16.01.2013
It was still Day 10 of the trip, but there were many more amazing sites to be seen. We were in Port Campbell National Park and had just enjoyed the beauty of both the Twelve Apostle's and Loch Ard Gorge. First stop today was Thunder Cave, a huge cavern cared into the limestone cliffs. Whilst you aren't able to go into the cave itself, you get an awesome view of the sea crashing into it and the sea foam it creates. The noise of the foamy, raging sea is incredible and comparable to thunder, hence the name!
We continued to explore the area, and took a walk along the coast. We ended up at the point where Sherbrook River meets the Southern Ocean. Standing there on the sand means that in one direction you see the quiet, trickling river streaming towards you and in the other, you see (& hear) the rough ocean slamming into the coast. It is a dramatic difference to take in. Even on a hot, sunny day like this there is no rest bite for the shore from the raging ocean. We loved standing on the edge of the rocks and seeing the massive waves explode up on them. There was not a single other person around and we were spoilt with these magnificent views all to ourselves!
London Arch is a natural arch found on the Victorian coast. Originally, it was a double spanned natural bridge which, due to the similarity in appearance, gave it the name London Bridge. Until 1990, you could walk out onto it but in January of that year the nearest arch unexpectedly collapsed leaving two tourists stranded, awaiting rescue by helicopter. Whilst it is now just a single arch, it still provides a spectacular shot -especially with the raging waves surrounding it.
We had planned on spending the night in Port Campbell itself, but upon arrival we didn't like the park so we drove the extra 70km to stay in Warrnambool. We paid $42 to stay at Hopkins River Holiday Park, which was relatively expensive compared to other parks. That said, it was a huge place filled with families taking advantage of the hot sunshine, but this also meant there were a lot of young children around. We made use of the pool to cool down, and there were lots of facilities on site for both adults and kids to enjoy.
The next morning, we decided to enjoy a day on Warrnambool beach. It was forecast to hit a blisteringly hot 38oC so we made sure we slip, slap, slopped using high factor sun cream. It's always nice to enjoy a day at the beach but by the afternoon it was starting to get too hot, and we made a move. The radio had warned us that the extreme heat meant there was a severe bush fire alert today and needless to say, our journey saw us drive through the thick smoke of a raging bush fire nearby. Luckily we weren't too close, but it was still an experience to drive through the smoke with our headlights on in the middle of the day. It is a very real reminder of the danger of the burning sun in this dry, barren corner of the country.
After making it through the smoke, we made our way to a free camp spot in a town called Dartmoor. This would be our last day in Victoria on this part of the trip. The town itself was tiny, with a population of just 218 people and yet it still had a shop, Post Office, Butcher, Mini Museum, Library, School, Church, Motel/Hotel and a Bowls Club! I couldn't imagine living in such a remote place, still thinking my hometown of 130,000 people is too small! By the time we arrived, the temperature had risen to 40oC and we spent an evening with the Kindle under the cooling shade of the tree's having explored he town and it's free shower facilities for campers. But, as you can imagine, it was an uncomfortable night spent in in Priscilla with no electricity outlet for the fan!
Escaping the 40oC heat in Dartmoor under the shade of the trees!
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