Life in a Humpback

Day 130: Ocean Grove to Geelong

Today was our last day on the mainland. We organised a late checkout from the caravan park so that we did not have to find somewhere to park the van for the day (the ferry check-in wouldn't be open until 4:15pm).

In the extra time that we had in the morning I went for a walk along the Barwon River and then drove out to the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse. Point Lonsdale is at the head of Port Phillip Bay which we would be sailing through later in the evening as we headed back to Tassie. Despite the overcast day it was a nice section of beach, with rock pools to explore, and surfers to watch.

Once we were all packed up we still had some time before we had to be at the ferry, so we drove south to Tourquay to have a look through a few of the surf shops, and check out the waves and surfers off Point Danger.

Finally we headed to Geelong to wait in line to get on the ferry. Once on board the kids played video games once again, while John and I checked out the new Spirit of Tasmania ferry (moored off Geelong until its berth in Devonport is finished being built) as we sailed by.

Day 129: Geelong

John's back was still not up for adventuring today so the kids and I headed into Geelong on our own today to have a wander along the Esplanade. It was fun trying to spot all of the bollard art that was scattered along the shoreline, and to find the hidden rabbits on each one. We walked around the swimming area, past a few playgrounds and had a ride on the old carousel before heading back to camp.

We had a beautiful sunset, the first in a few days that has not been overcast, and it was also the last one on the mainland for this trip. Olivia reckoned the clouds and sunset looked like a dragon was spitting fire.

Day 128: Mount Gambier to Ocean Grove

Today we woke to cloudy by dry skies. We packed up once again and hit the road headed for Geelong. With John's back is still sore I did most of the driving today. We stopped in Warrnambool for lunch and a play in the playground. There were some really good ziplines and a big slide.

Just before dinner we pulled into Riverview Family Caravan Park - our last campground for the trip - in Ocean Grove (just outside Geelong). The place was pretty quiet but we could see why it would fill up in summer with the river and beaches so close by.

Day 127: Mount Gambier (Day 2)

Last night we had quite the thunderstorm blow through camp and woke this morning to gale force winds and rain. Rather than try to drive to Geelong today as originally planned, we opted to stay another night here in Mount Gambier. Letting John's back have a rest day and hopefully for the storm to move past.

Today's weather was the worst we have had all trip. It continued to blow and rain all day. The kids and I escaped the caravan for a bit by going bowling in town and play in the local arcade. On the way home we saw several tree branches on the ground and even a building that had lost part of its roof.

Hopefully the weather improves in the coming days as we continue our journey east.

Day 126: Mount Gambier (Day 1)

This morning was looking like our only chance to have a look around Mount Gambier before the rains were meant to settle in. I headed out early for a run around Blue Lake and a wander around town and Cave Gardens before making my way back to camp. Then we all piled into the car to drive to the trailhead for Observatory Hill. John's sore back had struck again (something about Adelaide seems to set it off!! Both times it coincided with leaving Adelaide) so he walked slowly up the hill while the kids and I waited for him at the top. The view from there was amazing. Since it was located on the edge of an old volcanic cone we were high above the surrounding farmland below.

Our next stop was to Little Blue Lake, which is a water filled sink hole that in warmer weather would make a great swimming hole. There is even a dock to swim from. While we where there, there were two scuba divers in the water - all we could see was their air bubbles coming to the surface.

The next stop we made was at Port MacDonnell on the coast. We drove out to Cape Northumberland to watch the waves roll in and see what was left of the lighthouse (not much!). There were lots of seabirds nesting on the small island off the cape and sea lions swimming in the bays below the cliffs. The cape marks the southern most point in South Australia and according to the sign we were only 770km from Hobart.

Once back at camp the rains started so we stayed close to home for the rest of the day. Popping out to the campground playground and visiting the local alpacas between the showers.

Day 125: Hahndorf to Mount Gambier

Today we packed up and left the Adelaide area for the last time and made our way south to Mount Gambier near the Victorian border. We stopped in Keith to play in the playground between rain showers. This playground had a cool cart you could ride that ran along a rail. It was sort of like a short roller coaster.

By the time we got to Mount Gambier in the afternoon the rain had stopped. We set up camp at the Pine Country Caravan Park and headed into town to visit Umpherston Sinkhole (Balumbul). The sink hole was once part of a station, whose owner turned it into a garden and recreation area for people to come visit. It even used to have a small lake inside it. Now the ground water level has dropped so it is dry and has a beautiful garden that you can walk down into. Afterwards we played on the swings, and with our yo-yos, in the park surrounding the sinkhole before heading back for dinner.

Day 124: Hahndorf (Day 2)

Today we spent the day in the German village of Hahndorf. Olivia and I headed into town in the morning to wander through the shops, eat pretzels, check out the old buildings, learn about the German history of the area in the museum, listen to two different accordion bands playing outside pubs, and even pat a horse. The boys joined us after lunch to go on the mini guinea pig tour - this was the first week that it was partially open (the grand opening is next weekend). They have created a miniature village of Hahndorf's main buildings for the guinea pigs to run around in. It will be very cute once they have it all set up. We all got to pet the guinea pigs and those that wanted to could hold them. We spent the afternoon having a bit more of a wander through the village - including a stop at the German souvenir shop, which had cuckoo clocks, lots of Christmas decorations, toy accordions, and so much more.

In the afternoon we once again hung around camp - playing chess, reading books, and playing with yo-yos. In the evening we got new neighbours that had a dog named Theo. He liked to sit next to Olivia while we did our nightly New York Times puzzles.

Day 122: Melrose to Hahndorf

Today we packed up and made our way towards the Adelaide Hills. We took the back roads from Melrose passing through Wirrabara to check out its silo art (my favourite so far), Clare to watch the fields and fields of grape vines go by, and Gawler to grab a bite to eat. We made it to our campsite at the Hahndorf Resort in the late afternoon. The kids had a play in the playground and pump track while John and I parked the caravan. We then spent our evening checking out all the other cool things in the park. The boys played their nightly game of chess on the giant set by the lake, the kids went for a swim in the pool and played table tennis in the games room.

Day 121: Melrose

Today we hung around the town of Melrose, which is the oldest town in the Flinders Ranges. It has lots of beautiful old buildings and public art scattered around the main strip. We had a look at the mountain bike trail maps in the area but decided it that 30°C was too hot to go for a ride, so wandered over to Jacka Brothers Brewery for a drink and a few rounds of Uno before we retreated back to the caravan park for the afternoon.

Day 120: Streaky Bay to Melrose

Today we packed up and headed off again (after a quick game of pool). We continued our journey east along the Erye Highway. We stopped in Kimba to have lunch and a look at the silo art, the big galah, and the sign marking the halfway point across Australia on the A1 Highway.

We then continued through Port Augusta and passed the turn off that took us north to the Flinders Ranges back in June - and therefore completing our loop of the middle and west coast of Australia. Rather than continuing to Adelaide on the A1 we veered south east towards Melrose in the southern Flinders Rangers. It was a pretty long day in the car, so we arrived at the Melrose Caravan Park late in the afternoon.

After dinner we had another movie night. This time we picked The Iron Giant.