DAY 126 - PORT FAIRY VIC

PORT FAIRY VIC

DAY 126


If somebody had offered me a little plastic lunch box at 8 o’clock this morning, with the events of today all neatly wrapped up inside and nicely sliced for easy access, I probably would have taken it.

All except the weather that is.

Another day for the record books I would say, although it is quite difficult to ascertain how much worse these days can get.

Deep snowfalls are one possible scenario that would certainly make the going tough into Melbourne.

Given that I am headed for Ballarat which is the coldest place in Australia outside the alpine regions at the moment, this may yet materialise.

I am guessing in such an event, it would be necessary to somehow slap chains on the tyres and just keep on pedalling.

Anyway, enough of this, as I actually have something positive to contribute from today.

I put my library/internet time to good use this morning as the weather really wasn’t compatible with much else.

There remained some meek hope that erstwhile clear skies would somehow hold in unison with a prevailing westerly gale and dry my wet clothes in about half an hour.

This was out to sea by 11 am and instead some of the heaviest rain of 2008 pounded Port Fairy for nearly 2 hours.

When the library closed for lunch at 1 pm, I was back out in the cold although it seemed timely for the rain to abate just long enough for me to get back to camp and chow some day food.

And looking about, growing patches of blue sky augured for an afternoon that may not have been about to develop so badly.

Plan A had always been to get about and explore Port Fairy this afternoon and by 2 pm, this was indeed the best option.

Winds were bad but with not much rain to speak of beyond 1.30 and more sunlight than could possibly have been predicted, I was out and about with camera primed.

All is well that ends well and I got around to most of what Port Fairy has to offer as well as keeping the faith that my clothes would be dry by dinner.

The main Fairy attractions are Griffiths Island with its Lighthouse and shearwater colony as well as the historic Port and Wharf.

Most of the wharf area is occupied by a fleet of crayfish boats on one side and absolute top-end tourist accommodation on the other.

Located where it is, Port Fairy is fair game for cashed up and stressed out city folk from either Adelaide or Melbourne who could readily come on by for a weekend, punch a rather large hole in $2000 and have quite a fine old time.

Loaded with beautiful National Trust and Heritage Listed buildings, typical numbers of Norfolk Pines as well as said upmarket-ness, it is an attractive seaside getaway that would reward those who make a slightly bigger effort to get away from the commercialism and popularity of the Great Ocean Road or some of Adelaide’s better known traps.

Get down here in the middle of a winter such as this and you’d basically have a free run of the place.

Port Fairy’s main claim to fame in recent history however, is the Port Fairy Folk Festival held in March of each year.

The regular population of 2000 blows out to around 40 000 and they somehow all fit in.

I believe it to be a typical fare of music, food and culture of International standing and I may also argue that the most unique and appealing aspect of the whole deal is the location itself.

I’d personally not be bothered with the masses, however this weather is not exactly the sweetest of timing either.

I will be moving ahead tomorrow as the final week of the trip commences.

Destination Mortlake, via the larger commercial centre of Warrnambool, which is generally regarded as the western extremity of a stretch of Princes Highway known as the Great Ocean Road.

I have decided against taking my part on this section of road due to legitimate concerns about safety (or lack thereof) and will instead take an inland route through Ballarat by early next week.

This will ultimately bring me into Melbourne from the north, mostly avoiding the worst of city traffic and more practically easier access to Tullamarine Airport, which lies 25 kilometres to the north of the city.