Category Archives: Countries

Stay & Play in the Cape Otway Lightkeeper’s House!

We had the pleasure of staying in the Head Lightkeeper’s House accommodation at the Cape Otway Lightstation during our recent Victorian road trip. This would have to be one of the most unique accommodation experiences on the Great Ocean Road, if not the whole of Australia… Cape Otway is located just ten minutes off the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, […]

Road Trip! Day 12 – Ballarat – and the road home…

And so in the blink of an eye, our last holiday day dawned. We had been on the road for nearly two weeks, and although we’d been having a brilliant time, we had reached the point where we needed to go home to touch base – you know, wash clothes, visit the pets, read the mail…that […]

Going back in time at Sovereign Hill gold mining village, Ballarat

We had a free day today in Ballarat and were invited to explore the Sovereign Hill outdoor museum! Sovereign Hill is a really fun and educational (but don’t tell the kids that!) day out with the family.  We had seen the Sound and Light show there last night, and were keen to explore this historical tourist park in daylight. Rest-assured, you are […]

Road Trip! Day 10 – Port Fairy – Warrnambool – Ballarat

We bid good bye to our gorgeous waterfront villa and hit the road again today. It was at this point that we decided to leave the coast. We had reached the end of the Great Ocean road and its amazing sights officially at Warrnambool, and although Port Fairy was well worth the extra drive to […]

Road Trip! Day 9 – Port Fairy – Hearns Beach

We awoke at Hearns Beach to the sounds of crashing waves this morning, and with a simple turn of the head on the pillow, there they were in unobstructed view – the Southern Ocean in all its glory. We decided to spend just one more night in the Hearns Beachside Villas (you can read our review of the […]

Road Trip! Day 8 – Port Campbell – London Bridge – Flagstaff Hill – Port Fairy

Another day, another breathtaking destination! We left my mother to rest at the hotel this morning and set off back to Gibson Step (12 minutes drive) to walk down to the Twelve Apostles beach – the staircase only takes around a minute or two to go down and is quite safe and navigable for children – and […]

Road Trip! Day 7 – Cape Otway – 12 Apostles – Loch Ard Gorge

It was time to move on again today, so we bid a sad farewell to our beloved Cape Otway Lightstation and headed off for Port Campbell – but not without stopping in the Koala forest again – who could resist them? Certainly not us! We saw maybe six koalas in two stops before getting back on […]

Sovereign Park Motor Inn family review – Ballarat

Our family love the Sovereign Park Motor Inn for various reasons – we stayed there during our recent Victorian road trip and found it to be a home-away-from-home… I like the Sovereign Park Motor Inn because it ticks all of my Motor Inn boxes. Firstly, their location is just about perfect – not far from the […]

Road Trip! Day 6 – Cape Otway – Lightstation – Dinosaur Dig

How lovely it was to wake up this morning to the peace and quiet of the Cape Otway Lightstation before the day tourists started arriving – and to see a lighthouse out of my bedroom window! We went over to the Cafe for a very tasty full cooked breakfast – poached eggs smothered in the most delectable mushrooms for me […]

Road Trip! Day 5 – Lorne – Apollo Bay – Cape Otway

What an exciting day we’ve had today! We set out from Lorne this morning, dropping in to walk on the giant pier on the outskirts of Lorne before we left. The idea was just to snap a pic or two of the period Grand Pacific Hotel opposite and then walk to the end of the […]

Road Trip! Day 4 – Lorne

Ah, a nice relaxing day again – no driving. Only problem was, the weather was cold and rainy! Oh well, you can’t win them all… On the bright side, the weather was an excellent excuse for wandering along the shops – and grabbing a yummy, laid-back lunch! The shops in Lorne are an eclectic mix. Most […]

Road Trip! Day 3 – Aireys Inlet – Great Ocean Road – Lorne

We did a grand total of 19kms today – we hit a town we just had to stop at – Lorne, Victoria! We left the Lightkeeper Motel at Aireys Inlet and visited the nearby lighthouse before moving on. Seeing a lighthouse close-up is always fascinating, and this one was a beauty. Stark white, tall and […]