Torquay Surf Beach
Look at this! A more current post! From this month! While we were in Geelong a couple of weeks ago we headed out to Torquay to the beach. First we had a look at Bells Beach, a famous surfing beach. It was quite a hike from the carpark down to the beach, and the water was slightly rough so we decided to move on. Can’t imagine hiking down all those stairs (or back up!) with the kids and all our beach gear. 
We ended up at Torquay Surf Beach, right in front of the Torquay Life Saving Club. It was Saturday, and it was hot, so it was crowded. This is one of the busiest beachfronts in Victoria. We usually opt for a weekday trip to the beach and we’ve never been to one so crowded. This probably isn’t too bad, I’m sure they have busier days than this! 
TurboBug (19 months old) was happy as could be with his shovel and bucket. He consented to wear his hat the whole time we were there. Amazing. 
This is the view toward the end of the beach, before the tide came in. We saw many people walking past us down to the end of the beach to explore the area. We never made it down there and it was not quite so accessible once the tide came in. 
The kids were too busy building sand castles, boogie boarding, and playing, playing, playing. 
TurboBug and his bucket…I helped him fill it up probably twenty times. We’d fill it up and he’d attempt to dump it in one of the holes they’d dug, but toddlers don’t exactly aim well. Mostly he dumped the water on himself! 
The tide came in while we were there. We had to move all our towels and things up the beach a couple of times. The kids busied themselves digging holes and seeing how long it was before they filled up. 
Ladybug (5) did her own kind of boogie boarding. She’d lay on her board on the sand and wait for the waves to come to her. Then she’d kick like mad and see how far she’d get. 
I promise this one enjoyed this more than it seems from the look on his face! He knew just what to do, he’d climb on the board and hold on. He didn’t seem to mind when a wave would wash over him. He’d have a go anytime somebody offered. My little surfer! 🙂 
This beach was excellent for boogie boarding, and the later we stayed the more surfboards we saw. They scared me a bit weaving in and out of people. Here’s a view from Dad’s boogie board. He was out there more than the kids!!! Gorgeous kid. What a smile. 
TurboBug got braver over the course of the afternoon. Usually he gets close to the water then turns and runs when the waves come in. Here he planted himself in one spot and didn’t move when the water came up around him. 
We noticed rain clouds moving in so after more than four hours we decided to pack it all up and head back to the car. Perfect timing, as we walked up the beach we heard thunder then it started to rain right as we reached the car. It had rained a bit while we were on the beach, but I’m glad we weren’t still there when it was pouring. This beach had such nice waves and a shallow entrance, perfect for kids.
Dartmoor
More from our travels in December… We stayed a couple of nights at a free camp in Dartmoor, known for its wood carvings. These war memorial carvings appear on their main street. 
This quite large one is located near the playground. It features nursery rhyme characters. 
Another nearby had some animals, loved this platypus. 
Insert random pictures of kids… 
I wasn’t letting my kids climb on all of them, but this one was obviously made for posing for pictures. 
We went for a drive and marvelled at how the trees all grow in perfectly straight rows. (I’m being sarcastic, it’s a logging area. It’s just interesting to see row after row after row of trees in perfectly straight lines and all the same height.) 
Life with a toddler. ‘But I want you to carrrrrrry me!’ 
Small town, nothing much there, but what a beautiful spot for free camping with a river nearby for fishing. Plenty of room for the kids to run around. 
Portland
From our travels in December… We stayed in Portland, Victoria for a few nights. It was surprisingly cold while we were there given that it was summer. While there we headed out to Cape Bridgewater to have a look at the views. There were supposed to be blowholes here but we didn’t see any, just some spectacular waves crashing against the rocks. 
It was incredibly windy. Very, very, very windy. 
Which makes it a good location to place some windmills, no? 
They are so big. We tried to get a picture to show them in perspective. This was as close as we could get to any of them. 
They’re also very loud! After we left Cape Bridgewater we headed down a dirt road… 
…and found this view. Amazing to see how rough the sea was that day. 
Then we headed to Cape Nelson. 
Um, yeah. I would not let my children take one step away from me. 
