5 Feb Part 2: Into the Forest

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We left Cape Otway and drove up into the hills, seeking waterfalls which were clearly marked on our map and not so clearly marked in real life.  We took a narrow winding road through the hills and were on the alert the whole way, having been informed that the road was frequented by log trucks.  Loggers apparently don't work on Sundays, so our jouney was log-truck-free in the end.

Our first stop was at the Redwood Grove just south of Beech Forest.  The Redwoods were planted in 1936 by Vic Forestry in a fit of experimentation, and thrived in their little spot in the Otways.  They've become a tourist attraction now and we developed a new game of 'Spot the Instagrammer' as we wandered through the tall trees beside the gurgling creek.


 



We followed everyone else downstream for a while, thinking that this was the way to Hopetoun Falls.  Finally we got smart enough to ask someone going the other way and found out that we were following a muddy track made by everyone else who thought this was the way to Hopetoun Falls, but was in fact a muddy track to nowhere.  So we walked back to the car and drove to Hopetoun Falls instead.

Small forest things.

Hopetoun Falls had a lot of steps on the way down, and unfortunately the same number on the way up.  This was no doubt good for our cardiovascular fitness, but knowing this didn't make it any easier on the way up.

What goes down will have to come up again.

Hopetoun falls.

Thinking about those steps.
 

We puffed our way back to the car and took ourselves off to Forrest for coffee in the forest.

Just so you know.

The drive home had stunning views of the coastline but no way to stop and view them.  Luckily we found a fire spotting tower with a spot to pull off so we could appreciate the outlook without causing an accident.

Apollo Bay in the distance.
 

And then we went home and reveled in the fact that despite having a waterfront view of the Barham River, we had exactly zero mosquitoes to contend with.

Thus ended a very good day.


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