Australia Road Trip: Great Ocean Road, Port Fairy, Day 17-18

Feb 17-18

Hi All,

Whoa…..what a day…..maybe 10+ stops along the Great Ocean Road looking at various rock formations or ocean/beach views. It was a long but fun day!!! The weather was still iffy….mainly dark clouds with occasional mist/rain….but it was blowing 30+ knots. In some ways it made seeing the rock formations more dramatic with all the waves pounding and large splashes all around!! But, as you will see in the pics….we had to bundle up!!

We went to Gibson Steps, 12 Apostles, the Grotto, Arch, London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, and Bay of Martyrs/Bay of Islands….it took us almost 8 hours to view all these formations.

“These formations were created by constant erosion of the limestone cliffs of the mainland beginning 10–20 million years ago, the stormy Southern Ocean and blasting winds gradually eroded the softer limestone, forming caves in the cliffs. The caves eventually became arches and when they collapsed rock stacks up to 45 metres high were left isolated from the shore. View the 12 Apostles at sunrise and sunset as they change colour from dark and foreboding in shadow to brilliant sandy yellow under a full sun.”

We stopped in Port Fairy for 2 nights: “….it is agreed that Captain James Wishart named the area after his cutter ‘The Fairy’. It is believed that as early as 1810, but more likely 1827-28, Wishart and two seamen named the unsettled area when sailing up the Moyne River in search of fresh water.”

We were hungry last night as we had skipped lunch…..except for some of the best ice cream yet in Australia, Timboon,….wow, found it at an ice cream shop in Port Campbell. We had been eating a lot of seafood so we said let’s go get a steak….looked one up…the Stag restaurant…sounds like a meat place with that name….hmmm, sort of….turned out to be a gourmet restaurant…not what we wanted but…..wow, I had a kangaroo fillet….it tasted much like beef and Kathy had a Wagyu (called Kobe in the USA) filet….I still do not see why it is so popular…so I asked the waiter…well, it has become very popular in just the last 5 years as it is different than the pasture fed beef here in Australia….but, there is not much difference unless the meat is rare….Kathy ordered rare and she got med-med/rare….she liked it but still give me a Kansas/Nebraska corn fed steak anytime!!!! The killer dish was a side….baked cauliflower with creamy horseradish sauce on the bottom and a light creamy cheese on top with hammock bits scattered throughout….yummers!!!

We had a busy day planned today but after yesterday we both were just too tired to go all day. We did a gorgeous beach walk this morning right out of our room….of course Kathy found treasures…she can’t help herself!! We then went walked around Griffiths Island: The island is known for its large nesting area for the Shearwater Colonies. The Shearwater birds, more commonly known as Mutton Birds; nest on the island between September and April each year. We saw a lot of burrows and a few young out in trees but the adults were out hunting.

We then came back to the room and the sun came out in all it’s glory….wow, we have been missing you for the last few days…..we both just sat and read….well, after my nap of course:)))

Dinner: I think we both would have taken popcorn and a movie but the room is really not setup for it so we did Italian!! Excellent: Kathy had veal saltimbocca and I had Spaghetti Gamberi – traditional Napoli pasta dish tossed with fresh king prawns, Roma tomatoes, garlic, basil and a splash of white wine…..excellent, the fresh pasta was top notch!! Kathy also had a caprese….they warmed the tomatoes and it was one of the best we have ever had!! We paired all this with a Kitnook cab…..from Coonawarra!!

Next up is wine tasting in the Coonawarra region!!

Stats:
Traveled: 125 miles to Port Fairy; 1750 miles total
Wrong turns: 0 today; 2 total
Kangaroo/”Roos”/Skippy count: 2 this leg; ~204 total!!!
Skippy roadside warning signs: 9 this leg, 97 total
Koala count: 0 this leg; 34 total
One Way bridges: 4 today; 19 total
Speeding Tickets: 0 today; 1 total
Hotels: Wytonia Beachfront: cute place, right on the ocean, did a nice beach walk!!
Food: Stag Restaurant: John: Kangaroo fillet; Kathy: Wagyu beef filet

L’edera: Great Italian!!

LIG!!!! Hope all is well!!

John
Mystic Moon