melbourne and flooding in Sydney and the Gold Coast. Another quiet day and more time spent trying to sort out the insurance on the house. Seems the tenants are moving out today so repairs can commence, but now it seems that work can't start for a fortnight.

Thursday 6th February - Phillip Island

Yeah - sunshine. It got to a pleasant 31.5 today and a low of 13.1.

We went for a drive around the island today. It's only 26km long and 9km wide. So about three times the size of Norfolk Island. It has a permanent population of 11,000 and 50 Koalas. There are 16,000 breeding pairs of penguins and 346 species of birds. Off the south-west corner of the island is Seal Rocks. 25,000 seals call this place home and there are about 6000 pups born each year.

From the van park we headed firstly to Cowes Jetty. This is where the inter-island ferry and seal tours leave from. Then it was off to Fishermans Point, located in the north-east corner of the island. Then southwards past the National Surfing Beach and to the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. They have a go kart track here and you can also do a lap of the circuit.

Clive saw a sign to Pryamid Rock, so off he goes, This is a gravel track that goes from the main road to the coast. A badly rutted road that had me bouncing up and down. Not good. From here we continued west across the island to the south-west corner. This is where the Penguins on Parade happens. Just offshore are a group of islands called The Nobbies. They have a large information centre here and a car park about 1km back down the road is huge. One of the more informative Penguin Parade costs $56 and seats 300, so you can get an idea of the size of the car park. A twenty minute drive back home and it's lunch time.

Clive went for a walk in the afternoon along the beach to the jetty and back. In some parts the water was so warm and other areas it was cold.



Mural on the
Anglican Church.

Fishermans
Point.

Grand Prix
Circuit entrance.

Boardwalk and
The Nobbies.

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Wednesday 5th February - Phillip Island

It's a lazy day today so all you get is a weather update. 10.5 last night with a top of 21.6. Clive went and did some shopping and also bought me a couple of fairy penguin soft toys. One is of a chick moulting and the other an adult bird. So cute.

Tuesday 4th February - Yanakie to Phillip Island

Weather was a cold 9.0 last night and only 21.9 today. Missing the sunshine.

A fairly easy two hour drive to Phillip Island this morning. Lots of different roads with some of them fairly average. Staying at Beach Park in Cowes. Not a bad rate of $37.40 a night.

Clive enquired about the Penguins on Parade tour, which we probably won't do now. It's $26.00 per adult but you have to be there around 8pm for a 9pm start. It will be freezing cold and there is an 800m boardwalk to get from the top car park to the seating. This area is huge, so depending on the number of people there depends on how close you are to the front. They have an area at the top that they keep for wheel chair people and those who can't climb steps, so we'd be up the top and at the back anyway. They do have a golf cart for those that can't walk on the boardwalk. Not to worry, Clive bought me a tea towel and magnet.



Bridge to
the island.

Motor cycle
champions.

Penguin
sculptures.

Clive leaving
the office.

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Monday 3rd February - Yanakie

A cold 11.9 last night and also a very cold wind today. It's quite warm in the sun, when the wind drops, but it only got to 18.8

We drove to Wilson's Promontory National Park or The Prom, as it is known. We drove through the park to Tidal River, where all the camping and caravans are. There is the Information Centre here, General Store and also a Police Station. This camping area is huge. On the way back we stopped at Squeaky Beach. It's named this as the sand is so fine it squeaks when you walk on it.

Then onto Glennie Lookout. Views of the water and also islands off the coast. Next across the bridge over the Darby River and back to the van park to try and sort out the insurance. It's very pretty around the park. Plenty of lookouts with beautiful scenery and lots of greenery. The lookouts we stopped at were just off the road, so not too step to get to. Clive would like to go and spend a week there as there are plenty of walks to do, but it would have to be warmer.



The
Prom.

Whitecaps
on the ocean.

Squeaky
Beach.

Darby
River.

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Sunday 2nd February - Yanakie

A cool night of 13 degrees, but I had my trusty electric blanket on as well as a crochet blanket. Not as cold during the day but very windy. It got to a top of 23.7

I went for a walk around the van park today. I really need to keep up the walking and not be so lazy as it's good for my PD. We finally sorted out a replacement for the flooring as the one we currently have is no longer available and the new flooring is 2mm less in width. So it looks like they will have to replace the hallway too now. Hopefully no rain tomorrow, so we can go for a drive.



High
tide.

Wild
rabbits.

Low
tide.

Gai out
walking.

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Tuesday 1st February - Port Welshpool to Yanakie

Well that's another month gone. Changes of driving route due to bush fires, flooding in our house on the Gold Coast and cold weather in Victoria. In January we travelled another 1652km. So total distance to date is 13994km. It's roughly 14500km to travel around Australia by road, so we certainly won't be doing it in the smallest distance.

Weather update - A low 16.2 and a high of 31.7

We arrived at the Yanakie Caravan Park just after 12, only just beating the rain for parking the van. It's raining a lot now and Clive is still setting up, so out comes his waterproof jacket that we have been carrying around. I think that this is only the second time that he has had to wear it.

It was a pretty drive along the way, but it's so humid. We stopped at Foster to buy some fresh prawns. There was a bakery next door, so Clive bought some fresh bread and two vanilla slices for me. Yanakie is miles from civilisation or anywhere, so a good thing that our fridge is well stocked. We do however have lovely water views, which we paid an extra $6.00 night for that includes drinkable water and power. Otherwise you get a powered site with no drinkable water and have to cart this or use your on-tank supplies.

The cool change and rain came through about 1pm and this dropped the temperature to 16 degrees. Just a tad cool. We now have our winter clothes on! It was so muggy before the change.

During the week we realised that we needed the name of our timber floor, so that during repairs they could match the floor back up to the hallway, so we needed the invoice from last May. We have some paperwork here in the van and also some at Michael's. So Clive looked here and couldn't find it so we asked Michael to have a look. No luck there either. So I made an executive decision that I would look for it here. I found it in under 10 minutes. Another mans look on Clive's part. He is now not allowed to look for anything as he has 2 out of 2, (the Digital Satellite Tuner being the last).



Our views
From the loo.

Low
tide.


.


.

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