Day 9 - Around Warrnambool and Port Fairy

Saturday 14 March 2020
Today, there’s a lot of things I can do. But seeing as I’m here in Warrnambool, lets knock over things here first. The immediate priority is to explore around Thunder Point Coastal Reserve and get some exercise. This plan is briefly delayed as I navigate the roundabout outside the Warrnambool RSL and decide to pull over and pay respects at the War Memorial. Warrnambool has two war memorials. The ubiquitous WW1 memorial that’s in the centre of the roundabout and a second memorial between a small dedicated car park and the RSL. This second memorial is rather noteworthy. Usually you see communities adding to the WW1 Memorial for subsequent wars, this is especially common for WW2.  

Post WWI Memorial, Warrnambool

In Warrnambool, their newer memorial is comprehensive and includes a touch screen where visitors can learn more about the various conflicts, peace making and peace keeping operations in which Australians have served. I’m very impressed at this memorial. It appears to have been installed in 2018 and I don’t think I’ve seen another in a regional area that takes such pains to recognise everyone who has served. There’s even dedicated bronze plaques to draw attention to the service of women and Aboriginal people, which historically has tended to be overlooked. I am really glad I stopped.

Thunder Point Coastal Reserve

Moving on to Thunder Point, I enjoy the cool and breeze, check out a couple of information signs and the view of the coastline from behind the wall, which is somewhat limited other than the more distant sea and sky. I follow a lady setting off with her dog along a well-constructed path through the coastal heath. It’s a pretty dull walk but I’m aiming for what looks like some sort of broken-down survey or navigation marker.  The view from this point lets me see the subtle sculpting of the heath by the network of paths. I decide to head back and move on to Pickering Point.

Pickering Point is where I should have come for my walking. It’s got an interesting network of paths and boardwalks and the landscape also seems more interesting. The weather is looking threatening. There’s a colony of penguins protected by Maremma dogs in this general area and it looks like an enjoyable walk, but I figure, I’ve got other things I want to do now and maybe I can come back in the evening, so I move along.

Norfolk Island Pines in Warrnambool Street

Next stop Warrnambool Botanic Gardens. My route takes me back along streets lined with thriving Norfolk Island Pines. Magnificent specimens.

My objective at the Botanic Garden is primarily to check out their Lone Pine. This is a tree that was grown from seeds extracted from a pinecone brought back from a veteran of the Gallipoli Campaign. The original lone pine for which the famous battlefield slaughter was named was destroyed by artillery during that campaign.  

On my way to find the Lone Pine, I follow the path around past the fernery which looks authentically Victorian in design because although rebuilt in 1985, it is a reconstruction of the original built in 1888.  Just outside I am pleased to recognise two red paint brush lily flowers glowing against the bare earth. I’ve been trying to kill a white one since I found it at a plant collectors fair last year.  Of course I have to get a photo of the stone bridge before I leave too. The chatter of the local colony of Flying Foxes adds to the smell and sound of the gardens.

Long Billed Corella

My visit with the lone pine concluded, I head back to the car, delayed by a flock of Sulphur Crested Cockatoos and Long Billed Corellas. Well that’s the morning gone. My next stops are out of town but first some housekeeping. I need petrol so that’s the first thing. I’ve been eyeing off the laser car wash nearby, procrastinating.  I’m going to have to rename Pretty Red Baby Filthy Red Baby if something isn’t done and the dust and dirt every time to touch her or brush against her is driving me nuts. Let's do it. Some advice from the nice young attendant and in now time I’m done and on my way to Allensford to check out Cheese World.  That’s 15 minutes in the wrong direction but my curiosity has been peaked.  

Cheese World Museum, Allensford

A quick walk through the Cheese World Museum, there’s a fair bit here but I don’t have the patience for it today.  Inside, I nose around the cheeses and other products. Marvel at the price of the tiny bottles of Timboon Whisky. Sheesh it would want to be good. There’s not really anything here I want, some nice cheeses but I can buy them in the supermarket at home. That’s good. I can get straight over to Port Fairy.

On my way through yesterday I was intrigued by the signs for a scenic lookout in a spot where There doesn’t appear to be a clear viewpoint. Anticipating the turn I quickly turn in. This layby is next to the river but the view is largely obscured by vegetation.

Straight through now to Port Fairy and on arrival my first agenda is to find a spot for lunch. I don’t fancy eating in so I figure a bit of bakery sampling is the way to go. Parked outside Cobb’s Bakery, I duck in and find they are sold out of French Vanilla slice. Hmm. Oh well, if they’re calling it French Vanilla, it’s probably a hybrid. Not to worry. They also have very large lamingtons and jelly cakes filled with a large amount of cream. They pass visual inspection so one of those lamos comes with me and is carefully stowed in the esky for ron.  As I’m coming back outside a car has parked in the space next to mine and a young woman is has been taking instructions from a very elderly man who’s going to wait in the car. He’s after a vanilla slice but is learning they don’t have any.  Heading across the street to the other bakery doesn’t seem to be under consideration. Hmm.  

