1 April 2000

Unfortunately, this morning was no better than yesterday - except that it wasn't raining. But it was very cold, very overcast and very windy.

First off, retraced our steps back through Peterborough to have a closer look at the sights we either didn't see (or only briefly saw) yesterday: The Arch, London Bridge, The Grotto, The Bay of Martyrs and The Bay of Islands. We also went back to the Loch Ard Gorge where we were when we ran out of light yesterday afternoon. There is a small cemetery near there where the dead from the shipwrecked Loch Ard are buried. Out of a complement of some 50 souls there were only two survivors and only four bodies were ever recovered. These are buried in the cemetery. By now the clouds were starting to break up and the sun was beginning to come out. So we again called in to the Twelve Apostles to see them bathed in sunshine before we left the area.

It was about midday before we left Port Campbell and continued on round the coast. After passing through Princetown and Lavers Hill we entered the Otway Ranges and drove out to have a look at Cape Otway and the lighthouse there. Coastline here is spectacular, as you would expect for an area so dangerous to shipping, and presumably because of the height of the cliffs the lighthouse is nowhere near as tall as the one we climbed at Cape Leeuwin.

From Cape Otway we headed north east towards Apollo Bay and Lorne. I had heard years ago that Lorne was one of the prettiest places on the Victorian coast. It may have been then, but now (for me at least) it is reminiscent of the over-developed places we saw south of Perth. From Lorne we went through Airey's Inlet (a pretty little place), Anglesea and Torquay. The Great Ocean Road (which we had been travelling on since we left port Campbell) was very difficult from Princetown all the way to Torquay. It is one lane each way and very narrow, and consists almost entirely of very tight twists and turns that require total concentration. Although it is signposted as 100 kph, it really should be 80 kph. It reminds me of what the Prince's Highway was like years ago between Wollongong and Sutherland.

From Torquay we headed north to Geelong. Geelong is B-I-G. I, at least, was glad to get out of it and head north west for Ballarat. It was getting dark as we came into Ballarat, but we were still able to discern the glorious period architecture of both the old public and private buildings. Will look at these tomorrow before moving on. Had a lot of trouble finding digs in Ballarat. There is a big Rotary Club convention in town and all the accommodation had been booked out. Luckily we found a motel about 8 kms out. I think this was the last one to have any vacancies.

Tomorrow will probably head up through Castlemaine and Bendigo and then on to Shepparton and Wangaratta.