Driving from Melbourne to Cape Otway via Colac on the M1 highway
OK. Normally when I go on trips within Australia they do not appear here. COVID has forced a change in that.
I thought it best to add this small 4 day trip over Easter to the main part of the site to ensure google does not forget me, and I do not forget how to use my own website. I am not sure which of those is a bigger problem to solve yet.
So now I am at a place called Cape Otway. It is on or just off to be precise, the Great Ocean Road, familiar to all Australians, but for those not Australian, it is about 3 hours west of Melbourne.
Cape Otway is just about the southern most point of Victoria but not quite, I thought it was but I checked. It is often the coldest place in the state, but not today, today it is 30 degrees (metric system).
The Great Ocean Road was built to keep unemployed returned soldiers entertained. It is usually very popular with foreign tourists, the smarter ones take a bus tour, the foolish try and drive, and plummet into the ocean or drive on the wrong side of the road (as we do here) and kill an oncoming family.
To limit the likelihood of that occurring, I drove the inland route, via Winchelsea and Colac. Therefore, the pics below (from my new camera) are of inland towns, with just a taste of Cape Otway at the end. I think theres lots of things to take photos of here though, so there will be more photos to come.
That is assuming the internet works well enough to make that occur. Where I am is so remote theres no tv signal and patchy phone coverage.
Bonus afterthought, speaking of stupid driving antics, as I was arriving at Cape Otway there was a 4WD SUV thing with a soft top, with people standing on the front passenger seat with their heads above the roof as the car was driving along erratically. I prayed for it to flip, my prayers were unanswered.
What an unremarkable first picture. This is under an 'historic' bridge in Winchelsea. It shows the Barwon river. Everything near here is named Barwon, including peoples heads.
A better view of the historic bridge. I could really feel a sense of history, majesty, enormity of the occasion while standing here watching a guy empty the shit bin from his caravan into a drain.
Peak Australiana. Cocky's were flying at terrifying speed overhead in every direction. None appear clearly in the photo.
The local pub has dilapidated junk laying everywhere.
Just up the road is the much bigger town of Colac. It has a big lake, a bird sanctuary and many snakes. It was the site of Victoria's largest regional COVID outbreak at the local abattoir. Exploring Colac is therefore high on my list of things to do today. I was looking for snakes.
This seat is here overlooking the lake and a metal drum thing you can burn snakes in.
It is actually a very large nice looking lake. Although the weather is a bit smoggy today, I think due to what we call 'hazard reduction burns' occurring somewhere nearby.
A bit more bird sanctuary.
In the centre of Colac is the usual war memorial thing. The town was bigger, more historic and a lot nicer than I was expecting.
Here is the main street. It is Good Friday so a lot of places are shut, but there were probably 5 or so places open. Also leaves falling off the trees and lots of guys in orange vests trying to get killed stopping traffic for the Good Friday Childrens Hospital appeal.
I took lunch to the nearby botanic gardens.
The botanic gardens were also very nice, and very large. Expectations exceeded.
After a twisty drive south from Colac, here is the view from my accommodation at Cape Otway. My shift at the lighthouse is from midnight until 6AM, this makes the accommodation cheaper.
Now for some pictures of the room. I am standing in the entry which has a day bed. It is next door to the cafe, but the place shuts at 5pm and they kick everyone out and lock the gates.
Kitchen area looking back towards the entrance.
And finally the bedroom. Now I need to find out if my limited internet coverage will allow this to upload or not, then go take some photos of the lighthouse and maybe some pelicans.
Many photo's of the lighthouse at Cape Otway
If you like lighthouse photos, you will like this update, it is all lighthouses.
The lighthouse is the main attraction, but as you shall see there are also Wallabies.
Also there is the Great Ocean Walk, different from the road, as its for walking not driving.
I walked on some of it.
The sunset was very good, it is now dark, the lighthouse is lit up. Ships are safely navigating. Soon I might go and see some stars. Sky stars, not movie stars.
There are at least some other people here in some of the other buildings, but they are far away from me. There is also a story about a guy who crashed his Cesena into the ocean after seeing a UFO. So who knows, I could be attacked by an alien Wallaby hybrid.
Lighthouse, with the walkway and stay 1.5m away from me or I will stab you repeatedly COVID signs.
That is the cafe, with my accommodation on the left. The cafe has wifi, I think I can get connected if I go press my laptop against the glass. I am about to try that!
Getting closer to the lighthouse.
The view back towards Melbourne in the late afternoon.
Wait, what is this? IT IS THE ACTUAL LIGHTHOUSE! A pathetic little light down the cliff out of view. My lighthouse is just an ornamental fake tourist lighthouse!
I came face to face with everyone's greatest fear. They cannot walk backwards. If they attack, get behind them (I stole this joke from a famous comedian).
Further proof, I rolled part way down a cliff and here is evidence of real lighthouse with fake tourist lighthouse.
Disheartened that I had been tricked into operating a tourist lighthouse, I set off on the Great Ocean Walk to find myself.
I went quite a distance away before I could bring myself to look at the lighthouse again.
It was tempting to just keep going, forever.
Eventually I turned back, and got back in time for the sunset.
Behold, sunset on lighthouse.
Sun going into the sea. Photo of the day. Big cliche. I don't care.
Sinking sun and lighthouse.
I climbed up a hill to observe from afar....
And then I found a world war 2 radar station. Turns out Japan flew reconnaissance flights right over here, using the lighthouse for navigation! They quickly built a radar as a result.
Here are all the buildings of Cape Otway. Including a wooden whale, flag poles and portable toilets.