Avoca

 29 - 30 December 2025

When we arrived in Geelong it was still very early, and cold, but we decided to return to a birdwatching spot at Barwon Heads that we had visited once before. We made our way through the city and down to the beach but initially had a bit of difficulty finding the right spot. We eventually found it and went for a walk along the beach. We didn't go too far because of the weather, but Mick did get a few bird shots.

We left the beach and headed towards Bendigo to collect the camper trailer. This time the GPS took us via Bacchus Marsh, where we stopped for brunch and to refuel. From there it was on the way to the storage yard. Leaving Bendigo we had decided that Avoca would be far enough - we'd had a very early wake-up call on the boat, and had already been on the road for more than 4 hours, thanks to the birding expedition.

We chose Avoca because the reviews of the caravan park were quite good, and we had read there was the possibility of seeing a Powerful owl. Because we had returned from Tassie without any fresh or frozen food, we headed to the pub for lunch before making our way to the caravan park.

By the time we arrived it was mid-afternoon and quite warm so we were directed to a spot with a some tree shade. We had only just started setting up when Mick spotted the owl in the tree just across the road from our site. We had to stop what we were doing so he could get the camera out. It turned out that there were at least three Powerful owls in the park.

We spent the rest of the day, and the next morning, shopping, sorting and repacking the car and trailer ready for a couple of months on the road. Mick made contact with birding friends in Warrnambool and we arranged to meet them in Heywood to try to find the Gang Gang cockatoos, before travelling on to their place. This meant we had most of the day to fill in so we took our time leaving Avoca.

From Avoca we drove through Ararat and then on to Dunkeld where we stopped to have a look around the town and to have a picnic lunch. We called in to the Visitor Information Centre and were told about the Dunkeld Arboretum so we went down there for a walk around. We didn't stay long, but it is a lovely spot for a walk.

There are some nice views from the Dunkeld Arboretum

From Dunkeld we drove on to Hamilton where we stopped again to pick up a few things at the shops, and to kill some more time. We wandered along the main street and into a small gallery selling local art, including photography. On one of the photos, we saw a name we recognised as a "Flickr" friend from way back. Turns out, Rob was minding the store that day and introduced himself when he heard us talking. He and Mick had never met so it was lovely to finally be able to have a chat with someone who he had previously only known in the virtual world.

Before leaving Hamilton we called in to the Botanic Gardens for another walk, then drove on to Heywood where we met up with Tony and Julia. The Gang Gangs were about so there was lots of camera action. From there we headed to Warrnambool where we would stay for a couple of nights.