Great Ocean Road . . .

Friday 05 December

A half hour flight on a twin engine DeHavilland from Kangaroo Island to Adelaide. Stopped at the Hertz counter and picked up another Ford Falcon. Drove to Aviator Hotel to retrieve duffel we'd deposited there while on K.I.

Took care of some business in Adelaide (plane tickets to Indonesia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, groceries, money, calls home, etc.).

Headed east from Adelaide toward Naracoorte. Visited the Wood Gallery and saw superb craftsmanship in woodwork of thousand-year-old red gum trees. Ty spotted this hanging nest of quite rare mistletoe-bird.

Checked-in to Cave Cabins . . . quiet little two-cabin complex built by a farmer in a remote paddock on this sheep-and cattle ranch. Walked through fields at sunset to look for birds.

Saturday 06 December

Ty got up early and went exploring. Woke D. up at 0630 and both went back to limestone hill to search for red-tailed cockatoos. No luck but did I.D. first Eastern Rosella.

Went on tour of Fossil Caves. Not a huge cavern compared to some that we've seen, but fascinating for the fossils being unearthed there, dating back almost 500k years. Ty had never been inside a large cave before and was fascinated. Many fossils and bones, including this 20k-year-old carnivorous marsupial that leapt out of trees onto victims below. The aborigines still maintain a legend of a 'drop-bear' that preyed on foolish and unwary children.

Bool Lagoon for birding, and Bourne's Bird Museum for certainly they most complete private egg collection of Australian birds in the world. Egg-collecting from wild birds is strictly illegal anymore, but Robert Bourne inherited this beautifully catalogued and displayed collection that an old roustabout on his father's ranch had been acquiring since the turn of the century. Robert was impressed with Ty's knowledge of bird-lore and gave him an egg, though warning him that he'd probably not get it through customs.

Through Mt. Gambier (incredible 'Blue Lake') and on to Nelson. Thousands and thousands of acres planted in grapes, and dozens of vineyards, each inviting a taste and visit to their cellar. Spent the night at the Black Wattle Inn overlooking the ocean and Glen Elg estuary.

Sunday 07 December

East of Nelson we detoured to Mt. Richmond for birding and lunch. Climbed observation tower overlooking eucalyptus forest and Cape Bridgeman.

Extensive cultivation of pine lumber forestry (Pinus radiata). It's obvious that they've been doing it for decades and it's working, though makes for decidedly boring and barren forests.

Checked in to Merrijig Inn in Port Fairy. The Inn was established in 1842 and has been lovingly restored into a charming and elegant B&B. Had a superb dinner in their restaurant.

At dusk we walked across a causeway to Griffith Island to watch the nightly return of tens of thousands of short-tailed shearwaters ('mutton-birds'; so-called because hungry sailors of old relished their fatty flesh). They nest on this sandy little island at the end of Campbell St., returning with the same partner to the same burrow every September, for their entire lives. After a 15,000-km migration from the Aleutians, like the swallows at Capistrano, the first birds of the colony show up in Port Fairy on the same day each year.

It was cold and windy as we waited in the growing darkness for some evidence of these birds (other than the hundreds of holes in the ground). We found a hollow among some boulders where we could hunker down. At first they appeared as dust on the horizon above the heaving sea. They started showing up in ones and twos, then eventually hundreds were swooping and diving over the low dunes and hummocks of grass. It was getting fairly dark by then and we wondered how each could pick out its particular burrow, and they did seem reluctant to land, making many passes before doing so. They're built for fast flying over the ocean waves and have an extremely high stall speed, so when they land it is more of a controlled crash and they go rolling head-over-teakettle through the weeds. The night was filled with the sound of crashing, tumbling birds.

Tuesday December 9

Up early for a great breakfast at the Merrijig Inn. Left at 1030. Stopped at Warnambool for groceries and the fish market that Nick at the Merrijig had recommended; purchased a trevally fillet and a half kilo of monster prawns.

Joined the Great Ocean Road at Warnambool and spent the next several hours in awe of the splendor of this incredible stretch of coastline. The pounding southern sea has carved the sandstone cliffs into an incredible series of arches and 'haystacks'. We went exploring and found a beautiful little cove called Worm Bay, which we had all to ourselves. We lugged the esky up to the top of a great sandstone boulder right at the water's edge and ate lunch.

Port Campbell is a bitty and charming hamlet of lobster and flake fisherman. When we stopped to fetch a snack from the boot, as Ty opened his door this cheeky Australian King Parrot showed up looking for a handout.

Great forests of pine and eucalyptus as we approached Cape Otway from the east. D. called Bob and Kay Adams (keepers of Otway Lighthouse) from Lavers Hill, so that he could drive down and unlock the gate for us. When we arrived he showed us to the head lighthouse keeper's house, which would be ours for the next three days. The house was built in 1857 and just renovated this year for rental as holiday accommodation. It is very large for us (sleeps 15), with 10 foot ceilings, fireplaces, and very well-appointed with all modern conveniences.

For dinner we barbecued the trevally, with fresh asparagus, cous-cous, and perfect strawberries (that we found in an unattended roadside wagon with an 'honesty box': "Just leave your money in the box, please.").

After dinner we visited Bob and Kay for tea and biscuits (cookies). Who the heck does Bob remind us of?

At dusk Bob took us on a tour of the lighthouse.

It was built in 1848 after a series of tragic shipwrecks with great loss of life in the Bass Straights. Dan thinks it's the most beautiful structure he's ever seen, and is ecstatic since Bob has given us free run of the lighthouse, anytime we want . . . so long as we don't mess with any switches. The lantern is a mechanical work of art: perfectly cast crystal lens pieces fixed in a massive bronze framework, all floating on a 500 lb. mercury 'bearing'. It's built on a promontory 300 ft. above the most rugged and spectacular coast we've ever seen. During the next couple days the boys go up and sit in the lantern room for hours, reading and practicing ceolas, or just staring down at this awesome spectacle far below. Underneath the tower itself, at the bottom of the cliff, is a big cave. When a great comber crashes into it the whole promontory rumbles and vibrates

Wednesday December 10

Dan explored and discovered means of getting to the bottom of the cliff. Very steep and quite exposed in places, but good footing. Climbed back up to fetch T. and K. to have picnic lunch among the awesomely rough and wave-battered rocks at base of cliff.

In the afternoon we drove through Otway Reserve to Blanket Bay, birding along the way. Old limestone cave remains all along the cliff . . . no torches, so we couldn't explore very deeply. Ty found baby tiger snake, just as deadly as an adult.

Drove into town to get a lobster for dinner.

Beautiful sunset over our favorite lighthouse and Bass Straights.

Thursday December 11

Said goodbye to Bob and Kay and on the road by 0600, driving into the rising sun along the Great Ocean Road. Spectacular views, but hilly and winding and uncomfortable for passengers. Stopped at a Greek bakery in Lourne for exquisite pastries.

Arrived Melbourne Airport before 1100. Turned in the car and climbed aboard an almost empty 747 . . .

Mangonui