Port Campbell to Port Fairy

Along the Great Ocean Road, was the beachside town of Port Campbell nestled in a sheltered bay. The location offered a sandy beach where it was safe to swim if you were up to the icy Southern Ocean. Not for me, but I gazed longingly at the western end of the beach where steps led to the top of the cliff and followed a trail around to the entrance to Port Campbell Inlet. Low scrubs covered the area with the blue ocean below, but I stayed put because of my throbbing ankle.

Along the Great Ocean Road

We were heading towards the Great Ocean Road—my favourite Victorian destination. On the way, we drove through the seaside resort of Lorne. The line of boutiques and cafes on the opposite side of the road from the stunning beach was tempting. While it may have been summer, the Southern Ocean wasn’t packed with swimmers because the sea was icy. Those who did brave the waves wore wetsuits. Further west, we stopped at Wye Beach to stretch our legs—the beach almost deserted—before we reached the sign announcing the start of the Great Ocean Road.

Hanging Rock

Like others who long ago saw the Australian movie, Picnic at Hanging Rock, I had always wanted to visit the film’s location. In 1901, a group of schoolgirls disappeared and the movie, Picnic at Hanging Rock, was based on this unsolved mystery. 

Victorian Art Galleries

The Heidelberg Art Gallery was located in an outer suburb of Melbourne. During the early settler days, the area had been nothing but bush. Artists such as Fred McCubbin, Arthur Streeton (featured image) and Tom Roberts painted outdoor scenes in the area and so established the Heidelberg school of art. This artistic movement of the late 1800s was known as en plein air, where Australian artists painted outside depicting natural landscape settings. While this gallery housed some of their work, the NGV also displayed works from these artists.

The lure of a spirit

The Bay Trail from St Kilda north to Port Melbourne was about five-kilometres one way. Far in the distance sat the Spirit of Tasmania which was where I was headed. This was one of the passenger liners that travelled across Bass Straight every day to Tasmania. I was drawn to the destination like spectators to a fight. It was a twenty-five degree day and people were biking or walking and lapping up the final autumn days before Melbourne’s unpredictable weather set in.

Along Federation 2001 Canal Trail

Along the southern end of St Kilda beach, an uninspiring trickle of water headed into Port Phillip Bay from Elwood Canal. The canal had once been Elwood Creek during the days when much of the area was swamp and birds swarmed the muddy creek bed in search of worms.

Melbourne’s period houses

When Europeans first invaded Australia, they brought their fir trees and roses because they weren’t impressed with the country’s vegetation. They even brought sparrows because they considered Australian birds ugly. That mindset passed and as I explored suburbs close to the city, yards spilt over with varieties of native bottle brush and banksia robur that enticed native birds.

Melbourne’s St Kilda

Skirting part of Port Phillip Bay was a walkway through West St Kilda where once Aboriginal Yalukit-William women made their spring journey to Port Nepean from the Yarra River. (featured image) At that time, St Kilda was known as Euroe Yroke.

Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance

The war memorial was built to remember the 60 000 Australians who died during the first world war but was extended to include those who died during the second world war. Constructed using sandstone, the shrine was officially opened in 1934 with a crowd of some 300 000 people.

Inside some of Melbourne’s finest buildings

Melbourne’s old treasury building was located within the last free section of the innercity tram route. For those interested in early European settlement and the gold rush era, the main floor contained rooms dedicated to this portion of Victoria’s past.