don’t tell anyone but there are sights beyond the great ocean road. the selfie stick jungle definitely subsides beyond port campbell and there are decidedly fewer people jostling for the perfect ‘look how cool i am i stand right in front of something amazing but manage to block it out completely’ photo.
pretty much like the one below. there is a cool outcrop in the background with the sea washing over it but who cares – it’s all about me! come over here mum i’m sure with your help we can also blot out that other pesky piece of nature over there. someone should really build a high-rise apartment building or at least create some heavy smog to ensure it looks more ‘civilised’ …
in some places it is hard to walk without photobombing someone’s happy-extended-family-shot every single step.
that said the far end of the gor offers some pretty unique sights, as the southern ocean continues to pound australia’s shores, cuts pillars from the shoreline and then batters them until they topple. this is the truth our pollies won’t tell us: australia is shrinking!
the little piles of rubble in the foreground used to be apostels.
the bay of islands just west of port campbell is another great reminder that this process is eating away at our beautiful home. in the process it is creating a stunning scenery, supporting a thriving tourism industry. is australia sacrificing itself to create ‘jobs & growth’? while actually physically shrinking? in a way that is how i often feel about australia: selling the future for today’s meagre profit.
the sea spray creates a haze that looks like a permanent fog over the shoreline. it is also interesting to note that no trees grow on the land adjacent to the ocean.
shrubs like this seem to be the only plants able to withstand the sea breeze.
it’s just a question of time before the ‘grotto’ becomes two pillars and then disappears into the sea.
the reason we visited warrnambool approx 50km west of port campbell was mostly medical; kris needed a little help (which she received). we were pleasantly surprised to find this open air exhibition of a typical 19th century port town next to the tourist information center. warrnambool was indeed one of the key ports along victoria’s south coast at a time when roads were much more difficult to travel and most of the goods were delivered by ship, despite the clear dangers.
it’s not called the shipwreck coast for no reason. then again so is the west coast, not sure if it was due to the dangerous coastline, the crude navigation tools, the maybe not-so-safe ships or the drivers.
the exhibition is really well made, with many artefacts from life on land and the various ship wrecks (several hundreds over the years).
no, that was not where kris went for help. luckily.
there were a few volunteers in the ‘shops’ and shops all dressed in proper 19th century fashion.
west of warrnambool the landscape gets a little less exciting, although we were amazed to find fred flintstone’s car parked outside this little shack.
and yet another lighthouse, this one on cape nelson south of portland. there is another albeit not as impressive one next to the caranvan park we are staying at today, in portland. this one was finished in 1884 and the light – initially powered by candles – could be seen from a distance of 21 nautical miles. in good weather, that is. in bad weather pretty much none of the navigational aides of the time worked and it became all a game of pin the tail on the donkey. thank god for gps.
today it’s raining, tomorrow we expect a stiff breeze. at least we don’t get both at the same time …
a short video from near port campbell. i need to fly higher, that would allow me to also adjust the camera to take in more of the landscape. live & learn.