Point Danger, Victoria.

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Point Danger is on a promontory just south of Portland, Victoria.

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Just off the coast is an island that hosts a gannet rookery. It’s not accessible to the public, but you can go down to the coastline and watch them flying just beyond the fence.

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The shore itself is fenced off so that the birds remain undisturbed by visitors. There are better places from which to take photos of the birds and the island, but I wasn’t able to access them on this visit because of mobility issues: I’m on crutches!

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You can also turn off the road to the rookery to visit Crumpets Beach. This is a beautiful spot that lies almost at the end of a fairly rugged track that you would only attempt in a 4-wheel-drive or on foot.

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Once the track has negotiated some tight bends and bumpy stretches, all the while going fairly steeply downhill, it levels out to run along the beach toward the headland.

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This magnificent scenery  all lies within fifteen minutes’ drive of Portland, on the south-west coast of Victoria, Australia, which is actually one of the oldest cities in the state. It has some lovely old buildings, a very active deep-harbour international sea port, and is very popular with fishermen and holidaymakers.

 

 

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After The Storm

Living on the south-western coast of Victoria means we get some pretty rugged weather off the Southern Ocean.
But when the storm passes and the sunlight hits the sea, the peacefulness really is beautiful.

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Late afternoon sunshine  begins to break through the clouds at Stingray Bay, Warrnambool.

 

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Late afternoon sunshine on calmer waters at Stingray Bay, Warrnambool. 

 

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Sunshine through the clouds reflecting on the Hopkins River near its mouth at Warrnambool. 

Hopkins River, Warrnambool.

This is one of my favourite spots on the river for thinking, writing, or enjoying a cup of coffee before work.

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A good morning for reflection!

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The cutest little boat!

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Pelicans often enjoy the protection of this quiet stretch of the river.

The river meanders down to the coast where it meets the Southern Ocean at Logan’s Beach.

 

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Near the river mouth and shore, the Hopkins has a wide beach of its own.

 

 

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Otway Fly

I love places that challenge the popular stereotypes that many people hold about Australia – the beach, the desert, the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and Uluru.

Weeaproinah is one of the wettest places in the state of Victoria. Although it’s very close to the coast, this locality at the end of the Otway Ranges boasts magnificent mountain ash rainforest that contrasts lush green foliage with tall, straight tree trunks. Birds and wildlife abound.

The Otway Fly is a treetop walk and/or zipline adventure through the forest, taking advantage of different levels and heights, and allowing visitors to experience different aspects of the Australian bush.

 

 

Peterborough, Victoria.

Peterborough is where the Curdies River meets the Southern Ocean.

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This tiny hamlet sits on the Great Ocean Road, where people often see little more than the wide river as they drive over the bridge toward better known sights and the town of Port Campbell.

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By doing so, they’re missing out on some great scenery and a beautiful sandy beach where the river provides much safer swimming than in this part of the ocean, which is notorious for rips and strong undertows.

 

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Loch Ard Gorge, Victoria.

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The Loch Ard Gorge takes its name from a ship that was wrecked off the coast nearby. Only two  of the fifty four people on board survived: Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael. They were washed into this gorge and onto the beach, where they sheltered in a cave. Tom climbed up the cliff to get help from local farmers, who then rescued Eva.

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