Shallow Inlet, Wilsons Promontory, Victoria

Tuesday February 14th saw us getting an early start to head the relatively short distance to Wilson's Promontory. The trip was short but the roads were less than ideal especially for towing a caravan. Quite narrow with lots of turns and hills. To top it off the surface was very uneven and bumpy. I was holding on tight to the steering wheel with both hands watching the numerous rough surface signs pass by.

We had called ahead to the Shallow Inlet Campground which is located on the coastal reserve. They had allocated a couple of sites to us with one being a fairly large site near the entry to the park. This is a beautiful bush camping area but the site access roads are quite tight with a lot of overhanging limbs. There is a dump point, drinking water taps, and several drop toilets. The drop toilets are the cleanest and best smelling ones we have experienced to date in our travels. 4 Stars and credit to the Ranger/Caretaker Noel who keeps everything spotless. The sites cost $15/day which is very economical compared to the local caravan parks and camping at Wilson Promontory itself($70/day). Once we got setup we enjoyed a nice long walk down the beach. Lots of birdlife and as the name implies the water is shallow.

Wednesday morning we all loaded into the Jeep and headed out to Wilson's Promontory. We headed straight to the Telegraph Saddle parking lot. From here we did the 7Km return walk to the summit of Mount Oberon. Was a fairly steep climb but with a good gravel path for most of the journey. The last bit involved stone steps and some railing. Luckily the temperature was still cool and much of the path was shaded. That being said I had still worked up a good sweat by the time we made the summit. Rans couldn't make it all the way to the top as he got a spell of Vertigo when we got to the stone step/railing section. The remaining 3 of us enjoyed a wonderful view of Tidal River area with some sunshine although it was still windy & cold.

We retraced our steps picking up Rans on the way down. We made it down safely although I almost stepped on a small Tiger snake. Got a picture and gave it a bit of room. Also came across a dark wallaby.

Once back at the car we returned to Tidal River where we enjoyed our picnic lunch. This is the main centre/campground in the park. We took a quick tour around the camping ground which didn't look that good for the price they charge. We walked down onto Norman Beach which was beautiful. Such lovely clear water with multiple shades of blue. Also got a good view of Mount Oberon which we had climbed earlier.

Next stop was Squeaky Beach which was also lovely. We did a short walk through the trees to get to the beach before trekking further down the sand. Some wonderful rock formations near the end of the beach which reminded us a bit of Elephant Rocks near Denmark, Western Australia. The only downside to the beaches was the proliferation of March flies. There was large numbers of them and they were very aggressive.

Our last stop was at Picnic Bay where we did a walk to a lookout overlooking Picnic Beach and Whisky Bay. A bit of work with a sand walkway and several steps but well worth the effort. This would be one of the nicest beaches we have seen in our travels. Comparable to the many beautiful beaches we saw in West Australia. The water was so clear with several shades of blue. Wonderful!

We had an uneventful trip back to the caravan park where we enjoyed a BBQ dinner. It was a fairly early night as we were fairly worn out from our day. I think we did some 14Km of walks throughout the day with quite a bit of climbing involved. We all slept well!

Thursday we had a fairly relaxed morning before taking a drive into Foster. This was a lovely little town that was very neat and tidy. The locals were friendly and they had herb gardens growing in gardens along the main street that were free to pick. The girls did a bit of shopping before we headed back to the campground for lunch. After lunch Carol took Stephen and I back to Picnic Bay where we went for a swim/surf. A little bit rougher than the day before but still lovely and clear. Had a good 30 minutes fun in the surf before returning home. The sand trail returning to the carpark was good exercise as the sand was deep. Sandra had stayed back at the camp to get our baked dinner started. The baked dinner was a team effort and turned out great. Another great day and a very enjoyable stay at Wilson's Promontory. We will definitely try to return here and would highly recommend the campground we stayed at.

Port Albert, Victoria

Monday February 13th saw us say our goodbyes to Lakes Entrance. A most enjoyable 4 days and a place we hope to return to. We drove back through Bairnsdale then passing through Sale before turning South along the Coastal road towards Yarram. We turned South just before Yarram and took some backroads out to Port Albert. We arrived at the Port Albert Parking area around lunch time. This is a free camp located in a parking lot right on the water. Has a decent amenity block on site but limited parking for caravans. There are only supposed to be 6 sites in a small area but at least a dozen caravans/motorhomes/vans were there by the next morning scattered throughout the parking lot. We were there early and managed to get two spots in the designated area.

The weather was terrible with strong winds and rain for much of the day. We tried to get out for a walk at least 3 times but were chased back to the caravan by bad weather each time. A pretty quiet afternoon and evening trying to keep dry and warm.

