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Puppy's South West Adventure
  • Bec Taylor
October 2023

Puppy's South West Adventure

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  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Port Macdonnell

    October 22, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 13 °C

    Lunch was on the agenda so we headed about half an hour south to Port Macdonnell, I'd already scoped out Periwinkles cafe, good menu and dog friendly courtyard, perfect! Except it was windy and still raining on and off. One of the ladies was trying to work out how they could sit us inside in a quiet corner, but they had a big group coming in and weren't sure if they could do it. We stayed outside and got sprinkled on for the duration of our seafood and lobster lunch, bah. Lucky it was delicious. We ate quickly and headed to the southernmost point of South Australia and cruised around some of the lookouts. Very windy and very fresh! But a great view! We had a quick stop at the Little blue lake on the way back, there's a Pontoon you can swim from and it's always a cool 12 degrees. Two teenagers were in while their dad took photos, we weren't even close to considering it given the weather.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure
    2

    Nap, Cave Gardens and dinner

    October 22, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Ben dropped Pup and I back at camp while we went for a woolies run. Pup snoozed and I planned our stops for tomorrow, it's a pretty big day in the car, so we need to get moving early. I also found a Cable Tram we can go on in Portland and am hoping we can fit it in. We all ended up having an arvo snooze before getting ready for dinner. We booked in at Mount Gambier Hotel, hoping their outside area would be a little warmer, even though the rain has finally slowed down. We were a little early and still had the Cave Garden/Thugi on our list for Mount Gambier and it was right next to the pub. Another bizarre and amazing sinkhole in the middle of the city. Pup is allowed in this one so that was a nice bonus. Dinner was great, Ben got the duck and I got the chicken carbonara. They had little blankets and the heaters pumping, so that was really nice. A quick fuel up, then back to camp to pack as much as we can before tomorrow.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Portland - the pleasant surprise

    October 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    We kept to our plan and were up and moving quite early, completely packed up and on the road before 8am. It was about 20 minutes to the border, it was pretty funny to see the fancy 'Welcome to South Australia' sign with lots of colour, great photos and very enticing, compared to the blue Vicorian sign. Our first stop was Portland. I only found some more info about the town on Saturday afternoon and did some googling to find out more. When originally planning, it looked like another beachy town, nothing wrong with that, but we usually go for sites or the touristy things. Google told us that there was a 1 hour return trip on the cable tram, that was dog friendly on enquiry, leaving at 10am. We had to keep in mind that we'd lose half an hour when crossing the border. We got in around 945 and Ben checked in about Pup, the lady said it's usually small laptops that's their preference, but it's pretty quiet so it'll be fine. Mentioning that he was 14 seemed to help I think. What a great find! Both the conductor and gripman (driver), are Portland locals and knew their stuff. On the first stop, we were told that there are a lot koalas in the area, often seen walking around the street, we thought 'sure'. But sure enough, there one was, just snoozing in the tree! We cruised past the botanic gardens, marina, info centre and maritime museum, caravan park (where there was another koala! In a tree on the main road!), and our final stop up at the ww2 monument and whale watching platform. There are surprisingly a lot of things to do here and the town had a lovely feel to it. We headed back and were told that the attached museum was also included, there were lots of miniature trains, local artefacts, a Santa sleigh, a Coca-Cola collection, a bit odd, but neat! And very good value. We popped into the bakery for a snack and I got stuck chatting with the lovely lady working there, then a quick stop at the info centre (gathering more info for next time), then back on the road to Port Fairy.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Port Fairy and The Great Ocean Road

