Stony Creek

D and I went for a walk along Stony Creek (North Lorne).  The walk up the creek valley is not a long one, and is usually regarded as ending at what is known as the "Lilypond".


As it happened, we could climb a little further as the creek was not flowing at all and we were able to walk along the rocky cascade for a hundred metres or so until the way was blocked by the bush.

Another walker drew our attention to an echidna digging away in the bush.  It was there all right, but not easily seen and we would never have noticed it.   We asked how she had known it was there.  She told us that the give away is the noise it makes!

 

The Pier Restaurant

It doesn't look great as you approach, but the Pier Restaurant (Lorne) checks all the other boxes:   a nice atmosphere (inside), good food and reasonable service.  We've been there on a couple of occasions recently.  On the first occasion, it was a lovely evening, and not all requests to sit outside could be met.   However, we were happy to sit just inside with proper seats instead of benches, and to our minds, the view was just as good! On the second occasion, we reserved a table outside and that was good, too.   There were lots of staff who were competent and good-natured but even so, because the venue was busy, the staff were hard-pressed to keep up at times.

There's a good range of seafood (other options are also available), and we were impressed by the attractive appearance of a number of the dishes as they passed by us on the way to other diners.   I had the snapper on our first visit, and the blue eye on the second, both of which were excellent.    The deserts, too, were great.  As a bonus, you can BYO, but if you don't, the wine list includes a couple of local Bellarine wines.

Lorne pier

The Lorne pier was rebuilt a few years back, and it is as popular as ever, particularly with fishermen.

Stub of the old pier

When the  pier was rebuilt, the stub of the old pier was retained.  Some displays have been erected giving some of its history.

Playground equipment built from timbers from old pier

The old pier lives on in another way, too.  The playground in town incorporates a structure built from timber taken from the former pier, and even includes a replica of one of the fishing boats that used to be winched up and stored on the pier.

The old pier

Looking back along the pier

Policing

The police are certainly maintaining a visible presence along the coast.  There were lots of them out and about on New Year's Eve.  The breath testing people have been around a few times, too. I was breath-tested one evening - and waved on, with not even a comment about, “You're not having another drink tonight, are you?” (I had had a little to drink, but my confidence that I was within the limit was thankfully justified). Then on a relatively quiet morning, there was an officer watching the traffic on a section of the road well-known to those who are familiar with the area as prime speed-trap territory. I continued my walk and noticed a short time later that a conversation was occurring with a driver who, based on my quick glance from the other side of the road, may possibly have been an overseas visitor.

Христос се роди

Today is Christmas according to the old calendar.    Christmas Greetings to all!

Badnjak (Christmas tree)

See here for some of the traditions.   Not all of these are still appropriate, but it certainly looks as though we're going to be feasting!

Mileposts

How far is Lorne from Melbourne? Well, way back, it used to be 86 miles.

However, with decimalisation, it became 140 km. This has been my reference point for a number of years.

However, the Westgate Fwy was built some years ago and more recently, the Geelong by-pass has been opened, and these may have affected things. It seems as if VicRoads has been updating matters, because just down the road from the 140 km marker, there are two markers that appear to designate a distance of 139 km. One states “139H” and a couple of hundred metres away, the other states “139D”. I haven't worked out the significance of these markers and a search on the VicRoads website didn't turn up anything (but perhaps I missed it). Interesting, the more prominent markers found every 5 km on some highways seem to be few and far between on the Great Ocean Road (edit - where they exist, the 5 km posts mark the distance between major towns, so their location bears no relation to the distances to Melbourne).

 

Qdos

Qdos is a gallery/cafe/retreat in the forest not far from Lorne.    We headed up there for coffee (as we do each year - see here), but their power was out!    However, we spent a few minutes absorbing the relaxing environment and checking the latest exhibitions - including both the art inside and the sculptures outside - before heading elsewhere for our caffeine fix.

Sculpture

Tides

There was a full moon over the New Year period, and at the same time the tides were very low - in fact, as low as I can recall ever seeing them at this part of the coast.  I wondered if these matters were related but, no, Wikipedia informs me that it's far more complicated than that.   As I understand it (and put simply), factors such as whether the sun and the moon are in alignment and the distance of the moon from the earth are the main influences over the level of the tides.

River scenes

The Erskine River estuary is a pleasant area, enhanced by the board-walk built a few years ago and a cafe where you can have an acceptable coffee!  Pity that it's necessary to have signs stating that swimming is not a good idea because of bacteria levels.

Happy New Year!

All the best for 2013.   We spent New Year's eve at a barbeque in the forest with a large group of friends (and friends of friends....).  We then went for a walk around the town before watching the local fireworks at midnight from the deck (with the televised fireworks in the background!) with a glass of "bubbly" in hand.

Dancing to the music on the foreshore

Fireworks