I should have known better. Double layer on an otherwise traditional looking Vanilla Slice isn't really a good sign. It's not terrible, but it's not first class either

I am keen to make a comparison so I go across to the Village Bakery and grab a couple of party pies and yep, a vanilla slice seeing as they have one. It passes visual inspection so we proceed to the next step. I’ll cut to the chase and report that the little pies were pretty standard product. I wasn’t fussed with either the vanilla slice or the lamo to be honest. My current rule is only first-rate product should be consumed, especially as I'm on my own. I don’t know how they made that lamo only reach a bin-worthy standard, but that was its destiny later in the afternoon. They need to go pay a visit to Waack’s in Stawell and see what a perfect lamo is like, this one isn’t even playing in the same league.

Port Fairy Wharf

I explore down to the wharf area where charter boats moored along a quiet waterway a fair distance in from the ocean protected from violent seas.  There’s nothing going on at the moment. It’s cool and the weather looks a bit threatening but I decide to go for a little bit of a walk down the street to take some photos. 

Port Fairy, like Warrnambool, has older streets lined with Norfolk Island Pines. Port Fairy retains a more rustic, casual atmosphere that is created by the lack of curb and guttering. It’s amazing what a difference that makes to creating a holiday feel to a place.  I’ve not gone far before I’m standing outside Mills Cottage which dates to 1841. This is a National Trust property and the front door is open. Perhaps I’m in luck. I linger taking some photos and then climb the steps and swing the gate open, not in any hurry. An elderly lady approaches to ask would I like to join the tour she’s about to give. Yes! I would very much.  We settle some confusion about what has brought people here today, there being an out of date flyer circulating that was supposed to have been withdrawn, but it turns out that I’ve just completely fluked being here in the very narrow window of time to see inside the cottage. 

While external conservation work has been undertaken, there is still a lot of conservation work to be done on the interiors. Information is provided to explain the history of how the house came to be preserved.  Probably quite a shock for the most recent private owner, who had sought to build a house and tea room on the rear of the property. Delays for extensive archaeological investigations and then death of the owner and the property was bought by the Victorian Government. 

Mills Cottage, Warrnambool

It’s a tiny cottage so the tour only takes about ten minutes.  Standing outside I’m again invited to come around to see Mott’s Cottage the other National Trust property. A kind local woman offers me a lift with her and our guide and off we go.

Mott’s Cottage dates from 1842 and like Mill’s Cottage has extensions that date from different periods. It is However further along the path of conservation and restoration. With more displays and some very special pieces among the furnishings, our visit over the three downstairs sections and upstairs a couple of people at a time, we’re done in about half an hour. More than one among the visitors comments that they’d be happy to live here.

We aren’t done yet with heritage Port Fairy. Our guide lives in another historically important cottage and it’s just around the corner. We are welcome to come along to see it. As we go we hear about the lengths that local people had to go to, to save these early structures from demolition. At one point, housing desperately needed in the area, the Victorian government agency said that for every house the government built to house those in need of assistance, one of the old colonial cottages had to be demolished. Some people took action like removing certain features from the house so that it was no longer a structure that met the definition that would lead to demo. It’s heart breaking to think of such wanton heritage vandalism on the part of the government. When our guide and her husband bought their house it was just luck that such an important building landed in the hands of people who rose to the challenge and protected it.

I’m now trying to get as quickly as possible back to the wharf to see if there’s enough people still around to make another half hour cruise viable.  No joy unfortunately. It’s disappointing and in some ways I regret my lack of preparation today, but that boat is quite small and social isolating may not have been easy so perhaps this is for the best. I head across to the little museum across the street, pay the $5 entry fee and wander into the nicely designed court room. However, I can’t concentrate and I don’t want to linger reading, so it’s not long before I’m heading back outside.

It doesn’t take long to grab a few quick “tick” shots for the main street. I’m not a shopper at the best of times and that is only more so in these days of the zombie apocalypse.

Killarney Beach, Victoria

I’ve seen on TripAdvisor people report on their visits to Killarney Beach so when the time comes I make the turn and travel the few kms from the highway to its currently quiet parking area. It’s nice to get out and stretch my legs, exploring along seaweed strewn beach. Fantasising about seeing the hooded plovers or pied oystercatchers, realising belatedly I’ve left the binoculars in the car anyway. Never mind. The briefly sampled lamington is binned and I’m on my way again, this time I’m heading for a look at Koroit. Probably wouldn’t have bothered except I’d seen a snippet of the episode of Backroads focussing on the town.

Koroit, Victoria - for some reason they appear to have Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley on the awnings

Along the way I decide I’ll follow a brown sign and this proves worthwhile for the broad vista across Tower Hill State Game Reserve sitting with the surrounding lake in the crater of an extinct volanco. I take the time to pull the binoculars out for a quick look at dozens of black swans feeding. Can’t see much else from this distance.

On another day this would have been a quirky place to explore

Koroit itself seems a fairly pedestrian sort of place on a drive by. Some great bargains for bags of large brushed potatoes on the roadside stalls, but unfortunately I’m not prepared to pop a fifty buck note in the honest box so I head back on my way to Warrnambool with only a quick double take at a strange sculpture garden come shop along the way.  Back in town I stop for a better look at a beautiful and charming sculpture of a seal that is let down by its location and then it’s time to rest. I enjoyed my steak sandwich so much the other day I decide I’ll just get that for room service tonight. It’s good, but not as good as the first time.

Warrnambool