    October 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Today is a brown sign day and tomorrow will be similar if something catches our attention we'll stop off. The first stop was The Crags, we got pup out and went for a short wander to the lookout. The coastline is similar to what we saw on the Great Ocean Road 6 years ago (so my google maps tells me). We pulled into Port Fairy not long later, we had a bit of a wander around and found the Star of the West pub for a feed, schitty and fish and chips. Had a look around at battery hill and the beach, and we think this would be another good spot to stay. Another quick stop at Tower Hill lookout, where there were 2 emus just walking next to the road, as you do. We didn't realise how big Warrnambool was, took forever to get through the city and it wasn't like it was traffic holding us up. Kept cruising through to the western end of the Great Ocean Road, stopping at many spots along the way. People were irritating us, walking 5 in a line across a pathway or taking forever to take their photos while people waited patiently. Get your photos, I absolutely get that, but honestly, some people were taking their sweet time and clearly had no consideration for others who are trying to do the same. At the bay of Islands, an older lady dropped her sunnies over the viewpoint, and there was a cliff to stand on, she carried on a bit so her husband went around the fence to get them, stumbling along. Now when I say older, they seemed to get around as confidently as someone who could probably do with a walking stick, if that makes sense? Anyway, he got the sunnies and struggled to climb back over. Then she had a good laugh with her friend about how he retrieved her old, $25 sunnies for her. Could've easily fallen off the edge, but no worries 🤦‍♀️ We stopped off at most lookouts along the way, taking turns with Pup staying in the car, he was very comfortable and not overly concerned. We also saw 2 echidna, one shuffling next to the road and another in a bush, that was exciting! Our last stop before our campsite was The Twelve Apostles. Stunning as always and still super busy considering it was getting quite late. It looks like a cantilever viewing platform is being built, good idea to give more space and options for the many visitors.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Johanna Beach campground

    October 23, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    It was about an hour to Johanna Beach. It's in a national park but dogs are allowed on a lead which seemed strange, but their rules! We had a bit of an incident on the way in, a magpie flew into the windscreen but we could hear something as we kept driving. Ben pulled over and it was stuck between the roof and the roof rack, it was alive! But stuck. Pup and I hid in the car while Ben worked on freeing it. It took some gentle poking and prodding, but Ben freed it, and off it flew. It was a really nice spot, we haven't done a lot of free or this type of camping, obviously with so many of them being national parks and us having Pup. We were set up pretty quickly, cooked pup's pasta, our dinner and got ourselves ready for bed after some netflix.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    To Apollo Bay and beyond

    October 24, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 18 °C

    The wind picked up so much overnight, part of our tropical fly cover strap tore away from the stitching, it was pretty chaotic. We had plans to have a sleep in and take our time, but we just wanted the camper packed down incase a pole went through the canvas somewhere. Once packed up, we headed for Apollo Bay. On the way we saw the Cape Otway lighthouse sign, 12 kms out, and since we'd left early we headed in. Came across a car with their hazards on and thought they might’ve needed a hand, but no, there was a koala wandering across the road, very cool to see. We got to the lighthouse and noticed that it's gated, we were half an hour too early, go figure. We could see another sign saying they weren't doing lighthouse tours at the moment anyway due to the earthquake and aftershocks that kept coming through. Back in the car to Apollo Bay where we went for a wander down the main street, grabbed a coffee, had a shop, and a feed from the bakery. We moved the car and popped into The Brewhouse, the southernmost mainland pub. Apparently at times they have paw-secco or a paw-ale, none today though, which is fine because Pup probably just would have sighed at it.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Have you ever, ever felt like this?

    October 24, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    Back on the road, enjoying the Great Ocean Road. Although the western end has all of the main attractions, this part is definitely prettier, running along the water. We think we like this way better than last time too, significantly less traffic in this direction is a bonus too. Last time we missed the Great Ocean road arch sign, but this time we had a quick stop and took some snaps before moving on. Next stop was Split Point Lighthouse at Airey's Inlet, aka the Round the Twist lighthouse! Always love this stop. We went for a walk around and out to the lookouts. I was singing and it was nice hearing other small groups singing the theme song too.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Geelong

    October 24, 2023 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 20 °C

    Our next campsite was in Geelong, not too far. We checked in, dropped off the camper and went out for a cruise. Off to the freckleberry outlet for a bit of a shop, and the visitor information centre at the Wool Museum. We didn't have a lot listed for here since it was more of stopover than a destination. There are a lot of museums and activities that look good for a trip down with the girls at some point. Finally see a use for Avalon airport over Tullamarine. We went for a drive around the GMHBA Geelong stadium before popping into Highton woolworths for a top up. Ben said it wasn't a great woolies considering we were in such a major centre. When we got back to camp, the wind had died down a little, so we set up. We did have to be mindful of the plover nest on the campsite behind us, they weren't a fan of pup, but he didn't care about them at all, just did his wees and back into his camper. Cooked up steak, salad and our leftover noodles from the other night, then a quiet one watching netflix before bed. It's been way too cold to sit outside for the last little bit unfortunately.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Daylesford Cider Company

