Australian rally 2024

[Keith Clements]

Melbourne airport has the most efficient immigration procedure anywhere I have been. Absolutely no queues!

There are many booths to get a ticket where you answer some standard questions about convictions and where you have come from. It takes a picture and then prints a ticket which you present at a common e passport gate. Of course all this could have been done at the one gate. But you only lost a few seconds not an hour like at LA.

I first got a SIM card and then the hire car. It took me a while to find out how to open the boot on the new Renault Arkana Mégane Conquest and then I had to go back to the SIM card supplier as the card had not activated. But all good till it started to rain and I had to deal with a plethora of warning signals emanating from the car's computers - Lane change, speed warning, no seat belts as I had put case on back seat,
Auto brake and proximity, toll charge as well as the usual from Google navigation. But arrived at Sue and Mike Allfrey's in Boronia after 23:00 to be greeted with more parking instructions from the computers. I have spent the evening reading the manual.

Up early to catch the train to see Duttons classic cars and a Ferrari garage in Burnley with Andrew Henshall. The recommended lunchtime hostelry was closed...hopefully not the start of the Australia is closed tour.

On my walk back to the station snapped someone's idea of garden ornaments.

[Keith Clements]

Phil Squire, Andrew Henshall, Richard Homersham, Sharyn and Neil Hussey and Mike Allfrey met at the Micawber Tavern, Belgrave for a Noggin and Natter. I tried the rack of beers but as usual what I ordered was off the menu so settled for Wagyu followed by date pudding.
Two Jowett's attended Phil's Jup and Richard's Jav.

[Keith Clements]

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[Srenner]

Don't be a dolt....use Amy's AmEx card.

[Keith Clements]

Thanks Scott and Neil for a similar comment.
Anyhow today was drizzle most of the day but I did manage to find some dry periods after the 1.5 hr drive to San Remo and across the bridge to the Philip Island former GP circuit.

First I stopped off for lunch of crayfish just off the boat, then had a 12000 step walk along the beach.
I was not tempted to go surfing.
https://youtu.be/1eufb5Rf3GY?feature=shared

It started to drizzle again so found the Race circuit and blagged my way in. The damp track made for some interesting racing.
https://youtu.be/WoxoXIihuCI?feature=shared

https://youtu.be/4LpZjTI1oyw?feature=shared




Now back waiting to go to a Rover Car club meet.

[Keith Clements]

A few pics of Rovers from last night's club meeting where we had a presentation from Castrol on brake fluid and coolants.

My take from the meeting is you cannot better silicone for boiling points and viscosity in the cold or any other performance criterium. Just watch any incompatibility with seals but I have not seen any evidence it is worse than glycol. Advantages are it does not damage paint, does not absorb water and is all around the thing to have in a little used car. Glycol must be changed every two years.

So I had a surprise when Richard Homersham arrived in a 1954 Citroen Avant to chauffeur me around the Yarra valley visiting the steam museum and winery's.
I over ate at lunch and tasted 7 local wines. Then another 6 wines at a stylish St. Huberts. But they were only small glasses.

I would like to know what graphite tastes like and how a wine can have a stemmy feel. Read the tasting notes.

The Citroen hill climbing and gear change.
Notice the speedometer app Richard has on his phone, necessary with the old cars bouncy speedos and Aus police 1 % over limit.

https://youtu.be/TN_Byh4azVw?feature=shared

https://youtu.be/oIY7sAFc-HE?feature=shared

[Keith Clements]

I met up with the Husseys at the Mornington horse race track where there was a craft fair with a small display of classic cars. Then went back to walk Daisy, the Westie, with Sharyn followed by a drive around the peninsular and up to Arthur's Seat. They then cooked a superb meal of barramundi.

[Keith Clements]

I few stops on my way to the ferry at Sorrento educated me about the the Boonwurrung people that existed before the first settlers and convicts arrived.

Some great views from Rip View where the tide rushes through a 300 m navigable gap in the sand reef at Point Lonsdale. Then joined the Great Ocean Road to Torquay watching surfing at Bells Beach before reaching Lorne and Teddy's Lookout and Erskine falls. A trip for supplies, a walk along the beach after dusk and then barramundi fish and chips.What a great firm fish it is. I relaxed in the spa in my room after a pretty full day.

