Victoria's Discovery Coast - Gannets, Lighthouses and Wind Farms

 

Victoria's Discovery Coast is “ tucked away” in the southwest corner of the state. It wasn't tucked away well enough obviously, because we found it, although I don't think many other people do. It was a gorgeous, summer's day with blue skies, puffy clouds and wind in the wrong direction for sailing west. We hired a car for the day and took off to see what we could see. We expected lots of tourist traffic and crowded beaches, but surprisingly, we had the whole area pretty much to ourselves. School's in session here and perhaps for many, summer holidays are over.

Our first stop was at Australia's only mainland breeding gannet colony on Point Danger. We sailed by Lawrence Rocks and Point Danger on our approach, but didn't realize the rocks were virtually covered with gannets … some 6000 pairs. We thought all that white was perhaps bird poop and much of it probably is. We reached the mainland colony via gravel roads near the Alcoa Aluminium smelting plant. Evidently, the gannets moved ashore in 1996 because of overcrowding and the colony has continued growing ever since. In order to protect them from predators, Maremma sheep dogs are used as guards with great success. These dogs are also used to protect penguins. We saw no sheep dogs and no other people, but we certainly saw lots and lots of gannets.

We headed to Cape Nelson, a very scenic route along the high cliffed coast. The views were stupendous with miles of white sandy beach at the seaside. Several short walks, part of the 250km Great Southwest Walk, were marked and once again, we had them all to ourselves. Wind farms take advantage of the constant air movement here. Though we appreciate the fact that they're not using fossil fuels to generate energy and they're probably very efficient, they're certainly not very pretty.

We headed to Cape Bridgewater. If Shelley Beach was on the east coast of the USA (or Australia), there would have been no place for a towel. Here we counted six cars, a few folks walking on the beach and three surfers.

On the road before us, as we drove to the tops of the cliffs, a huge herd of wind generators seem to jump out in front of us. There are so many of them and they're so close to the road, it's kind of creepy. When you get out at the car park for a walk, you can hear the blades whizzing around. They always look like they're barely turning, but in actuality the outer tips of the blades travel at about 120 mph (193 km/h) and at maximum winds speeds spin at ~180 mph (290 km/h). We're told that the Portland Wind Energy Project is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere providing enough energy to supply electricity needs for 113,000 homes each year. We get the point, but still in our humble opinions … they're an eyesore in such a gorgeous area. We'd hate to be a bird in the vicinity.

We walked through the Petrified Forest which was not a “petrified forest” at all, but rather natural erosion of stone that looked more like a moonscape. We observed the blowholes nearby though they weren't blowing much because the sea had calmed significantly. For us, a calm sea is always preferable to super-duper blowholes.

We drove a loop back to Portland and stopped at the Tarragal Limestone Caves as we passed through the beautiful Bridgewater Lakes. The effort expended in the short, steep climb to the caves was somewhat wasted since the wind farm greatly obscured what would have been an outstanding view.

The farmlands in the area reminded us of the flat Midwest prairies of the USA. Stone foundations, remnants of days past, were evident in many paddocks (fields). We saw our first emu in the wild which pleasantly surprised us and one field had innumerable ibis feeding on whatever it is they feed on … grubs, seeds?

We ended the day at the Whaler's Bluff Lighthouse. This 1859 classic lighthouse structure was originally built elsewhere and transported to this spot later stone by stone. Views of Portland Harbour and Nun's Beach below us were spectacular. Discovery Coast … discovered.

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Chocolate Mint Day

Didn't we just have peppermint patty day? Well, never too much chocolate or mint, I guess. Try something different though...how about chocolate ice cream with some mint candies crushed on top?

Exploring Portland - Victoria's Oldest Settlement

 

Arriving in Portland meant we were out of Tasmania, out of the Bass Strait and out of the Roaring 40's. The way the wind has been blowing, you'd never know it. There have been no worries about insufficient power; the wind generator is definitely churning out amps.

The city of Portland is the oldest European settlement in the state of Victoria. It's a pleasant little city, easily accessible on foot. It's been an important deep-water port for the past 150 years, first as a whaling/fishing port, then sheep and wool. Now it is home to the third largest aluminium smelter in Australia and exports aluminum ingots, mountains of wood chips and mineral sand, primarily to Asia. We have a layer of brown sawdust on the deck to attest to the wood chip exports.

Originally founded by Edward Henty in 1834 (though the Aborigines were here millennia before), there are historical buildings along every one of Portland's main streets … 200 or more in town that date from the 19th century. Most are constructed of dark bluestone with which we were unfamiliar … a marked contrast to the golden sandstone we'd seen in Tasmania. Victorian bluestone is a basalt, quarried locally and one of the most common building materials of the 1850s during the Victorian Gold Rush. We took an historic walk through town, admiring these sturdy, built-to-last buildings. Most are still in use. The English Gothic style St. Stephens Anglican church and the old Town Hall were particularly impressive. Edward Henty's house is still around; we just haven't found it yet.

After a couple of days of sailing, it was good to stretch our legs. We took a long, self-guided walk along the Norfolk pine-lined foreshore to the Portland Botanical Garden. The garden is renowned for its manicured croquet lawns and its dahlias. Though it was a bit early in the season (March-April is prime), we still saw some dazzling dahlias.

