Friday, March 23 – Mountains and Coast

We were up early as usual, though we still felt stuffed from last night's late dinner. Time to get moving!

Up with the Sun

Unfortunately, our package at the hotel also included breakfast. Since there weren’t many great lunch options along today’s route, we figured we had to eat something.

The sunrise was pretty as we made our way outside. 

Luckily, the breakfast offerings weren’t spectacular, so we didn't feel obliged to eat a lot. It was nice that things weren't as filling as the dinner was last night. 

The sun is catching up with us as we loaded up and got ready for our next big drive. Checkout was fast and we were on our way by 8:00.

Blue Lake, Mount Gambier

We decided to take advantage of our early start to see the Blue Lake again in the morning light. We parked on the opposite side of the crater, so the sun was behind us again, and enjoyed the views before heading out of town. 

Now it is time to step on it! We lose a half hour today as we leave South Australia, with its odd half-hour-offset time difference, and get back to the Australia Eastern Time zone.

After about 2 hours of driving we entered the Grampians National Park through the northwestern entrance in Wartook, and made our way to the first stop. The roads were narrow and there were some steep dropoffs along the way so it was slow going, but we found the carpark for MacKenzie Falls without a problem.

MacKenzie Falls, overview

There was an easy hiking trail which led to a scenic lookout over the river valley, where you could admire the falls from above. 

Broken Falls, Grampians NP

You can also hike down to the base of the falls and get a closer view. Of course, we did that. Along the way, we took a breather at the lookout for Broken Falls. A warm up for the main attraction!

A small unnamed cascade.

MacKenzie Falls was pretty spectacular! A nice amount of water, and lots of mist from the falls. We had to keep drying our camera lenses though.

You can actually get fairly close to the falls. They weren't fully lit but with the HDR setting on my camera we could get some reasonable pictures.

At the base of MacKenzie Falls

Now to climb out…what goes down must come back up. Only 110 meters of elevation doesn't sound too bad. But they are meters, not feet.

Next we went to several lookouts to admire the view of the mountains. Starting off at Reeds Lookout, you can see the whole forest range spread out in front of you. This is a view to the southwest.

Reeds Lookout, Grampians NP

Wartook Reservoir

This view reminds me of the Blue Ridge Mountains closer to home.

The Wartook Reservoir in the distance, to the north of us.

The Balconies, Grampians NP

It was maybe 10 minutes of easy walking from here to The Balconies. This lookout is named for the shelves of rock that protrude from the mountainside.

With all of this sunshine, maybe it's time for some sunscreen? It's getting nice and warm, which was very pleasant after the chill on Kangaroo Island.

A little driving now, to Boroka Lookout, for the view eastward.

Panoramic view from Boroka Lookout, Grampians NP

We were amazed by the beautiful blue color of Lake Bellfield.

Admiring Lake Bellfield, Grampians NP

Lake Fyans

After the scenic lookout, we tried to find Silverband Falls. It's a bit of a hike if you take the usual approach, but I had discovered a shortcut where I thought that we could get a glimpse from the road. So we did that, and found a vantage point, where we could see that the falls weren’t really running much at all. So we were able to skip that hike without any FOMO. 

We drove south through Halls Gap, and along the edge of Lake Bellfield but there weren't many views of the lake to be had, as the shoreline was lined with lots of trees. So we exited through the southern edge of the park and got one last view of the mountains. 

Mt. Abrupt, southern edge of Grampians NP

This mountain rises so suddenly from the plains that it's called Mount Abrupt.

With that, we’d finished what we’d come to see, so we headed south to get to Port Fairy. 

Somewhere in Victoria

Since we had time, we took a scenic route with more back roads in an attempt to have some of the drive follow the coast, for views. Here we are, out in the country, heading for the coastal road.

We had hoped for coastal views, but the road never really got close enough to the coast to really see the ocean very well. Oh well.

That's our Hotel! Now, where is the entrance?

Arrival at Port Fairy was easy, but we had trouble finding our hotel from the street. We drove back and forth on the road where it was supposed to be but didn't see a sign. 

We had made the reservation a long time ago - hope it hasn't gone out of business! Eventually I parked in the vicinity, and we set off along the waterfront boardwalk, where we finally saw the hotel. Phew - it exists! 

Port Fairy Waterfront, from Oscar's Hotel

Back out on the street, we finally saw the very inconspicuous front entrance, and we were finally able to check in. Nice small place, a restored old mansion, with a porch overlooking the waterfront. Looks like a cool place to spend a few days and relax – but instead, we’re just here for the night.

The receptionist recommended a nice place for dinner and off we went. We had a delicious seafood sampler along with some white wine, which was just what we were looking for after last night’s huge pieces of steak.

An old hotel/pub, Port Fairy

The town was quaint and made for a pleasant stroll home in the evening, but most places were closed by the time we were done with dinner. 

So we were foiled in our attempt to find some ice cream for dessert. 

Oscar's Waterfront Boutique Hotel, Port Fairy

We returned home, this time knowing where to go. There is a sign but it's pretty small and hard to read from a moving car.

Common room at Oscar's

Instead of ice cream, we enjoyed another selection from our wine collection back at the hotel. We are slowly making a dent in it.

We turned in early, as we had one last big driving day tomorrow before we arrive in Melbourne. We knew that this three day stretch would be tough, but so far things have gone rather well.

Our plans to sleep were foiled somewhat, because a massive thunderstorm passed by overnight! The rain pounded off the roof and we could hear it from our room on the top floor of the house. I love the sound of rain on a metal roof, but I love it a little less at 3 AM.

But the lightning show was even more spectacular, and the storm seemed to last for a really long time. Despite the lack of sleep, the show was worth it.

Tomorrow, a whirlwind tour of the Great Ocean Road awaits! I am a little worried that it will turn out to be a wash, but we shall have to wait and see.