Coastal Wilderness

25/10/2018 Thursday Despite the silence, RA did not sleep well; all that talking with teachers, about teaching, led to RA dreaming both she and RL were getting the sack from the Dept!  Anyway, R & R woke to a cooler morning about 7:00am, breakfasted and packed the camper down with the intention of investigating three trestle bridges between the rest area and Orbost about 30kms east. (Orbost was 60kms from Lakes Entrance with the Burned Bridge rest area about half way.)  The road was quite winding and steep with the Lake Tyre State Forest on both sides, with the exception of a few small farmlets on the north side of the road. Stoney Creek Trestle Bridge was first and almost immediately from the rest area.  RL had to drive a couple of kilometres on unsealed road, with many small dark grey wallabies feeding in the early morning, to get to the carpark.  The sheer size of the bridge at 20m high and just under 250m long was awesome!  An engineering masterpiece, built in 1916, it was no wonder that it was Heritage listed, being the largest wooden bridge still standing in the state of Victoria.  The stony creek below was very pretty and, very dangerous, as R & R found they needed to beware of two red bellied snakes sunning themselves on rocks just inches from their feet on the path.  The second bridge called Wairewa, just a kilometre on sealed road from the Princes Highway, was much shorter but in excellent condition.  In between the forests like Ewing Morass State Game Reserve, there were farms with sheep and cattle grazing up the hills and some cropping for feed and hay where the land was flatter.  The road was quite good and had over taking lanes, while tall trees lined the verge and could be seen in shelter belts.  A couple of kilometres just west of Orbost, the third structure was called a viaduct rather than a bridge because it traversed the Snowy River floodplain rather than a river.  It could be seen from the highway and, while it was not tall like the other two, it was the longest wooden bridge in VIC.  RL took the turn off the highway to look more closely at it and to be able to take a couple of photos.  That done, RL crossed the bridge over the Snowy River and arrived in Orbost to park at the information centre.  It was housed in a slab hut which was surrounded by a garden, vegetable patch, piles of fire wood and an outhouse, all looking quite authentic.  The man from Snowy River featured in sculpture as a greeting.   It was 10:30am.  They sought information, walked up and down the main street, bought 15 mini paperback westerns for $5 from an op shop and took in the statues, flood marker and public art.  R & R had coffee in the Ute and rang their daughter, S about noon.  RA chatted with her all the way to Marlo, about 15kms south.  The road followed the Snowy River to the estuary at Marlo where the mouth of the river came to the sea.  Along the way R & R saw dairy farming being carried out.  RL stopped to take a photo of the river and was treated to a water dragon in the grass who, being aware of being followed, threw himself into the river.  Apparently, they are tree dwellers but quite capable of surviving underwater for about an hour.  R & R stopped several times along the Marlo foreshore and Marine Parade to look out towards the mouth of the river and, although it was all photo worthy, they could not actually see a clear mouth or channel to the sea behind the dunes on the other side of the estuary.  They chatted with a local who had had an enjoyable morning fishing, despite having caught nothing, and he explained how the opening was nearly closed, allowing only smaller vessels through, and it had not been dredged.  On their walks R & R saw two different lizards on the paths.  Truly a reptilian day!  R & R ate lunch as it was about 1:30pm before taking the coastal drive towards Conran’s east and west capes about 18kms.  The road followed the coast closely and was in the strip of reserve called Cape Conran Coastal Reserve.  The vegetation was so that that RL exclaimed, “Bit like Marine Drive (Albany) – can’t see the ocean for the trees – only glimpses of it!”  The dunes and cliffs to the south of the road were about 20-30m above sea level with ti tree in bloom and banksias.  R & R saw lots of kookaburras, and having stopped at the East Cape Conran beach, enjoyed watching the tiny sand crabs digging themselves out of sight.  RL did not waste too much time there as he was keen to follow the unsealed track to Cabbage Tree Creek and the reserve with Cabbage Fan Palm.  The reserve is a remnant of early plants from equatorial regions and the stand within the reserve is the largest of a scattered population of only about 100 plants with about 200kms from its nearest relatives.  The Hum, with Ute in 4WD and camper on behind managed the good single lane track with no difficulty as it was not steep and only a little wet near the creek.  When R & R opened the door of the Ute, they were greeted by millions of mossies so they did not dilly dally on the 15 minute walking path to look at the palms.  They were a treat, standing tall up into the sky, as was the lyre bird that did not dash across the grass and disappear before RL caught it on camera. The last 5km or so of the track took only 10 minutes and RL was back at Princes Highway with the Murrungowar rest area just a few kilometres west along the highway.  R & R had a cup of coffee before even setting up.  By 4:00pm, RA was working on the laptop and RL was reading his ipad hot spotted to the phone with excellent reception.  After a while, RL swapped his electronic read for a cowboy novel and RA wrote her diary.  After dinner R & R read some diary, drafting for a post, before reading their novels.  It had been a day full of interest … bridges and reptiles.

