Leaving Joanna Beach in sunshine, we farewelled our new friends as they were staying another day. We hoped they would catch up with us in a day or two as we so enjoyed their company - 2 really lovely couples. There are so many highlights today, with the Twelve Apostles which are the amazing rock formations just offshore along the coast. They really are a sight to behold. Golden orange formations which were created more than 20 million years ago by the immense power of the southern ocean beating on the limestone cliffs The next attraction was Loch Ard Gorge, named after the ship 'Loch Ard' which was shipwrecked just off the coast here in 1878 with only two survivors, the ship's apprentice & a young girl passenger. Here we were able to venture down many steps to the small beach, the site of their survival. Further along there were the Arch, & London Bridge whic looked like it's namesake with two arches & was joined to the mainland. However in recent years one of the arches disintegrated into the sea & two tourists were marooned on the remaining arch. Luckily no one was hurt, but an experience one could do without I imagine. Stu was disappointed that we had to miss 'Shipwreck Beach' which has many remnants of ships from the 100 ships wrecked along this coast. Thus it is aptly named 'The Shipwreck Coast'. Further along is the 'Bay of Martyrs' another group of rock formations but quite diffent again. Today they were quite misty & mysterious as the weather is a little showery. This coast is also famous for watching the Southern Right Whales on their annual migration from May to October, so unfortunately we are just a little too early. Our final destination for the day is Warrnambool where we will camp in the showgrounds for 3 nights while we explore the area & catch up with washing etc while we have power again.03 April - We took to our bikes today & headed for Flagstaff Hill where we have been told there is a unique Maritime Village The original flagstaff was erected in the early 1850's serving as a navigational aid & signal point between ship & shore. In 1975 the Maritime Village opened after 3 yrs planning by members of the local community. Over the past 30 years it has continued to expand with new buildings, artifacts & vessels. It really is a unique little village & we were really surprised & delighted on our visit. All the buildings are historic & original but restored to their former glory & it is just like it would have been in it's heyday, with paved streets & all the little shops & services one would have found then. The volunteers are all dressed in period attire & are full of knowledge of their chosen interest. In the dressmakers shop there were ladies industriously sewing, the bank was manned by a little old lady suitably dressed & taking withdrawals after the filling in of a form in suitable script with a pen & ink. And the highlight was the schoolroom where there were lessons in progress with the children & teacher all in the dress of the day. It really was so delightful & the children were full of questions & obviously enjoying it immensely. Further along there were the 'shipsmith', the inn, the bondstore, the sailmaker, and so many other little shops etc. Then there was the little 'port' with a sailing sloop & a very large steam ferry waiting to be restored to it's former glory. Not to mention the church, the lighthouse etc, etc. We spent several hours there much to our surprise, so decided to lunch in 'the tearooms' where there were home-made goodies to whet our appetites. Finally we mounted our bikes again & cycled around some small lakes & part of the local rail trail which goes about 37kms to Port Fairy. A full & interesting day once more.
04 April - Today we are heading to the next town of Port Fairy, named after a ship which was wrecked off the coast nearby. En route we visit Tower Hill which is a volcanic formation believed to have erupted about 30,000 years ago. Because of the way the eruption occurred, it created a shallow crater which later formed a lake, then further eruptions occurred in the centre of the crater forming islands & cone shaped hills. Artifacts found in the area show that indigenous communities were living there at the time. It is now a tourist attraction with wildlife in their natural habitat & walking tracks due to revegation of the area which attracted them back. We saw a group of emus quietly grazing, kangaroos lazing under trees, & at last, koalas curled up in the trees keeping warm due to the drizzly morning. It was quite a hike to the top of the crater up many steps, but it did allow us to see the formation of the area. After a nice picnic lunch we took a tourist drive right around the top of the whole volcano which gave us an overall view. This is quite a different volcano in that it is not a high mountain or hill - it is more like a huge empty lake with islands in the middle. Returning to camp we find that there is to be greyhound racing at the showgrounds tonight, so after dinner we wrapped up & went out to watch for awhile. Boy can those dogs fly! There's always a new experience around the corner.
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