Port Fairy

As we hooked up in Melbourne, I saw we had a problem. The handle that holds the jockey wheel in place would not tighten up, and on close examination, I could see that the thread had stripped. Doesn't seem like much, but without the jockey wheel you can't easily get the caravan on and off the car, so the drive to Port Fairy would include some repair planning!

Fire along The Great Ocean Road.

Fire right to the sea.

We decided to take the scenic route (is there any other way!!!), to Port Fairy, along the Great Ocean Road. It was a lovely sunny day, and as we had never done the drive from east to west, we were really looking forward to it. In addition, we had seen all the Bush Fires that had ravaged the area over the New Year holidays, closing the Great Ocean Road for several days. So down the Freeway we headed, and just before we reached Bell's Beach, Carolyn spotted  our morning coffee stop, a quaint nursery with plenty of room to park the car & caravan. It proved a lovely spot, with an excellent café, a gallery, a gift shop and of course, the nursery. We enjoyed our little break, and a stroll through all the shops, where the standout were some fantastic iron sculptures of all shapes and sizes.

Welcome to Port Fairy.

It's a huge festival!

Back on the road we passed through Airey's Inlet and on to Lorne, and it was along this section of road around Wye River & Kennett River that we saw the full extent of the Bush Fires, burning right down to the water's edge. We also saw the sad remains of many homes, mostly holiday homes, that the fire had claimed. As we drove past Apollo Bay, and up and over the ranges at Cape Otway, it brought back many great memories of our trip through here with Robyn, in November 2014. We passed by the Twelve Apostles and Port Campbell, and arrived in Warnambool in search of a caravan repair place.

Homes along the Moyne River.

Port Fairy waterfront.

We found one place, but that only proved our problem was bigger than we thought, as both the handle and the receiving nut were stripped, meaning that we now needed the complete coupling to be cut off the A Frame, and a new one welded on! This place couldn't help but gave us another number. Gary at Warnambool Caravan Repairs was most helpful. Very laid back, telling us his welder was away, but if we just went on our way to Port Fairy and used the jack to get the caravan off, we could simply call in when we were leaving Port Fairy, when his man would be back, and they would do the job on the spot! Sounded good, so off we went to Port Fairy.

Luxury homes a plenty.

Near the river entrance.

Port Fairy is gorgeous. It is one of Victoria's oldest towns, dating back to the early 1820's when it was a whaling & sealing station. We had booked at The Gardens Caravan Park at East Beach, due to its close proximity to town and the river. It proved an excellent choice, with a lovely grassy site looking across to the Moyne River. We backed the van in and got the jack ready, for removing the van without the jockey wheel. All went well until the final second, when the coupling released itself from the towball, moving slightly sideways and prompty falling off the jack!! Guys appeared from nowhere, and soon there were three of us with jacks, trying to get the caravan back up and level. Disaster was averted, and beers were quickly in hand as the post mortem was held!!

Restored cottage & garden.

Grand old home.

We had initially tried to book in Port Fairy for two weeks, but were thwarted due to the fact that the second weekend was Victoria's Labour Day weekend, and more importantly, Port Fairy is home to one of the biggest Folk Festivals in Australia, held every year on this holiday weekend. We were astounded to find out what a huge event this is, with up to 70,000 people descending on Port Fairy for the long weekend. Everything is booked out for miles around, and huge marquis are constructed in the towns parklands. We have not seen anything bigger than the tent city that just kept getting bigger every day. We will be putting this on our list for a future year!

A lovely grassy site.

Relaxing on East Beach.

The town itself is situated on the Moyne River, that was deepened to create a safe harbour to cater for larger vessels. The entrance to the river is protected by Griffiths Island, situated just metres from the mainland, and accessible by a causeway. The river is lined by huge Norfolk Island Pines, as are a number of streets in town, and as is our caravan park. There are some wonderful old homes along the river, and the town itself contains one of the best collections of restored old buildings of any town we have seen. There are some grand old homes, regal banks and commercial buildings, great old pubs and quaint cottages, all beautifully restored and still in use. The waterfront is home to a small fishing fleet, mostly crayfish. The town itself, whilst not big, is a treasure trove of classy shops, restaurants, cafes and pubs. It is hard to get a bad coffee!!

Great food & coffee.