We got there too late in the day for a lighthouse tour. Pity. 
This little one amused us by attempting to walk around with his blanket wrapped around him. It was so cold and windy that he didn’t want to take it off. 
I can’t find any other pictures of Portland, which seems strange. We stayed there several nights at a caravan park and had a look around town. There’s a big logging industry there.
Sawpit Camping Area
From our travels in December… Such a great spot in the forest. This free camp is just outside Heywood, Victoria. It’s a busy place, and you can see why, barely off the main road and you feel like you’re miles from everything. There was an awesome thunderstorm there our first night that came in as the sun was setting. The result was a lovely orange colour in the sky, everything looked like it was glowing. Beautiful. We miss those Arkansas thunderstorms we used to get, this was a real treat to hear the rain pouring down on the caravan and the extra loud claps of thunder. 
Lovely rosellas looking for some food, they knew just what to do and obviously had been fed this way before. Jitterbug (7) was especially pleased when one landed right on top of his head and crawled its way down to his hand. 
Ladybug (5) had to be very patient as she didn’t get a chance to feed one the first time around, but they came back later and she had her chance. 
The real highlight was when we were eating our sausages and there was a kookaburra watching us quietly from a nearby tree. We left half a sausage on a plate, and once he was sure we weren’t looking he swooped down right in between the kids and grabbed it. He’d waited a good ten to fifteen minutes for that opportunity and had the kids laughing their heads off! 
We went on one of the nearby walks to a whalers’ lookout. There was a fire in the area earlier in the year and the colour of the black trees against the green ferns was just striking. 
Ladybug climbed up on this tree stump for a picture, as soon as she got down little Turbobug quickly went over for his turn. :) Ladybug had her scarf tied around her head and trailing down her back in order to pretend she has long hair like Rapunzel. 
Here we are! This is while the kids were trying to get the birds to come eat from their hands. The little guy is asleep over there in his pram by the car. 
While we were here we had our first campfire of the trip. A friend had given Skeeterbug a s’mores kit for his birthday and we happily tried it out. It’s a treat because graham crackers are not readily available here. We only stayed here two nights but would happily return given the opportunity.
Point Lonsdale, part three
The reason we were in the Point Lonsdale area was to meet up with some of our homeschooling friends. A family we know holidays here every year after school starts. They took us to the beach to watch the big ships enter Port Philip. 
My toddler wandered up the path so I followed him for a game of hide-and-seek and another view of the beach. 
There was plenty to explore. 
Someone learned how to hang on to the boogie board, a skill that came in very handy at the next beach we went to! 
Later in the day we came back to eat fish and chips on the beach and watch more ships coming and going. 
The tide had gone out some so there was much exploring to be done. We noticed this seagull with one leg. 
The boys all took off to one side of the beach. 
This sea snail was the biggest I’ve ever seen, nearly as big as my hand. 
The girls explored the other side of the beach. 
They came back with treasures which they excitedly showed us. 
This little guy gave me a gorgeous smile. 
We stayed long enough to watch a cruise ship leave the port. 
Being with friends was wonderful after a few weeks on the road. You meet plenty of people while travelling but it isn’t the same as hanging out with people you know. The kids absolutely loved seeing their friends and keep saying it’s been the best part of our travels so far. Point Lonsdale, part one Point Lonsdale, part two
Point Lonsdale, part two
Here’s a link to my first post on Point Lonsdale. We walked around the point and were treated to an absolutely incredible landscape. 
The kids were running down this hill. Dad had to show them how it’s done. 
After we’d spent time on the beach we walked up to the lighthouse. This is the view from above. I wonder how many people visit this lighthouse and don’t go down to the beach. This is what they’d see.
Nearby is an old war bunker. 
We weren’t there on the right day for a tour of the lighthouse. If you’re ever in the area make sure you visit on a Sunday if you want to climb to the top. 
And here’s the pier from a further distance. 
This sign made me laugh. No bikes allowed. 🙂 
We were only on this beach for a short while, but it will stay with me for a long time to come. I can’t describe the feeling of wholeness I have when I’m at the beach. This one was truly one of my favourites.