Gippsland & Wilson's Promontory.

Alone again! Here we are in Melbourne, one of our favourite cities, with a few days to kick back and relax. Anything in particular you'd like to do darling? The reply was instantaneous, DRINK COFFEE, EAT FOOD and SHOP!!!!!!! Obvious really!!

Now that's a Margarita!

Dinner with Leah at Touche Hombre.

Carolyn had the latest shopping guides to all the new and revamped centres, so it was into the car and into town. Our Landcruiser with the roof rack and capsule on top, make city parking impossible, so we headed down to Docklands where we knew outside parking was plentiful and cheap, then onto the City Circle Free Tram and into town. The Free Tram is a great service for tourists, and totally abused by the locals, who account for most of the passengers!! We got off at Flinders Street Station and worked our way through the wonderful lane ways, and arcades, headed

Do I really need a new handbag?

Coffee with Angela at Seven Seeds.

for Bourke Street Mall. We stopped for a coffee along the way, and then emerged right opposite Myer and their amazing Christmas Window displays. We joined the well organised throng, and walked past all the displays, which this year feature the theme of Santa Claus & the Three Bears. Just a touch of poetic license there!! At the rear of Myer is the new and exciting retail development that houses all the leading overseas retailers, causing quite a stir on the Australian retail market. H & M, UniQlo, Top Shop, Gap etc.etc. are all there. We lost hours doing the shops, then returned that night to have dinner with Leah, daughter of our great

Cape Liptrap Lighthouse.

At Victoria Market.

friends Bev & Fred. Leah has relocated to Melbourne for work, and is loving it. Carolyn wanted to revisit Touche Hombre, which was good, but like all second times, it didn't have the wow factor of visit number one. Still, the Margaritas were great, and the Tacos delicious. We had a lovely night catching up on all Leah's news, and learning how well she has adapted to life in this vibrant city. Next day, we had another catch up, this time with our dear friend Angela, who used to be at Menai Blinds, the major supplier to our business Gaymoir Products. We have stayed in touch since she moved here 10? years ago, and she found us an awesome place to have coffee and a chat, in the back streets of Carlton. Called Seven Seeds, they are coffee roasters and the coffee and food was first class. Thank God for Navman, as we never would have found the place by ourselves!! The last thing on our agenda was Victoria Market. We just have to call in when in Melbourne. It is a given! Some lovely fresh fruit and veggies, plus a treat or two!!

Lush and green. 

Lunch stop at Middle Tarwin.

Leaving Melbourne in the rear view mirror, we headed South East, bound for South Gippsland and The Prom. Now that isn't your all singing, all dancing, end of term, high school kind of Prom. That would be Wilson's Promontory, or as the locals like to say, The Prom. It is an area we have not visited before! It is an area we will come back to again!! The countryside is magnificent. So lush and green. Your would swear that you were travelling the English counties, full of rolling hills and all so green. This must be the richest dairy country in Australia. I am certain that the word DROUGHT isn't in the local dictionary! The dairy herds are huge, and there is

Just beautiful green country.

Not missing Wonthaggi!

so much silage, all rolled up and ready. We took the long road, so I could go through Wonthaggi. Not because it is exceptional, but because ever since Kramer (Seinfeld) used to do the Vodafone ads on the telly, and he was calling home from Wonthaggi! It is a ghastly name. Carolyn told me in no uncertain terms, that we will never be relocating to Wonthaggi!! It was actually quite nice, much bigger that I'd expected, in fact it is the regional centre for the South Gippsland area. Seeing I wasn't allowed to stay at Wonthaggi, I chose to stay at Toora. Along the way, we

Chinese Dairy humour?

Nursery, coffee & music in Foster.

stopped outside the Community Hall at Middle Tarwin, not far from Tarwin Lower. See, I told you it was like England!  In Toora, we found a lovely caravan park in a tiny little town, only 70 kms from The Prom. Home to Victoria's first wind farm, they used to have a milk processing plant, but that closed down a few years back. However, the locals are excited because the Chinese have recently bought the plant and plan to reopen it and ship everything to China! Is that growing our manufacturing Industry? If you thought things couldn't get any worse after Wonthaggi, every time we drove in or out of

At Millie & Romeos.

Breakfast at Millie & Romeos
in Koonwarra.

Toora, which was a lot, Carolyn burst into song, singing Toora Loora Loora Loora Loora Ly!! Not even a decent coffee spot in Toora. We had to drive a few kms down the road to Foster, to get a fix, but they had plenty of good spots, including Ando's Bakery!! On Saturday morning, we found a lovely little place inside a nursery, where they had live acoustic music. It was gorgeous. The entire area is blessed with choice when it comes to food and coffee. Being only 1 to 2 hours from Melbourne, there are lots of weekenders. At nearby Koonwarra, and Meeniyan were some fabulous eateries. We tried all we could! We

Coastal scenery near Inverloch.

Koonwarra Store was also excellent.

just enjoyed driving around looking at the scenery of the region. The gardens were incredible with all the cold climate trees, and so much colour. No shortage of manure around here, and don't the roses show it!! Back at the caravan park, on Saturday, we got some neighbours. Ewan and Kerrie arrived in their ute with a brand new tent to try out. They were a lovely couple of a similar age to us, and were trying out the tent for when their grand kids come for Christmas! We had some great conversation, and finished up at Toora Pub for dinner, which

Fancy holiday homes.

