Well, the story of our travels continues. The additional work on the van was carried out successfully, and a few days later we took off onto the road again for a few days exploring. I wanted to be back in Port Fairy for some activities on the long weekend of June as I didn’t want to travel too far, selected Colac as the starting point. It’s a nice country town, situated on a lake, and lovely old architecture. Fred and I took a walk around the town when we arrived mid-afternoon, and then headed out to our campsite for the night, about 15mins from town. It was a free campsite, and had toilets and tap water and is fine for brief periods but didn’t hold a lot of interest for me. So off we went exploring the next day, and despite initial plans to go elsewhere, we found ourselves heading into the Otway Ranges. Now years ago I’d put that area on my to-do list, especially when I found out about the Otway Fly.
However, I knew a brief visit would never satisfy me, which is why I was surprised to find myself selecting it for this brief road trip. However….. can’t argue with my muse…
Yes, it was truly wonderful, No, my time there was too short. Yes, I will be returning. Yes, it is one of the wettest places anywhere, summer or winter, and yes it does get very cold…….. but doesn’t usually get snow in winter. Ha! Despite my non-enjoyment of cold weather, I’m planning to spend somewhere between 1-4 weeks there this winter! The reason is that during the summer the place is full of tourists but during winter the numbers reduce dramatically. I don’t like crowds. I’ve got a good offer at a caravan park in the region, where I’ll have power and hot showers and a camp kitchen as well as a concrete pad for the van and so I”m willing to give it a go!
Later this week I’ll be housesitting for friends again, and so it will be early next when we plan to head back to the beautiful temperate rainforest region where time has almost stood still. I’m not very satisfied with the photos I took on the first trip and am definitely not happy with my laptop for viewing images – I DO so miss my desktop screen however, it is what it is for now…….
Walking high in the tree tops was an amazing experience.
Climbing this 47metre tower as a challenge but well worth it for the view.
The walkways did sway if others were on it – once again a good reason to visit when not many people were walking on it!
Naturally there were times of going up and times of going down……
In the really damp areas, the walkways were covered with wire to prevent boots from slipping too much but it paid to keep attention to placing the feet carefully.
I was half expecting to see a dinosaur appear from the tree ferns…..
What really interested me was finding a black snail……unique to the Otways.
All I was able to photograph was the empty shell of one so guess what my next challenge is? Yes, a real live one! A snail that isn’t vegetarian – now that’s something different!
Naturally in such a damp region there are many waterfalls. This one is Triplet Falls, not far from the Otway Fly. Gorgeous.
The image doesn’t do it justice. Hopefully next time I”ll do better.
So there you have it. For now. 🙂
My cat Frank continues to surprise me. Before Easter I spent a couple of days with friends not far from where we lived about 18months ago. When I turned the van off the main highway, on the route I used to take when I lived in the region, Frank started speaking, as he does when he recognises where he is. Sadly for Frank, I stopped not at his old place, but somewhere completely different – and one which smelt of DOG! But when the dog was safely inside his house, Frank could do a little exploring. Pixel decided discretion was the best bet, and kept inside the van apart from short walks on her lead and harness. Fred was fine, and if I disappeared into the house, he would return himself to the van and keep watch there. He was also being very protective of “his cats” which was surprising but nice.