26/10/2018 Friday R & R woke about 6:30am to a cloudy 9*C morning so when they drove to Mt Raymond lookout two kilometres back along Princes Highway, it was cool and windy and the view somewhat obscured.  The steep drive up the unsealed track to the top gave a lovely view back over the coastal area R & R had driven the afternoon before from the height of 330m above sea level, showing Lake Curlip, the Snowy River Floodplain, the ocean to the south and west and all the hills nearby.  There and back as quickly as possible, R & R returned to the rest area to pick up the camper and head eastward on their ramblings through the coastal wilderness corner of Australia.  The area known as Coastal Wilderness consists of several National Parks stretching 300kms from Cape Conran and Croajingalong National Parks in Victoria to Ben Boyd and Mimosa National Parks in NSW.  The parks are a corridor along the coast and, flanked, inland, by vast areas of State Forest and other smaller national parks and nature reserves, comprised of eucalypt, dry rainforest and heathland.  McKenzie River Rainforest Walk was only a short drive of about 30kms east along Princes Highway.  The road was winding with sections of road works through mostly forested countryside.  There were little pockets of cleared land at settlements like Cabbage Tree Creek. R & R found the McKenzie walk a most delightful stroll of about half an hour (only one kilometre) with footbridges, swing bridges, stairs and signs that related very closely to the site where they were placed.  About 10:30am, R & R headed east again for the next 30kms towards Cann River.  RL drove through more rainforest country where there was more or less open sky through the canopy and only a few sections of cleared land with cattle in settled areas.  A couple of smaller national parks like Lind came to the road and where the road cut through the hills, about 250-300m, the soil was red and orange. R & R noticed several sections were the sound of cicadas was almost deafening and were astounded by the number of motor cycles they were seeing all heading west.  It was only later that R & R realised that they were all headed for Phillip Island for the weekend. It was about 11:00am when R & R popped into the information centre at Cann River which also housed the town’s op shop.  Two birds with one stone!  R & R had coffee and rang their daughter, H, before heading east again to the Drummer Rainforest Walk, which they found to be quite underwhelming considering they had just done the McKenzie which was delightful.  It too, was a short one kilometre walk which took less than half an hour.  When R & R returned to the Ute it was nearly 1:00pm so they had a quick lunch before driving the last 35kms for the day to the Genoa RV camping area.  RL drove past Alfred National Park which was surrounded by state forest and the road went up to 400m and down again with another pocket of cleared land at Karlo.  About half way, RA noticed trees with yellow blossom in the creek line near Wingan Swamp and River. It was just on 1:45pm when R & R crossed the bridge at Genoa and turned back down along it into the free camping area. They chose a spot, chatted briefly with a neighbour and set up before coffee and a cat nap.  R & R read through a couple of magazines they had picked up in the Cann River information centre before going for a walk over Genoa’s historic bridge and looking around the grounds.  There was a sculpture which celebrated the recent (1971) finding of Tetrapod footprints in the sandstone up the Genoa River Gorge.  The tetrapod is believed to have been one of the earliest forms of life similar to a salamander.  R & R were enchanted to see little blue wrens hopping about their camper and hear the sound of the Bell Miners.  R & R chatted with CT, RA’s brother and then emailed her cousins T & A to let them know that they were travelling in the same area and that catching up might be a possibility.  RL’s sister E rang and after dinner, R & R rang their son, S, and spoke with their daughter, S.  It had been lovely to have a quiet afternoon but RA had a feeling she would pay for it.  It was always difficult to catch up on diary writing … if you got behind a day.

