Port Fairy and Beyond

The trip down to Port Fairy was very pleasant. We travelled through the Grampians, which are quite stark rock faces without the softer curves inflicted by glaciation. Forests are a bit more dense, greenery is a bit more "green".

On the way, we stopped in Hall's Gap at the Brambuk Aboriginal Centre, an area given over by the Victoria Government to the local tribes (five of them) to present their stories to the public. It was very well done, and pulled no punches, as far as I could tell, in talking about the whites' invasion of their country.

From there, down through foothills and pastureland to the coast once again. Port Fairy was a whaling community until they killed off all the whales, then went into economic decline (which led to the architecture being preserved), and has more recently been revived as a tourist town. And doing quite well. Pleasant avenues with tall Norfolk Pines and Cedar trees, pleasant little cafes, and a few nice restaurants. We stayed at a "boutique hotel", which is code for "ostentatious" and "pretentious".





But it was pleasant enough, and right by the water - a bonus. We continue to be enthralled by the beautiful song of the magpie (itself a less attractive bird), and the beautiful sight of throngs of parrots flying together and making a god-awful noise.

We woke to rain on the day we were going to traverse the Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay. Unfortunate at best. But what can you do? On a vacation, you take what is given; and we have had very good weather for much of the time here.

Heading out, we stopped, in the rain, at the Bay of Islands,


and the London Bridge (where, in 1990, some picnickers were stranded when one of the arches collapsed into the sea, and they had to be rescued by helicopter).


By the time we got to the Twelve Apostles (now only ten, but considered still the main attraction), we were soaked and decided to head straight for Apollo Bay and a warm dry place.

After a night of drying out and warming up, as well as some packing, we went back out on the road we had come on the day before, to visit Mait's Rest, a section of temperate rainforest that Joel and I had visited some years before. It was as good as I remembered it to be. And the weather was by now drier and a bit sunny, so some nice pictures.








Then to Melbourne.


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Location:Apollo Bay, VIC, Australia