Otways and the Great Ocean Road
After saying goodbye to our new furred and feathered friends we made a dash for the free campground at Beauchamp Falls reserve. Perched on a hilltop clearing, we snagged a front row site offering uninterrupted views over an open valley of plantation and natural forest. Even when the weather turned bad the panorama was captivating, with low slung clouds morphing as they swept over the trees and ridge lines.
It was cold but the sun was out when we pitched up, so we packed a lunch and headed for Apollo Bay. We took the narrow winding Turtons Track through towering forests of Messmate and Mountain Ash. An unlucky driver ahead of us had underestimated a bend and plunged their car off the road and into the undergrowth. The four unlucky tourists were standing on the roadside, apparently unharmed as a police officer directed traffic around the scene. We crawled along with extra caution after that.
Apollo Bay was a busy, pretty little town, playing host to a Suzuki Jimny tour when we arrived. Hugh plucked up conversation with the local skater boys at the skate ramp and I got hooked watching a family beach cricket match. People made out that it was summer, swimming and sunbathing at the beach despite the brisk winds. We ate fish and chips from the Apollo Bay Fisherman’s Co-op with the best view in town.
We filled a good part of the morning putting the trailer awning up for rain protection, only to take it down again the next day for fear it would blow away. Melba Gully made for a great day trip with a beautiful picnic spot and forest walk. We got to fully immerse ourselves in the towering tree fern and eucalypt forests that we’d been driving through. We also took the less travelled, unmarked path to South Chapple Falls, clambering over and under fallen trees and through mud.
When rain set in the next day we figured being deep in the rainforest wasn’t a bad option, so we donned our wet weather gear and set off for Little Aire Falls. The path was more like a small stream in some sections, and obscured by recently fallen branches in others, all adding to the adventure. The waterfall itself was thumping after the 20 odd milimetres of rain we’d had overnight. There were brief moments of blue sky but they quickly closed over as the rain continued to fall. We lunched in the fogged up car before taking it in turns to see Triplet Falls, though Hugh opted to do it twice, giving me the tour after he’d already walked it with Matthias.
Rain forced us inside the camper trailer for a dinner of cold leftover curry. The rain abated for a dramatic sunset but that was no good omen for the following day where we enjoyed maybe 1.5 hours of reprieve from the rain the whole day. We'd never spent that many consecutive hours in the camper trailer and it was a test on all of us. We managed to get out and walk to the Beauchamp Falls next to our camp and a quick dash down the stairs to see nearby Hopetoun Falls. We had survived on the promise of a pub meal that evening only to be devistated by the "kitchen closed Tuesdays" sign. Rain held off long enough for us to prepare two-minute noodles and vegetables for dinner; a poor consolation.
We packed up between rainshowers the following day excited to be spending the next three nights with friends at Deans Marsh.
We took the scenic route via Lorne along the Great Ocean Road stopping at Carisbrook waterfall and Kennett River for lunch and koala spotting. Sheoak waterfall was our last stop for the day, remembered best for Hugh running off ahead of us and straight across the Great Ocean Road and back again. Luckily it ended only in tears and nothing more injurious.
We were warmly embraced by Carri and her family who have a little hilltop slice of heaven above the tiny town of Deans Marsh. The kids adored playing with Alice and Imogen, taking their first ever pony ride, cavorting with dogs Daisy and Oscar, and watching the horses and cows graze the surrounding fields. We were treated to delicious dinners and great company.
We could have happily spent the full two days in the comfort of their home. But we ventured out to Aireys Inlet and visited the famous Split Point lighthouse. We stopped at the Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch where we learned that the road was initiated as a WWI returned veteran's building project. At Erskine Falls and Blanket Leaf picnic area we saw some of the biggest trees we'd seen in all of the Otway ranges. On our final afternoon we were heartened by the rallying country community spirit at the Deans Marsh Primary school end of year concert and assembly where Santa made a special visit on the CFA fire truck. A great stay was rounded out with a fabulous evening of homemade woodoven pizzas and a reunion with US based friends Em and Brett.
