Thursday, March 31, 2016

MOLIAGUL, JOHN FLYNN AND MORE

We head North out of Lorne through the towns of Ballarat and Maryborough and found an out of the way campsite in Moliagul. Moliagul is a place now consisting of one house and a park next to it.  Moliagul is home to the worlds biggest gold nugget find and was found by prospectors John Deason and Richard Oates on 5 February 1869.   It measured 61 by 31 cm (24 by 12 in) and weighed in at 3,123oz.  In today's market the gold in this nugget would fetch around $4,372,200.  Needless to say Karen and I started looking at everything on the ground with great interest from here on.... :-)



As it would happen this very camp site that we found ourselves in, was the birthplace of John Flynn the founder of the Flying Doctor Service was born in a small house opposite this monument.


John Flynn


John's house was a building next to this one however is no longer standing


I had just taken these pictures, had the 4WD warming ready to leave for Melville Caves when 4 gentlemen turned up in these vintage cars.  We asked what they were up to and they explained they were marshals for the vintage motorbikes that would be turning up to the annual ride.  Say no more I turned the 4WD off and waited in anticipation! :)


and as they say, wait and they will come....


and so they came


and came


and came


As it was explained to me, to be members of this club all bikes had to be dated pre-1942


And as it would appear a number of the owners fit into that category as well


There were approximately 30-40 of these bikes turn up


The oldest of the riders was 80 years!

A)  I hope I make it to that age


B)  I hope I'm doing was he is doing at that age!


And as we were the first to arrive, we were the last to leave and head further north to a place called Melville Caves, so time to hit the road.



Sunday, March 27, 2016

LORNE



As we head along the coast we approach our destination of Lorne



About 10kms out of Lorne was a beautiful camp called Hill Top camp site


So at our campsite we met this fury little local......


He seemed to not be bothered about anything or anyone...





He seemed to know when it was about to rain and would hide in his cubby hole in the forest before it would start.  When the rain stopped he would come out and climb back up his favorite gum tree.


I'm outa here!



Meh, what you looking at eh?


Quite the message from one of the very high lookouts!  If only Anna was called Karen and it was Karen's birthday I would be in the good books eh!....:)

Not far from Lorne was a beautiful walk in the Erskine water falls in the Ottway National Park


 Beautiful and lush at the bottom of the walk


Hello...






We head north of Lorne on our way to the surf break of Bell's Beach.  I have always had a fascination with light houses.  I would love to have worked at a light house in the old days but I think they are all automated these days so I may have missed the boat eh!


Some of the surf at Bell's 





 Some of the houses on the way up to Torquay were absolutely astonishing.  This one had a sky walk from the main house to an apartment or some other living quarters.


 Memorial of the construction of the Great Ocean Road by returned soldiers



We returned to our campsite at Lorne with the clouds and fog rolling in.....


Ello, ello, ello wha av we ear govner??


and after a very nice stay it was time to say goodbye to Lorne and head north inland towards the birthplace of John Flynn, the founder of the Flying Doctor Service.


Tuesday, March 15, 2016

TWELVE APOSTLES AND GREAT OCEAN ROAD

So about 45 minutes drive from Warrnambool on the Great Ocean Road is the 12 Apostles however there are some amazing sights to see before you hit the Apostles, so to see as much as possible we allowed half a day.

Some interesting information on the Great Ocean Road...

The Great Ocean Road is permanent memorial to those who died while fighting in World War I, carved in rock, it winds around the rugged southern coast. Built by returned servicemen it was a huge engineering feat ending decades of isolation for Lorne and other coastal communities.
Before the road, travel between the coastal settlements was far from pleasant. In the 1870s, a trip from Lorne to Geelong was long and arduous via a rough coach track through dense bush to the railway at Winchelsea. Previously the ocean supplied the link to the outside world.

Early plans

Plans for an ocean road emerged in the 1880s but only gained real impetus towards the end of the First World War. The chairman of the Country Roads Board, Mr W Calder, contacted the State War Council with a proposal that funds be provided for repatriation and re-employment of returned soldiers on roads in sparsely populated areas. Calder submitted a plan he described as the 'South Coast Road' which suggested a road starting at Barwon Heads, following the coast around Cape Otway and ending near Warrnambool.


Hmm surf's up at Pt Campbell!


Some of the land that has been etched away over history is truely an amazing spectacle!

These columns are scattered right along this coast 




The pictures don't do the scenery justice



Stunning! ;)


On the way down to the Grotto (hole in the wall)


The Grotto


Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.....


The number of amazing pictures have been too numerous to put on the blog but here are a few more;












And finally we meet the Apostles.  In the foreground you can see the remnants of one of the larger Apostles that crashed into the ocean on July 3, 2005


There are actually only 8 of the 12 apostles left standing today, however apparently there have been another 5 that have just been found but are submerged beneath the sea




 Can you see the face in the rock surface?


Now that's one way to see the Apostles!


and we say goodbye to the Apostles heading further East on the Great Ocean Road...


 
  Heading East of Cape Otway and toward our destination of Lorne




 This stretch of the Great Ocean has sheer cliff faces




 A part of the Great Ocean Road that was ravaged by bush fire late last year


Much of this road is a high risk accident area with many accidents occurring.  Possibly because in most areas the safe speed should be around 50 - 60kph however the speed limit is actually 80kph, go figure!!


High risk accident area, 80kph really?



Oh who's that stunning couple? ;)


Often rocks will fall from the cliff faces to and land on the road.