So glad we had the trolley jack.

We are all members of that wonderful caravanning and camping lifestyle. Some travel in luxurious caravans, complete with all the mod cons, yet others are content with a small tent and tin plates and cups.
But we all have the same agenda; to get out and travel our wonderful and vast country.

This time, we will be re-visiting Warrnambool. That windy town on the south west coast of Victoria. The town on the western edge of the Ship wreck coast. I will never get tired of looking in awe at  those majestic towers of limestone standing tall, and trying to remain strong against the raging ocean who's only intent it is, is to obliterate  them and send them crashing to the ocean floor.

We found this area quite close to Warrnambool

When we visited in 2016, we had a few mishaps and I believed that we were just that little bit smarter now in 2017.

Well the morning of departure soon showed that I was very wrong.
The noise that resonated over the hairdryer quickly alerted me to some kind of unwanted incident.
So I bolted out of the bathroom to see hubby surveying the rear of the van. No swear words had been uttered, yes the neighbours were safe from being educated, so all was good and hubby was calm. Just knicked the awning poles on the carport post as he was driving through.
I then really believed that perhaps Warrnambool should not have been our destination of choice.

But I decided "Don't be silly " so back inside I went and back to drying my hair.

Our journey to Warrnambool can have us take a variety of different ways, but generally we head across the state and through many small towns.

Traversing across central Victoria we drove through countryside proudly displaying lush green grass .First town was Carisbrook which is not far from home, but then over to Talbot and Lexton; A great little town with very clean toilets and easy parking for the ute and caravan. And a very friendly lady in the Post Office, come general store.
The roads are bordered by fences, constructed many years ago , of heavy looking basalt rocks, with rolling hills in the distance with a smattering of yellow daisies.  The twisted gums spread throughout the Waterloo State park are just like an early Australiana painting.  
A healthy lunch was purchased at Beaufort Bakery. Very well made salad sandwiches and a hot cup of coffee.
Again we did not have a problem finding somewhere to park the van.
The caravan park in Beaufort looks like a good central point to base yourself as there are so many small towns in this region that deserve more than just a drive through.

We booked an ensuite site at Discovery Parks Big 4 in Pertobe st Warrnambool.
Easy to find and near the lake and playground area, and not far from the beach, so plenty of ways to keep the kids entertained . The park itself has a pool if you are not keen on ocean swimming.
Nice sites with native bushes sectioning off each site. Our ensuite was of an older age  but clean and very serviceable. And yes, toilet paper was supplied.

And every visit to Warrnambool has to have a problem !

On winding down the stabiliser legs, a steel pin broke so there was no chance of said leg doing it's job. It was wound back up; by hand, and the trolley jack came out of the tool box. I must admit, I did panic and wonder how we were going to cope with three legs, but hubby had it covered.

So all set up and ready to go site seeing the next day.

We could not return to Warrnambool without going back to the Great Ocean Road. Many stops , and again many photos. And to the two lovely ladies who we met at Loch Ard Gorge; I do hope the photo turned out. It was a pleasure to help and chat whilst down at the waters edge, staring up in awe of such treacherous cliff faces. And looking at the steps that we have to climb to make our way to  return to the top

When we are travelling around as tourists it is wonderful to "pay it forward " and offer to take someone's photo for them as the good turn will come back.
One place that definitely was on our list for a visit this time was Timboon Distillery.
                     www.timboondistillery.com.au

To me whisky was always meant to be mixed with something else. But Maggie was there to educate us. And educate us she did. She had such a head full of knowledge,  and did not put us down due to our lack of whisky drinking etiquette.
Now I am not a whisky drinker. But to savour this was just a complete new experience. So we stayed for lunch and tried to make a decision on which products to purchase. Again Maggie helped  us. What a bonus she is to that business. She was informative and fun .  And she was able to chat with all the customers in such a friendly manner.  In fact all the staff were absolute  treasures.  Annie thoroughly enjoyed her job which showed in the way she carried out her duties. To all the other staff, sorry I did not get your names but you  all add such value to this fabulous tourist venue.
And a place that makes some damn fine Whisky.

Timboon is a great little town and is set nicely in the hills. We followed the signs to the historic trestle bridge and from there headed across to the Timboon Cheesery, which is set out on a farm . So we enjoyed tastings  of some different cheeses .

Beautiful gardens at Timboon cheesery

On our way back to Warrnambool we stopped at Cheeseworld in Alansford. There is a great display of historical machinery and implements, which are certainly worth a look. Many of the older generation, me and hubby included , will relate to using some of the appliances in our younger days.
More tastings and quite a few packets of cheese now stored in the fridge which will keep us going for many weeks.

We checked out Lake Pertobe and were very surprised by the surrounds and just the bits and pieces on offer. Plenty of equipment to keep the kids entertained and a great place for a  picnic or a relaxing walk , but if you are not so energetic then the seats are positioned so you can just watch the water birds or enjoy some sunshine.

But what better place to go for a walk than along the beach. Certainly a must when you are staying at a seaside town. And if you are lucky you may see a spectacular sunset or a stunning sunrise. I saw neither ! Too many clouds
The Warrnambool Botanic Gardens is also a place to visit. It is not overly big, but contains some magnificent trees, many with display plaques to share some information about them.
Choices for coffee or lunch seem endless. We had a very nice lunch at City Bowling Club bistro. Very nice sweet corn fritters and a tasty serve of lamb shanks were devoured. And yes we will revisit when we return
So our time at Warrnambool has come to an end.
Back on the road home tomorrow and back to work, with a list of little repairs to our little Roma van. But things wear out and minor accidents happen.
It is all part of life.
It is how you deal with it that is important.

Happy and safe travelling.

Trestle bridge at Timboon