WAHOO. OUT AND ABOUT AGAIN!

Hello Everybody. We are off again. I hope you enjoy seeing Australia as Chris and I travel up the East coast and then over to Northern Territory.

MORNINGTON PENINSULA

We are staying at Stony Point on the Mornington Peninsula for the next few days. The Peninsula is south east of Melbourne and covers an area of 724 square kilometres. It is a popular holiday spot for locals and tourists. From Stony Point you can catch a ferry across to French Island and then go onto Phillip Island. (Pedestrian ferry only)

Our brother in -law Bob told us that his Dad lived here at Stony Point for many years and there was some sort of dedication to his memory. We found this Buoy and Bob’s Dads name.

PORTSEA and SORRENTO Today (Thursday) we went to Portsea and Sorrento which is near the end of the Mornington Peninsula and about 110 Kms south of Melbourne. The two towns are set very close together. You can look out over Port Phillip Bay which was once a large flat plain where the Boonwurrung people hunted kangaroos and cultivated the yam daisy. The Portsea hotel was established in 1876 and overlooks the pier. With clifftop views, Portsea is known for having some of the most expensive real estate in Australia. There are some great shops in Sorrento and Chris found a cafe called ‘The Vanilla Slice’ so of course he had to try a slice.  

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We came across this little critter as we were driving into Point Nepean. He was a little shy and didn’t want to show his face. (or her face)

POINT NEPEAN At the point of the peninsula we went to the old quarantine station and I was amazed at how elaborate it was. To get a full history feel free to go to the website below. People arriving on ships could be very ill with typhus or measles and this was how it was dealt with.

Quarantine Station

Some of it is a sad but brave part of history.  We were lucky enough to be able to wander around and go inside these beautiful two storey buildings, bath houses, cook house and the fumigation room.

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MELBOURNE

We caught the train into the big smoke and met with friend and ex LHI colleague Judy and her husband Graham. It was great to catch up and we enjoyed a yummy lunch at the Elephant and Wheelbarrow pub on Bourke Street. Very nice. We then caught a tram down to the Casino and took a stroll along the south bank of the Yarra. Thanks for a good day Judy and Graham. 😊

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REDHILL Redhill is in the middle of the peninsula pretty much and my choice of place. Beautiful rolling hills amongst the tall trees and farmland. Gorgeous.

Endeavour Fern Gully (as you pass through Redhill) is a 28-hectare National Trust property and features an un-spoilt fern gully. This Gully is one of the rare surviving areas of this type of indigenous bush land. At first you are just walking down a paddock and the next thing you are walking through tree ferns. The walk also takes you through woodlands and lots of beautiful gums. Nice way to start the day.

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ARTHURS SEAT Wow, if you want to see the west side of the peninsula, go here! What a view and that is even before you go for a ride on the gondolas. Stunning views of the beach and surrounds. After our ride on the gondolas we drove down the hill to Dromana and sat on the waters edge for lunch. We then drove to Safety Beach and the Mornington Harbour. The weather was perfect. The sea was very calm and everyone was making the most of it from fishing off the pier, to sailing and paddle boarding.  

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PHILLIP ISLAND

Just off the southern coast of Victoria is Phillip Island. Famous for its Grand Prix circuit for World Superbikes and V8 Supercars, Phillip Island is also a popular tourist destination and I know now it is very popular with surfers. Every beach we visited they were there. The main town is Cowes and you can catch the ferry from Cowes to Stony Point as I mentioned earlier. Cowes has lots of shops, accommodation and a nice swimming beach. The island is small enough to drive around easily in a short time but if you want to check it out properly you could spend a leisurely weekend here. Fishing is also popular and there is no shortage of boats out in the water trying their luck.

FORREST CAVES – not sure what is behind the name but interesting at low tide.

THE NOBBIES – The Nobbies Centre is an ecotourism destination located at Point Grant, on the western tip of the island. You can wander around the boardwalk and peek at the penguins hiding in their little huts. There is also a blowhole in a cave to be seen.

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PYRAMID ROCK – Yep another rock!

RYALL – We found this beautiful wood carving in the town of Ryall. The tree had to come down and so they decided to make a carving out of the stump and trunk. Stunning.

OK, I reckon I have covered enough in this blog, we keep on heading east tomorrow. Until then… thanks for following 🙂