Bill and I were booked to go down to Lorne to do the Amy Gillet Great Ocean Road Ride but due to work commitments Bill couldn't come- I decided I wasn't going to miss it so ended up going down and taking mum- she hadn't been on a holiday for a while- poor thing! I drove down to Melbourne, stayed overnight with mum at Berwick then the next day we drove down to Sorrento and caught the ferry across to Queenscliffe-something I have always wanted to do.
We stopped for a late lunch at Airies Inlet- this is the lighthouse they filmed the ABC show- 'Around the Twist'
View of the Great Ocean Road from Lorne to Apollo Bay. I got to ride along this on a closed road- no cars- with 5,800 other riders- it was magic and the weather was superb! I was very lucky.
Saw quite a few waterfalls in the Otways- the one above and below are the Erskine Falls just out of Lorne.
The photo above and below are of a Californian Redwood Plantation up in the Otway Ranges on our way up to the Otway Fly. It was such a peaceful place.
Here is an Otway Black Snail
Walking through the forest at the Otway Fly
View of Apollo Bay at Mariner's Look Out
We went up to a Goat Farm just outside of Apollo Bay. It was a lovely sunny morning and when we arrived the owners where letting there 5 day old kids outside for the first time. The little kids were so cute, frolicking around in the sun. They were all having trouble working out who there mothers were!
View of the beach from the end of our street at Apollo Bay
We went for a walk in Melba Gully, mum remember stopping here on a family holiday when she was 12 years old.
We drove from Apollo Bay to Warrnambool, We stopped off at the usual spots, 12 apostles, Londons Bridge, The Arch. Mum thinks it was about 35 years since she had been down this section of the Great Ocean Road.
After spending the night at Warnambool with friends, we drove across to Daylesford where we stayed for two nights. It was a pretty town nestled in the forest and valley had a lovely time exploring the area and even discovered a yummy chocolate factory out in the bush.
Had some lovely walks around Lake Daylesford and sampled some of the spring water - which I didn't like all that much!
Town Hall at Daylesford
Mount Franklin - an extinct volcano and just down the road from the Chocolate Mill. I suggested to Amy that she move here, they were advertising jobs at the chocolate factory, nearby was a Wildlife rescue centre she could work at as well, she could find a nice place to house all her birds and for her to live and I could come visit her for holidays!
Convent Gardens and Gallery above, an old Convent and boarding school converted to an Art Gallery- we really enjoyed wandering through here and the views from the windows.
On Friday we drove back to Melbourne via the St Erth Gardens and Blackwood, tucked away in the forest, we spent a lovely hour wandering through the gardens and got a few seeds and plants. Was fun exploring a new area and driving new roads. Was a wonderful holiday.
