Day 9 - Robe to Port Fairy at last!!

Morning again from the stunning Great Ocean Road,  yes I am still behind and despite getting day 8 all typed up and posted I fell asleep so now I am once again two days behind....! So, timeline is, we are just starting day 11, we in in a stunning site in Port Campbell (halfway through the Great Ocean Road) and I going to fill you in on the trials and tribulations of day 9 when we travelled from Robe to Port Fairy....keeping up? The next instalment should then be Port Fairy to our current destination, Port Campbell.  But by then we will be at our next......oh you get the drift (this timeline is more for my memory than your amusement believe me).

So we woke in beautiful Robe to the crashing of the sea and the almost just as loud crashing of the rain on the roof of the van.  It had lashed it down all night and there seemed to be no let up this morning.  So after a wetter walk to the shower than the actual shower itself, we were finally ready to head out once again, grabbing some coffee and brekkie to enjoy by the iconic (if you know Robe) Obelisk.  Well, from inside the van, with the heater on, through the rain.  But eventually there was enough blue sky to make a sailor a pair of trousers (as my good old Aunt Nell used to say, God rest her soul) and we hopped out for the customary selfie and read of the information board and hit the road.

Now with most of this road trip it will be quite evident what we are doing.... driving down a road.  I don't have the time (or the inclination) and I suspect you don't have the stomach for me to explain every inch of verge and roadway, so you will be pleased to hear that I will just comment on the salient points of the journey (woop woop I hear you cry).

As we drove from Robe out towards Mount Gambier where we were planning on stopping  supplies, we encountered a thing that I can only describe as cruel beyond belief.....a wind farm.  My arch enemy the wind turbine had found me here, spreading its vicious supernatural scheming ways to the other side of the World, taunting me with every turn of their sinister silent blades (those of you who know me will know of my irrational yet debilitating fear of these creatures, believing wholeheartedly that they are sent from another planet to Earth to take over and kill us all, those of you who don't now do) And they even offered TOURS!!!!! Wtf!!! Freaks....

As if to enhance my beliefs their cruelness, as the rain continued to lash down, I looked into the back of M&M (she still needs a name) to find the bed wet through.  There was a leak, from who knows where, and it was making our bunk into a water bed, but not in a good way. So we pulled over and V inspected only to deduce that it musts be coming from either the point where they chopped the roof off and put the high top on, or the window that wouldn't stay shut, or the door seal that falls off every time you open it.  Joy.  Once again I repeat, you get what you pay for.

But these things are sent to try us and to provide your amusement, so after mopping up with kitchen towel we headed on, through landscapes changing from flat brush land to that of forests and lush green.  Then we happened to stumble across the random but amazingly beautiful Tantanoola Caves that were just magical.  The cave was discovered by some irish fella when his son's ferret went down a hole and they scrambled in to get it, and my God what a shock it must have been back then in the early 1900's (many have even been later 1800's) when they came across the glistening cave of stalactites and stalagmites.  It was incredible (you will see from the pics hopefully) and after a quick guided tour and some time to wander, desperately not trying to touch the waxy, slimy looking structures (as we had been told you weren't allowed to touch which obviously means you want to touvh them even more) we were on the forest lined road again to Mount Gambier for our supplies.

Beer and BBQ essentials purchased we trundled on as the rain gave way to sun (not hot Aussie sun but sun none the less, lets just say I don't think I will be needing the 3 bottles of sunscreen I bought with me....) and soon found ourselves at another selfie opportunity, the South Australia and Victoria border. The next unscheduled pit stop was the beautifully tranquil Nelson Lake which appeared out of nowwhere.  Portland was next on our list as V wanted to visit in memory of his Gran who he sadly lost some years ago and had lived in Portland back home.  It turned out not to be as picturesque as first imagined, being a major shipping port mainly for the distribution of the login industry (the massive piles of logs and the beautiful smell of pine in the air gave that away) so after stopping at a sign for old times sake we carried on in search of Port Fairy (I say in search but you can't really go wrong as it is just one long road....).

The rain stopped, the sun came out, thankfully streaming through the windows and drying the wet bed and the forests became thicker, the roads windier, we spied a kangaroo in full hop and finally saw a sign for our destination.  Underneath a sign signally another chuffing wind farm!!!!!! Dear God, it had been 4 years since I'd travelled this road, surely Port Fairy had not been taken over in this time? I quickly googled 'Port Fairy Wind Farm' to find that indeed, one had been built some 35km outside and it was hailed as the largest in Victoria!!!!!!! Thankfully the road followed the sweeping coastline and as soon as they were out of view I opened my eyes to find they were behind me, but knowing they were always watching.....

Now V had been doing most of the driving and he was loving it! Bon Jovi on repeat on the sound system and he was one happy boy.  The only way it could have been better for him was if he was on a bike (a motorbike not a pushbike like some of the poor souls we had seen...) and maybe if I wasn't with him! Lol! I jest, we were getting along famously in the confined space that I had been so used to having to myself in previous years, but was glad to be sharing with my soul mate.  Although some of my little OCD issues were starting to wear a little thin....boys will be boys!!

Where was I, no where were we, camping into Port Fairy actually, and chasing the clock once again.  I had booked us into the Gardens Caravan Park which was over the small bridge in this pretty town, which was now closed for repairs.  Bugger.  I had ring them early to tell them we would be arriving at about 5.30pm and was told that would be fine as they were there till 6pm. Great, it was now 5.30 so we had time to do the 10km detour to get over a 100 year wide bridge to the campsite we could see opposite where we were.  We arrived to find no-one at the gate and that the park was almost deserted.  We also realised that we had forgotten Victoria were 30 mins in front of South Australia so the time was now 6.30pm.  Double Bugger.  Add to that the fact that the site looked like it was in a council car park, you had to pay to use the bbq's and the facilities block had been vandalised, we decided this really was not for us.  So, after calling the Big4 site down the road to be told they were flooded (told you the weather had been bad) we were passed the number of Gum Tree Caravan Park.

What a find.  The owner was as close to your idea of an Aussie man as you can get (well probably a boys idea as my idea is a tall, blonde, tanned, toned and ripped surf dude) funny, sarcastic and just a bloody good bloke who you know you would have a top tim getting pissed with, and he welcomed us with open arms to the stunning small site, nestled (funnily enough) amid gum trees with a spectacular sunset on its way.

We set up and it was now time for dinner, doing it the Aussie way in the camp kitchen.  Unfortunately we had chosen a day when Down Under resembled Antarctica on a day when it had been invaded by a swarm of mosquitoes, but in the true British style we stuck it out, fingers and noses going numb but loving every minute.  A freezing cold M&M awaited us and as we (tried) to snuggle up uder a blanket and 3 sleeping bags, with hats and fleecy Primark dressing gowns (me not the boy but I secretly knew he wished he had one) we vowed to find the heater that was somewhere in the van and invest in a hot water bottle at our earliest convenience.....

And that was day 9! All done! We are still at camp on day 11 (middle of the GOR remember) and as this is one iconic stretch of road that pictures can describe better than a slightly hungover ginger bird, once we have completed today's leg I will blog days 10 and 11 together with pictures that will hopefully do this place justice.

So until then my ever faithful followers, as always, TTFN.....

The pictures are annoyingly in no particular order but I think you get the gist!!