The Grass Is Always Greener in Lorne
An early morning dip was on the cards for this Monday morning and we were delighted to see Sorrento Beach on the Bay had its own little row of beach boxes lined up along the sand, a touch more subdued than their colourful Brighton counterparts but just as cute. The beach had a jetty with some boat moorings and was a popular spot for morning walkers. Ross and Molly were the only ones to brave the icy water, the rest of us dipping a toe in and deciding against it. Molly has recently converted to cold showers in the mornings and swears by their rejuvenating power. So, while the rest of the family is turning blue, shivering uncontrollably, huddling together for warmth, we call out to Molly through chattering teeth: “Aren’t-t-t-t-t you c-c-c-cold?” Molly just shrugs it off and, channelling your favourite ice princess and mine, tells us “the cold never bothered me anyway”.
Next on our agenda for the day was a ferry trip for ourselves and our car. Now that’s cool. Travelling from Sorrento, leaving the Mornington Peninsula and sailing over to Queenscliff, on the Surf Coast, we were scheduled to board at 11am. Somehow we had forgotten to have breakfast and were famished so while Sam drove he and Maisy into the ferry queue, the rest of us went in search of some sustenance. Toby consolidated his coffee snob status by telling us the cafe we had chosen just didn’t cut it in the coffee department. Apparently the barista was doing it all wrong. He’s made a rod for his back now. He plodded up the hill to find something better. We, the uneducated, settled for the overpriced offerings at the cafe with the $950,000 view and cut it finely getting back onboard the ferry before the whistle blew.
Initially thinking we’d have to stay in the car for the 40 minute trip across the Bay, we were excited to find out the ferry was ours to explore. There was a lounge area, complete with souvenir shop, massage chairs, huge windows and even a full children’s playground. The upper deck was the sunny alternative and from up there we could see for miles. Toby pointed out a grey blob on the horizon, way, waaay, waaay in the distance and informed me that it was Melbourne. Whatever you say. We were even lucky enough to see a dolphin swimming solo along beside us and jumping out of the water. It felt like we were at Sea World.
Leaving the hotel in Sorrento, I managed to procure a big paper map! I was so stoked. When we hit the road I whipped it out only to find that it was a map of the area we’d just left and not of where we were now. A quick trip to the Visitor’s Information Centre fixed that and I now have paper maps coming out my ears.
Sam was taking the wheel today and was suffering from some hayfever symptoms. Ross suggested we stop at a chemist and get hold of some Clarant…Clarat…some anti-histamine tablets to see if they’d help.
Our first stop on the Surf Coast was Torquay. A sign boasted: Home of Surfing in Australia. This got our loyal little Northern Beaches backs up. Surely the home of surfing in Australia was Freshwater Beach? False advertising. Aside from that, Torquay was great. While it may not be the home of surfing, it is certainly the home of surf brands, with both Quiksilver and Rip Curl having their origins in this place. Huge flagship stores flanked the Surf Coast Highway and we couldn’t help but have a peep inside. There was also a huge Patagonia shop, an Oakley store and the Australian National Surfing Museum (that we would have loved to look inside had time permitted).
This area was way less built up than I’d imagined. Farms with paddocks and grassy fields gave way to National Park leading all the way to the beach, not a suburban street in sight. It’s so unspoilt.
Finally, after much anticipation (and a barrage of “are we there yets”) we passed under the famous Great Ocean Road sign. Woohoo! I can see why they call it the Great OCEAN Road - it runs right along the ocean. You are virtually driving through a sand dune - the vegetation just like what you’d see growing all over a dune. There were lots of ‘wow’s coming from the back seat as, with each bend we glided around came a stunning new view. Sam slowed down when he saw something small and black in the middle of the road. From a distance, it looked like someone had lost part of their load but as we approached we realised it was an echidna, just moseying across, taking his time and completely oblivious to the potential peril of crossing a busy highway. The cute little guy made it to safety but he wasn’t in a hurry.
The roadside signs announcing there was a ‘Chocolatiery’ nearby were too much for Sam to ignore. They lured him in and it was as if the car just took the turn-off all by itself. We hadn’t had lunch yet so thought we’d just have chocolate and icecream as an alternative to something remotely nutritious. Fortunately, as well as copious amounts of chocolate and icecream, they did sell other food that fitted loosely into the 5 basic food groups. We are big proponents of the “Kids’ Menu For Everybody” campaign and Maisy and Toby opted for kids’ meals for lunch (who can resist a free Popper?) The waiter could be forgiven for looking a little confused when he brought them over to the only table in the place where there were no kids. Everyone stocked up on chocolate (mandatory dieting after this holiday) and enjoyed watching the chocolatiers in action through the big windows into their factory.
Following the signs to Bells Beach, we pulled off the road, eager to take a look at this iconic Victorian surf spot. Getting out of our air conditioned car, the heat hit us like a wave and we were accosted by thousands of tiny little bugs. Sam said it was like walking into the Sahara Desert. It must have been 30 degrees in the shade (and there wasn’t any). Molly grabbed her bug spray and we set off down the hot hill to take in the gorgeous view. There were only one or two people out surfing but long lines of swell were steadily rolling in from the horizon. It’s a long walk down to the sand! They’ve built a great viewing platform on the headland that allows an incredible view of Bells and Winki Pop. There’s also a big section of astro turf atop the hill which looks strange. A few of us had changed into our grumpy pants - the heat and the bugs contributing significantly - so no-one was particularly thrilled when I insisted we needed a family photo in front of the Bells Beach sign. I was grateful they obliged.
By the time we got to Lorne, we were all very ready for a swim so we donned our cossies and headed across the road to the beach. There’s a great community feel here - lots of shops and restaurants along the street with a big modern pub up the end; floor to ceiling windows making the most of the view; a bit more upmarket that other areas we’ve been to on our trip. A big round building right on the sand houses the Lorne Sea Baths and there are a couple more nice restaurants overlooking the sea. Half of the beach is dog-friendly, with the other half supposedly not so. Just about every family sitting on the sand had a furry friend beside them, up and down the length of the beach, so I’m not sure anyone takes any notice of the signs. I’m happy to report all the pooches were very well behaved.
The ocean had coughed up some decent sized, pretty weird looking clumps of seaweed, scattered all along the Lorne shoreline. Some looked like giant uprooted trees that had sprung forth from the great depths. Some looked like glossy green wads of oversized fettuccine, fit for a giant. Once again, a tentative toe-dip revealed the water to be a little icier than desired. I was a wimp but the rest of the family made a brave foray into the chilly waves. Our little Elsa stayed out longer than anyone and received a standing ovation when she pranced up the beach, exclaiming, as predicted, that “it really wasn’t that cold”.
It was back to our unit for some takeaway for dinner tonight and a couple of games of Uno (pronounce it how you will) before we all sunk into our comfy beds for some much-needed shut-eye.
