Port Fairy

by Mandeep Gaygoat

Today we are driving from Apollo Bay to Port Fairy….just hope it is more exciting!

We first spent some time around the town.

Great ocean walk:

The Great Ocean Walk is a walking track, located 200 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, stretching 104 kilometres from Apollo Bay to Glenample Homestead, located near The Twelve Apostles, Victoria. The walk passes through the Otway National Park; with Parks Victoria providing seven hike-in camp-sites spaced at intervals of 10 km to 15 km along the track. Guided tours are offered by several operators, with the walk estimated to take approximately eight days to complete. All walkers are required to register with Parks Victoria, and must book for use of camp-sites.
The track hugs coastline which is not always visible from the Great Ocean Road; and traverses an area which hosts koalas, wallabies, echidnas, reptiles, bird species, snakes (including tiger, brown, and copperhead), ants, bees, European wasps and leeches. From June through September, whales can be spotted along the coastline. The track passes through several named areas; including Elliot Ridge, Blanket Bay, Cape Otway, Aire River, Johanna Beach, Ryans Den and Devils Kitchen.
The difficulty of the track increases along the walk; with the section between Apollo Bay and Cape Otway suitable for beginners, becoming more challenging when reaching the rugged terrain through Ryans Den. In addition, travellers need to note that sections of track can be dangerous or impassable at high tide.

When you travel 15 minutes out of Apollo Bay you will find Maites Rest, a good example of the local rainforest and a 45 minute loop walk.

After a nice walk we continued along the Great Ocean Road and came across Otway Lighthouse. There is a AUS$18.50 per person entrance fee. This is a place where you spend at least half a day not half an hour! On the way to the lighthouse you can see Koalas in the trees an amazing sight to see in the wild.

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Koala

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Koala in the tree

Everybody wanted to take a pic

The next stop was Castle Cove, where many prehistoric fossils have been found in the exposed cliffs. The spot had fantastic views of the rugged coastline. Due west of this point, the next land fall is Argentina, South America!

This is a must, Gibson’s steps, which takes you down to the beach giving you a view of the first apostle from sea level.

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Gibson’s Steps
Steps down Gibson’s steps.

Next the famous Twelve Apostles. Before visiting the twelve apostles we got out the hamper and had a fantastic lunch. Afterwards we walked to see the twelve apostles it was spectacular. Pity it was very busy. The apostles were formed by erosion: the harsh weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually eroded the soft limestone to form caves in the cliffs, which then became arches, which in turn collapsed; leaving rock stacks up to 45 metres high. The site was known as the Sow and Piglets until 1922 (Muttonbird Island, near Loch Ard Gorge, was the Sow, and the smaller rock stacks were the Piglets); after which it was renamed to The Apostles for tourism purposes. The formation eventually became known as the Twelve Apostles, despite only ever having nine stacks.

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Loch an Gorge

Our final stop was Loch and Gorge where we viewed the sunset. From the car park you have four pathways leading to various vantage points to view the coast line and the apostles. Also there is a stair case which takes you down to a wonderful beach caves and the histories story of 2 survivors of the Loch Ard Ship wreck. There was very few people around. It feels like a combination of Pacific Coastal Highway and Arches National Park. I have spent 2.5 months in America, fallen in love with America so compare everything to it! We did a couple of walks, The Loch Ard and Razorback. The gorge is named after the clipper ship Loch Ard, which ran aground on nearby Muttonbird Island on 1 June 1878 approaching the end of a three-month journey from England to Melbourne. Of the fifty-four passengers and crew, only two survived: Tom Pearce, at 15 years of age, a ship’s apprentice, and Eva Carmichael, an Irishwoman immigrating with her family, at 17 years of age. According to memorials at the site, Pearce was washed ashore, and rescued Carmichael from the water after hearing her cries for help. Pearce then proceeded to climb out of the gorge to raise the alarm to local pastoralists who immediately set into plan a rescue attempt. After three months in Australia Carmichael returned to Europe. Four of her family members drowned that night. Pearce was hailed as a hero, and continued his life at sea. He drowned several years later in another shipping accident.
The arch of the nearby Island Archway collapsed in June 2009. The feature now appears as two unconnected rock pillars. They have since been officially named Tom and Eva after the two teenage survivors of the Loch Ard shipwreck.

As it was getting late and we had to check in before the reception closes we made out way to the hostel. We stopped and enjoyed the vista points as we drove through Port Campbell and Warranbool. We arrived at the YHA hostel and 9pm. This hostel is the oldest YHA hostel in Australia:

Port Fairy YHA
8 Cox Street
Port Fairy 3284
T: +61 3 5568 2468
Email: [email protected]

These days ensuite is a luxury!