Saturday, May 28, 2016

Tahara - Apollo Bay: Cold & Windy

Tahara was as expected wet and cold. The night was spent shivering under three covers and the face freezing of. Got a lot of fresh air, though. Cleaned up my car the day after arriving, said hello to Josy and the dogs, had a look at the stock I'd helped manage over the last year and went to Hamilton for some shopping.
The next day I got rid of my roof-rack, as the coastline is more populated than the centre and I can save a bit of fuel that way. Packed up all my gear in to the car and said goodbye to everyone, before heading of to Queensland. First stop wasn't that far away, ten kilometres down the road actually. As I hadn't visited Bucky since coming back I thought I'd say “hi” before running of again (I also wanted to now what type swag he had, which I had seen a couple of months ago and am interested in getting one).
After that to Hamilton to get a relay for my cars light bar, as it seems to have stuffed up. Turns out it's probably the battery, as it wont switch on for the first quarter of an hour or so and then will. Then the journey went along a route I had taken over a year prior with Katherine. Headed to Port Fairy and then turned of towards Warrnambool and the Great Ocean Road. Last time I had been along that it had been midnight. No other tourist, but you couldn't see a thing (really).
I arrived at the Twelve Apostles at about 6PM after stopping along the coastline here and there on the way. Similar to last time I was journeying along in windy, winter weather with sheets of rain passing through. First stop I got out of the car and was greeted by a heavy salty smell in the air and biting weather. Had a walk along one of the beaches and was all alone with not a soul anywhere else, just a couple of washed out footprints and birds for company. Enjoyed that for a couple of moments after which I craved the warmth that the car gave me and headed back and along the road. Next stop I thought of doing a time laps of the rapidly moving clouds and walked about half a kilometre to the coast from the car park before I realised I had no battery in my camera (argggg). Got a few quick GoPro snaps and left for the Twelve Apostles. Got no pictures there as it was to dark for that, but my eyes finally saw them properly. Monoliths of stone jutting out of the ocean close to the coastline, it's a good view of how the sea eats away at the country (considering there aren't eight Twelve Apostels left (I don't get it either), but only seven, I think, it just shows it more). 
I called the nearest backpackers lodge I could find along my route, which was Apollo Bay and got myself a room set there. Then it was the Otways at night again. Last time here with Katherine I had had to dodge deer everywhere. This time I only saw about three in a field on the side of the road, but a large kangaroo decided it wanted to use the bridge my car was heading for. Not even close, but the size of that animal made me be extra careful. Then the winding road of the Otway National Park and a few other cars where my scenery for the next two hours. They seem to have had a large storm come through recently, as it felt like you where driving through the jungle with all the tree limbs hanging down and branches on the side of the road.
Apollo Bay was the next large settlement that greeted me and I managed to get a room for 30$ all to myself. It is rather empty around this time of year anyway, probably due to the same reason I am running away from here.

Good place to charge all my kit. Plug socket is fully booked by myself :D

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