AUSTRALIA - VICTORIA - MORNINGTON PENINSULA - 10 TO 13 JANUARY 2014

10^th January 2014 Friday

We ended up stopping at ??? for lunch in a nice picnic area and across the road was a pleasant and rustic coffee shop with a lot of memorabilia of yesteryear.

Finally we arrived at Mornington Peninsula but a lot of camping was booked out. We ended up at Mornington for $34 for a powered site.

11^th January 2014 Saturday

We had a discussion on waking/leaving times the night before… so I woke Jacinta at 7am and we eventually left at 8am for a tour de peninsula.

We stopped at Balnarring Beach but it was onshore and windy. Not nice!

Next was Point Leo, which had a nice beach and some protected surf but was very small. A $4 parking fee was asked on entering the foreshore! A bit harsh but I suppose it goes to good use.

Next was Flinders, where we wandered along the pier and had had great views up and down the coast.

Next was Cape Schanck. We walked along the circuit boardwalk to Pebbly Beach. It was a great short walk with views along the coast north. I think there possibly is a good wave there at times.

We cut across the island to Rosebud, where we stopped for lunch on the foreshore. There was a large group of kite surfers there. We had a bit of a conversation and sat on the beach for awhile.

Next, was Rye. We parked and walked along the pier and then I swam from the beach to the pier end and back while Jacinta baked. A nice stretch of sand!

We drove through Sorrento and Portsea. We were going out to Point Nepean but a polo tournament was just about finished so we veered towards Portsea Ocean Beach for a look. The surf was blown out but looked like it had potential.

We returned back to Mornington.

12^th January 2014 Sunday

First stop of the day, Point Nepean National Park. We parked at Gunners Cottage and unloaded the bikes.

We cycled from there to Observatory Point. There were great beach views east and west and the remains of a wharf.

We followed Coles Track and did a slight detour to base of Cheviot Hill. There was a great view east along the tranquil clear waters and beach and to the north was a headland with some very small waves.

Back along the Coles track and onto Defence Road. We turned off for Cheviot Beach and the memorial to PM Harold Holt. We continued cycling to Fort Pearce which was the end of the line for bicycles. We parked and walked the rest of the way – exploring Fort Pearce, Pearce Barracks and Fort Nepean. Fort Nepean was awesome to explore – old guns, tunnels, barracks, etc and all we great views all around. The view to the tip of Point Nepean was very pretty with small waves breaking on Corsair.

distance - 8.18 km

time - 59 mins

av speed - 8. km/h

max speed - 41 km/h

elevation range 35m

The next stop was Portsea Ocean Beach to check the surf which was onshore. Still there was a great view and the paraglilders were launching where we stopped. It looked like a lot of fun!

We drove a short distance to London Bridge and walked down to the beach. Jacinta baked while I explored the rock pools and the caves and rock formations to the west. On return, I had a snorkel in one of the large rock pools. Jacinta went for a walk while I relaxed. On return, I went for another swim in a semi open rock pool. The water was cool but not too cold.

13^th January 2014 Monday

 We drove to Gunnamatta beach. There were rough onshore waves. We wandered further along the coast to St Andrews beach but wave wise it was still onshore.

The next stop was ??? where we walked a sandy track for a cliff view into the inlet. It was too rough with a high tide for swimming. Amazingly, there were a number of young families there so I don’t know where they would be able to safely swim. The view was very pretty though. We followed the track uphill and was rewarded we an awesome view along the west coast.

We drove over to the sheltered side of the peninsula to revisit Rye. We sat on the beach for a few hours and had a couple of ‘cool’ swims. I had two snorkels along the pier that were really good and interesting with some fish, seaweeds, molluscs and tubular growths.

We had enough sun and drove over to Sumer and visited ‘Coolart house and wetlands’.  The house was open for viewing and it was transportation back to an earlier Australian era. The wetlands were nice but not very wet. We had a rest in the shade of the gardens.