On looking back at my photos of July, there was a certain theme running through them – coast and cafes. It was certainly the weather for warming comfort foods so I was definitely on the right track.
In July, our average temperatures reach highs of 14°C and lows of 7°C (57°F and 45°F). Warm parkas and beanies are my usual order for the day during this period and gloves are often part of my essential attire. Along the Victorian coast if you happen to be standing by the beach, you would definitely notice the chill winds and be very very glad for those warm extras.
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| Surfer at Bells Beach, black sand, Point Lonsdale lighthouse, Torquay cuisine - photos by Maria Ngo |
Chill winds or not, you still can’t keep the dedicated surfers from their sport. Here at Bells Beach, where the sands are black in parts, I met one such stalwart surfer whose white beard contrasted with his black wetsuit and strong posture as he descended the steps to challenge the waves carrying his trusty board with one arm.
Bells Beach is home to Rip Curl Pro and is the longest running competition of its kind. This event is also known as the “Wimbledon of surfing”. In 2022, Bells Beach will celebrate 61 years of professional surfing competition. This beach is just 5km from Torquay which we had made our base for a few nights to explore the surrounding towns along the coast including Lorne, Barwon Heads and Queenscliff.
Bells Beach was named after its first pastoral family from the 1840s (https://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/bells-beach-vic). This hidden gem for surfing was discovered by locals in 1939. Access was difficult as there was no clear path to the beach. It was not until 1959 when “Torquay surfer and Olympic wrestler Joe Sweeney, determined to solve the problem, [and] hired a bulldozer and cleared a road along the Bells cliff from the old Cobb & Co Road. This meant that access was achieved from Jan Juc. Sweeney charged £1 per surfer to recover his expenses”. (You can read other more interesting facts about this beach and its relation to surfing in the above link.)
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| New Holland Honeyeater, moody landscape, more food from Torquay, lighthouse at Split Point (Aireys Inlet) - photos by Maria Ngo |
I did not know all this about the beach when we first stumbled upon it on our walk along the coast. We had started our walk from Bird Rock lookout near Jan Juc. This lookout has raised platform seats and clear views of the sea and is a good spot for viewing a sunset. It was a very refreshing walk with ocean views and local birds keeping us company. We even spotted a New Holland Honeyeater during our walk. The section we did is part of a much longer trail.
That evening we decided to try Pholklore which served Vietnamese cuisine. We sat on low stools at tables made of recycled spools that used to hold large cables. The restaurant was a large shed with simple low key ambience and items which harkened to simple Vietnamese village life. Our pho was full of flavour and absolutely delicious. It was particularly satisfying on a cool evening and hit all the right spots for me. We thought we’d have it again before we left but did not realise just how popular it was because there were no seats available the next time we came back.
Torquay offers a range of other dining experiences as well – fish and chips, steak, brunches, Japanese, Thai, burgers, Mexican, Chinese etc. – of which we have tried a number on this and on previous visits. Torquay is a very popular holiday spot and the range of eating places here is an indication of it.
Over the next few days we visited several promontories with light houses – at Split Point near Aireys Inlet and Point Lonsdale. This part of Australia is known as the Ship Wreck Coast. it is believed that over 700 ships have been wrecked here while only around 240 have been found. There is a lighthouse tour at Split Point and nice costal walking tracks, a tea room and three lookouts (Eagle Rock, Split Point, Loutit) in this area. You can also walk down to the beach. This is a much more interesting one to visit in my opinion. There isn't much to do at Point Lonsdale lighthouse - unless you're a geocacher or if you're a fishermen. There is a well provisioned pier here for fishing.
The channel that leads into Port Philip Bay has a very narrow opening with a dangerous reef. Sea pilot boats are needed to guide ships in and out of the bay. You can see their small orange coloured craft at work if you stand at Point Lonsdale or Point Nepean (Fort Nepean) . I have seen them at both these points.
