After spending just over three weeks in Melbourne, the world’s “most livable city”, it took us a couple of hours to pack up the car and hit the road to Phillip Island, our first stop for two evenings.  I made one last stop at the Australian Post to pick up a package.  They have a great service called “parcel collect” which allows you to have packages sent to the local post office for you, in their care.  You can go online and change post offices as you travel!

Phillip Island

After crossing the short bridge at San Remo we drove into Cowes on Phillip Island around noon.  Cowes is the main town on Phillip Island.  Many of the homes in Cowes are owned by residents of Melbourne and its surrounding area.

We arrived just in time for some lunch in Cowes at Mad Cowes Cafe.  We had two great specials, a chorizo and chicken quesadilla and a saganaki, rocket, pear and incaberry salad…all with a great view of the coast and Cowes Pier.  The pier was built in 1870 and is popular with fisherman due the currents and many types of fish including King George whiting, Australian salmon, elephant fish, snapper, gummy shark, silver trevally, garfish and flathead.

After lunch we found our digs for the next couple of nights, a whole house rental we found on Airbnb.  Then we went for a drive around the island…it is not as big as it appears on the map!  Anyway, we drove to the small northeast town of Rhyll.  Rhyll is a small fishing town by a calm bay.  Other than a few boats, it was a haven for pelicans, black swans and gulls.  We then drove south on the island to Sunderland Bay and Surf Beach which had a large beach, big surf, beautiful cliffs and seaside homes.

Driving back to Cowes we stopped by an area known as the Nobbies.  This area has beautiful rock and cliff formations and a thundering blowhole.  There is a network of boardwalks that weaves along the cliffs.  The area is home to Australia’s largest colony of fur seals with an estimated 16,000 inhabiting the area.  However, they are apparently far out on the rocks, so we did not see them.  This is also an area that you want to stick to the boardwalk, as the area is known for the venomous copperhead for which there is apparently no antidote to the venom!

We had a good dinner at the Rusty Water Brewery.  I enjoyed the pork rib eye with roasted pumpkin and Tracey had the seafood linguine with clams, prawns, mussels and squid.  It is off season and was not crowded, which was actually very relaxing sitting close to the wood stove on the cold winter night…at least in the 40s Fahrenheit!  We made it home early in prep for an 8 km 3-4 hour coastal walk in the morning.

Day two on Phillip Island we headed out to Cape Woolamai, a 760-acre reserve on the islands southeast side on the Bass Strait which separates Victoria from Tasmania to the south.  Some authorities list the Strait as part of the Indian Ocean while others consider it part of the Pacific Ocean.  The Strait is 350 km (200 miles) wide and 500 km (310 miles) long.  It is relatively shallow, averaging 60 meters (200 feet) which contributed to the strong surf and many shipwrecks over the years.  The Reserve includes the highest point on the island, 122 meters above sea level.  We started out our 10 km hike on a 700-meter stroll down massive Surf Beach with huge swells, great for surfers. The early part of the day was shrouded in fog, but blue skies began to emerge as we came upon impressive rock formations at the end of Surf Beach.  We took a set of wooden stairs to the top of the sandy grass covered bluffs above the beach.

Our hike continued past the outstanding Pinnacles Rock formations and the crashing surf below.  We eventually came to the Cape Woolamai Beacon, the highest point in the island which is still lit to warn passing ships of the cliff. The area also includes an abandoned granite quarry as the Strait that once connected Tasmania includes a base of Paleozoic granite.

We worked up a bit of an appetite, so we drove to the very small town of Rhyll on the north side of the island for lunch at a great spot, the Tides of Rhyll, a fish and chippery.  A very quiet place this time of year, just us, a couple of boats and a few gulls and beautiful Australian pelicans.

Wilsons Promontory

We left Phillip Island on the journey along the beautiful coastline en route to the southernmost point of Australia’s mainland, Wilsons Promontory National Park  which has over 50,000 hectares (123,000 acres) of coastal wilderness. The park includes rocky mountain tops, secluded beaches, rain forest, heath, swamp, and eucalyptus forest.  The area is sparsely populated so we were encouraged to bring along all of our food for our two night stay at a cabin in Yanakie.

We arrived in Yanakie right around noon.  Yanakie is essentially a small general store, bakery and gas station.  That’s it!  The forecast is for rain the next several days so we thought we would squeeze in a hike or some site seeing while there were some blue skies.  We did a quick lunch at the Yanakie Bakery then drove to the park.  The owner at the bakery gave us his favorite areas of the reserve.

We decided to do the hike out to Tongue Point.  It was a little more than we thought we wanted to do, but as we hiked up the side of the mountain the beauty started to unfold.  So we kept going and going…all the way to Tongue Point, about 5 km.  The 10 km round trip was well worth it!  We started out in our rain gear and had a few brief showers.

