WINDY WARRNAMBOOL

Coastal Reefs Warrnambool

Windy, wintery, wet, ......................all of the above. We are not sure if this is typical Victorian summer or if we have just struck a spot of odd weather. Please understand we are not complaining. Considering the drenching some of the country is getting right now, we have been blessed. Fire and Flood certainly are the predominant problems within this wonderful country of ours right now. That and of course, the glasses our Prime Minister has suddenly taken to wearing – perhaps to stare down Tim with?!! After his last little outburst about prostate cancer, can’t say that I blame her really (that has to be a first)!

Anyway, Warrnambool – gateway to The Great Ocean Road according to the brochures! OK, we can’t comment on that one as we have gone no further east than our comfortable Caravan Park at Hopkins River, some 5 ks east of the main city of Warrnambool. Warrnambool is quite a big place and the bloke has done nothing but Complain Loudly ever since we arrived here. We are no longer accustomed to finding our way amongst traffic lights and lots of cars and trucks. Unfortunately you cannot go anywhere here without at least driving thru’ the town once. If I was to try to identify Warrnambool with a WA town I would most likely come up with perhaps a Bunbury for size. It is difficult to say why the town has grown here, most likely simply as a service point for the surrounding rural areas. Of course there are some good beaches here and a little bit of ocean scenery. I think we must be more than a bit spoiled tho’ as we can’t seem to find much enthusiasm for the local scenery. It is nice enough but doesn’t sing to us.

Good Surfing

In fairness to Warrnambool and its fair inhabitants, (Warrnamboolians?) the weather has been ‘upta’ pretty much since we arrived. I have quite enjoyed the wet and cool change but I think our lad would have preferred a little more sun. Added to the wet and the cool, there has been a wee bit of wind. I must say, since losing our awning last year we are now both a little paranoid. DD has very kindly just jumped up off the bed (oh around 2.45pm) to go and take a photo of the van and its accompanying ropes and drops. See what I mean, paranoid!! The wet weather has given us the prime opportunity to test out our new ‘drops’. Don’t know what else to call them, but the things that you attach to the sides of the awning to form a pseudo annex. We bought new ones just before leaving Perth, these being more substantial than our old ones. We figured that in Tassie we might be happy to have a little more protection from the elements. We are very pleased with these new additions – they definitely do protect our various bits and pieces and also give us a protected and fairly private little area outside the van. The bonus as far as I am concerned is that they also hide a bit of the general detritus that DD always seems to accumulate outside the van.

Paranoi Strikes - The Awning Goes - Zed Goes!!

What is Warrnambool like? Its a nice enough town/city but as you probably have guessed by now, we are not into towns at all. The place is big and almost bustling. The local beaches are quite good and I’m sure the locals find them beautiful. I would say that the surfing here would be excellent as there are a couple of long surf beaches. There is also a stretch of rough and picturesque coastline featuring some small islets and reefs just alongside the town. The Hopkins River runs through the town and out to the surrounding countryside.

We took a drive westwards to visit the little holiday town of Port Fairy – very much a tourist town, although pretty and historically minded. We found it to be quite picturesque with homes clambering down the banks of the local river. We found tho’ that there really wasn’t a great deal to see at Port Fairy. What we are discovering however, is that these little tourist books each town puts out must be read with the proverbial ‘pinch of salt’. They really do exaggerate the finer points, making mileage out of very basic stuff indeed. We understand their need to promote their areas and regions of course, but now take a slightly sceptical viewpoint when reading the promotional blurbs.

Pretty Port Fairy

On the way back from Port Fairy we took a side trip to the Tower Hill Reserve. This really is the wrong time of the year to see this ancient volcanic area. The reserve, rich in wild-life, generally is also rich in water, but at the moment much of the lakes and lagoons have virtually dried up. The park was still beautiful and I really enjoyed our drive thru’ the steep & winding roads of the park.

Not So Wet Wet-Lands Tower Hill

Speaking of Steep and Winding, our very good mate Steve, has indicated (why now Steve?) that the Great Ocean Road is dangerous and he is in awe of us dragging our big heavy van along the way. We were a bit perturbed by this news as we had not heard before that the road was anything out of the ordinary safety - wise. We have since spoken to a couple of locals who have advised us that as long as we are sensible we should be OK. It seems that the really tough section is towards Lorne at the eastern end of the route. Looking at all the maps and reading the aforementioned blurbs, there are numerous caravan parks along the way indicating that it is safe for vans. I guess we will see when we get to that stage. I don’t really want our lad to be stressed about the driving. If anyone other than Steve had mentioned it, we would have most likely dismissed it as foolish, but we have for quite some time now, been in awe of Steve’s prowess at driving thru’ all sorts of dangerous situations. Steve & his wonderful wife Sylvia are tough and adventurous off-road types who will generally pull their van or camper trailer thru’ anything, including croc invested rivers. In our estimation if Steve thinks a road is dangerous, it is probably suicidal.

River trips, we really have a passion for these gems and found yet another cruise here in Warrnambool. This time the cost was only $16 ph and the boat trip was a one hour cruise up the Hopkins River. It was very pleasant and well worth the money with good commentary along the way. We were mind blown to be told that the new suburban sprawl along the riverside was inundated with water not many years ago. Why on earth the powers that be have allowed this development is beyond us, especially considering the dramas in Queensland at the moment.

From the boat - Hopkins River

So............as you will have guessed by now, I really don’t have a great deal to tell you about Warrnambool. Our lad has been a little on the quiet side this week and not inclined to explore so we have had a quiet five days. We were to head out today but have delayed our departure until tomorrow when the weather promises to be a little better. We have had a little foretaste of Tassie weather I think, so much that DD scurried off to buy himself some thermal underwear. That will be interesting, seeing our lanky lad compress himself into those long-johns!! Oh well, who am I to laugh, seeing as how my natural insulation is so great as to not need the added warmth of thermals.

Tomorrow we hitch up and head to Port Campbell where we will be in Great Ocean Road territory well and truly. Lookin’ towards it!

Until next time spare a thought and prayer for all those caught up in the floods and fires around our country. Smile at each other from time to time won’t you! Steph.

Stormy Seas