Sometimes we forget we're so close to some very, very beautiful campsites, and how easy it can be, especially when it's not crowded during the Winter months.
We also hadn't taken the Defender out for almost a year, so it was awesome to set her up and remember we had made it with this express purpose: that'd be ready to go, as a mobile home, whenever we fancied it.
We landed a very sweet spot - being winter, and forecast a rainy, windy weekend, there was our pick of camps. In the summer it's a different story - it's almost impossible to land a site at all. However, this cost us only $15 a night. It's managed by the Great Ocean Road Parks Authority (they've taken over from Parks Victoria) so you need to go on their website to book.
Although we didn't need the table or the firepit (we bring our own stove) we were set up just by one, which would be handy if you had quite a few people on site. I'd find it a bit of a annoying spot if other people were using it right by us, but that's exactly why we camp in winter! The view was fabulous from our chairs though, looking down the coast to Apollo Bay, about a 30 minute drive away. This camp is also one of three in the area around the Cape Otway Lighthouse, which is also worth a visit if you're planning a camping trip from Melbourne.
We went for a little stroll to have a look at the walk in camps that people book when they are walking the Great Ocean Road walk. Whilst the camps look rather wet and slanted, the waterfall behind this area was really cute and I didnt' know it existed! We stopped in this mossy fairy forest for a while to exhale and relax.
From there, the stairs lead down to the beach. People swim and fish there, but it's not really a surf beach, and to be honest, I'd rather a spot where you take a much longer walk along the beach. I'd get a little bored if we stayed longer than a night or two.
One of the most charming things about being in a bush camp is the birds coming down to see what crumbs might be on offer. Although this shrike thrush is rather plain, she has the most beautiful song of all the Australian birds (in my opinion), even the magpies.
It was nice to see Jamie relaxing - see, 
Honestly, there's winter campers and summer campers, but winter is without flies, generators, screaming kids, and music - and you get superb skies like this.
To me, this is wild Victoria, the coast on which I was raised - blustery, big, mysterious, outside of the hustle and bustle. It's far more attractive to me than a caravan park or the hectic pace of the hotter months.
We set up in the evening with the awning against a light drizzle of rain and the wood fire stove. We chatted for a while with a guy who came over to borrow some salt. He was Tunisian and was making an intriguing stew of dried lamb, beans and pasta, with spices like turmeric and paprika, which I liked the sound of. He loved our set up and we loved chatting to someone from a place we'd never been.
We didn't eat anything so exotic - in fact, whilst I normally go to the trouble of cooking a warming winter stew, we just had leftover green lentil soup which was bloody delicious anyway. I wanted a moliday without cooking - much more relaxing to me.
We only ended up staying one night as the forecast showed very high winds, but it was only an hour and a half drive along the beautiful Great Ocean Road home so it didn't really matter.
Blanket Bay is a three hour drive from Melbourne. IF that's full, try Hordern Vale (Aire River), Johanna, Princetown or Parker Bay (that has a fantastic beach, though it's a walk down some stairs. Try booking here - just forget it in summer, as you probably won't get a spot!
With Love,//:# (//:# (!worldmappin -38.82747 lat 143.58238 long d3scr))