Day of Lesuire 2 May 2011

Our day off has arrived yeah !!!!! Rest and Relaxation.  The day started off with a sleep-in which was just what the body needed. Today we were going to spoil ourselves with our breakfast of bacon and eggs.  It was so good to sit down and have our breakfast leisurely no rush all the time in the world.  The bacon and eggs were great comfort food, this did mean that today we would need to walk the breakfast off.

As a group we discussed what we would like to do on our day off and we decided that we would like to take a walk to the beach and then to the lighthouse.  The day was cool and the sun was peeking through which was great.  Today we did not need to wear our wet weather gear or carry a heavy backpack.

We headed off on our walk to the beach which was approx. 2.4 kms and the walk was quiet a good one not too many hills or uneven terrain. As we walked we talked and looked to see what type of birds we could see. 

One of the many parrots in the area

As we got closer to the beach we could hear the roar of the waves breaking.  All at once everyone's phones beeped yes we finally had reception on our mobiles and you guessed it we all stopped to call our loved ones it was so great to be able to speak to family and friends.

When we arrived at the beach which was pristine the waves were massive and the noise of them breaking was very loud. From where we stood we could see Rainbow Falls.  A cascade nearby that derives its name from the marvellous effect created by the afternoon sun as it sparkles on spring water spilling from a tall cliff.

               

Great Southern Ocean

Cape Otway is situated at the southern tip of Victoria's western coast, where the Southern Ocean meets Bass Strait. Much of the district around Cape Otway is included in the Great Otway National Park, which features rain forest, waterfalls and streams, heathland and woodlands, and a spectacular rugged coastline.

After a rest and some quiet time we decided to extend our walk to the light station.  The walk would be about 7 kms and seeing the weather was fine we decided to make our way.  The walk was along the coastline and was spectacular  At times we were so high and the drop was very rugged.

At last we saw the top of the the light station and we knew that we had arrived.  There is a lot of history about this light station and many wrecks up to 400 in this area alone. The 84 Km gap between Cape Wickham on King Island and Cape Otway is known as the 'Eye of the Needle'. It is the western entrance to Bass Strain.  Sea captains would hug the Victorian coast to avoid being driven into King Island in bad weather, resulting in many wrecks.

                   

THE western coast of Victoria has claimed more shipwrecks than any other stretch of Australian coastline. The treacherous seas, reefs and hostile weather conditions saw hundreds of lives lost. The sea floor is littered with what remains of the wrecks whose cargoes included migrants, hopeful gold miners and convicts. The ships foundered due to human error, bad weather, lack of local knowledge and as shipping lines vied for the lucrative migrant market - lives were undoubtedly lost due to companies taking cost cutting.

CAPE Otway Lightstation's first keepers and their wives had to be dedicated, hard-working and incredibly resourceful people to cope with the demands of an arduous and isolated lifestyle with supplies delivered just twice a year - by boat. They kept the light lit, rescued and fed shipwreck victims and raised their families in between maintaining the Beacon of Hope for the thousands of ships which traversed Bass Strait.

 

Tombstone of Infant Henry Collingwood

Near the Lightstation there is a cemetery that we visited on our walk to the lighstation.  Having stopped to have a look made me realise just how treacherous the waters were and how vulnerable ships were against this stretch of water. The waters did not discriminate they took people of all ages and the children were the most at risk.  The graves told the stories.


After spending a while looking and reading some of graves we decided to head back to our camp site at Bimbi Park.                         

Before heading off we decided to have a picture taken of us together.

The trek back was harder with some hills to climb. I could not wait to get back to our cabin for a rest and a tea.  This day I estimated that we walked approx. 10 kms not bad for a day off.  That night we a great butterscotch pudding. After dinner we sat back and watched the Logies and the ladies on the catwalk with commentary on the gowns. Next day we would be looking at Environment & Vegetation Study.