The Lorne Bowling Club was as you might imagine, a wooden chalet type place not redecorated since it was built in the 1950's. The Australian welcome was as usual big and warm and the food surprisingly good. The rockling served on a bed of sweet potato mash with asparagus slipped down a treat.
This morning after a comfortable night at Great View and fuelled by John's cooked brekkie we hit the great ocean road proper.
It was to be a day of ups and downs in more ways than one. The ups came first with a sunny start and within the first hour we had had close encounters with, 2 red kangaroo, 2 wallabies, one with a baby joey in its pouch ( aah sweet) a kookaburra an echidna and even sweeter our first wild koala bear (double aah's) Not bad all before 11 am.
The weather however had other plans for us today brewing up into quite a storm. Howling gales and driving rain actually. The drive was spectacular along the coast climbing up and plummeting down all the time but visibility was poor and with temperatures down to 5 degrees at one point it was not much fun getting out of the car even to take pictures. We pushed on further than planned with only a brief stop for photographs at The Twelve Apostles and fetching up for the
night in Port Fairy. From what we have seen through the driving rain it looks to have much to offer in the morning. An old whaling town ( there are Whales with young in the bay at the moment) Port Fairy is one of the oldest settlements in Victoria. Many of its quaint clapper board houses are protected by the Australian National Trust and one such house The Merrijig Inn is our home for the night. There is an open fire, hot water bottles, home made cookies, a bar and supper so we end the day happy and at last warm.
Fingers crossed that the storm will have passed by morning allowing us to get out and explore Port Fairy before heading inland to The Grampians.