The next morning was slightly better and Sandra & I had a couple of short walks. The first was down to the Petrol station to pick up the key for the dump point. Unfortunately vandals had plugged the pipes previously so they keep it under lock and key. We returned the key and took a longer walk along the shoreline to the point where there is a great view of the ocean. Still not great weather but we got a few pictures before packing up. Would be a nice spot with good weather!

Lakes Entrance, Victoria

Thursday February 9th, 2017 saw us back on the road for a short trip South to Lakes Entrance.

We arrived late morning and checked into Woodbine Tourist Park. It is a Top Tourist Park and owned by the Bowling Club next door. Nice little park that has been recently upgraded with new sites and camp kitchen. We got drive thru sites but the roads and camp area is quite tight. We got in with no problem but a lot of vans struggled to get on their spots. The camp kitchen was one of the nicest we have seen with lovely barbeques, counters, and tables. We made good use of them during our stay. The amenity block is a bit dated but large and very clean. I'll give 4 Stars. One of the more reasonable parks in Lakes Entrance at $30/day and you get a 10% discount at the Bowling Club and $10 voucher.

Once setup we jumped in the car and drove down to the foreshore where we enjoyed a lovely gluten free meal of fish & chips. Great little shop with numerous gluten free options. The girls enjoyed battered fish and potato scallops along with hot chips. Yummy! After lunch we walked across the bridge to the beach for a bit of exercise and a look.

Friday we took a drive North West to Buchan. We did a tour of the Fairy Cave at the Buchan Caves. It was a wonderful cave experience and none of us had even heard of them before. One of the best we've seen with a 45 minute (closer to an hour) guided tour. Well worth a visit but would recommend avoiding during peak holiday times as our guide indicated it was extremely busy and difficult to provide a quality tour. We took lots of pictures of which a small selection are below:

We enjoyed a picnic lunch after our tour and then completed a 3KM walk to a dry waterfall and back through a creek bed. Hot on the way up but much cooler in the return trip which was quite rainforest like. Saw a Lyre bird on our way back. We had planned to explore a  few sites on the Buchan-Orbost Road but fresh tar changed our plans. Returned to the campground where Rans and I enjoyed a few beer and a couple of bets at the Bowling Club.

Saturday was my birthday and started off with a big cooked breakfast in the Camp kitchen. Nice relaxed morning reading the paper and catching up with a bit of computer work. For Lunch we walked down to the docks to buy some fresh prawns right off the trawler. Beautiful and cheap! The girls stopped at a few op shops on our return visit to the caravan park where we enjoyed the prawns and a mango salad. The afternoon saw Rans and I return to the Bowling Club for drinks and some horse races. We managed to come out even which is always a bonus. We had orders to be back by 5 so we could get ready for dinner. We set out on foot again to a surprise destination, The Floating Dragon. As the name suggests it was a floating restaurant attached to the pier that specialized in Chinese and seafood. Once again it had a really good gluten free menu and we all enjoyed a great meal. Highly recommended! We enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the caravan park and a quiet evening. A great day!

Sunday we took another day trip to Bairnsdale and Paynesville. Unfortunately, the weather was cold, rainy, and windy. I had to pick up my birthday present from the girls up at Harvey Norman in Bairnsdale. After a quick stop there we headed out to Paynesville for a visit. We would have gone across to Raymond Island on the ferry but the weather wasn't too promising. Instead we had a quick tour around town and a stop at an antique shop on our return trip through Bairnsdale. We returned to Lakes Entrance in time to grab another gluten free take away fish & chips  order for a late lunch back at the caravan park. Had an easy afternoon before topping it off with another beautiful dinner out at the Bowling Club. Once again there were multiple gluten free choices for the girls. Lakes Entrance would be one of the best destinations so far for celiacs!

We've loved our time in Lakes Entrance and would love to return. Great food and location! The only downside was the weather wasn't cooperative for much of our visit and Rans and I didn't get our swim in. Once again I would hate to be here during the busy season!

Orbost, Victoria

Wednesday February 8th saw us on the road once again. A slightly longer trip today to Orbost (120km) It was a fairly short drive but not an easy one. The road was very winding and hilly with numerous uneven patches. We were both relieved to arrive safely at our destination. We had originally planned to stay at one of the numerous free camps along the Snowy River between Orbost and Marlo. However, when we explored them we found them all very small and right on the main road. Most of them would only fit two vans comfortably. We also discovered the Ransleys had mechanical problems with their caravan when they pulled up to inspect one site. Their parking brake cable had come off during the trip. We decided it might be best to head back to the caravan park in Orbost.

The caravan park there is lovely and shaded with several large trees. We got setup in two nice grassy sites. The sites were nice and wide but not very deep. There were sites behind ours but with no access road. Would be interesting during peak times. Luckily the park wasn't that full and these sites weren't required. Gave us a bit more room and space to park our cars in the shade. Two large amenity blocks that were old but lovely and clean. Very cool as well due to the thick brick/masonry walls. I'll give 4 stars. It was relatively good value at $29/night and would recommend for future visitors.

