You will need a thick wetsuit but if you love to surf this is the place to be today! As I walked to Bells Beach this morning the big waves and the black suited surfers sweeping down them drew my eyes to this fabulous winter display of long lines of Antarctic swells that break from Jan Juc to Bells. Walkers, bikers, runners and dogs with owners were all out enjoying the morning sunshine and the surf display with me.

If you are viewing this from the Northern Hemisphere you may not be aware that our winters are very mild - not unlike summer in many northern countries - so it is also perfect for walking, bike riding, and running with fabulous views always in front of you. You do not have to be a surfer to truly appreciate this wonderful natural environment so close to Melbourne (only 1and 1/2 hours) at the start of the Great Ocean Road.

Wild life is abundant too. If you are a “twitcher” the heath is home to many native birds - Rosella’s, honey-eaters, blue wrens, and even the rare Bristlebird may cross your path. This morning a group of kangaroos were attracting attention on the hillside opposite Bells Beach. And for flower lovers the Pink Heath - Victoria’s floral emblem has just started to blossom.

Photos from mobile phone - sorry only device I had with me because I was taken by surprise by the spectacle.

Yesterday I travelled with friends to Otway Estate a gem hidden in the ranges between the Great Ocean Road and the hinterland near Colac. This vineyard, winery, brewery and restaurant is quite close to the Otway Fly where walking at treetop level gives you a bird’s-eye view of ancient rainforest. Comfortable cottage accommodation at the Otway Estate would be a good base for visiting the Fly and maybe even taking a trip into nearby Forrest for a platypus tour with Bruce of Otway Eco Tours.

Having a wheat allergy often means that I have to accept very average food at conferences like the one I attended yesterday. Not at Otway Estate. While I had informed them of my food issue it was wonderful to find that most of the food provided was light, tasty, creative and I could eat it. As dusk arrived we tasted the wines and beers made on-site along with more delicious mouthfuls while we digested the information of the many quality tourism speakers who had spoken during the day.

I can only suggest - take a trip off the main roads into the hills around Colac and Forrest -there is a feast for all senses and even one night spent here at Otway Estate could create unique memories for any visitor. With school holidays approaching this would make a great break for both parents and kids.

This time of year is marvellous anywhere in our region. March has been a most unusual month with the hottest temperatures on record for some days (over 40C) as well as very high rainfall for the month at other times. As April begins the cooler nights and clear days are wonderful for walking - beach or bush - and as we have a new puppy we are indulging in our daily walks along the cliff top of Jan Juc with the expansive views to Point Lonsdale lighthouse and even to Point Nepean an Arthur’s Seat on the Mornington Peninsula on a fine day. We watch the surfers catching the best breaks of the year and celebrate that the Ripcurl Pro was a fabulous success this year with warm weather and big waves. Fewer visitors means the roads are easier to drive and accommodation is easier to find. The native birds visit the bird bath in our courtyard each morning and evening for a drink and a good wash. Magpies love to indulge in the full bath; wattle birds take a quick splash and a shake on the nearest tree. Last week the king parrots put on a rare display of group hand feeding for visiting grandchildren. Our guests love the birds too.

Congratulations to Bruce Jackson of Otway Eco Tours for being recognised as the Victorian winner in the national OM4Tourism Hidden Jewel Awards.

Here is what is in an earlier post ”

We have arranged to chat with Bruce Jackson at Otway Eco Tours on our way home. I have seen platypus at Healesville Sanctuary in the Dandenongs on the other side of Melbourne, but never in the wild.

So, here we are sitting on Bruce’s porch in Forrest, chatting about the wonderful wildlife that he regularly shows people in the area around his home.

Bruce and his family moved from Melbourne via Torquay – as a keen surfer he still visits Torquay often. He has a degree in biological science and chooses to utilise his knowledge by showing people the secret lives of our native animals.

While we’re with Bruce, we get to see both a male and female bowerbird – a thrill for me as I am mad about birds and didn’t even know that bowerbirds are common in the Otways. Bruce says we were particularly lucky to see the male as he is quite shy and there are fewer males around.

We make plans to return to Forrest with our family to paddle along Lake Elizabeth and see the platypus.”

As the Great Ocean Road is such a spectacular part of the world for a golfing holiday, I asked my friend Glenda who is a keen golfer (shown here with her new puppy Scully)to give me a tour of her favourite courses and some tips for golf travellers.

Not only can you play golf on some of the most picturesque courses in the world, but you can also drive along the Great Ocean Road with all the beaches, food, art and nature then return home truly satisfied.

1. LORNE is Glenda’s favourite course because “it is like paradise”, especially the views from the Club House on the top of the hill overlooking the pier. The course itself is challenging due to the hills and Glenda advises, “Do not expect your balls to land where you think you aim for. The hills are tricky.” She asks, “Do you hit straight? Because accuracy rather than length is the value of this course. It is all about placing your shots.” It is a nine hole course so when you play the full eighteen you will get a second chance to look at the views. The other lovely thing is that in some places you will be amongst the bush, which is also gorgeous. While Glenda has not ventured beyond Lorne for golf she has had the Port Fairy course recommended as highly enjoyable to play.

