The Long and Winding Road
Over breakfast this morning, we pondered what might be on our agenda for the day. Would we fancy a spot of Lorne bowls, or perhaps some Lorne tennis or a picnic on the Lorne? If we had time, sure, but there was plenty to see and do around the place. Our first stop was the little coastal town of Aireys Inlet with a visit to the historic Split Point Lighthouse, that stands tall on the magnificent rocky cliff overlooking the gorgeous Split Bay. With the big red hat on top, the lighthouse is quite distinctive and the kids immediately recognised it from the children’s show, Around The Twist. Beside the lighthouse was a cute little tea room. Housed in a quaint old weatherboard cottage, it provided Devonshire Teas and other usual refreshments as well as some not so usual ones, including the very tasty cucumber lemonades that we tried for the first time.
Just down from the lighthouse was a path leading to a viewing platform offering incredible views of the rocky coastline, the huge rugged rocks protruding from the sea making the necessity of the lighthouse very apparent. There have in fact, been numerous shipwrecks up and down the Great Oceean Road coastline. They’re all marked on my big paper map and would be fantastic diving sites.
As we were standing and admiring the magnificent view, I was reading one of the information posters. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a couple of people walk up and stand beside me, reading over my shoulder. Assuming it was Ross and Molly, I said without looking: “So this is Split Point. It’s where the Bass Strait mixes with the Southern Ocean and all the other waters from up the Eastern Coast and they collide with the land, and that’s what causes the cliffs to be so gnarly like this. How cool is that?” The woman standing beside me, who definitely wasn’t Ross, and her son, who definitely wasn’t Molly, said: “ Thank you. That was very imformative.”
That was a little embarrassing.
I made it worse when I blurted out an apology saying I thought they were my husband and daughter. Luckily there was a seat there where I could sit and try to extricate my foot from my mouth.
Ticking off our list of the Top 5 Things to Do in Lorne, our next destination was the Lorne Swing Bridge. One reviewer was quoted as saying, “your eyes are drawn to its classic lines and structural magnificence”. It sounded too good to miss. We had envisioned a long, swinging suspension bridge spanning a deep gully or ravine but the Lorne version wasn’t quite as dramatic and actually didn’t even swing (well, when you stand right in the middle and jump up and down enthusiastically, some slight movement can be detected.) It was pretty - don’t get me wrong - but the little beach-side bridge over the Erskine River probably should have been number 6 on the Top 5 Things to Do in Lorne countdown. Toby and Ross didn’t even bother getting out of the car.
The shoppers in the family had spied some outlet stores and big sales happening in the main street of Lorne yesterday so we decided it was time for some retail therapy. Molly, Sam, Maisy and I hit the shops while Toby and Ross went and had a wander and a bite to eat. There were indeed some good bargains to be had, some Christmas shopping done, and we didn’t come away empty handed. We even bought a replacement hula girl for the dashboard after the sad demise of Leilani Liliuokalani, who was tragically decapitated when we tried to remove her from my old car. We have christened the new girl “Lorna”, a nod to her place of birth.
Sam witnessed a crime-bust in one store he visited today when, after setting off a security alarm, a woman was questioned as to whether she might let the shop assistant take a quick peek into her over-sized bag, only to find it was jam-packed full of shop-lifted clothes. Sprung! Sam said the woman would have been in her 40s and not suspicious-looking in the slightest. As a famous, moustachioed Russian dictator once said…”Trust no-one”.
We grabbed some lunch on the run (Sam’s hot chips a shade of yellow not found in nature; they looked radioactive) and headed to Erskine Falls. All the reviews we read (we really did our research for today didn’t we?) mentioned there were a lot of steps at this place. “The falls are beautiful, but there are a lot of steps” was the general consensus, though after raising concern over the said steps, they all ended with…”but it is worth it”. The large warning sign that greeted us at the top of the path didn’t even mention the steps. It did prepare us however, for slippery surfaces, falling trees and SNAKES! Shooting up an arrow prayer under my breath -“please God don’t let me see a snake” - we started the steep descent. One look down the steep staircase and I was doubtful I’d make it back up.
Recent rainfall meant the waterfall was in fine form, masses of cascading water spilling over into the valley below, the loud sound of rushing water hitting the rocks echoing around us. Surrounded by tall, straight trees and lush rainforest, it really was magnificent. Predictably, the walk back up was gruelling, my loud panting and laboured steps, despite what you might think, really just a ploy to scare away any lurking snakes. When we eventually reached the top we all agreed, it was worth it.
A short drive away from Erskine Falls was Teddy’s Lookout, giving us a bird’s eye view of the winding Great Ocean Road and sweeping coastal views - from a great height - of mountainous peaks on one side and the vast ocean out to the horizon on the other. The Saint George River was visible, meandering through fern-covered valleys, long lines of surf breaking into its mouth. It was absolutely breathtaking.
A strategically placed park bench was offering a prime viewing spot at the lookout. Molly sat down on it, arms outstretched and declared, “Wow! Imagine just sitting here and looking out at that.” Sam informed her that that was exactly what she was doing.
After Teddy’s Lookout, we were headed for Apollo Bay, about an hour’s drive away. Rossco was driving and as we wove around the ocean-hugging curves of the roadway we realised we were traversing the precise section of road we’d just been viewing from above. Sam decided it would be fun to send his drone out to film our car on its way. With the sunroof open, remote control in his capable hands, Sam got some amazing footage of us cruising along. This section of the Great Ocean Road goes through national park, so close to the water, travelling past beach after beach of pristine clear blue water; not a soul in sight. Sam was kept on his toes, avoiding crashing the drone into the high cliffs rising up from the road on our right.
Apollo Bay is another gorgeous little place. It has a vibe that seems even more laid back than Lorne. Majestic green hills form a backdrop to the town and our accommodation has a view of the ocean through a row of big, new houses in front of us. There are vacant blocks scattered around us and a nice looking golf course just up the road, making Ross a very happy chappy. Sam, Tobes and I had a wander down to the main street to replenish supplies, walking past the carnival that was setting up for the night with a huge Norfolk Pine, decked out with Christmas lights. We enjoyed a scrumptious home-cooked meal, laden with much needed vegetables to balance out all the burgers, and watched the sunset over the sea.