  

27/10/2018 Saturday R & R slept well and woke shortly after 6:00am to a cool 7*C with a promise of a sunny day.  There was only a light breeze.  After breakfast RA copied and pasted her email to T and put it in a phone message to T just to make sure that they received it before it was too late.  That done, shortly after 8:00am, R & R left for Eden 61kms on Princes Highway along the eastern coast.  The route was flanked by State Forest (like Nadgee and Timbillica) on both sides and contained pockets of National Park (Ben Boyd and Mt Imlay) with their protected wilderness, walk trails and paths.  There were just a few cleared sections with paddocks of grass and cattle grazing or settlements around Timbillica and Kiah.  The forests were dominated by tall gums and sheoak which dropped away or stood tall depending on the road and where it ran, sometimes in the valleys and others cut away through the hillsides, and still others at the top.  The road was in good condition though very winding with suggested speeds of 75km/hr.  It took R & R the best part of an hour not because of the speed restrictions but because they stopped a few times; first at the NSW/VIC border and then to check out the suitability of a couple of rest areas in case they chose to go back that way again.  The last 10kms or so were mostly a series of downhills and uphills and winding as the road followed the coastal shape of Lake Curalo, then Nullica and Calle Calle Bays which create Twofold Bay.  Eden is a Port with a history steeped in whale hunting and in the timber industry.  Today there is no whale industry but the port is used for fishing and is big enough to have cruise ships calling in.  R & R popped into the information centre before walking up and down the main street popping into an op shop and picking up groceries at both IGA and Coles.  When they returned to the Ute they had coffee and RL rang two of his brothers for a chat.  About 11:30am R & R went to one of the whale watching lookouts at Rotary Park.  There was a spectacular view from the top of the ocean and coast and back down to the busy wharf.  Way out to the north east, R & R could see a couple of whales splashing in the water but by the time RL had fetched his other lens, they could no longer be seen.  A couple of minutes away R & R stopped at the wharf on Snug Cove.  It was a hive of activity with coffee shops and restaurants doing a fine trade, tourists walking up and down the jetty, fishing boats returning with a catch for unloading, a cruise ship at anchor while its passengers spent time ashore and, far out, a massive redevelopment project with cranes and workers busying themselves with the tasks at hand.  R & R had showers at the toilet block and felt refreshed.  R & R refuelled on their way south.  They detoured, only a kilometre or so, into Boydtown, which in whaling days would have been thriving with the activities of Ben Boyd and the whaling industry.  There was a museum which was not open, a caravan park and a boutique hotel called the Seahorse Inn.  The building was very attractive on the beach front and replica of Boyd’s tower featured in the neatly kept gardens.  There R & R had lunch and chatted with RL’s other brother.  All three in one day!  The story goes that there was need for a lighthouse for ships in the early days, so, in 1846, Boyd built a tower as a lookout for whaling with the intention that it should have a light.  However, the powers that be, would not allow a private lighthouse, eventually, placing one some 30kms south along the rugged coastline at Green Cape in 1883.  Boyd’s tower never had a light!  R & R were keen to see the lighthouse and/or tower and took the Edrom sealed road for a few kilometres before turning onto the unsealed track toward Green Cape.  There, just off the highway RL exclaimed, “Denuded! Stripped!” The logging activities which support the industry and livelihoods of so many in the area, was laid bare for all to see.  The road was in good condition though very winding and steep.  What R & R did not realise was that the lighthouse was within the Ben Boyd National Park and incurred a $8 daily visitors fee per vehicle, which they had not been aware of and did not want to pay.  