2. THIRTEENTH BEACH – The Beach Course. “There’s not a bad hole on this course. The fairways are undulating so you will not be able to see where you are hitting until you get close to the green. The greens are wonderfully consistent for putting. “There is an advantage in being a female golfer at this course because the men’s course is longer and tougher,” advises Glenda. She also mentions that any golfer must take into account the WIND at 13^th Beach where it can be a “4 club breeze”. The Creek Course is not as pretty according to Glenda and has some water so shots need to be given more thought. Glenda prefers the Beach Course to the Creek course but would never pass up the opportunity to play either.

3. ANGLESEA - Glenda’s home club, is a very challenging course, and Glenda would rate it the hardest on the coast because the hills make the fairways seem longer. Glenda also suggests that you will need longer clubs than you might usually use. For example the Par 3 16^th hole is approximately 110 metres from the ladies tee but the front of the green slopes away so you will need a club that will take you plus 10 metres. Female players who are unfamiliar with this hole will frequently under-club Glenda has observed.

KANGAROOS – are fellow residents of the Anglesea Golf Course and must be given due respect. October is the best time to see the new joeys (baby kangaroos) trying out their feet. They have been known to approach quite close to golfers. HOWEVER it is a strict rule that no golfer approaches a kangaroo as they are wild animals and can be dangerous. Glenda advises that if you just play as usual they will go about their business accepting you as part of their habitat. TOURISTS are not allowed on the golf course but can view from the car park or the Pro shop.

4. TORQUAY is a very accessible and easy course. There are views of the ocean on some holes particularly the par 3 17th hole which overlooks Jan Juc beach as you will see on the website. This course does have some tricky spots but it is also a great course for juniors to develop their skills. If you are planning to play a round during the summer holiday season it is important to phone ahead as this course is very popular with visitors.

5. THE SANDS is the most heavily bunkered course in the district so it is very challenging. Glenda advises that this is a course where course management is essential. The fairway bunkers are deep and Glenda likes to avoid them so she will often take an extra lay-up shot to ensure that she gets to the green via the fairway rather than through the sand.You may need to take 2 shots to get to the green to avoid the bunkers and if you find yourself in a bunker it will be very difficult to recover, as they are deep and sandy. Glenda likes this challenge and if you are a thinking golfer you will too. While this is a private golf course anyone with membership at another club can organise to play.

I hope that this will pique your interest in packing the clubs, bringing some friends to travel the Road stopping off to sample the courses and little towns along the way. Maybe you will see Glenda on the course – say “Hi” to her and thank her for the tips.

Some clubs you might like to try along the Great Ocean Road and on the Bellarine Peninsula:

• Portarlington 445 A9 MELWAY map
• Clifton Springs 456 J4
• Queenscliff 487 A7
• Barwon Heads 497 A5
• 13^th Beach 496 D1
• Curlewis 470 B1
• The Sands 506 G1
• Torquay 505 J9
• Anglesea 196 B6
• Lorne 518 G4 Phone: 03 5289 1267 has no website.

In my last post I promised to write next about dinner in my favourite restaurant. The Bellbrae Harvest is tucked away in the bush just 15 minutes from Torquay.

Just getting there is a treat. As we drive from Torquay to the restaurant, it seems there couldn’t possibly be anything out here in the bush … until we nearly miss the sign (again) and enter the quiet sanctuary overlooking the duck pond.

We are here today with a group of friends after a special tasting and tour of Brown Magpie Wines - one of our new local wineries that is winning prizes for its Pinot Noir.

We watch the tiny native blue wrens flitting amongst the grass looking for insects as the sun shines through the gum trees. The waiter is friendly, knows the food and is disarmingly relaxed. It’s difficult to choose because everything sounds and looks wonderful. But finally we come to a decision and our efforts are well rewarded.

I decide on two first courses:

1. Zucchini flowers stuffed with buffalo mozzarella on vine-ripened tomatoes and black olive tapenade dressing, and
2. Spicy quail with baba ganoush and an orange, mint and date salad.

As there are 12 of us, we expect to wait for our meals, but everything comes at a nice pace and we’re more than satisfied. Next time the family visits us from Melbourne we plan to come here for one of their bucolic, leisurely Sunday brunches.

The second of our two-day Great Ocean Road return trip sees us leave the Twelve Apostles after a morning of photo stops, followed by an hour’s delay while we search fruitlessly for a lost earring!

So by the time we drive back to Apollo Bay and up into the hills to Forrest, it’s a late lunch for us. What we do know now is that in winter the one place you can grab a warm bite to eat after 2pm is La Bimba.

We have arranged to chat with Bruce Jackson at Otway Eco Tours on our way home. I have seen platypus at Healesville Sanctuary in the Dandenongs on the other side of Melbourne, but never in the wild.

So, here we are sitting on Bruce’s porch in Forrest, chatting about the wonderful wildlife that he regularly shows people in the area around his home.

Bruce and his family moved from Melbourne via Torquay – as a keen surfer he still visits Torquay often. He has a degree in biological science and chooses to utilise his knowledge by showing people the secret lives of our native animals.

