Day 3 - Coast to City

Date: 12/12

This morning began with one of the most beautiful sunrises these eyes have ever seen. Sometimes it's really worth getting up when the alarm goes off.

There weren't any cafes nearby and those that were didn't open until 8, so I made it an hour to Orbost by the time I had time to plan my day. There were a few options but most of them involved adding several hours to my already long driving day. One that seemed like it might be worth a quick detour was the Noojee Trestle Bridge.

It turns out that this meant driving through the stunning Gippsland region and into the Yarra Valley. Winding roads took me through valleys of farmland for hours before plunging me into lush river valleys that had even narrower winding roads with the added fun of trying not to be crushed by logging trucks.

This is especially hard when every 3 seconds you're trying to get a glance at the scenery.

Somehow I managed and even found a few places where I could pull out safely and take some photos. I'm really glad I told Google Maps to avoid highways.

After a few false turns, I managed to find my way to the Trestle Bridge. This is not just your average Trestle Bridge. It is an enormous, towering Trestle Bridge. It also seems a bit pointless, since there are easy walking tracks to either end from below, but still. It makes for a hell of a photo setting. I was there alone and it seemed like not many people could be bothered to trek out to it. I was happily taking a pile of photos when suddenly the car park was overrun with other visitors including a large bike club. It seems all my detours worked to give me the bridge to myself for a half hour.

I'm up there at the top

After the trestle bridge and a spot of lunch in Yarra Junction, I motored my way to the city again. I'll be staying with friends for a couple of days while I get myself together for the Great Ocean Walk.

Tomorrow will probably be a silent day, since I'll mainly be focused on logistics. Even glamorous lifestyle icons like me sometimes just need a day to book hotels and buy toothpaste.

Day 2 - Sapphire Coast and Victoria

Grabbed breakfast in Batemans Bay and settled on getting to Binn Beach campground in the northern part of the Victoria coast. Was just about to leave when I noticed that there might be some good shots of the bridge available so off I went to the foreshore. Before turning my eye to the bridge though, I saw a bunch of pelicans and below them in the water, stingrays!! Huge stingrays, and these are the first I've seen in the wild. Took piles of photos, and then headed out.

Did not take pictures of the bridge.

Wild stingray!

Most of the rest of the day was just driving, but I did pop into a nostalgic favourite, Eden. I rang in New Year's 2014 with friends in this little town, and it's still one of my best memories of my time in Sydney.

Farmland

On the way to Victoria I jetted out to Green Cape to see the lighthouse. Lighthouses always make me think of the aunt who once hosted me and 7 of my friends on our way into and out of a canoe trip in Northern Ontario. My friends still talk about the full turkey dinner we arrived to after a long week of canoeing.

Green Cape Lighthouse

My campsite tonight is much more what I had in mind. It's a little spot near the ocean, and I can hear the surf battering the beach across the dunes. I spent a few minutes on the beach near sunset, but the wind has the sand whipping around a little too much for my liking. Still, it'll be nice to have a quiet night lulled to sleep by ocean sounds.

I guess this is why they make those machines.

Sunset/Moonrise at Binn Beach