Day 3 Thursday 15/12/2022 Camperdown, overcast 8 – 16˚

Another chilly morning. This is a very quiet park and only a few workers are staying here. A quick walk to the lookout and gardens and I marvel at the size and age of some of the trees. Oaks, firs, linden, and Moreton Bay figs all probably planted when the gardens were first established.

We drive 37kms south to Timboon through rolling farmland with an abundance of Friesian cows. Nestled in the tall timber of The Otway ranges, Timboon is an assortment of quirky shops and blooming flower beds following the line of a small creek. Lawns are scattered with English daisies.

We choose to have lunch at the Railway View Hotel which has a bit of a sixties vibe and is quiet and cosy. The roast turkey and Kiev lunches are large, but we still manage to find room for an ice cream across the road at the famous Timboon Ice Cream shop. Even little Nic is treated to a bowl of Doggie Ice Cream and a tub to take home.

Back in Camperdown we drive up the single-lane road to the top of Mt Leura, the volcano that dominates the town. Heaven knows what one would do if a car happens to come the other way, it would be a tight squeeze. It’s a perfect spot to see the myriad of volcanoes and 30-odd crater lakes that dot these western plains. Stretching from Portland to Melbourne this is the world’s 3^rd largest volcanic plain.

Back at camp, we set up VeeWee’s Winnebago with Bluetooth. She decides to join us in Portland for a few days, housework can always wait.

Dinner is a few steamed dim sims after that huge lunch.

Accom: $21.00