We had the rain chasing us around, surrounded by rainbows, blue skies, cliffs, and dozens of large boulders scattered about the hill and cliff sides.  The bays, beaches and islands just off the coast were beautiful, including a small secluded beach at Fairy Cove.  We also saw our first wombat, a kangaroo and a couple of emu.  Tracey screamed when she saw the wombat on the trail but it was barely phased.  It just meandered a bit off the trail into the brush.  I wasn’t able to get much of a picture because of the thick brush.

After the hike, we journeyed on to our cabin, home for the next couple nights.  The cabin is on a few acre property that also has a home.  Vanessa and Noel are the wonderful hosts.  They bought the property one year ago and moved here from Melbourne.  The cabin overlooks the park, Corner Inlet and Duck Point.

We enjoyed a homemade dinner, chicken with avocado, tomato and lime juice, topped with roasted kumara and brussel sprouts as a side…paired with a Penfold’s Sauvignon Blanc.  Excellent!

The rain is coming down hard as we sip on the remaining wine. It may be a rainy hike tomorrow!

As we woke up to our second day in the area, the entire east coast of Australia down through Tasmania is under the effects of a very strong low pressure system, lots of rain, clouds and extremely high surf.  But we must venture out!  We made several attempts at a hike to Mt. Oberon, Telegraph Saddle, and Lilly Pilly Gulley, but the rain never let up!

We did see a group of Kangaroo feeding.  We also saw some hearty folks that still looked like they were going for a multi day trek and backpacking into the bush.  We thought better of it and we made it back to the cabin for an early afternoon lunch and late nap to the sound of the pouring rain.  So there was not much hiking completed at this wonderful place, which I am sure one could spend many days exploring.  It would be great to visit Vanessa and Noel again!

Metung

We awoke to yes, more rain.  It looks like this front is going to hang around southeast Australia for a few more days.  We are heading north about three hours to the town of Metung. It is known for its many freshwater lakes but also its coastline with a 90-mile beach.

The rain continued all day and evening.  This town of course is quiet this time of year, so we had both lunch and dinner at the Metung hotel.  We met a couple after dinner who were going to boat all week along the bays, lakes and inlets.  We finished our drinks with them out on the deck, undercover out of the rain.  The restaurant closed, but the space heater remained on and Susie went to get a bottle of wine out of her car that she and her partner, John, had with them.  After we finished that bottle, we came back to our place to share a 2014 Archer’s Vineyard Chardonnay we had from Henschke and continued the great conversation until about 1 am.  Both Susie and Tracey have accounting and finance backgrounds so that was an exciting conversation.  John runs a sheep farm so he and I talked sheep, beef, dairy and real estate prices and markets.

The next morning, you guessed it, more rain and a slowwwww morning.  And because of the continued rain, probably not a good day for Susie and John to start their boat trip.

We finally saw the rain end and a little sun in the late afternoon and made a trip to Lakes Entrance.  Lakes Entrance is a bit more populated and has the “entrance” to the inland lakes.  It is one of Australia’s largest fishing ports and fleets.

On the way back to Metung there was a beautiful sunset.  While photographing the sunset, I met a fellow nomad, Adrian.  He and his wife are on a journey “living around” Australia.  We shared our stories and hope to keep in touch!

Cape Conran and Mallacoota

En route to Mallacoota, we journeyed through Cape Conran Coastal Park which boarders over 60 km of isolated beaches with wild surf as well as forests and heath to the west.  We made stops at the Yeering Gorge, Sailors Grace and West Cape Beach. After a long drive to the Yeering Gorge car park on unsealed road, the hike was a little disappointing. We did enjoy the views at the beaches. The seas were still rockin and rollin after the weekend low pressure system that enveloped most of Australia’s east coast, including Tasmania. A report from Queensland indicated a wave of 30 meters!

After a lunch of grilled fish and curry pie at the Cabbage Tree Creek Bushware Cafe and General Store we headed on to Mallacoota . The drive took us through beautiful epcaulpyt forests and by some rivers at flood stage and pastureland that had flooded from the weekend rains.

We arrived at the B & B hosted by Karen and Warwick for the next couple nights in Mallacoota and were greeted by nearly a dozen kangaroos in the yard! A great reception by all! We enjoyed dinner at the local Mallacoota Hotel which included lamb shank and thai beef curry…the only restaurant open for dinner this time of year in the small town of population less than 1000 that increases nearly 10x on holidays.

Our full day in Mallacoota started out sunny. Mallacoota is located on the east coast of Victoria on the Tasman Sea of the South Pacific Ocean and is the last town before crossing into New South Wales. It includes two nearby inlets know as “top” and “bottom” lakes and is surrounded by the Croajingolong National Park.

