Koroit to Portland & Lower Glenelg NP

21st - 24th October 2012

Driving further along the coast towards west and SA border, we passed through Koroit (which is a strong Irish community), Port Fairy and Portland. Did a great walk near Portland to see a seal colony in great weather. This area is also well known for it's wind turbines which seem to be everywhere. (usually not a good sign as it means this is a windy area)
Setting camp in the Lower Glenelg National Park was just a great move as we were nicely sheltered from the wind as well as from the crowd. This NP is along the river (76km) and a hidden jewel for fishers, canoeing and campers.

Lower Glenelg National Park

Does anyone know why some birds are attacking my chrome rear mirrors? Happens a lot recently.

Great Ocean Road

14th till 20th October 2012

Our first stop at the Great Ocean Road was Torquay with the famous Bells Beach (Ripcurl Pro). Close to Lorne, Silvan saw his first "wild" Koala! On the way to Cape Otway Lighthouse we saw close to hundred koala's. We spent a night at a free campground in that National Park, however there were construction workers who demolished the toilets, so it was an early wake-up due to the jackhammer...
The following day we stayed at Johanna Beach which had a massive swell - this is also the back-up beach for the Ripcurl Pro. From there off to the better known 12 Apostles, The Loch Ard Gorge, The Arch, London Bridge and The Grotto, which we were able to enjoy with a warm and sunny day!

Phillip Island & Mornington Peninsula

10th till 14th October 2012

We headed to Phillip Island to see the famous Fairy Penguin Parade. They are so cute, but sadly no photos are allowed to be taken! We were lucky to just escape a heavy thunderstorm, managed to put up the tent and sit into the camp kitchen. The following day was still rainy, but the afternoon cleared up and we headed off to explore the green island and its beaches. The following day we went to the Koala Conservation Centre before driving towards Mornington Peninsula.
We enjoyed catching up with Matt at the Chifley Doveton with a great evening in the tavern, thanks a lot, Matt! The next day Matt joined us on a tour around the Mornington Peninsula, started off with a fantastic coffee at his mates cafe, followed by Arthurs Seat lookout and Cape Schank.
The following morning we got up at 6.30am to go to the Hot Springs as it is always quite busy!

Phillip Island

Mornington Peninsula

Omeo - Mt Hotham - Mt Buffalo NP - Lake Eildon NP

6th till 10th October 2012

After a chilly night in an old caravan in Omeo, we drove over Mt Hotham. This was stunning as indeed there was snow that had fallen overnight! This also meant it was only 1c at 12 lunch time when we were at our highest point (1700m).
We spent the afternoon exploring Mt Buffalo National Park. Saw some nice waterfalls and it would have been a beautiful National Park to stay a couple of nights, however sadly still everything closed as the nights are too cold. Plenty of windy roads throughout the whole day!
We stopped at Ned Kelly in Glen Rowan before heading south to Lake Eildon National Park. This lake was dried out in the last many years and only filled with lasts year rain which seems amazing. There were lots of decent size trees in the lake that drowned.

Omeo

Mt Hotham

Mt Buffalo National Park

Ned Kelly in Glen Rowan

Lake Eildon National Park

Jindabyne & Bombala / Delegate & Buchan

2nd - 6th October 2012

Having ordered our back window, we headed back to the coast for a relaxed wait until the spare was due to arrive. As usual Murphy's was on board, as it was long weekend and therefore no spare until Tuesday. (broken on Friday)
Back in Bombala on Tuesday we were told tomorrow (as usual in Oz) and therefore decided to head to the snowy mountains. Great weather welcomed us in Jindabyne and Thredbo. Not much snow anymore and we were laughing at the skiiers, seriously go to a mountain! Stopped for a quick beer though, apres-ski is a must!

The window arrived and our car has been fixed, finally the journey could continue. Stayed in Delegate where we had our own caravan park, before heading towards Orbost and Buchan.

After a quick stop in Orbost, we headed to Buchan - it was a sunny day with 30c! We were positively surprised at the wonderful National Park campground! Went for a cave tour, and stayed an extra night - we went on a walk to a waterfall in sunny weather as the forecast for the following days said rain. And it is raining and cold now in Omeo, so a good time to update the blog!