Today we headed inland to seek out some waterfalls in the Great Otway National Park. The Mountain Ash trees were towering above all the other vegetation. 

Beauchamp Falls

They were stunning and the walk into the falls was quite challenging but beautiful and well worth it.

Pete looking up at the falls...

Deep into the forest were the Myrtle Beech trees, they too were very tall..I found them to be really beautiful when you looked up to the sky.

The finger nail sized leaves from the Myrtle Beech trees.

A small forest of Californian Redwood trees that were planted in the park in 1936...

...they were gigantic!

Walking towards the Triplet Falls in the Great Otway National Park, more beautiful ferns and trees...

One of the three waterfalls that make up the Triplet Falls....

On our way home to Apollo Bay...stopped at this look out near Glenaire to admire the coastline.

We drove through large areas of farm land today as well as the National Park...it too was beautiful.

 

Pete and I explored Apollo Bay this morning...we found the golf course and it was a wee bit windy, look at that flag!

This is the Barham River running into the ocean.

We were so excited to see the blue sky, the forecast was for cloudy skies.

Rather unusual rock formations....I just love peeking into the rock pools.

This is the view up the coast from Apollo Bay beach...

These conifers are very popular along the coast ...I think they are such majestic trees.

Apollo Bay beach...the tide is out...lovely to walk along.

Our accomodation looks even more splendid with the sunshine coming in.

Mait's Rest in Great Otway National Park...a glorious temperate rain forest with beautiful ferns and giant rainforest trees, myrtle beech and mountain ash.

There were lots of fungi on the forest floor but I have never seen anything like this one...it was as big as a bread and butter plate.

This I hope shows how beautiful the drive in the Great Otway National Park was...

 The Cape Otway lighthouse keeper's cottage.

Cape Otway lighthouse.

View from the lighthouse looking east...

View from the lighthouse looking west...

View from the lighthouse looking down...

The lighthouse steps...  there were other buildings to see and plenty of history to read about.

Our first little visitor...bird seed was in a jar in our chalet...

...then more...

 

Pete and I left Melbourne this morning for four nights down in Apollo Bay. On the way we stopped at Werribee Mansion...

The mansion was completed in 1877 for the Chirnside family who made their fortune from wool across the Western District of Victoria. 

The gardens and parkland surrounding the mansion are owned by the State Government...

The number and size of the trees in the park was enormous ....

Pete walking under one of the many oak trees...

....and there were hundreds of flying foxes in several of the  trees making a rather loud screeching noise.

The rose garden which contains over 5000 bushes....unbelievable...

The well known Torquay beach....

Jan Juc beach

The even more famous Bells Beach.

...the beginning of the Great Ocean Road.

The view from our window in our chalet at Apollo Bay...

The view from our table at Chris' Beacon Point Restaurant at Apollo Bay....we ate early so we could make the most of the view.

My main course....King fish....delicious ....as was everything else. It was a lovely night and we thank Tash, Todd and Jeremy for the voucher for our anniversary, such a thoughtful gift.