From Warrnambool to Tyrendarra (near Portland)

Day 5

Friday 6 February 2009-02-06

We left the 4 ½ star caravan park around 9.00am and headed the 10 kms into Warrnambool to visit the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and Museum. It was a simple ride for Kim but she let me go first so I could scout a suitable park for the rig (plenty of bus parking in the Maritime Village).

We spent the rest of the morning at the Village and had lunch in the van while in the car-park (a common occurrence).

The Maritime Village was really enjoyable and we could have spent a lot longer but we needed to get some distance on the motorbike.

Kim sets off around 1.00 pm and started on the Princess Highway. The road quality is high and she found riding easy. Unfortunately after about an hour her back started playing up so we found the nearest free camping area having travelled about 71klm from Warrnambool (daily total of around 80kms).

The area is right on the Fitzroy River and is fairly popular with a few other campervan semi-permanently set up. We are no longer on external 240 volt power and have engaged the gas option on the fridge to avoid the 12volt drain but otherwise have 12 volt for most appliances and 240 volts through an inverter if needed (we have about 300amp hours from AGM batteries but their limits haven’t been tested yet – we may soon find out how long they last).

Kim lay down for a while to help her back recover and is a little depressed about her back that it is still aching after 5 days of riding. I fell asleep while Kim was making dinner (worked out fairly well for me). Kim has walked around the area and discovered the fairly basic amenities (a rotoloo toilet) and is now sending off a few postcards. It’s a bit late for a bicycle ride now but we may consider a ride into town on the motorbike. We’ll see how Kim’s back pulls up tomorrow morning before leaving – it may be time for her to take a day off.