Warrnambool Mar 22

12 Apostles

The drive from Princeton to the next campground, near Portland, was one of the most scenic to date. We packed up and were out of the campsite by 09:20 and it was only 10 minute drive down the road to the 12 Apostles. The day was hot and clear, perfect conditions for viewing the sites along the coast. The 12 Apostles did not disappoint! We hiked down to the beach at the first stop and got some great pictures from the waters edge. From there we drove another 1 km down the road to the visitors centre and did the sight seeing walk along the top of the bluffs. The view was spectacular and worth every minute it took along the ocean road just to see this. We also stopped at Loch Ard Gorge before pulling into Port Campbell for coffee. The inlet at Port Campbell had some huge waves and we watched some really good surfers on 3 meter waves surfing into the bay.

 

Further along, at Warrnambool, we stopped at the visitors centre and the very helpful gal there helped us book our return flight seats on Quantas. That is just one thing off of our minds for the coming weeks. There was a quaint, restored port town in the bay below the visitors centre.

After leaving Warrnampool we drove a short distance down the cost to Port Fairy. Although we only stopped there for about 45 minutes it was well worth the look. We strolled down the harbour wharf looking at the tour and private boats then drove out to the entrance of the harbour to watch a dozen or so guys doing some terrific surfing. They only had area just outside the narrow bay mouth, approximately 300 meters wide, in which to play. Any deviation left or right would bring them into some ugly looking rock shoals on either side of the bay. These guys clearly knew what they were doing.

 

 

It took us less than an hour to find the Sawpit picinic area just past Narrawong. It was another free camping area, just 3 km off the highway, nestled in the forest on Mt. May. The sites are large, with picinic tables and good fire pits. We settle in to a good spot then hiked the 1.2 km to the Whalers Lookout. It had a nice view of the ocean around Portland. We had a light supper and sat around the fire till around 9:30, enjoying a mild evening. Possibly our last good evening for a while. The forecast for the coming week is decreasing temperatures and increasing rain showers. Hopefully, as we head inland from here, we will be able to miss most of the rain. We had a couple of wallabies wander into the campsite just before dark. They hung around within about 10 feet of us munching on some mangoes someone left behind.

 

 

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