While we’re with Bruce, we get to see both a male and female bowerbird – a thrill for me as I am mad about birds and didn’t even know that bowerbirds are common in the Otways. Bruce says we were particularly lucky to see the male as he is quite shy and there are fewer males around.

We make plans to return to Forrest with our family in the summer to paddle along Lake Elizabeth and see the platypus.

Around 4pm we’re on the road again, in an attempt to reach Birregurra before the shops close. There are two shops I particularly want to visit: Chez Georgie and Mr Ted and The Birregurra Bower. Don’t worry boys, there is a good café and a bookshop too!

This is real country driving and it’s essential to follow the map and the signs carefully. This tiny town once had one of the most famous country restaurants run by George Biron at Sunnybrae – one of our favourite haunts. George only runs occasional events now, and we always try to book because his style of cooking relates so strongly to place, so the food is always fresh and beautifully presented. Get in touch with us for more information if this sounds like your kind of thing.

An hour and a half of clothes and handbag shopping later, I am very happy and Tim has been engagingly entertained by another George, the dress shop owner’s husband, with good coffee and chat.

Our final leg home is in the dark and takes us another 45 minutes.

Along with some special purchases, we have brought back to Torquay a fresh appreciation of the wonderful area we are privileged to live in. This is why we have chosen to devote ourselves to showing visitors the real experience of the Great Ocean Road, not just a fleeting view of the sights from the window of a bus.

While this is a great two-day tour, it really isn’t long enough. If you are coming a long distance to see this wonderful region, we advise staying an extra day or two. Start out with us in Torquay and take your time exploring the region with day trips out of Torquay, or a 2-4-day tour of the road, returning to Torquay for a few more days of R&R at the end.

If you can spare no more than a day, you could drive from Torquay to Apollo Bay and fly over the Apostles before driving back. But staying a while is far more preferable. We can help with bookings for accommodation, meals and tours - just get in touch to discuss your requirements with us.

Still on the first of our two-day trip along the Great Ocean Road, we’re an hour out of Lorne driving west.

The most wonderful vistas have continually begged us to stop and take yet another photo of the most fabulous beaches, but we have pressed on to our lunch destination.

We have a very soft spot for the brilliant fresh food served in the spectacular Chris’s Beacon Point Restaurant up the hill at Skenes Creek. Impossible to drive past here without sampling something – and the view is to die for too.

Today I have blue eye fillet on mash with red wine jus. Mmmmmm! Tim has calamari with blue cheese and walnut dressing and a Greek salad.

This restaurant was rebuilt after being totally destroyed by a bushfire four years ago. The refurbishment has ensured that every diner has access to that spectacular view, yet they have managed to maintain the warm feeling of a Greek taverna that it has always had.

Chris is 70 now, having migrated from Greece as a young man, and he still pops into the restaurant every day. The next party of diners arrives as we leave. Any weekend and all summer this place is packed to the rafters day and night.

There are cottages right outside the door if you don’t want to drive after your delicious meal. (Contact us for more information.) We, however, are on a mission and must press on – without dessert.

Skene’s Creek is only 6 km from Apollo Bay, which we slip through today, but is worth a stop for the beach, the pub and La Bimba – a warmly welcoming café. And if you have very little time, this is where you can catch a plane for “flightseeing” over the Twelve Apostles with Apollo Bay Aviation.

We want to see how far we can comfortably travel today. Can we get to the end of the road, or even to Warrnambool or Port Fairy?

By the way, if you’re intending to drive to Warrnambool in winter, call ahead (1800 637 725) to find out if the southern right whales are swimming off Logan’s Beach. You can often see them just 100 metres offshore – a real treat.

Our drive now covers the wettest area of the state of Victoria, where rainfall is normally measured in feet rather than inches! And yes, it’s raining – and everything is green. Cows graze in the valleys, and eucalypts, ferns, beech and wattle line the roads, which are single lane with double lines frequently reminding us not to pass. There are plenty of rest stops so you can pull in and appreciate the scenery.

We pass signs for Mait’s Rest Forest Walk, which gives you easy access to wonderful temperate rainforest, Cape Otway Lighthouse and Johanna Beach (often used as an alternative to Bells Beach for the Easter Surf Pro Competition). These would all be worthwhile diversions with time to spare. Not for us today.

Pine plantations surround us as we head over the hills to Port Campbell. Gibson’s Steps provide our first opportunity to view the rocky outcrops that this coast is famous for – the Twelve Apostles – and it’s easy to see why everyone gets excited about them. Their naturally sculpted beauty is magnetic.

But once again, because of our mission, we decide to savour the Apostles on the way back, and instead we cruise past each outcrop to the “end of the road” at Allansford, and Cheese World – a free museum devoted to the dairy industry!

It takes us an extra hour of driving, including a stop to allow milking cows to cross the road, and it’s really only worth doing this last stretch if you have a particular interest in dairying or want to buy some delicious cheeses and chocolates for the return journey – as we do!

Next post: Overnight stop and The Twelve Apostles