Another road trip today.

We leave our sallubrious dwelling and hit the road.

Today we travel from Kingston SE to Port Campell on the Great Ocean Road.

At least today it is all new road.  Its a pleasant if long drive and is a combination of main road and back country roads past farmyards and you are in the midst of rural Victoria.

We stop in Port Fairy for lunch.

This wee town was recommended by a New Zealand girl we met in the Northern Territory.

It becomes strange as there is a Belfast bar and several stores called Belfast this and Belfast that.

James Atkinson, a solicitor, purchased land in the town by special survey. He drained the swamps, subdivided and leased the land, and built a harbour on the Moyne River. He named the town “Belfast” after his hometown in Ireland. The post office opened on 1 July 1843 (the post office actually opened in 1837 as “Port Fairy” but was renamed “Belfast” on 1 January 1854 before reverting to the original name on 20 July 1887.)

Agriculture developed in the region, and Belfast became an important transport hub. By 1857 the town had a population of 2,190. In the mid-to-late 19th century, Belfast was one of Australia’s largest ports, catering to the whaling industry. In 1887 the town was renamed Port Fairy as a result of an Act of Parliament.

The plaque in the town sits right next to the one in memory of the thousand of Aboriginals massacred between  1837 and 1844 in this part of Port Fairy.

So it seems they killed of the local people and then sold the land to Mr. Atkinson. Hopefully that was the order of things but it isn’t quite clear.

Anyway the place is an attractive town beside the river and has a beautiful beach. its very blowy and there is a surfer out.  20 degrees but feels cold.

We leave Port Ferry and it’s chequered history behind and travel on to the start of the Great Ocean road.

We call at Mount Gambier.

Meant to be worth a visit but it’s claim to fame is the blue lake that sits in the old volcano crater that gives the town its name.

 

It is 80 meters deep and blue and you can drive around it. Bit underwhelming I would say, but when we are here we stop for 5 minutes. I think it is oversold and worth missing.

Onwards then to the Great Ocean Road.

Once we hit the coast we see the start of the Bay of Islands and I need to stop to shoot some footage.

I almost step on my first snake on the way through the undergrowth. About 2 foot long and about the thickness on a banana at its thickest. Unfortunately, by the time both of us get over our startlement and I reach for the camera it is gone.

It is very blowy so I’m not sure how the video will look but the stills look lovely.

 

 

The Sheer cliffs and rock stacks dominate the bays and there is raw beauty here. It is just a pity it is a bit misty but I’m sure we will see more tomorrow as this is the nature of the coastline here.

Onwards to Port Campbell.

We stay in the hostel in Port Campbell.

Hostels have improved from what I remember.