Prom Country

The landscape has changed as we have moved further down the coast. From Gerringong with its rolling, intensely green hills, to the rugged Australian bush of Mallacoota with its greys and browns. As we approached Wilson’s Promontory, the landscape had changed again, back into that lush green grass covering the rolling hills as far as the eye could see. Cows were back to the norm and once again the intensity of colour captivated my eyes attention. I couldn’t look away.

The drive from Mallacoota to Wilson’s Promontory was our longest yet. Six hours with a stop at Lakes Entrance for some lunch and a play in the park to stretch our legs, meant that by the time we arrived at Wilson’s we were beat and ready for bed. So, we were thrilled to find that our accommodation for our three night stay was absolutely stunning. It was a little cottage set on an 11 acre farm with sheep, cows and chickens aplenty. We had a wood fire, which Chris was chuffed to have started each night, and enough space for us all to breathe. It was just delightful. One of the highlights was watching as the herd of cattle across the road escaped, bolting down the road, only to be herded back by a flustered farmer who told us he, ‘thought it would be harder than that,’ as they all ran back through the fence. Farming life definately has its charm.

We had two days to explore this phenomenal part of the world. So our first day was spent exploring the famous Wilson’s Promontory National Park. Wow. What a spectacular creation. The views are breathtaking with large mountains towering above, covered in trees and big orange coloured boulders. Chris made a comment as we drove in, that it resembled parts of Africa. On our drive through the park and down to Tidal River, we were stopped by an emu crossing the road and two kangaroos lazily sunning themselves. I think we were more excited than the girls and to prove it Chris jumped out of the car at a clearing where there were six emus grazing and tried to get as close as he could. Imitating one of them, he walked closer but they were on to him and quickly darted away.

We stopped at Tidal River to check it out and the visitor’s centre, for some hot tips/spots to explore. We have become a big fan of Visitor’s centres on this trip and they have proved to be very helpful along the way. After Tidal River, we stopped at Norman’s Beach, Squeaky Beach and Picnic Bay. Squeaky Beach was where we spent the most time getting lost amongst the giant boulders at one end. Tight tunnels and daring rock climbs made for a fun day. However, if this blog is going to post reality then one must include Noa’s performance for the entire day to give an honest and not so completely tranquil feel to the day. Noa persisted in tantruming for almost the entire day on and off, causing us at one point to leave her in the sand so we could explore, only to return to find her just as we had left her. Poor kid. She sure has one incredible stubborn streak hidden under all those smiles.

Squeaky Beach is so named because the quartz sand is supposed to squeak under your feet as you walk along. My brother had told me that it was working when they were there but not for us. Our highlight of Squeaky was definitely the boulders.

The next day saw us venture out into the icy wind and rain to find Cape Liptrap Lighthouse and Agnes Falls. The view from the Lighthouse was dwarfing. The ocean spanned all around as far as the horizon with the sheer cliff faces, plunging deep into the depths below. Due to the rain, the colours in the sky were amazing and the clouds spectacular. Noa also had a little mishap on this excursion as she tripped and fell face first into a muddy puddle. The result was one muddy and sad little girl in need of a big cuddle.

The drive to Agnes Falls saw our dead wombat tally reach 18 and we are still yet to see one alive. We checked out Agnes Falls but in comparison to Fitzroy Falls which we had visited back in Gerringong, we were not overly impressed and all of our driving had worn down our enthusiasm. We called it a day and made the trek back home where we spent the afternoon on the farm. It was enjoyable to spend it together without an agenda and with time on our side. We played basketball, went on the swings, and watched the cows across the road escape (as mentioned before). I was given a rude shock when I attempted to swing upside down on the monkey bars and struggled with great difficulty. My memories of monkey bars were hanging upside down so free and easy without any trouble at all. I am in denial about this whole age thing for sure.

We move on again tomorrow from the remote countryside to the bustling and vibrant coast of the Mornington Peninsula. I am going to miss this spot. I feel like I can breathe easy in these big wide open spaces.