They turned around and headed for the tower at Edrom on its sealed road only to find it, too, was within the Park where fees applied.  Oh well!  Edrom was the home of the Chip Mill and wharf and it also had another multi-purpose and navy wharf.  On the way out, they drove past the Davidson Whaling Historic Site as they were keen to return to the rest area at Genoa where they knew T & A and friends would be waiting for them.  Arriving shortly after 4:00pm, R & R were greeted by the cousins and chatted for ages before doing anything else.  Suddenly, RA spotted a wombat toddling across the grass.  It was followed by its keeper as he walked to the river’s edge to collect grass for it and the other wombat that he was minding.  It was a real treat to be able to see them so close, for everyone to photograph them and get the low down on wombats from someone who knows and cares.  It was a real treat for RL to cuddle one and for RA to stroke its strong fur and look into its endearing face and eyes.  Eventually, it was agreed to let the cousins set up their tents and get organised.  R & R had coffee and chatted with their son, J.  R & R prepared dinner and left it to go back and chat, only fetching dinner later to join them to eat by the campfire T had made.  Everyone all sat round talking until well after 9:00pm when it was agreed to turn in for the night.  The wind had been wild and cold.  What a day … seeing live wombats and camping with friends!

28/10/2018 Sunday RA woke and got out of bed early at 6:30am to write the diary from the day before.  It was 8*C, cloudy and misting.  It had rained in the early hours of the morning though the strong wind had died much earlier in the night.  R & R had breakfast and tidied up so by 8:00am, they were on their way to Mallaccota for a day’s sightseeing of beaches with the intention of catching a 3:00pm Mass at St Peters.  The journey to Mallacoota was only 22kms.  The road was in good condition, and, while it was not steep, it was particularly winding with suggested speeds like 75km/hr and even one switch back at 25km/hr.  It was a lovely drive with tall trees and good coastal shrubbery featuring bracken, ferns, banksia and wattle in bloom with a delightful perfume. At first there was some farming land to the east of the road with cattle on open flat or hilly ground but, about a third of the way where RL turned east to the coast to the settlement of Gypsy Point 3kms, the road entered the Croajingolong National Park which is a long band of coastal wilderness about 70kms from north of Mallacoota south towards Bemm River.  At Gypsy Point, the Wallagaraugh River flows into the Genoa River which then flows downward to the sea through Top Lake and then Bottom Lake, with many little islands, to the Entrance at Mallacoota and the Tasman Sea.  The diversion was only 3kms on sealed road.  R & R enjoyed a little walk around its jetty before heading out and south again. A little further down RL turned up a tight single lane track to Sandy Point.  It was unsealed and, though tight, in quite good condition.  RL selected 4WD and enjoyed the 3km track.  “Nice!” he said.  There was a tiny secluded beach with a toilet and picnic facilities on the edge of Top Lake and it looked appealing despite the cool grey morning.  R & R enjoyed coffee there about 10:30am. Once back out again, it was not long before RL took the Karbeethong tourist drive along the coast.  It was quaint with well-kept houses and gardens backing on to the forest or cows in paddocks, overlooking the lakes and islands.  There were many pelicans at the Karbeethong Jetty and a pair of yellow faced black cockatoos sat on a log near the water’s edge.  It was swampy at Stringray Point, ideal for a family of ducks with at least a dozen ducklings trying to cross the road.  R & R parked at Buckland Jetty with a view out across Bottom Lake to the other side, over island of reeds and small shrubs, a haven for water birds, and southwards to the dunes of the Entrance where waves crashed wildly on the beaches on the southern side.  All along the foreshore there was a council run caravan park which could only be described as huge with no less than five toilet blocks and at least two large camp kitchen huts.  