Tathra AGM and Great Ocean Road (GOR) Rally

After a very pleasant week at Tathra for the AGM we embarked on our GOR trip under the guidance of our new Rally Marshall, Chris. Our numbers were very much like the 12 Apostles; we were going to see sometimes 12 or 9 or 7 or 6 as people popped in and out of the rally.

Our first night was spent at the picturesque, if somewhat noisy (thanks to the roosters) camp at Genoa. Some of us enjoyed a leisurely beer on the veranda of the Genoa Pub (the pub has been closed for a number of years but that didn’t stop us). JJ and Alanah availed themselves of fresh lemons from the tree out front for the group. The afternoon was spent sitting around chatting followed by a communal BBQ.

A few beers helped Paddy get over the fact that his fridge had stopped working and after his food had been safely placed in other vans and arrangements had been made to get it looked at the next day, he joined in with the frivolities.

Next morning saw us up early and traveling to Bairnsdale after farewelling Paddy and the Keoghs. We welcomed the Bakers at Bairnsdale and made the decision to bypass Moe and go straight to Traralgon.

Friday saw us farewell the Marshes, Fergusons, Winters and Bakers to head in a different direction as the rest of headed for our first stop along the GOR Torquay, where we were once again joined by the Keoghs, Ingrams and Rachael and Jason.
The Torquay Caravan Park was well placed with access through a gate to the main street and another to the beach. The group spent Saturday doing their own thing around Torquay, and meeting up for happy hour followed by a very nice meal at an Italian restaurant to celebrate Helen’s birthday.

Sunday saw us head out to travel the first part of the GOR from Torquay and Apollo Bay.
Since the road was very busy with tour buses and people towing vans, we were very pleased we had decided to leave the vans behind while we toured the region for the day. We had no trouble parking and also got to enjoy the sights as we were driving along. Lots photos were taken and discussions held about the changes by those of us who had been there before.

We all met for lunch at a pub in Apollo Bay (the meals were huge), with a trip to the bakery following to buy their famous scallop pies and a pleasant visit to the information centre to see photos of the building of the road. Monday was a rest day for some and a chance for the golfers to take on the very impressive Torquay Golf course, whilst energetic people like Rachael and Jas went bike riding.

Tuesday saw us head to Warrnambool to complete the second half of the road and to enjoy the many sites with a seven day stay.

Warrnambool didn’t disappoint with an abundance of local facilities and although the caravan park was small, the staff were extremely friendly and helpful, including providing a delightful happy hour on our second night.

Wednesday saw us head off for a day tour to complete the second half of the GOR and to finally see the 12 (9,7,6) Apostles. While it was still very busy in the region, Mother Nature did not disappoint and we still were able to take many photos and marvel at the views.

We stopped at Port Lincoln for lunch and witnessed the major renovations happening in the main street. And then off for more photos. Some people were very adventurous and walked down many steps to get amazing photos whilst others took equally amazing photos from viewing platform.

Other excursions included Port Fairy and Portland which were visited by individuals. The Jones did this with the Brights and had a delightful morning tea at Portland, followed by a trip to Cape Nelson Lighthouse.

We then drove to Port Fairy to checkout the Folk Festival, markets and to dine on fish and chips. However the pub special was lambs fry with bacon and onions served with mashed potato and none us could resist. It was very good and the entertainment was equally as good. Port Fairy is a pretty town with some beautiful old architecture very reminiscent of the UK. Some of our members had trouble finding Port Fairy, isn’t that right Ray.

Friday saw the whole group attend the light show at Flagstaff Hill and no one was disappointed. Flagstaff Hill is an old pioneer village set up as Warrnambool was originally. At night you can attend an amazing lightshow which gives you the history of the town.

The remainder of time in Warrnambool was spent golfing, fishing, sightseeing, shopping, going to the races, eating, drinking or just relaxing.

A week after arriving in Warrnambool we started our journey home visiting a number of small towns including Colac, (where we found a very cute coffee shop), and Daylesford (where everything in the town was not what we expected, including the caravan park). John made a camp oven stew for us all to share, very yummy and great mash Alanah.
I would recommend a visit here to take a walk along the main street; visit the beautiful old convent which is now an art gallery, café, museum and function centre or spend too much time in the Mill and enormous antique shop.
Next was Shepparton where the temperature was too hot to do anything other than go to the club for lunch. We had to leave the group after Shepparton and head to Canberra and as the report is now almost as long as the trip I will sign off. I hope the people who were on the trip with us enjoyed it as much as I did, and that those of you who couldn’t make it are a little jealous.