victoria: port fairy

We've fallen in love with the quaint town of Port Fairy. As her name suggests she's perched on the water. Sailing boats line her shores and cows graze in paddocks a few blocks away. 

We spent a while deciding where we'd stay. There's a caravan park positioned nicely behind the dunes on the southern side of town (which has some sites that would be protected from southerlies) but we finally decided to stay at the Big 4. We think that it's important that the kids get time in these places socialising with other kids too. Plus there's a jumping pillow, mini golf, three playgrounds, a movie room, a games room and an indoor heated pool. The kids can ride their bikes within the park too. 

J treated me with some "me time" so i rode in to town - just as hundreds of road cyclists finished the final leg of a tour of Victoria. I felt like a bit of a fraud because it took me all of six minutes to cycle from the caravan park. 

A local gave me a tip for where to find coffee. As with some places it can depend on who is behind the machine but Slitti is known for producing consistently good coffee, not to mention homemade chocolates & raw/pales treats and tasty sandwiches. I treated myself to a particular good slice of chai cheesecake. 

The kids spent the morning making their way through the various activities at the CP but we jumped on the bikes to the little lighthouse on the point past the mutton bird colony. This is a pretty flat ride but a picturesque one. You can ride down the path by the water for a lot of the way.

It was magic weather for it. 

These two spotted some seagulls and they're signing "bird."

victoria: the great ocean road, bimbi park, cape otway

Where do you get your travel tips from? 

I've got a scrap book and we've written down suggestions from Facebook caravan and camping pages, from friends, from travel guides and we also use ideas of people we meet on the road. 

Our new friends (whom we met at Kennett River) suggested that we stay at Bimbi Park in Otway National Park - near Cape Otway. This was a magic place. And so interesting. 

What would you say if I told you that as you drive to the Cape you pass through acres of dying forest due to koala habitation? It's a skeleton forest really. 

Cape Otway grounds costs $20/adult to enter and it's a great day out for a family. The money is going towards the establishment of a permanent dinosaur museum on the site. Fossils were discovered nearby. While the lighthouse is the dominant structure, the headland also houses other buildings - a telegraph station, accommodation, cafe, bunkers. There is evidence of the site being used as a place where people have gathered to eat for thousands of years. As well as Indigenous links the place has a dark history of shipwrecks and (mis)adventure. The coastline is known as Shipwreck Coast for a reason.

Ever since I spent weekends at Greencape Lighthouse (near Eden) as a child I've been fascinated by lighthouse communities. What sort of characters worked in those isolated conditions? I imagine eccentrics and resilient people and families. 

I loved the book, The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman and I've just picked up a secondhand copy of The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx. 

Bimbi Park is a beautiful park which has sites for campers, caravans (water limited) and cabins. There's a camp kitchen, laundry, amenities and a playground for the kids.