[Keith Clements]

What a day. I packed a lot in as I had visited the information centre and been advised what not to miss.
First stop Lorne Pier where I noticed the rail track that ferried wood from Terry's lookout that I visited the night before.
Then many stops along the GOR but rain either enhanced or detracted from the views. I remarked to a motor bike couple that it made the scenery atmospheric at Artillery rocks.
The story of William Buckley whom I read escaped from the Sorrento convict camp and stayed with the Wathaurong people along this inhospitable coast.

Cape Patten and Mariners view were worth the trek in the rain but I avoided the worst. Where else do you visit when it's raining than the rain forest at Maits Rest. SPECTACULAR!
A 25 k diversion to Cape Otway lighthouse was worth it because of all the interesting subjects well covered in the hour walk. And I saw a koala in the wild when travelling there!

But time was running short and I had about 8 stops along the way seeing the 12 ( now 7) Apostles. My first encounter with floods of Asian tourists pouring off the coaches. But all the stops were very well presented and guided.

Now in Warrnambool a city compared to where I have been.

[Keith Clements]

The motel owner recommended a restaurant and gave me a menu. But this was no ordinary menu and I discovered they did delivery. So their speciality was Tasman oysters and I followed this with a tasty, meety lasagne. A respectable 2 LTRs of merlot coming in at the princely sum of £5 washed it all down.

My lunch was a runny camembert on digestive biscuits that I purchased from the supermarket. Shame because I passed a few cheese outlets on the way. Lots of chocaleteirs and other tempting businesses on the gourmet trail that I avoided....today.

[Keith Clements]

I left a rainy Warrnambool with the hope it would brighten up.

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I visited the volcanic crater now full of wildlife and then onto the UNESCO heritage site of the first freshwater aquaculture probably 10000 years old.

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The guided tour was fascinating if very upsetting for the immigrant Australians and colonials who learnt the shocking history of the genocide of the many mobs (tribes) in every state.
The song lines handed down through the generations to communicate between mobs with over 250 different languages are still reflected in the routes of roads. I learnt about the life history of eels and the ancient (by European standards) farming methods used. I also tasted the eels for lunch. The most shocking revelation was the government law that confiscated land if there was anything aboriginal on it. Meaning that all their houses were destroyed.
Now in Portland.

[Keith Clements]

So I looked around the maritime museum which focussed on whaling. Then had a very brief ride on the heritage tram as I was told it was overloaded when I jumped on.

So walked to the Botanical gardens and then the car museum just dodging the heaviest showers. One mention of Gerald Palmer and the Javelin and the guy on the door had owned two Javelins. The cut Wankel engine was well explained. Some architecture snapped on my walk.

A brief look at the gannet colony but no gannets. This is next to the Portland Alcoa aluminium smelter where a huge pipe transports stuff to the port.
A stop on the SA border at Donavan on the Glenelg River.

Then up to the limestone coast to two sink holes.
Crimson Rosella in Caroline sinkhole.
https://youtu.be/hYleL2ARd9Y?feature=shared

Hoppy near Hells Hole. https://youtu.be/8YdPQwohg_s?feature=shared

But still drizzling so checked in early to the top quality Barn hotel in Mount Gambier ready for my Wagyu steak tonight.

[Keith Clements]

What a wine list!
I chose a local pinot noir to go with the porterhouse.

You open the door at the back of the cellar to enter the temp controlled cellar to choose more wine.

[Keith Clements]

Mount Garnier is an area of volcanoes that have blown their tops. So although there were frequent showers I went to explore by walking 16000 steps up and down from crater rim to caldera floor. I had 3 hours before I had to get to a film about the area that I wanted to watch.

At midday I went to the amazing Tarrantoola cave discovered by a boy who lost his ferret that ventured into it. Many prehistoric bones of extinct marsupials were found in it.

The guide of the cave suggested some places to visit on my way to Robe.

The bird sanctuary at Milicent, Cape Buffon in Southend, the scenic drive in Bridgeport, Woakwine cutting.

Then a quick tour of the sights of Robe before having a freshly caught lobster thermidored.

[Mike Allfrey]

Hey Keith,

Is the Renault still pulling to the left? If so, it must be tiring.

Back in the early 1970s I stayed at Mac's Hotel for two weeks, was working at Cape Bridgewater in very hot conditions. At lunch times I stripped off for a swim at the deserted beach!

See you had lobster - was it good? I have always preferred Tasmanian oysters, next were Alaskan Blue Pointers in Nebraska.

Keep travelling well,

Mike A.