We picnicked and observed hundreds of birds enjoying the day. Crazy looking long-billed corellas stared down at us from branches high above. Red wattle birds, honeyeaters and lorikeets flitted from tree to tree. We meandered along a canal and around the Fawthrop Lagoon where scads of waders, black swans and Australian pelicans were at work.

We haven't really shopped in a proper supermarket since Christmas Eve in Hobart. Little ports along the way have offered limited choices at high prices. We waltzed through the aisles of a new Super IGA, an Aldi and a Safeway, all within easy walking distance. What joy! We wanted everything: fresh greens and veggies and fruits, fresh chicken and mince, a loaf of bread that didn't cost $6.

Though we regularly complain about food prices in Australia, I guess it's all what you get used to. After Tasmania, the prices here seem a bargain. The limiting factor for purchases has been how much we can carry in a load, although multiple trips are not out of question. We did pass on the Vegemite and cheese sausage we saw advertised in the local butcher shop though. You gotta set some limits.

Dirty clothes have really been piling up. You'd think with just the two of us, it'd be easy to keep up with laundry, but that's not always the case. The cold weather has kept us in sweatshirts, t-necks, long pants and fleeces, all of which have become rather salt-caked and crusty, in need of major laundering and not easily done by hand. Then there are sheets and towels. It's endless, no matter where you are. We lugged everything to the local laundromat and I babysat four washers while David hunted down some new phone and internet vouchers. There's an “amenities” building in the town center which offers free hot showers. Clean sheets, some exercise, hot showers and freshies … life is good here.

Just as well that we like Portland because based on the current weather forecast, we might be here a few more days. No worries. The Tourist Info Center at the Maritime Discovery Center is only a stone's throw away on shore and it's loaded with info on walks and interesting things to do here. When the wind gods throw you lemons....

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

President's Day

Honoring all the President's of the USA in one fell swoop. A US national holiday making for a long winter weekend. Enjoy!

Drink Wine Day

Now we're talking. This is definitely my day to celebrate. Cabernet sauvignon, merlot, shiraz, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, chardonnay...so much wine, so little time. Have a glass with dinner tonight.

Exploring King Island 2 - Lighthouses, Cheese and Raptors

 

We had high hopes for the day. A morning shower dampened us a bit as we motored ashore in the dinghy, but resulted in a rainbow over the bay. Then we saw the flat tire on the rental car.

This is not quite what David had in mind when he wrote about repairs in exotic places, but he changed the tire with minimal grumbling and we were off. We stopped in Currie to get another spare and headed north.

King Island was once quite forested, but milling, clearing and fires have rendered it mostly grassy, rolling hills now that stretch from sea to sea, good for farming and pastureland. Only a few main roads on the island are paved, the rest are gravel or hard packed dirt. Wallabies jump out of the bush at you frequently. Wild North American turkeys comb the fields for breakfast and peafowl and ring-necked pheasants roam quite freely. We probably saw more raptors (kestrels, harriers and falcons) than any other type of bird, except maybe pied magpies and ravens. An abundance of roadkill provides food for scavengers all up and down the food chain.

We headed first to Penny's Lagoon in the Martha Lavinia Nature Reserve. This is place noted for observing a wide array of native birds, but we saw very few . Perhaps we were too late in the day with our flat tire delay. We did the circuit walk and did see two large tiger snakes in the bush which gave me an adrenaline rush. We think it was coitus interruptus because they scurried off, each in their own direction, embarrassed by our intrusion. We beach combed for a short while on sprawling Lavinia Beach known primarily for its surfing waves. The rollers were huge, but other than two surf casters, the beach was totally deserted … save massive hordes of huge biting flies.

At the northernmost point of the island sits the Cape Wickham Lighthouse. Now, this is a traditional lighthouse, unmanned, but still in operation. It's a beauty. Completed in 1861 and constructed of local granite, it is the tallest lighthouse in Australia and the southern hemisphere. In case you're wondering, the Deal Island Lighthouse is the “highest” light, not the tallest.

The views of Cape Wickham, with huge rollers crashing on the reefs and rocks below, was stupendous and definitely sobering. Several stone memorials nearby marked the graves of people drowned at sea as well as lighthouse keepers and their families who had died here.

We'd sampled King Island cheese while in Tassie and there was no question that we'd stop at their Fromagerie and tasting room along the route. We were allowed to taste nearly a dozen different cheeses. We had little rating sheets to help us make our buying selection at the end. We liked them all though, so we bought a bit of everything. We'll be good on cheeses in the larder for quite some time to come.

Beyond the cheeses, we'd heard wonderful things about King Island beef, but unfortunately David didn't have the chance to try any. We're always on the lookout for unique items at each place we visit. The kelp industry and art are, of course, unique, but we found more. King Island Cloud Juice is the local gourmet bottled rain water available in lots of upscale places worldwide. King Island honey is considered quite a delicacy. At the Cultural Center in Currie, we found mutton bird oil for sale for softening leather as well as feral cat skins which I guess can be fashioned into hats, fur collars, etc. (Here, Tabby, Tabby.)

We reconnoitered Currie and then Grassy for a potential dinner-out alternative. Unfortunately, our budget and the menu prices were not in sync. We passed and headed back to Cups. That old frugal versus cheap thing won out. As we congratulated each other over our savings by eating aboard Cups, thoughts of how we could spend that money on another car rental down the road came to mind.

Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

International Gumdrop Day

It might be easy to just buy gumdrops in your favorite flavor and pop them in your mouth, but where's the celebration in that? They're not hard to make yourself. Give it a try!