Back to Melbourne, then on to South Gippsland

I need to get the air-intake pipe replaced on my engine as it is blowing more and more smoke at the exhaust pipe.  I called the Ford Dealer in Melbourne who has the part in stock, says he can do the job first thing Friday morning.

I had driven back to the campground at Princetown, to stay one night and take a few more photos of The Apostles at first light the next morning.  It is freezing with a cold wind blowing right through my 3 layers of clothing.  Even the battery in my camera keeps giving me the red light.  Don't like the cold either, so putting the camera in y pocket to keep it warm solves that little problem.  I take a series of quite nice shots, then back to the campground for breakfast and good byes to my new friends from Hamburg, Sabine, Frank and Son Ben. They need to go back to Sydney and from there to New Zealand. 

Apostles at first light

I leave the coast again, at Port Campbell, driving north to Camperdown, then north-west towards the Hamilton Highway.  The backroad I am traveling on takes me right between two lakes shown on my map, the smaller one, Lake Gnarpurt looks like completely dried up, just lots of salt around the edges, where water used to be.  Lake Corangamite, shown as a large lake on my map, being at least 30km long, is also virtually dried up.

I do enjoy the look of the countryside, lots of shining golden grass covered hills rising either side of the road.  On to the city of Geelong and from there, follow the Freeway toward Melbourne.  At Werribee I head for the coast again, book into a caravan park and am back on the Freeway to Melbourne by 7.30 the following morning.  At 10am the job is done, I'm back on the road to South Gippsland.

Its Australia Day Long Weekend so expect lots of holiday makers as many people will take Monday off as Australia Day is on the 26th, which is Tuesday.  After some advice I abandon my initial target The Wilsons Promontory, simply called in classic Australian abbreviation "The Prom". 

Rolling hills of grass

The Prom is a large peninsula jutting out from the south coast of Victoria.  The advice was that it will be totally overrun with holiday makers that usually pre-book space a year ahead. (Looks like I will have to explore that after I return from Tasmania.)  Instead I drive to Inverloch and from there to Walkerville North with a campsite right by the beach.  Its agreat location, people telling me that they have come there for about 30 years.  Unfortunately the weather turns cold and very windy, putting a bit of a dampener on things.  I stay 2 nights anyway. 

The Prom on the horizon

This morning I drive out to Wonthaggi for a bit of shopping and then on to Poowong where I discover a lovely Rest place to stay for the night.

Tonight's view from my window