Another lovely feature of the area was the way kangaroos lived side by side with human activity.  They could be seen lying, resting and eating quite unconcerned about the human population.  There, does could be seen with the legs or a head of their joeys sticking out of their pouches while the bucks would peer curiously around and scratch their bellies.  It was still grey at 11:30am with a temperature of 11*C though the weather app said feels like 9*C as there was quite a strong breeze from the south whipping up the waves.  At Baston Point, waves crashed over the breakaway rocks with all its beacons at its ocean access and over the rocks and walls of the coast.  It was easy to see why the area was known for the shipwreck of the “Monumental City” in 1853 when 33 lives were lost.  Shortly after 1:00pm R & R headed along Betka Road, over Betka River, past Betka Family Beach and the airport, a few kilometres on seal before driving a couple more on unsealed surface, to Quarry Beach.  Both R & R had been keen to see the coloured rocks shown in the brochures and, though guarded against the possibility of disappointment, they found it well worth the time and effort.  There, against the shoreline were rock walls with waves of rainbow coloured rocks.  Every angle was a pretty shot!  R & R ate a late lunch there watching the seagulls fossicking in a shallow puddle of sea water on the beach.  RL was fascinated as he noticed that they were stamping their feet to disturb their catch.  It was a behaviour that neither he nor his wife had ever seen before.  It being 2:00pm, there was just a little time spare, so R & R popped in to see the WWII Bunker near the airport on the way back.  It was very impressive, being in good condition and in the process of having restoration and grounds works.  There was a great collection of interesting artefacts in the grounds including airplane weights (used as anchors) that were being used as bollards with rope to keep visitors from climbing over the bunker and RA was impressed by the size of a mine (bomb) as it was nearly as tall as her.  R & R headed quickly into town and changed to be ready for 3:00pm Mass.  Fr was unwell so the little group lead their own communion service and made R & R feel welcome.  The church itself was a community church and used by several denominations.  RA was particularly enchanted by two ideas in its construction.  Built in 1973, the front of the outside looked like a boat prow connecting to the town and its history and the main window faced out over the ocean reminding the faithful to connect their worship and learning to the world outside.  As R & R were leaving they were given enough sandwich to wrap and have for lunch another day.  By 4:00pm, R & R were heading back to Genoa, the camper and the cousins.  When they got back, R & R chatted a while, rang their daughter, S, prepared dinner and returned to chat with the cousins while eating, seated around T’s campfire.  Everyone chatted for a couple of hours except RL who left for a while to speak with K, his sister, when she rang.  It had been a long busy day with all those beaches and sand in the car.  R & R were determined to wander around the next day and see if they could find some of those lovely European Goldfinches … that the cousins had seen and managed to get on camera.

29/10/2018 Monday R & R slept well and woke to a cool morning about 6:30am.  RA got straight out as she was keen to catch up on her diary before the day got away from her.  After breakfast, R & R sat and chatted with T & A, the cousins, and their friends while they took down the tents and packed up.  They, too, had been on the road camping long enough for it to be done quickly and efficiently.  R & R were impressed.  R & R were sad to see them head off as it had been a wonderful and welcome interruption to their own plans.  It was about 10:00am, when R & R left the camper and drove east out of Genoa about 2kms to the unsealed Genoa Peak Track.  RL engaged 4WD and drove 7kms on a very good, winding but not steep or narrow, track to the car park.  On the way they saw again the yellow and black cockatoos.  