    October 25, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Off to Bendigo today via Daylesford. The weather was looking a bit angry so we got packed up before the rain set in. We went through all types of weather on the drive. Pouring down, lovely sunshine, wind, more rain, more sunshine. About an hour down the road and we spotted a sign for the big rainbow, so of course we stopped for a quick photo then headed for Daylesford cider and cheese house. Such a lovely stop. I did the tasting paddle while Ben grabbed a beer, and we shared garlic bread and a cheese board. There was a very playful dog who wanted to play, pup didn't want a bar of it, but she kept bringing us sticks and balls to throw for her. The owners said she will often bring a leaf if she can't find anything, and that she's meant to be taking it easy after leg surgery not long ago, but they can't keep her still. Made a few purchases and headed for Bendigo.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Bendigo

    October 25, 2023 in Australia

    Bendigo was a lot bigger than we were expecting. We headed for the Central Deborah Mine to jump on the Talking Tram. Lucky we got on when we did, it was absolutely chockers for a bit there, lucky we made good time too, we'd planned to get the last tram, but they'd cancelled it today, so we jumped on the 2:30pm with no dramas. It was a 45 minute loop through to 6 stops and back. It was hard to hear at times, partly because of the traffic and people talking, but they should've just turned the speakers up. The two gentlemen conducting and driving were lovely and very knowledgeable, giving us extra facts along the way. The tickets were cheap, pup was free and it included entry to the self guided surface tour of the mine when we returned, very good value. The rain was on and off, but it didn't stop us looking around. They have a beneath the surface tour too, apparently the deepest in Australia. We headed out just before they shut at 4pm and it absolutely flogged down. We ran to the car and sat for a while waiting to see what the weather was going to do. Being so late, I was looking up cabin and airbnb options so we didn't have to potentially set up in the rain and in the dark. We headed for the caravan park anyway and the rain cleared right up. Typical Victorian weather! The tasman park at Bendigo is one of the nicest we've stayed at, so many facilities and it had a good feel to it. It's their second birthday, so I got a bonus goodie bag when we checked in, we got a coffee mug, some Lollies, a travel guide and a few other bits. I was feeling a bit off and we'd spotted a schnitz back in town, so I had a lay down with Pup, while Ben ducked out to get an early dinner for us. We had wifi too, so I watched the block before the usual, shower, netflix routine.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Goodbye Bendigo

    October 26, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    This morning we headed to the Boardwalk Cafe at Lake Weeroona in Bendigo. Chilli scrambled eggs for me, a big brekkie for Ben, and a beef bully stick for Pup to sniff and ignore. Only an hour to Echuca, but there's a fair bit we want to squeeze in to the day, so we headed straight there.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Hello Echuca

    October 26, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    We're staying at the NRMA holiday park at Echuca. It was a quick and easy check in, then we left the camper and headed into the main street. Echuca is also a lot bigger than we were expecting also, and the park is very close to the Port. We had a wander past a few shops and went into the Holden Museum. Another great find that's dog friendly and quite cheap. Pup seemed a bit confused as to why we weren't getting into any of the cars for a nap, and we spent some time looking at the many Holdens on display.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Paddlesteamer cruise

    October 26, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    More shopping in the main street before heading back to camp to drop the car off. We had a call from the paddlesteamer company, asking if we'd be happy to join the 13:30 instead of our booked 14:45, as it wasn't going out anymore. We happily swapped and walked over. It was an hour tour and very enjoyable. Lots of interesting information and sites to see. I sat on the floor with Pup, and he settled right in. After the tour, we had a look around the Port of Echuca museum, another good find. We'd spotted some wine tasting places earlier and a nice pub we were keen to visit, but I still wasn't feeling the best, and I started feeling significantly worse. Back to the camper, which Ben set up on his own while I was trying not to die or make a mess everywhere, then I went straight to sleep. Pup was pretty happy about our long nap, apparently, not surprised. Ben went out and grabbed Subway for dinner, and we had an early night. I was pretty disappointed, but couldn't really do much with how I was feeling. We'll just have to come back.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Cactus Country 🌵

