Mark & Gill

Short drive to Melbourne today to complete the Great Ocean Road trip. Lots of tour buses going the other way thankfully.

Lovely little bays on the last stretch much less rocky than previous day along the coast. This stretch would be much easier to maintain. There were lots of roadworks yesterday (high maintenance road with sheer cliff faces plunging to sea/road).

Stopped just short of Aireys Inlet where the Memorial Arch spans the Great Ocean Road, as a reminder that this roadway is the world’s largest war memorial.

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The Great Ocean Road is 243km long, or 151 miles,  and starts  (officially) in Torquay and ends in Allansford. You can drive either way. We are driving Allansford to Torquay, primarily because we are coming from Adelaide and heading to Melbourne. We discovered an advantage of that route today as it is the road less travelled, less cars and tour buses going our way! Slight disadvantage as we hugged the cliff side and not the seaside for best views but really not much in that much in it.

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A drizzly wee start to the day after initally positive looking sky! Slower start with brekky and then off to suss out the highly rated Mahalia Coffee Roastery. A quirky little destination cafe and roastery with a whole lot more including all things coffee related, lovely gifts, a children’s playground and outdoor eating area if it was fine! Bought very nice coffee to go and salted caramel yo-yos!

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On the road again heading to Melbourne via the Limestone Coast and  then The Great Ocean Road.

Short drive late avo to Port Noarlunga, a little seaside village south of Adelaide. Pretty dull afternoon though as rain sprinkled us.  Nevertheless, interesting weaving along the coast enjoying the burbs and the lovely houses along the way. Nice beaches along the length of Holdfast Bay – first two pictures in link below.

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Fabulous weather for touring today in McLaren Vale, a wine area south east of Adelaide. Countryside green and gorgeous with rows and rows of vines and views of distant hills and the sea. Some of the oldest vines in the country are in this region and date back to the 1850s.

First stop was Beach Road for a wee tipple, pizza and great antipasto platter. Place was buzzing. Best ever haloumi.

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Well so far!

Lunch today at a cafe run by a couple of kiwis,  just down the road from Chris & Ellen’s place. Great coffee(s)and food, nice chat and a lamington to take away.

https://www.broadsheet.com.au/adelaide/food-and-drink/article/clement-herron-opens-findon

Quick trip to the mall for Mark to shop though I did make small purchases given the opportunity!

Managed to get some photos on the blog today so have a look..up to Adelaide.

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Explored some of the toe of the Yorke Peninsula today. Awesome coastal scenery, pristine blue ocean waters, sandy beaches, limestone rocks and outcrops, reefs and islands, shipwrecks and wildlife galore. Today we saw emu, kangaroo,  numerous scampering  lizards and snakes (on the road- one curled up and possibly live and the rest dead and dehydrated).

Began with spectacular views at Daly Head-reminded me a little of Raglan with steep cliffs to surf beach, rocks and sandy shore. We then headed down into Innes National Park with it’s variegated and low growing coastal bushland. Inneston  is a historic town within the park that provided housing and facilities for miners working in factories producing plaster of Paris and chalk. Didn’t have time to explore this trip. The old mines are now lakes.

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Roadie to the west of Adelaide today, down the east side of the Yorke Peninsula and across to  Couches Beach (east side) where the Ramsey Hill shack is. (Read bach in NZ lingo.)

Ellen’s parents have retired here and are currently renovating the shack for permanent living. Couches Beach sits just on top of the foot at the base of the ankle.

Travelled down- pies for lunch at Port Wakefield and checked out a memorial display for a WW1 flying ace at Minlaton. Capt. Harry  Butler flew his monoplane “The Red Devil” from Adelaide to Minlaton to deliver the first airmail over water in the Southern Hemisphere in 1919.

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The weather didn’t co-operate but we had a good tour of the Adelaide Oval today. A misty rain and fog in the distance restricted distance views but as most of the stadium tour was under cover it was ok- perhaps just not shining at it’s best!ik

Toured under the stadium, through the “visiting team” rooms, stood on the edge of the ground watching the grass being mowed to perfection. The Oval has been home to cricket since 1819 and more recently to Australian football and league.

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7.9.18 A little outing to St Kilda Mangrove Wetland. Short drive out and over the top security to access a boardwalk through the mangroves. Enjoyed fish and chips prior to our walk. Unfortunately the tide was out and part of the walk was closed however an interesting little meander. Wetlands are adjacent to a salt lake bed.

Drove on up to Gawler, the oldest county town in Australia, and checked out some  of Ellen’s family history.

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