In the car park, R & R sat and ate cake with coffee to fortify themselves for the hike.  Though the walk was only 1.5kms, they knew that it was steep, required scrambling over some rocks and included some climbing of steps nearer the top.  The sign indicated that 2 hours should be allowed for the climb.  It took R & R about 45 minutes to walk/climb to the top.  At 488m above sea level, they breathed the lovely fresh air and took in all the 360* views of Mallacoota Inlet with its lakes and the sea beyond, 20kms to the south, and all the mountains a little further away to the north.  R & R were delighted to find a native orchid with a creamy white blossom, growing only up on the highest of the rocks, with a delightful perfume in the air.  The only disappointment was that it was cloudy.  There was a feeling, almost, of being like Mr Miyagi (“Karate Kid”) and his bonsai in the misty mountains. There were other wildflowers near the top and along the way including a solitary spider orchid.  Though the climb up was quite steep, it was not slippery.  Not so coming down!  The path was covered in the needles of sheoak which were quite slippery. Add to that sheoak nuts, scattered like marbles, and there was a feeling like being in the “Home Alone” movie.  R & R saw only one goanna, but saw it twice, going up and going down, on the same rock.  They were also lucky enough to see another lyrebird.  While on the subject of lyrebirds, did you know that they are incredible mimics.  You only need to look up lyrebird calls and David Attenborough and you will be amazed!  Only when R & R got back to the carpark about 12:00pm did they see the sun breaking through the clouds.  As R & R were driving back out to Princes Highway, J, RL’s brother-in-law rang so they stopped and chatted for about 15 minutes.  Again, they saw the trees with pale yellow blossom in the creek lines but were not able to see close enough to guess if they were wattle, sheoak or melaleuca.  RL turned west on Princes Highway for a couple of kilometres and then right into an unmarked track (not Genoa Creek Track which is a little further) just before a set of power lines to drive about 100m to the Genoa Creek Waterfall carpark.  R & R sat in the Ute and ate delicious sandwiches thanks to the kind lady from St Peter’s in Mallacoota.  By 1:30pm, it was 16*C and pleasantly sunny.  Then, it was only about another 100m walk along a track and down stairs to the waterfall.  R & R had agreed that the waterfall may not be falling at this time, considering it had been such a dry winter, but were hopeful when they heard water running.  It was a lovely little spot; a gem in the crown of Genoa … so close and easy to achieve.  By 2:00pm, R & R were back at the camper and having a cup before a cat nap.  About an hour later, they were reading through a draft and selecting photos to suit the text.  R & R rang their daughter, H, as she had sent an image of a snake found in the neighbour’s garden and then set about doing some domestics, like sorting food in the box in the back of the Ute.  That done, they went for a walk over the bridge into the little community of Genoa to read all the signs on their heritage walk.  They were also hoping to find the finch, so they walked slowly and peered carefully in all the bushes as they meandered.  They saw many birds, mostly known to them, and RL was able to shoot an image of the bell miner and one of an eastern whipbird.  But … they never saw the finch.  Finally, they ducked through the bushes down to the creek line before it became too late.  As they were returning to the camper, a single blue wren was amongst a flock of other little birds feeding on the grass.  They were the European Goldfinch with their distinctive red markings on their beaks and a line back over their eyes and red on the side of their tails.  RA stood motionless while RL did the camera work.  RA posted the draft and prepared dinner while RL downloaded his photos and deleted some.  R & R rang their sister-in-law, L to catch up on her news and after dinner RL read while RA tried desperately to catch up with the diary.  Another delightful day … with wildflower wilderness, a waterfall, finches and friends.