Fish Creek Hotel.

was very busy and quite good, though they did struggle getting meals out of the kitchen. Next morning, Ewan & Kerrie packed up and headed home to Korumburra, just 70kms away! A Sunday drive to Inverloch was another big surprise. This is one trendy little beach side spot. There is a big RACV Resort, plus some very flash "holiday" houses. Situated on a lovely sandy inlet, the place explodes in school holidays and at weekends. On the way home, we detoured through Fish Creek, where the funky Art Deco pub, has a huge dead fish straddled across the roof!

Walking along Tidal River.

At Wilson's Promontory.

For us, the two big highlights of the region were visits to Wilson's Promontory, and the Tarra Bulga National Park. The Prom is a destination that requires lots of time to do the many and varied walks. You can camp within the National Park, but boy is it expensive! I thought these parks were for the people! Unpowered sites for $56.00 per night! You can stay just outside the National Park at Yanakie, which a lot of people do, or further afield like us. The road stops at Tidal River, which is where all the campsites and accommodation are. It is right on the river and the beach, and is a lovely

Squeaky Beach.

Twisted trees all over the Prom.

spot. There are large sections of park devoted to school camps and there were lots of school kids around. The visitor centre is excellent, and there is a cafe and store for essentials, but no fuel. We walked the Loo-Errn Track which follows the river around to the beach, which was just lovely. We also stopped in and walked out to Squeaky Beach, with its "squeaky" silicone sand, as well as Whiskey Bay and Picnic Bay. It is worth noting, that Wilson's Promontory is the southern most point on the Australian Mainland. From Tidal River, it is hell of a walk,

Pacific Gull.

Aussie Commando Memorial
at Wilson's Prom.

and way past our level of competence! We will come back to this region, as it is lovely. The scenery is very reminiscent of parts of Tasmania around Cole's Bay, and also along the southern coast of WA, though the sand is not as pure and white. Still a lovely part of Australia, but being so accessible, boy is it well used!! Another unknown fact for me, was that the Australian Army Commando units first formed and trained here at Wilson's Prom during WW11. There is a wonderful memorial to all commando units, but especially those that trained here during that war.

Along Tarra Valley Road.

Hiking through Tarra Bulga NP.

When it comes to WOW factor, Tarra Bulga National Park hits the mark. For cold climate rain forest, we have seen no better. We came here from the northern side very early on in our travels, and did the famous Grand Ridge Drive. This time we decided to do some walks through the rain forest. From Toora, we headed east, towards Yarram, stopping in at Port Welshpool. This place used to be a thriving port, back when Esso BHP was getting going, with all its Bass Strait oil wells. Most were built or assembled here and floated out into Bass Strait. It was also the mainland

The suspension Bridge.

Crossing the suspension bridge.

destination for the ill fated Fast Cat Ferry Service from Tasmania to the Aussie Mainland. Today, it has a fishing fleet, and almost every house is for sale, as is the Pub! We stopped in Yarram for coffee, at the grandly named Coffee Palace, and enjoyed a respectable cup. Then it was up the Tarra Valley Road to the National Park. The drive is breathtakingly beautiful, with the road just one car wide in most sections. The tree ferns were stunning, as we wound our way along beside the Tarra River. There are homes nestled in a among the lush forests,

Tree ferns by the thousand.

Viewing platform above the bridge.

and there are two small caravan parks along the way. We wouldn't get our caravan in here, as the signs prohibit vehicles over 8 metres. I have to say, I would hate to be towing any caravan along this road! We made it to the Visitor Centre Car Park where we planned our walk. We decided on a loop that took us to Corrigan's Suspension Bridge as well as the Lyre Bird Track and the Fern Forest. It was just amazing. The very fine drizzle didn't even worry us. We stopped and sat quietly whilst on the Lyre Bird Track, and were rewarded with seeing three of these beautiful birds, famous for their ability to mimic every other bird in

Mountain Lowry parrot.

the 

Lyre Bird.

forest, as well as their Lyre shaped tail. They just scratched around in the mulch, seemingly oblivious to our presence. We also saw lots of the brilliantly coloured Mountain Lowry Parrots, feeding on small daisies. They would break off the flower and pick the seed out of the centre! The suspension bridge is a fantastic structure, and one of the longest we have traversed. All the while, we were surrounded by the beautiful ferns and mosses and tree orchids. A truly lovely walk through a rain forest paradise. On the way back to Toora, we took the back road, which

At Agnes Falls.

Along the logging road.

was a dirt forestry road through to Macks Creek. What an incredibly different scene, with forests of Mountain Ash and plantation forests of pine. This too, was a great drive, and thankfully no Log Trucks! In need of a late lunch, we headed out to Port Albert for some of the famous fish 'n chips. They reckon people drive all the way from Melbourne to sample the fare! Well it was good tucker, but cold and windy, so we dined, sitting in the car looking out

Toora from the Lookout.

Agnes Falls.

over the marina! Nearer to Toora, we called in at the lovely Agnes Falls, Victoria longest drop falls. After a little recent rain, the falls were working well, and a spectacular sight. A stop at the wind farm viewing area, and we were soon back at base after a fantastic day out. There is no doubting the beauty of the South Gippsland region of Victoria. We will be back again, to tour the many and varied sights that are on offer. But it won't be in winter!!!