Log One Hundred and Twenty Four – Spring Showers, Gales and Sunshine all in a Day

5 November 2025

The variability of Spring weather is starting to test us. From gale force winds to squalls through to balmy days of 30c, we have experienced it all.

It seems there was a horse race in Melbourne which results in a four day weekend. Consequently just about every campground a three hour drive from the city was booked out. We were left with a next tier campground that was just ok, uncrowded with outdated facilities. No drama, just all part of the adventure.

A night in Foster followed by a day trip into Wilsons Prom and a boat ride to Skull Rock and the seal colonies. The weather was perfect, calm seas and no rain.

The boat ride involves wearing a ‘fits all sizes’ cape which looked more like a large red garbage bag as protection from the spray. You are sitting outside exposed to the weather and helmsman is not gentle on the throttle. The scenery was quite stunning. The crew advised that anyone who was a bit queasy or suffered back issues should sit at the back. We chose that pivot point where the ride is comfortable and you avoid the spray.

From Tidal River and Foster we headed onwards in search of our next bakery. It turned out Korumburra had an outstanding bakery with excellent coffee not to mention the pies. At this point as we got closer to Melbourne the traffic grew exponentially. Gone were the quiet and empty roads of NE Victoria. Bumper to bumper traffic was now the order or the day.

We arrived in Rosebud, on the foreshore on a 30c day. Kids were in swimming and there were lots of people sun baking. We had family and friends visiting and it was time to break out the sandals and shorts.

That night the heavens opened which has set the scene for the next several days. We caught the 11:00am ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff and enjoyed very calm seas but no scenery considering the rain and mist across the bay.

It turns out Queenscliff has a bakery that has won national awards for their pies, who knew! Yep, that was our lunch destination. Due to everyone in Melbourne camping that weekend we were left to stay at a campgrounds that literally had 100s of sites. A little overwhelming for this quiet soul. And more rain.

Next it was a trip down the famous Great Ocean Road. We drove via Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, and I was a little overwhelmed how much these towns had grown in the decades since I was last there, but there you go it had been a while. Torquay and Anglesea were humming with weekend visitors. Here is the centre of the surfing world for Victoria especially when you consider the history of such locations as Bells Beach and Jan Juc.

We drove the Great Ocean Road and were constantly in awe of the scenery. My job of course was to watch the road for oncoming traffic on what can be a narrow road, cut into the cliff face.

We arrived at our destination at Apollo Bay just ahead of the rain and wind. Lunch comprised the celebrated Apollo Bay scallop pies, outstanding.

Today was dedicated to visiting the Cape Otway Lighthouse. The wind and rain were relentless. The high point was not just the lighthouse precinct and history but also the koalas we saw on the way in and heading out.

Our final escapade for the day was a walk through a section of rainforest filled with myrtle beech trees which date back to Gondwana Land and towering tree ferns and mountain ash trees, stunning.