30/10/2018 Tuesday R & R slept well, waking at 6:30am to a cool 9*C and not really inclined to be in a hurry to get going.  After breakfast they made a donation for their stay and wrote a Thank You to the Genoa Town Committee Inc.  That done, there was nothing left for it but to be away.  Anyway, both RL & RA were keen to go to Point Hicks to see the Lighthouse.  At 8:45am, RL set off west on Princes Highway to Cann River 46kms away.  About half way, near Mt Drummer and the Alfred National Park it was particularly steep and winding, going up and then down, with big trees and a drop to the valley floor quite sheer on one side.  Mostly. it was ground that R & R had covered going out the week before, so there was just more forest on winding hilly road where in sections cicadas were so noisy, it was almost deafening.  R & R both agreed that it would drive them crazy.  Even when they stopped in Cann River to dump the camper for the day, the cicadas were noisy in the open country, in and around the town.  Shortly before 10:00am, RL headed south on sealed road which was winding and noteworthy as the verge on the west of the road was cleared, leaving forest debris, and looked untidy.  The first 5kms were small farms before the Lower Cann Nature Reserve began and continued for the next ten.  When the seal ran out RL continued the next 30kms on towards Thurra River Camping grounds.  Generally speaking, the first section was not too bad but as soon as the Croajingalong National Park began it was more corrugated, rutted and potholed.  It was extremely winding and up and down so that it was a great relief to turn over the single lane Thurra River bridge with white dunes as its back drop and arrive at the camp grounds shortly before 11:00am.  It was only a couple of kilometres beyond that to the car park at the gate of the Lighthouse reserve, having first to cross water that was 20cm deep over the road.  Not a problem for the Hum and Ute!  Along the way there were several campers enjoying their wilderness adventure.  R & R had coffee and banana before tackling the 2.2km walk.  It was really the service road to the lighthouse so there was no way of getting lost.  It, like the track from the camp ground followed the coast very closely, with views of the ocean and the waves crashing through the trees and shrubbery, skirting Honeymoon Bay before becoming steep and veering round the point to the Lighthouse.  Built between 1888-90, Point Hicks Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse on mainland Australia and is positioned where James Cook first sighted Australian land in 1770.  Over half a dozen vessels have been shipwrecked in the area since the late 1870s, some despite there being a lighthouse.  For RA, who likes lighthouses nearly as much as windmills, it was a treat to be able to see it and take some photos of it, in particular, and of the Cook monument.  Witnessing seals swimming and trying to clamber on rocks and whales rising and falling way out to sea was another treat.  RL was armed with the monocular for RA and both sets of lenses to cover all bases.  He walked far out on the rocks to get the best position.  R & R returned to the Ute for lunch about 12:45pm and were heading back to Cann River shortly after 1:00pm.  All in all, it took R & R just over an hour and a half to walk 2.2kms there, take photos and look around and walk back 2.2kms with the drive out and in from Cann River to the Point of 45kms (each way) taking about one hour twenty each way.  R & R saw only one car heading out, three cars and two motorcycles at the lighthouse carpark and three heading out as they were returning.  Of the road, come track, RL commented on separate occasions, “Not a nice road!” and “Not very pleasant!”  One section of the road near Granite Creek was particularly steep and winding with a deep valley dropping away to the east of the road. The countryside was eucalypt with dry rainforest and heathland.  R & R saw gums, banksia, casuarina, pittosporum, ti tree, sedges, reed, rushes, bracken, ferns, tree ferns, pockets of various shrubs in bloom of pink, white, blue, mauve and yellow and stands of blackboy growing on soils that were yellow to orange and dunes with white sand.  In terms of wildlife other than whales and seals, R & R saw many birds, mostly parrots and black cockatoos, a couple of very dark grey wallabies, a live snake on the road and a lace monitor.  It was 2:30pm when R & R returned to the camper on the main street in Cann River.  They had a cup of coffee and rang their daughter, H, to enquire about the snake that had been seen in the neighbour’s garden and were relieved to hear it had not returned.  Before leaving, R & R popped into the information centre just to see if there were any points of interest or maps that they had missed.  The drive from Cann River to the Murungowar rest area was back on Princes Highway which they had driven out along the week before.  Much of the roadworks sealing the shoulders had been completed but there was a hive of activity on one section where an extra lane was being created.  It was cool and grey when R & R arrived at the rest area just after 4:00pm, though for the most part it had been a beautiful sunny day.  R & R had a cup of coffee before setting the camper up and looking at maps.  RL read and RA wrote her diary before and after dinner.  E, RL’s sister rang to give an update on how J, her husband, was going so, after dinner, R & R rang RA’s brother CT to ask if R & R could stay with them at Dromana over the coming weekend.  That settled, RA could sleep well … knowing that there was a plan for the next week.