While the boys raced around on their bikes we decided that
we would leave The Gator at Hammond’s track camp ground for the day and head
into Lorne for a day trip. The Falls Festival is a massive annual music
festival in Lorne that turns a sleepy seaside village in to a swarming hive of
late teen, early 20 and older wannabie music fans that take over every square
inch of towns all around. Jack had received a fishing rod for Christmas and was
desperate, to the point of tears, to go fishing and Lorne had a pier! It was a
beautiful sunny day and the wind had almost disappeared so we were excited to
be wetting a line in such incredible surroundings. The pier must have had another
30 or 40 people fishing, many with 3 or 4 rods on the go. We found our spot and
with some expectation cast out, and waited and waited. “Reel it in Jacko we
must have lost our bait”...nup and
again, and yep again. We were there for about an hour a half and I only saw one
fish being caught and that was a bloke jigging for bait fish! However we did
manage to see a seal that made it all worthwhile!
We packed up and headed for Erskine Falls, which by all reports was supposed to be
pretty spectacular. Along with the other 150 people we eagerly climbed down the
300+ steps to the base of the falls. After not making it to the base of the
Mini Ha Ha falls in the Blue Mountains I was determined to jump in and shower
under the falls, like you see in the glossy tourist brochures.
Well if I
thought the waters of Mini Ha Ha were cold then I had another thing coming! I
have done the dash from ice covered water into the sauna in my time in the USA
but the problem was that even though this was felt like ice there was no sauna,
not even any bloody sun! Undaunted Sam and I swam to the other side of the
falls and tried our best to look like we were enjoying it! It was pretty fun
but it was just to cold! Undaunted I decided that I was already close to
hypothermia and surviving so I might as well climb around the side of the
waterfall and up to where it had its major fall. Very, very carefully I edged
out to be under the mist of the fall that was now accompanied by a very strong
breeze created by the falling water. I posed for the photos and beat a hasty
retreat to my miniscule chamois towel that did manage to get the surface water
of my but did nothing for my body temperature. I decided that we should make a
hasty retreat for Izzy and even after 300+ steps I was still on the cold side.
Lesson # 5 – the water in Victoria is cold, bloooody cold!
That's Sam beside me.
It had been a couple of days since a shower, other than the
cold beach variety, so we sought out one where warm water and ample quantities
of soap could be used. The public pool was $8.50 each but they did have public
ones that were $1 for 3 minutes so we excitedly ventured of, the boys and I
with $2 and De with $2. We managed to get all three of us washed up within the
first $1, which I think was closer to 4 minutes and De managed to find $2 while
she was having her $1 shower. Yeah!! Free Showers! Happy and clean we topped up
on supplies and headed for the hills of Hammonds camp.
A lazy afternoon was had getting the fire going with the
boys messing around with some other kids from the camp. Tomorrow was New Years
Eve so we hit the hay early, why I am not sure as I am pretty sure we weren’t
going to be doing anything exciting!
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