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| Ship in a bottle, old diving suit, lighthouse prism, breeches buoy, square waves, Split Point lighthouse, sunset at Barwon Heads, beach at Aireys Inlet - photos by Maria Ngo |
As if to highlight the dangers of the water, while we were in Barwon Heads, we saw square waves (or cross seas) forming at sunset near the Barwon Heads Bluff and the bridge. These waves are formed by waves moving in opposite directions and are extremely dangerous. You should get out of the water if you see them. Here is a link to the video I took. https://youtu.be/25bHqxCvOzg
In Queenscliff, there is a Maritime Museum where you can see old fashioned diving suits, retrieved artefacts from wrecks, ships in bottles, lighthouse prisms and also the Pantaloon or Breeches buoy which is life-saving equipment used to rescue people from the sea in the 1800s. The waiting shed that used to be on the old fishermen’s pier in the 1870s has been relocated here as well as the full sized crane. This museum was built around the last life boat used in Queenscliff.
There is another museum in Queenscliff – the Fort Queenscliff Museum – but it was not open when we were there. This town also has a lighthouse that you can visit.
The coastal route between Torquay and Queenscliff we took that day was quite picturesque with its moody grey clouds above and scrubby grasses on either side of the road stretched out on the flat landscape on either side. This was in contrast to the steep high cliffs we had seen at Eagle Rock Lookout at Aireys Inlet. The descent to Lorne gives us sweeping views of the coastline. On this day we saw a rainbow.
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| Lorne Pier, corellas at Lorne, fishing off the pier, Surf Coast walk, Memorial Arch and sculpture - photos by Maria Ngo |
All along the coast, in each main town are piers which attract people who are keen on fishing and which also provide good views of the surrounding area. The pier also attracts dog walkers. There is a famous Pier to Pub race in Lorne which starts from the Lorne pier to the Lorne Life Saving Club which is a 1.2km distance. This race usually takes place in January. The average swimming time is 22 minutes and is now in its 32nd year of operation.
There is a lovely walking trail from the beach to the pier. There was a flock of white corellas pecking at the ground when we arrived at the carpark of Lorne beach. There were gulls bobbing up and down at the water’s edge and a flock of sparrows sheltering from the gusty winds along the edges of the pier.
Between Torquay and Lorne is the historical Memorial Arch – it was erected in memory of the returned servicemen who built the road, that is now the Great Ocean Road, that connects the towns along the coast. This is a 243 km stretch of road. Construction began in 1919 and was completed in 1932.
The drive back to Melbourne on the main highway from Torquay can be covered in under 1.5 hours. It is just over 100km.
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| Fragrant clematis, cymbidium orchids, sunny street, dog exhibition at Queen Vic Market, yellow wattle, magnolia, arum lily, pink camelia, foggy day at the train station, hearty winter fare, birthday cake - photos by Maria Ngo |
While it is officially winter in Melbourne at this time of year, and mist and fog can shroud railway stations in the morning and brilliant blue skies characterise the afternoon, we are not without our floral pick-me-ups when we walk around the neighbourhoods. At this time of, white, pink and red camelias, arum (or calla) lilies, cymbidium orchids, magnolias, wild clematis with tiny flowers and beautiful fragrance and the silver wattle are in bloom.
Queen Victoria Market also played host to a Truffle Festival in early July which brought out food and dog exhibitions.
Another highlight for me in July is that it is the time when we celebrate three birthdays in my family – so cakes usually make their appearance then. It’s not like we don’t have cakes other times of the year, but the ones in July are just a bit more special.
What is July like where you live? Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world during this time of year?
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PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS POST
- Torquay
- Pholklore
- Coastal walk
- Bells Beach
- Rip Curl Pro
- Bird Rock lookout
- Barwon Heads
- square waves
- Queenscliff
- Maritime Museum
- Fort Queenscliff Museum
- Aireys Inlet
- Split Point lighthouse
- lighthouse tour
- Lighthouse Tearoom
- Eagle Rock lookout
- Split Point lookout
- Lorne
- Pier to Pub race
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