Our Great Adventure: Day 116 12/01/2015

Luckily the noise did quieten down at 10pm as promised! We'd planned to head west today to visit Cape Duquesne and Bridgewater before returning to Warrnambool and then driving back to the Twelve Apostles in the evening to (hopefully) see the penguins. We set off after breakfast, filled up the car with fuel (65p per litre), bought lunch from a local deli and drove the c125km through predominantly agricultural land to Cape Duquesne where the road ends. From the car park you can walk along the cliff tops to see the sea pounding the cliffs with huge roaring waves creating rock pools and spectacular blowholes. Nearby is the petrified forest which despite it's name isn't a forest but is actually limestone stacks, blown hollow with the wind. We drove back to Bridgewater Bay, a 4km arc of stunning white sand, stopped for drinks and had our lunch looking out to sea (we did contemplate a quick dip in the sea but decided it was a little bit too chilly) before setting off walking along the clifftops towards Cape Bridgewater. The area was originally one of the regions big whaling stations and well populated, very different to the view you get looking back across the bay today. The cliffs here are apparently the highest in Victoria. Despite the height we were able to see a shoal of fish in the clear blue water. A little bit further we spotted a mob of kangaroos on the hilltop, lazing around in the afternoon heat. We continued along to the Cape from where you can see a colony of fur seals, sunning themselves on the rocks and playing in the water. The colony looked much smaller than the one we'd seen a few days ago and we certainly weren't anything like as close to them but this time we did get some pictures! By now it was late afternoon and we decided to head back, stopping in Port Fairy for tea and scones before returning to our hotel. We set out again early evening to go to see the penguins return to their nesting ground near the Twelve Apostles. On route we stopped to see The Grotto with it's hollowed out cave like formation where the waves crash through. A little further down the coast we had another stop at London Bridge. It's an impressive arched rock platform just off the shore. It did have a double arch until January 1990 when the bridge linked to the main land collapsed leaving two tourists marooned on the newly formed island. They were apparently eventually rescued by helicopter. Probably best not to think about it too much! From here we headed back to the Twelve Apostles and made our way to the viewing platform which overlooks the beach. The sunset was beautiful and certainly helped to pass the time. Around 9.15pm the first group of c30 little penguins appeared at the waters edge. They were very small but wonderful to see them head off up the beach to the higher dry land, leaving a track through the sand as they went. Unfortunately Diane's free binoculars that she acquired from a trip to Wimbledon didn't really help. We watched another 3 groups appear and follow the same route before it became too dark to see them. On the way back we stopped at Port Campbell in search of a takeaway but failed. Despite a close encounter with a kangaroo we made it safely back arriving just before 11pm and importantly in time for a quick pint and packet of crisps in the bar before heading off to bed, tired and hungry but delighted to have seen so much wildlife in one day.