People of the Journey - Victoria

Clement at Aire River Camp

My trip across Victoria was fairly quick and I didn’t make much contact with people. Aire River campground reminded me of how we are creatures of habit.  When I arrived Robin had set himself up on a high flat corner of the grounds.  Tanya and Phil were tucked away in one corner with the tent out of sight behind the truck – which they proceeded to do at the next camping area. As usual, I circled the place a couple of times looking for a shady, grassy, flat spot. You can’t adjust a car the way you can level a caravan or motorhome. If I’m not flat, I fall out of bed. There is about half a square metre of floor space between the bed and the door, that is a very awkward predicament to be in. Far better to find the right spot in the first place. Clement eventually cycled in and we talked for quite a while in the evening and again next morning.

There was a very popular spot at Dartmoor, When I arrived Marty and Liz were on the best high level ground. When they left, Max and Nadine moved from the gully to their spot. They were followed by Lynda. Lynda is on the road almost permanently - eighteen months already this trip. She has quite a large motorhome with a motor bike on the back. Not only in Australia, she has camped in Asia and South America and seems to have seen large amounts of the world, including long term teaching in Laos where she is headed again at the end of the year. (Lynda is Nomadic1 on the Grey Nomads Forum)

Marty and Liz and Bonnie
Dartmoor

Max and Nadine from Germany
with their first ever campfire

Liz suggested that I should go to a sex shop and get a blow-up doll for my passenger seat to give the impression of not travelling alone. I'm not sure about the message that would give.

Once a Yolly Yambuk

A few days ago - the days run into each other when you don't use a watch or a calendar - I spent the day in Warrnambool and took a tour. Well, it was actually a private introduction to the city as there wasn't a tour going but Bob took me anyhow. It is always great to see a place through the eyes of an insider and Bob gave me a great overview of the city. (If you are there, go to the Information Centre and book one of his tours. It is well worth it.) Bob is retired principal of the high school, so we also talked a bit about our working lives.

He recommended a few days in the area and suggested the Yambuk caravan park where I have stayed for the past three days. It is a lovely quiet spot - or it was till the school holidays started yesterday! The park is on a lake, quiet and serene. Over the sandhills is the ocean and it is quite disorienting to look at the still  lake and hear pounding waves at the same time. (And yes, I know it was the jolly swagman who camped by the billabong. I have since met Jos - pronounced Yos - yet another cyclist, this time from Holland. I thought it tied in nicely with the Yambuk theme)

I did Warrnambool the easy way, mainly in Bob's little bus, followed by a drive around to have a closer inspection of some of the areas I had just seen. It is a city of contrasts with the very old buildings intermixed with brash new modern designs but it seems to be true to its origins and clings to its historical roots.

This restaurant was once
the Post Office

I spent most of the day yesterday in Port Fairy, the end of the Great Ocean Road and another day in Portland. This area was the first to be settled in victoria and was a very busy entry port for thousands of Chinese who came to the goldfields.

I love the gabled windows

The Notorious, replica Portuguese Caravel
soon to sail around the world

Hundreds of wind turbines on wind farms

Guess how far I walked on the Great South West Walk

Cape Nelson Lighthouse
Are you there, Josee?

Great Ocean Road

Memorial to the 3000 Returned Service Men
who built the Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is fascinating in many ways, not just for the exceptional scenery.  The road itself was built by returned servicemen in an economic stimulus scheme to provide work for thousands of men.  It was constructed as a memorial to those who did not return after the First World War and is the longest memorial in the world.  The start of the road is marked by a memorial arch and sculpture to the workers so it is a memorial at a second level. One of the aims of the construction was to link the coastal towns of the Victorian coast. It was a huge job winding its way along an inhospitable coast with dense forests, high cliffs and rocky mountains that had to be hewn through – a major engineering feat.

Then there is the scenery – one of the most picturesque stretches of coastline. The force of the waves is constantly changing the shoreline. When I brought the kids to this area when they were at school, the London Bridge formation was complete. Not long after that the middle collapsed and, although it still bears the name, it doesn’t bear any resemblance to the original.  I stopped at the Twelve Apostles and several other lookouts along the way, including the Loch Ard Gorge.  All of these places have historical significance and are worth Googling for more details.

The councils and Victorian Government have really promoted this as a world class journey, which it is. Viewing areas and safe parking spots have been set up. Information boards are well done with photos and stories presented in easy to read snatches.  It is interesting to just listen to the variety of languages – and to look at the range of expensive cameras clicking away.

Along the Coast

The Twelve Apostles
Great Ocean Road

Loch Ard Gorge

Loch Ard Gorge
Can you see my car at the end of the walking track?
Neither can I. It was a long walk.

Wwoofers and Wanderers

This is another of those 'Damnation' posts. The last two seem to have disappeared without a trace - and it takes ages to upload photos even once, never mind twice. But I'll be ladylike and say 'Oh dear!' and try to connect the dots accurately. I am going to publish this as I do each bit because saving doesn't always seem to save. So this will be a work in progress. I will also publish People of the Journey even though it is not complete.

Until a month ago, I had never heard of a Willing Worker on Organic Farms and now I am meeting them constantly. I suppose that makes sense as most of them are working long enough to earn the money for the next stage of the trip or volunteering as a wwoofer to have a break from travel and experience the lifestyle. I imagine that most of them and young and single or travelling in small groups.

Sharing a cuppa with Clement
before he continues his long bike ride

A couple of nights ago, I stayed at the Aire River campground, a busy little free camping area (in fact the only free one I have managed since arriving back in Victoria) spread over both sides of the river. My site was in the smaller area, well grassed and newly mown so there was the lovely smell of just cut grass - and the less lovely traipsing of grass into the van.

One of my fellow campers was Clement. Say that with your best French accent. He is working and exploring on a push bike. I had passed him on the road earlier and admired his stamina on the hills. He has been travelling since November, starting in North Queensland. At home he is a data programmer in a bank, though planning a change after this trip. He is learning about the hard work of farming at the moment. At the Killarney campground the following night, I met up with Tetsu from Japan. He has been working on farms at Shepparton. Travelling in a station sedan, he has set himself up fairly well. He is on his way to the Grampions to do some rock climbing.

As well as these adventurous young men, there are plenty of travellers of all ages. I suppose by staying in the free and budget camps I meet a different style of traveller from those who stay in hotels and motels and even those who always stay in caravan parks, and there are lots of those.  Some of them I meet up with more than once. Tanya and Phil are following a similar route to me and have been at the same parks twice. I expect to run into them again.

With my new awning, I look like a real camper

Although I am perfectly happy poking along at my own pace, it is nice to see a familiar face occasionally. There is a wonderful sense of camaraderie among the people I meet. There are a lot of solos on the road but singles, couples or groups are all welcoming. I have been asked what it is like to be alone and I have to honestly say that I don't feel alone and I get a bit of a shock to be asked.