    October 27, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Only 2 nights to go and we'll be home. Packed up and headed to Strathmerton, about an hour up the road. Cactus Country had popped up in my research as a good, dog friendly spot to pop in to. Umm what a find! They have done a fantastic job with the whole space, a gorgeous 12 acre Cactus garden, with many different trails to follow, each with plants from different areas of the world or with a different theme. They had a scavenger hunt option for kids, a lovely Cafe, lots of plants for sale and it just had great vibes. We downloaded the guidebook and followed along. Masterchef even filmed an episode this year along the Blue trail! After about half of the trails, it looped us back to the entry/cafe area, we took the opportunity to have a feed and grab pup's water bottle. We shared some pork tacos and chips, they did have a number of fun tequila cocktails, but I'm still a bit off, so we went with water and a fresh orange juice. Back in to loop through the rest of the trails then back to try Cactus cake and Cactus ice cream. They were delicious! We were so stoked we stopped here and definitely would again.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    To Junee

    October 27, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    A bit of a trek from here to Junee, but we had some little stops planned to break it up a bit. A quick stop at Lockhart to look at their Silo art, metal sculptures and a quick toilet break, then a stop at the Wagga Wagga river precinct. We got out and walked around the park and 'Wagga Beach'. It was really nice AND puppy did a wee! In public! He hasn't done it.. possibly ever before? We also had a quick stop to pick up a fresh chook for Pup and I needed to grab a Santa sack from kmart, yes, needed to. Another half an hour up the road and we made it to the Junee G'day park. A quick set up and we were actually able to sit outside for the afternoon and not freeze! So we took full advantage, had some crimpies and dip, and watched the sun set.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Sir Donald Bradman's Birthplace

    October 28, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Got ourselves moving this morning to head to the Junee chocolate and licorice factory. Pup was a very cranky boy, he did not want to get out of bed, that is him most mornings though. The factory wasn't far and we took turns to be with Pup in the beautiful surrounding gardens and cafe area, while the other went in to have a shop and look around. We grabbed a few bits and pieces and got back on the road. On the way to grab fuel, Ben noticed a Ray Warren statue (A famous NRL commentator), so he ran over to grab a quick photo. On our way out of town, a p plater in a ute decided to pull out in front of us and somehow we didn't t bone him. Thank God for decent trailer brakes. Idiot. We had to stop at Cootamundra, the birthplace of Sir Donald Bradman. First stop was at a park that popped up on the map which had a 'Captains walk'. It was a loop of statues of all of the Australian cricket team Captains, pretty neat. Just around the corner and we found the house Bradman was born in. There was a sign out the front saying $5 to walk through the house and look at the memorabilia inside. I do enjoy cricket, but still not feeling 100%, so Pup and I chilled in the aircon in the car while Ben headed in. He said it was well worth it.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Cowra Japanese Gardens

    October 28, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Back on the road and we were getting pretty hungry, so we stopped in Young and found a nice cafe, Wilkie's, for a feed. Chicken katsu sushi bowl for me, and fish and chips for Ben. Just a little wander before moving on. Cowra Japanese Gardens were next on our list and we were ready to properly stretch our legs, Pup too. Absolutely stunning spot for us to have a break before a bit of a stint to Lake Lyell this afternoon.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    Lake Lyell

    October 28, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    It was about 2 hours to Lake Lyell, a boring run so we were definitely ready to get out of the car when we arrived. Another great spot which would be a fun location for a long weekend, right on the water for a paddle too. The only real downside that we noticed, is that they're coin operated showers, which isn't too bad really. It was about 6pm when we got in so we set up and it was just the usual evening things before bed, dinner, clean up and netflix.Read more

  • Bec TaylorTravelerPuppy's South West Adventure

    We're home!

    October 29, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Time for our last pack up on the road until December. We were only 15 minutes out of Lithgow so we popped in to fuel up, and so I could grab a coffee. About an hour down the road and we hit Lawson and HAD to have a philly cheesesteak, we've been dreaming of them since our trip in April 🤤 A toilet break and a quick leg stretch at Mooney Mooney and back on the road for our last stint. We're home! Sitting in the car for a minute before heading in to see the Reno chaos. What a great trip! So glad Pup was able to join us. Now to book the camper in for a service so we're ready for Ben's next chunk of leave in March.Read more

    Trip end
    October 29, 2023
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