The Final Leg – Maldon to Geelong

2 – 3 December 2022

We found our cabin in the caravan park at Maldon and to say we were underwhelmed would be a big overstatement. It was old, tired and not particularly clean in some parts. It was, however, adequate for our overnighter before sailing to Tasmania.

We had booked a night sail so we had the whole day to fill in. Unfortunately the time had been changed from 9:30pm to 11:30pm so that day would be a very long one! We started by going into Maldon for a look around and to have morning tea. Maldon retains many of its original buildings from when the town was established at the height of the Victorian gold rush. Many businesses don’t open until 10:30 or 11:00am giving us an indication that this is a town very reliant on weekend tourism. We browsed the town and considered the route we would take to Geelong.

Our next stop was Castlemaine, about 20 kilometres away. Castlemaine is bigger and was a much busier place so we parked in a back street and wandered around the main street. We did some Christmas shopping and found an art exhibition in the very nice visitor information centre before adjourning to a bakery for lunch.

From Castlemaine we set off for Daylesford – a drive of about 40 kilometres. We knew this place would be even busier as we had visited on a previous trip. We didn’t stay long – just a quick walk up the street to browse in a couple of op shops. From there we headed the short distance down the road to Sailor’s Falls. This is a nice spot with a walk down lots of stairs to the falls themselves. Unfortunately the promised loop walk to the spring was closed. It was a really hot day so we weren’t keen on too much walking anyway.

Next stop was Creswick, another 30 kilometre drive. This is a nice small town where we had ice creams followed by a walk up and down the main street. We called in to the Visitor Information Centre to try to find somewhere to spend some time but the place we chose was absolutely full of young people enjoying the swimming area with much gusto. Definitely not what we were hoping for so we made our way to Ballarat, another 20 kilometres away.

Ballarat is a major city and we knew it had a large botanic gardens and lake so that was where we headed. Along the way we found the cheapest fuel we had seen for a very long time – under $2.00 per litre for diesel and more than 25c per litre cheaper than we had seen up the road a bit. Of course we filled up as we didn’t expect to see that sort of price again for a while, if ever.

We spent some time having a look around the botanic gardens, including the glass house with its beautiful array of flowering plants. With time still to spare we took the car to a nearby carwash then returned to the Botanic Gardens to consider our next move. We decided that the best thing to do would be to hang around in the gardens for a bit longer then have dinner in Ballarat before driving to Geelong.

We used a popular review website to choose a pub for dinner and were very pleased with our choice. The Grapes is a small “local” pub which had a really nice, friendly feel. The menu contained lots of variety – without the heavy reliance on deep fried food so often found in pubs. Unusually for a pub, table service was provided and there was not a single gaming machine within cooee of the dining room. The service was great and the meals fantastic. We would happily dine there again.

We used Google Maps to determine what time we should leave Ballarat and we were finished dinner and ready to leave shortly ahead of time. We set off for the new Spirit of Tasmania departure point in Geelong. We have always found the drive into and through Melbourne to be very stressful so we were hoping the new port would prove easier.

Coming in from Ballarat the GPS took us around the outskirts of the city and there was hardly any traffic. Even on a Saturday evening we were expecting more. The directions were easy to follow and we arrived just after check-in had commenced. After a very long day we were glad to have the end finally in sight. The bonus for us was that the weather forecast was for a very smooth crossing. We were on board in time for a nightcap before settling into our cabin which was right at the pointy end of the boat. Because of the location we were not permitted to have the blinds open with the lights on to watch our progress across the bay but the late night departure meant we were asleep before too long anyway.

Daylesford and off to Tassie

Daylesford and then to Tassie

11 - 12 December 2015

We drove to Warrnambool and it continued to rain. Stopping to check out a record stall in a market place, we were assaulted by an icy cold wind - again. We didn't hang around long, and set off for Ballarat after a hot coffee and a very quick walk back to the car.

As we drove, it continued to rain - it wasn't looking good for a dry overnight stop. We had lunch at the local take-away cafe in Lismore, then arrived in Ballarat and it was still raining. The forecast map had suggested there wouldn't be any rain there so we checked the rain radar, forecasts and considered our options. Back on the road, on our way to Daylesford, we started to see clear skies. Yay! 

Once in Daylesford we checked out one caravan park, before settling on the other. We were greeted by friendly staff, and informed that firewood had been left in the stone hut for the use of campers if required. The forecast overnight temperature was 4 degrees, so we were sure it would be used.

Bright sunshine ensured the camper trailer was completely dry when we retired for the night - all rugged up against the cold. We couldn't confirm the overnight low, but my little clock/thermometer showed 6 degrees at about 2am. 

When we rose the sun was still shining - thank goodness - and we packed up as more clouds gathered. We set off for Clarkefield where we would store the camper trailer while we went to Tasmania. We found our way easily to the storage facility. We were advised that there was a big shopping centre not far away, and the GPS suggested that we were only 1/2 hour from Melbourne so we decided to spend the afternoon at the Craigieburn shopping centre. Lunch, a movie and a spot of shopping filled up the time before we needed to make our way to the Spirit of Tasmania.

We found our way to Melbourne easily enough, but navigating the freeways and on-off ramps, with the tangle of streets proved very problematic. We did get lost! Eventually we started to see familiar things and arrived at Station Pier in plenty of time.

Where's the Spirit? Easy enough to see from the Westgate Bridge but not that easy to get to.

First we queued for the quarantine inspection, then we queued to check in, then we queued to board. Eventually we made our way to our cabin, left our gear (took a sea sick tablet) and set off for a drink in the bar. The boat has been recently refurbished and the public areas are vastly improved. After a couple of drinks and a light meal, we headed back to the cabin.

The journey was fairly calm, with some higher swells just out of the heads. We both managed to sleep quite well. The ship was due to dock in Devonport at 6:00am with 6:30am disembarkation. A wake-up announcement was made at about 5:45am. We were already up, so we headed out in search of coffee.

Once off the Spirit of Tasmania, it was only a short drive to eldest daughter Julia's house in Devonport.