As a practising artist myself I love to be inspired by other artists’ work, so I was thrilled to hear about “the littoral edge” – the inaugural Lorne Sculpture Exhibition on the shores of Louttit Bay on the Great Ocean Road.

The event was held over 2 weeks, including the long weekend of the Melbourne Cup which is on the first Tuesday in November.

Strolling in bright sunlight beside the water to enjoy the wonderful creativity and variety of shapes – shiny aluminium “car and caravan”, round dry stone “keep”, fibreglass figures hanging on a clothesline, shaped pieces of rusted steel – is hard to beat.

The open air bayside exhibition is the brainchild of Graeme Wilkie of Qdos Gallery, which itself is worth a visit as it is set amidst tall mountain ash and is a delightful venue for weddings, parties, and anything with a touch of modern art.

We turned our trip into a full day by next visiting the Fisherman’s Co-op to order fresh fish for dinner, and then strolling from the pier to the Surf Club for a brilliant seafood lunch at the iconic Lorne Pub overlooking the horseshoe-shaped bay.

The food and service is always good here, so we knew the scallops would be fresh and the fish local. On a fine day you can see all the way to the Split Point lighthouse as well as watching young surfers below practising in the short waves. Today was unusual in that there was a sea mist that hovered for most of the day, suffusing the air with mystery.

Further down the road on the same day a special event gave a large number of Porsche car drivers the freedom to drive the gorgeous winding road without traffic for three hours. What a treat! After the race they would enjoy a big night out in a huge marquee on the foreshore near the Surf Club.

I’d certainly recommend building this event into your itinerary for next year.