We headed into town once setup to find some parts to fix the brake problem. We were fortunate to find the required part at our first stop at Home Hardware. Rans and I got the problem fixed up in relatively short order. We had a quick lunch before heading off in our car to explore Marlo. A relatively short trip South on a good sealed road. We inspected a number of free camping areas along the river towards Marlo. Unfortunately, they were all small with poor signage and difficult access to many. I would highly recommend that you travel to Marlo first and look to find a site on your return trip to Orbost as would be much easier to access all the sites on your left.

We did a quick tour of Marlo and found a nice beach/picnic area near the mouth of the Snowy. All the posts had hats/beanies which was interesting.

We then travelled East towards Cape Conran. We stopped at a number of viewpoints where you could see the Snowy estuary with the ocean in the background.

We then stopped at Point Ricardo where we did a short walk. Only a couple of hundred meters took you to a huge beach which we had all to ourselves. Sandra, Carol, and I did a short walk enjoying the views.

We returned to the Caravan park where we enjoyed a quiet night. Sandra and I took a short walk along the Snowy River near the caravan park after dinner. The river was beautiful but unfortunately a number of information signs and viewpoints were somewhat rundown. Given the Snowy River would be the main tourist attraction for Orbost it is a shame that the area isn't better maintained.

Genoa Campground, Victoria

Tuesday February 7th, 2017 saw us packing up in a steady rain at Eden. Luckily we had put some stuff away Monday evening so didn't have too many wet things to put away. We only had a short drive as we were planning to stop at a free camp at Genoa which was just across the border in Victoria. The road was wet, hilly, and winding so we took our time.

We arrived before lunch and luckily the weather had cleared. Believe the rain was heading North/East away from us. The Genoa campground is quite a large area set back from the highway. It has a basic amenity block and operates a donation box. There were a dozen or so vans there when we pulled in but we found a couple of level spots that were relatively dry. The area is well utilized and would have been some 30 vans/cars/motorhomes by the evening. Hopefully we weren't the only ones to put some money in the donation box. Places likes these are wonderful for travellers and should be supported.

Once we got setup we hopped into the Ransley's car for a drive to Mallacoota. It is located approximately 25km South on a winding but sealed road. Mallacoota would appear to be primarily a fishing destination with a huge caravan park (over 500 sites we think). Almost everyone had a boat as well. We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch down near the boat launch. The weather wasn't ideal as cool and windy. After lunch we toured the town and found another boat launch on the ocean. Didn't appear to be that well designed as the opening was narrow and had surf going strait across it.

We returned to the campground and enjoyed a quiet evening. We did take a short walk across the old trestle bridge during the afternoon. On the road again in the morning.

Eden, New South Wales

Saturday February 4th, 2017 saw us hit the road again. There were a number of caravans checking out of Dalmeny but all seemed to coordinate fairly well with no congestion. A very lovely place to stay that we definitely hope to return to one day.

Had quite a short drive to our next location in Eden. We passed through/by Bega about half way. The road is quite hilly and winding but we arrived without any problems. We were booked into the Eden Beachfront Holiday Park which is about 4km South of Eden. We got two nice large grassy sites near the back of the park and close to the highway. The playground, tennis court, and jumping pillow were located behind us but luckily there weren't many kids left in the park to annoy us. The amenity blocks were ensuite style but dated and needed a good clean. They didn't seem to be cleaned very often during our stay so only 2 Stars. Park itself isn't too bad with beach front on Two Fold Bay and a river running along the North side.

Sandra and I drove back into Bega after lunch to do some shopping. Sandra forgot her Fitbit charger at home and unfortunately it is specific to that model, so we were hoping to pick up a new one at Big W. Unfortunately they had every other model but Sandra's. On the positive side we stocked up at Dan Murphy and Woolworths. Enjoyed afternoon drinks with the Ransleys down at the water front.

Sunday we took a drive out to Merimbula and Tathra. Tried a few more places for Sandra's Fitbit but no luck. Had a quick stop in Tura Beach along the way. Lots of nice view points along the way. Had lunch at the historic Tathra Wharf. The food was good when we finally got it but the service was shoddy. Only 6 tables in the place and we got the wrong order three times. Returned to Merimbula after lunch to visit the wharf area. It was a nice warm day but we got a good rain shower during the night.

Monday was overcast with rain on and off throughout the day. We did a short trip into Pambula where the girls did some shopping at a couple of op shops. Spent the afternoon and evening trying to keep dry. We packed up some gear in the evening to save having to pack it away wet in the morning. We had planned another trip out to Ben Boyd National Park but the weather was against us on this visit to Eden. Next time......