STROLLING ON THE PROM

AFTER all our catch-ups with old friends, it was again time to set off on our own again.

We headed off for a few days to Wilsons Promontory, the tip of which is the southernmost point of mainland Australia.

The Prom, as it is known colloquially, is a magnificent stretch of bush and coastland in southern Victoria full of beautiful bushland trails and pristine beaches.

Our plan was to stay for two nights but after we saw how beautiful the area was, we decided to extended our stay at Yanakie Caravan Park - another top place by the way - by an extra night.

The site was fantastic and we set up camp right by the water's edge... serenity... and another chance to throw a line in.

And after a great night's sleep, that is exactly what I did at full tide the following morning and low and behold I managed to jag a fish. It still wasn't big enough for tea, but I was happy enough.

The wildlife is abundant on the Prom and we were told to be on the lookout for kangaroos, wombats and emus as we travelled around.

And almost as soon as we set off towards Tidal River, the only settlement on the Prom, some of the 'locals' were on the side of the road.

We strolled past a couple of emus to our first walk, hoping to spot some roos or aforementioned wombats, sadly none appeared, which I suppose was only natural as it was the middle of the day and both are more active in dusk or early mornings.

Still it was a great walk.

Our next was even better as we took the trail down to the aptly named Squeaky Beach, so named because the sand squeaks when you walk on it.

It reminded me a lot of Little Beach near Albany in south west Australia with its colourful granite rocks protruding from the glorious white sands.

And just like Little Beach at this time of year the water was freezing, not surprising as we are so far down south.

Joy and I had both hoped to have gone in for a bit of a swim as the weather was so nice but this was just not for us!!! We are used to the warmer waters of sub-tropical Queensland not the 'Arctic' seas off Victoria, although some brave souls did venture in to the waves.

After our inertia in Melbourne, Joy was determined to get me back on the fitness trail and a decent walk to Picnic Bay was next on the agenda.

That got the steps up to the required 10,000 and we were both satisfied with that.

What didn't satisfy us was that our fridge in Daffodillon (our camper van for the uninitiated) did not seem to be working.

We had hoped for another day of walks but sadly our last day on the Prom was spent trying to find someone to fix our problem.

It was not a huge disaster, but when you go slightly off the grid as the Prom is you need a working fridge as food shops are not as abundant as the wildlife.

Sadly our search for a fix came to nothing and we had to head back towards Melbourne in the hunt for a remedy.

We were fortunate to drive through Fish Creek (a little town just before the Prom), which has one of the most favourite hotels (pubs to you and me) I have been to.

The art-deco style of the Fishy Pub, as the locals call it, is striking as is the 'stunned mullet' on the side of the facade.

Naturally we had to pop in for a drink and the inside was just as decorative as the exterior.

Luckily, though, that meant a return to San Remo and this time the pelicans arrived on time to get their feed and put on a show (above).

Four arrived initially before another three flew in. It was quite a site as you can see by the picture above.

We stayed a night at Kilcunda Caravan Park. It was another beautiful park, right on the ocean and we took a walk down to the shore, where we were almost blown off our feet by the strong winds.

G for Geelong and the G

Next day, we took off for Geelong, as we were going to get some help from camper van experts in Melbourne over the next few days.

Miraculously, though, the fridge decided to start working again and now seems to be in better shape than ever, so we didn't need the expert help.

It mattered not as it gave us a chance to see the pelicans and also take a look at Victoria's second biggest city and quick glimpse of the Great Ocean Road (below).

We had done that trip before a few years previously, but not in a van, and I have to say navigating the winding road is a tad more hazardous in a Toyota Hiace than a four-wheel drive.

Still, as in most difficult journeys, there is always a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and Lorne and Apollo Bay are just that.

Our timeframe did not allow us to venture further down the Great Ocean Road this time. But we will be back when we continue our trip later in the year.

Our stay at Geelong showgrounds allowed us another chance to get into Melbourne and me another chance to get to the MCG.

Melbourne is an hour on the train from Geelong and while I watched a one-point thriller between Hawthorn and Carlton at the G in the AFL, Joy took the chance for some retail therapy and trust me she didn't miss out.

Geelong's waterfront has undergone a makeover (above) in the past few years and we both liked what we saw.

Walking on the esplanade by the sea pool was easy and again helped us keep up our 10,000-steps-a-day regime.

There was plenty to do on the front, including the pool, a ferris wheel, a carousel and some great fishing opportunities from Cunningham Pier.

Sadly the rod was not with us and I couldn't throw a line in, but hopefully I can get a chance in the Grampians - our next port of call on our big adventure.