There are many many walks in the area. We struggled to decide what walks to do. We ended up at Betka Beach, Davis Creek Beach and Bastion Point. After a lunch at the Crojalomong Cafe of moroccan beef salad and tandoori chicken wrap, we did a much needed 5 mile walk along the Shared Pathway Walk. The lake, sun, nearby hills and boardwalk made for some terrific reflective pictures!

Karen and Warwick have lived in the area for some time.  They are great hosts with great colorful stories.  It would be fun to hang out with them longer!

Narooma

The next morning we headed out to Narooma and stopped at the town of Tilba Tilba.  It is an historic town with its history in gold mining and many of the buildings have been restored.  We had lunch in town at My Heaven on Earth.  We had a great meal, a frittata and a Moroccan pastry of spinach and cauliflower.  I tried the Lumberjack Cake and Tracey had a gluten free banana bread…both delicious!

The cafe owner, Orit, lives in Narooma and told us she would be celebrating her birthday the following night at the Fishing Club and that we should join in the celebration.  So of course we did!  The club is only open on Friday nights.   We loved talking to the locals, sharing in some wine and many different kinds of birthday cakes!  Orit is a wonderful lady, president of the chamber of commerce, involved with helping military veterans, and a mother of two!  We were also able to meet her beautiful 10-year-old daughter.

Narooma is a beautiful town, recovering from the foot of rain the prior weekend from the powerful storm!  Many of the “boathouse” restaurants suffered flooding and damages.  After a 4-mile walk around the beach and inlet, we ate lunch at the Quarterdeck that had sustained some damage including losing their refrigeration systems. It is a great spot and reminded us of Cortez Village in Florida sitting on the bay surrounded by fishing boats and pelicans!

Chris the owner was a great host and provided free coffee after our meal.  He said that was his way of paying back the wonderful Americans he met in the 1970s that helped provide free lodging and transportation as he hitchhiked across the US!

We stayed for two nights at the Whale Motor Inn.  The Whale had an incredible restaurant, one of the finest meals we have had in Australia. I had a seafood bouillabaisse that included local crab and local oysters as an appetizer.  Matt, his wife, Jen, and all of the staff were terrific hosts.   We enjoyed a cocktail nightcap the second night at the Whale with Matt and a couple of locals. Matt served up a Woodford on the rocks for me!

Old Erowal Bay

Our next stop, Old Erowal Bay near Jervis Bay.  We were on the road by 10 am and made a stop at Pebbly Beach just a few kilometers off of Princes Highway.  Our friends from the Whale in Narooma suggested we stop here for some white sand beaches.  A terrific stop!  Other than the white sand that reminded us a bit of our beautiful Florida gulf coast white sand beaches, we were greeted by kangaroos lounging on the beach!  The roos were friendly and would let you sit next to them.  I was even able to get a selfie with one of the younger ones!

We made it to our new digs in Old Erowal Bay in the early afternoon.  The lodging is a great guest house surrounded by some nice gardens, lemon trees, and many birds including parrots hanging out in the yard.   We enjoyed a relaxing evening and a movie in.

This weekend is the celebration of the Queen’s birthday, a long weekend.  So the town was relatively crowded with weekenders being 2.5 hours from Sydney. We did the White Sands Beach Walk and Scribbly Gum track.  On this walk we found some sand as white as the gulf coast of Florida and beautiful gum tree forests.  The walk covered Chinamans, Hyams and Seamans beaches!

We made a stop, with many others for lunch at Husky Bakery and Café, famous for its pies.  I of course had to try a steak, mushroom and cheese pie that was worth it!  Making sure we did not miss a meal, we found a great little Thai place off the beaten track that was open.  Lays Original Thai Restaurant …Away from the holiday crowds and excellent food!

The next morning, we were able to spend a little time talking to our great host David who just returned from Sydney.  David is working on his masters aiming to make a second career teaching at university.

After our short visit, we were off to Sydney for the night and to catch an early morning flight to Ayers Rock and Australia’s Red Centre.  In Sydney, we enjoyed a plush stay at the Autograph Collection Hotel on Sydney’s harbor…a brief dose of luxury!

As a bonus, Sydney was having “Vivid Sydney” http://www.vividsydney.com , a 23 day festival of light, music and ideas!  During the festival Sydney transforms many of its urban spaces – buildings, bridges, and streets into an amazing display and projection of lights.  We also had a terrific dinner and experience at a 678 Korean BBQ where you cook your own food over coals in the center of your table, accompanied by “banchan”, all the “free” goodies like kimchee, sweet potato and other plates to go along with the meats.  This is definitely a place we will revisit when we are back in Sydney for the month of September!

 

Off to the Red Centre…and a few more pics from a terrific coastal drive!