The Folk Festival is huge.

Our weather in Port Fairy was quite cool. We kept reading about the heatwave gripping south eastern Australia, but believe us, it was missing Port Fairy. In our nine day stay, we had two warm days in the high 20's, whilst the rest of the time it was stuck around 20!! We did our town walks, and tried coffee in a number of places, all of them good. Of those we visited, we would mention Rebecca's Café, which is a Port Fairy institution, and does good coffee and excellent cakes. We also had a fantastic breakfast at Ramellas Café & Restaurant, where there is a Turkish influence, and amazing flavours. The Farmer's Wife Harvest Café, Gregory's and Slitti, were all worthy of mention as well. It really was hard to get a bad coffee and meal in Port Fairy.

A round at Port Fairy Links.

Fantastic scenery from many tees.

Port Fairy is also home to a great golf course, the Port Fairy Links. It is a wonderful links style layout set in the sand dunes along the beachfront. The scenery on most holes of the back nine is breathtaking. As is the case with all links courses, there are hundreds of bunkers, and not a tree in sight. We enjoyed a game on a day when the breeze was thankfully light. The course was in excellent condition, with the greens a standout. Plans to tackle the layout more than once, were thwarted by the windy weather. It was hard enough out there already!!

The drought has taken its toll!!

Memorial to lost airmen.

Our caravan troubles hadn't ceased! You know how these things come in Threes!! We had the screaming Brake Controller, which I had now fixed with the replacement of the flat battery, we had the broken jockey wheel coupling due to be fixed next week when we leave, and now we the lights in our ensuite have stopped working!! Bugger!! I chased down the number of a local, mobile Auto Electrician who drove over from Koroit, around 40 kms away. He quickly located the problem, and hey presto, we had light again. The bill was a staggering $50.00!!!! Come on!! In Sydney when I needed an Auto Electrician, there was a call out fee, a minimum charge, an hourly rate with a minimum one hour, an admin fee and credit card surcharge!!  

The Craggs

The big slide at Lake Yambuk.

We took a drive along the coast to The Craggs and also to Lake Yambuk, quite near the big Wind Farm. The Craggs is a rock formation on the coast. There is a lookout that looks up and down along the coast, as well as out to Lady Julia Percy Island, scene of an aviation mystery where an Australian Air force plane that was on manouvres, tried to land on the island with deadly consequences. No one knows why?? At Lake Yambuk, there is a small caravan park,which would be ideal if you sought peace and tranquility! They say the fishing can be good, but not at present as the Lake has been isolated from the sea for too long, and needs a refresh!

Lighthouse on Griffiths Island.

Another grand old home.

A walk around Griffiths Island, reveals the history of the whaling and sealing industry that first saw this region settled. Not surprisingly, it was a John Griffiths who ran things here. The island is also a sanctuary for Shearwaters or Mutton Birds as they are commonly known. Each year around September, these birds arrive from the Arctic, some 10,000 kilometres away. They nest in the same nest as they did every year before, and then feed and raise their chicks, before flying back to the Arctic at the same time each April. Two weeks later, the chicks start off on their first trip, with only about half of them ever making it. The annual migration of Shearwaters is a natural phenomenom that involves millions of birds flying thousands of kilometres. It is so hard to get your head around it.

Wisdom on a Pub wall!!

Sunset in the caravan park.

By the time we were ready to leave, thousands had started to arrive for the Folk Festival. The Caravan Parks were all filling up, and the streets of town were much more crowded. The cash registers were starting to really ring!! On the morning we were leaving it was raining. A strong cold change had arrived, and we packed up in the rain. With trepidation, we started to get the caravan ready to go. This time the jack did the job, and we got the caravan hooked up without trouble. We headed into Warnambool to see Gary. We simply drove the car and caravan into his big shed, Gary made a quick call to the welder who arrived 5 minutes later, and in less than an hour we were done. When it came time to pay the bill we were flabbergasted. The welder guy said we owed him $50.00 for his work, and Gary said we owed him$16.00 for the coupling!!! We backed out of the big shed into the pouring rain and headed into town. We could still afford a coffee!! We found a spot to park, enjoyed a passable coffee, then were back in the car, put Swan Hill into the GPS, and off we went. We really had enjoyed our time in Port Fairy. It is our kind of town!!