En route to the Great Ocean Road we spend a couple of nights in McClaren Vale on a small vineyard. Beautiful grounds with countryside walks on the doorstep. One of the nicest Airbnbs we’ve stayed at so far, full of nice little touches that you don’t tend to get with hotels, including freshly baked sour dough.
We visit D’Arenberg for a wine tasting and a tour of their Dali exhibition. The Cube is one of the strangest tasting spaces we’ve ever experienced. Even the toilets have been turned into an exhibit. Tasted some interesting wines – many of which were wasted on me. I’ve decided that I like simple wines (quel surprise), complexity is very definitely lost on my palate. I have a greater appreciation however for Dali’s work and in particular his melting clocks. As this trip is proving – time is very definitely fluid!
The next couple of days involve quite a bit of driving, reminding us both just how big Australia is! We are treated to some interesting scenery along the – including the Pink Lake.
I think we have slightly mixed thoughts when we arrive at the Great Ocean Road. We’d expected that the road would snake close to the coast offering views for the entire duration. We found however, that the road heads inland frequently, and whilst the views of the coast are nice – they are only really appreciable from the stopping points. The 12 Apostles and London Bridge are well worth seeing, but perhaps less impressive than some of the scenery we’ve seen elsewhere in Australia. It is also notably busier than most of the other places we have visited so far – clearly our anthropophobia is kicking in!
As ever, wildlife presents itself at unexpected moments. As we park to look at London Bridge we spot a rodent like creature, much like a large rat with a short tail. Turns out to be a Bandicoot, a marsupial native to Australia. They are exceptionally rare now and on the endangered species list with c. 1500 left in the wild. Of course, hopping around a car park is not the ideal way to ensure a long and productive life.
Lorne, our destination for the evening, is a beautiful spot on the coast backing onto Great Otway National Park.
Our Airbnb is on the edge of the national park, with an elevated balcony overlooking a wood and leafy valley below. Our host has left some bird seed for us, together with a bottle of sparkling wine. It’s a lovely evening, so we sit with a glass of fizz on the balcony. After a little while a King Parrot lands on a nearby tree. I put a few seeds on the balcony and our quickly emboldened friend flies down for a late supper. It’s a female King Parrot, as discerned by its green head. It is soon joined by a couple of males. There is clearly a pecking order amongst the parrots and the males are bold enough to eat the food from a lid whilst I hold it. Great fun!
By now evening is setting in and a number of kangaroos emerge from the wood. As does an echidna! I get some shots from the balcony, but by the time I scramble down into the small valley, it’s disappeared. Pretty steep decent. I slide most of the way not aided by the couple of glasses of fizz I’ve consumed.
Disappointed by the disappearance of my spiked friend, I turn my attention to the roos. They are not overly perturbed by my presence. Usual modus operandi, they stand stock still until they decide that there is no danger, before resuming their business. One female has a joey with her. The latter seems to be reluctant to leave home and looks to be way to big to still be in its mothers pouch. I give it a good talking to! 😉 Really fun evening surrounded by unexpected wildlife encounters.
Next morning I can’t resist taking my remaining bird seed outside onto the balcony. Sure enough the King Parrots turn up pretty promptly. Less flirting this morning, they very quickly eat the seed directly from my hand. A lot of noise then announces that a pair of Golahs have arrived. They clearly trump the Kings, being larger and seemingly more aggressive. They spend as much time chasing away the competition as they do eating. They also make an unbelievable noise when not being fed. They just sit and scream! We are also joined by a sulphur-crested cockatoo, an eastern spinebill, and a kookaburra. An all-Australian breakfast!
We go for a couple of very nice coastal walks and visit Bells Beach. The latter you may recognise from Point Break. It is the beach that Bodhi visits for the 50 year storm and the accompanying legendary surf. No such storm when we visit, but some enthusiastic surfers, and some very visible rip currents.
With that it’s farewell to the Great Ocean Road and onward to the Yarra Valley, just north of Melbourne. It’s funny, writing this and revisiting the photos makes me think I may have been a bit harsh on this beloved Australian road trip – actually looks pretty cool! 😉
Interesting to see a Bandicoot. You both are looking great, so all of this expeience is uplifting.
Whar brilliant coloure the parrots are. No snakes arounf this time?