La Belle - Bellarine Peninsula

It all started with a glorious sunrise over Corio Bay in Geelong, where we stayed for few days to explore the magnificent Bellarine Peninsula on the Victorian coast.

Geelong

This is a great town to visit with loads of natural beauty and all the advantages of a large city for art, dining and entertainment options. A delicious seafood dinner on the pier was delightful. The morning light over the shallow and still water provided some great photography opportunities as well as being a nice stroll to start the day.

Coastal Artwork

The bay walk is dotted with beautifully painted bollards that depict a bygone era. I really liked the surf lifesavers all lined up and ready to spring into action!

Vines

We stopped at Jack Rabbit Vineyard for a photo opportunity, but unfortunately didn't get time to taste the produce. The vineyard is in a spectacular location, looking across Port Phillip Bay to Geelong, the You Yang mountains and to Melbourne. The Bellarine has a wonderful selection of wineries, cideries and breweries to choose from and this continues to be an important product for the region.

Portarlington

As we rounded the Peninsula, we stopped at the historic fishing village of Portarlington. The Pier Street cafe was the ideal place to have a coffee break and we had a surprise bonus visit from an Australasian Gannet which was fishing in the shallows of the marina. It was wonderful to watch this magnificent bird swooping and diving at speed with great precision. It also caught a fish for its troubles and gulped it down before the pelicans tried to muscle in on the action.

Indented Head and St Leonards

Moving along, we spent some time exploring the beautiful coastline of Indented Head and St Leonards. There was lots to see around the shallow and tranquil waters of the bay, from on the beach front and some great lookouts. It's an amazingly tranquil area given its proximity to Geelong and Melbourne, with lots of green space and natural beauty. A great holiday destination for many Victorians!

At Indented Head, you can see the top of the wreck of the Ozone - a 19th century paddle steamer that lies about 50 metres offshore and is a popular diving spot.

The calm waters appear to be a great spot for thoroughbred racehorses to get some saltwater therapy and a low impact workout by walking and swimming in the shallows. It was nice to chat to the trainer of a horse that is apparently doing quite well in regional Victorian races.

After a delicious picnic lunch, we visited the beautiful Edwards Point wildlife reserve. Edwards Point protects the last remaining stand of coastal woodland on the Bellarine Peninsula. The protected waters also provide habitat for resident and migratory wader birds with views of both Port Phillip and Swan Bay.

Point Lonsdale

Heading around the peninsula, we stopped in at the lively town of Point Lonsdale and the historic township of Queenscliff where the calm waters of Port Phillip Bay meet the wild, and choppy Bass Strait. The major landmark in town is the lighthouse situated at the tip of Point Lonsdale, which was built in 1902. Walking tracks circle the lighthouse and extend down the rocky headland to the beach below. Just north of the lighthouse is the Point Lonsdale Pier which is a popular spot for fishing and a good vantage point for taking in views of the lighthouse and surrounding coastline.

The surf beach at Point Lonsdale was busy both in and out of the water, with lots of surfers practicing their craft whilst other people did their exercises on the broad promenade and onlookers lazed on the steps with a cup of coffee and watched the surfing action or the passing parade.

Queenscliff

The seaside resort of Queenscliff is surrounded on three sides by water, giving the town large stretches of coastline, consisting of a combination of sandy beaches, rocky outcrops, cliffs and historic piers. From here, you can see the end of the Mornington Peninsula and watch the Searoad Ferry travelling from Sorrento to Queenscliff and back again throughout the day.

Queenscliff was settled in the 1850s and soon became a strategic defence post given its proximity to the entrance of Port Phillip which provides shipping access to the cities of Geelong and Melbourne. Legacies to Queenscliff's defence and maritime history can be found at Fort Queenscliff which is an interesting historic building and a great example of a 19th century coastal artillery fort.

At Shortlands Bluff is the Queenscliff Lighthouse which was built in 1862 and includes a lookout near the base. Further north along the coast is the Black Lighthouse, unique in Australia, having been constructed from bluestone.

The Queenscliff Pier had a very interesting additional feature, which is a a former lifeboat shed. This was an integral part of the infrastructure provided to improve the safety for ships entering or leaving Port Phillip Bay. The pier was very photogenic!

Coming soon, a quick trip to the 'big smoke' and then, camping on the Murray River.