Fingal

Fingal, Victoria, Australia
Saturday, December 21, 2013

The weather has continued in similar vein today with the addition of rain this morning. Definitely feels like home! It has been a travelling day, so not much of moment to report, apart from one thing late on.
This morning we drove the rest of the Great Ocean Road through Lorne, Airey's Inlet, Angelsea and Torquay, which sadly have little to recommend them. Great Yarmouth on a good day was my thought. They are predominantly seaside resorts particularly famed for their surfing beaches and will be packed with youngsters after the Christmas break. The schools have now broken for their long summer holiday and so families will be heading for the beach, as they do the world over.
The real attraction on this section of the road is the drive itself, as it hugs the coast all the way, with forest growing down to the sea. The idea of it's construction was to emulate the Big Sur in California, as the Australians feel this is just as spectacular. I will have to reserve judgement on that until we have driven them both. However, it is certainly eye catching even in the rain. It is also some feat of engineering and was constructed after the First World War, by returning servicemen. During the Depression many old soldiers had fallen on hard times and were employed to build the road as a memorial to their fallen comrades. We passed under the poignant wooden memorial arch they constructed and you could almost feel the weight of souls bearing down on you.
Using the Car Ferry we crossed Port Philip Bay (Melbourne Harbour) from Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula to Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. The later is a smart, expensive but relaxed outer suburb of Melbourne, with something of the Cape Cod feel about it. Only about an hour and half from the city it is obviously the haunt of wealthy locals and we are staying on a very smart Golf Resort called the Peppers Moonah Links. There are two championship courses here, designed by Peter Thomson, five time winner of the Open Championship. I will upload the view from our balcony. I am sitting out here whilst penning my daily travelogue to you. It is quiet and relaxing and the only noise is birdsong. Lovely. We had a late lunch in the equivalent of the Spike Bar, which being a Saturday was busy. I didn't take too much notice when another group of four players came into the bar for a drink, amidst much congratulations, as one of them had made a hole in one. Peter nudged me and said under his breath ' Do you recognise the chap in the yellow top?' It took me a minute, but then I realised it was Geoff Boycott and he had scored the hole in one on the 16th. He was accompanied by Gladstone Small (ex cricketer for those who have no clue!) and two Aussies who were obviously hosting them. Peter had a word and they were very cordial. Interestingly, cricket was assiduously avoided. Now there's a surprise!Read more