Ocean Grove

Last week we had a wonderful week in Ocean Grove we can see why Granny's family spent their summers down here on the Bellarine Peninsula!

Right after our trip into Geelong to the Ford Museum we enjoyed a super thunder/lightning show that gave us a huge puddle right at our doorstep! Thankfully it all drained away quite fast and we were all warm and dry in the caravan.

Last Thursday saw us take a drive to Queenscliff and we climbed the lookout tower to watch the Car Ferry come in - it comes in and leaves every hour to Sorrento. That was a grey cool day but it was a nice drive and we enjoyed lunch at the park and a visit to Point Lonsdale on the way home.

The next day the grey cool weather continued but we had got a tip from another family that the local Aquatic Centre was good, so we went down there and all enjoyed some swimming and playtime in the water.

On the weekend we went into Geelong to the markets and the kids enjoyed the little petting Zoo that was there. Then in the afternoon we visited some friends in Clifton Springs, on the north coast of the Peninsula. It was great to see Brian and Heather Ellis as we had seen Brian up in Queensland at the Family Camp and he is always a wealth of information regarding Character First and how we can use it in our family and to encourage others as well.

We drove on from their place to Portarlington and spotted Melbourne off in the distance across Port Philip Bay. The countryside around here is beautiful and it reminded us alot of Tasmania, lots of rolling green hills which roll right down to the coast, very picturesque we thought.

Sunday was the first warm and sunny day we have had all week - yay! We had our usual morning family church time together and then we enjoyed a walk along the boardwalk that runs along the inlet and the spring flowers were out in everyone's gardens which was very pretty. In the afternoon, the kids enjoyed the playground over the road from our van and we all enjoyed a quiet time to catch up on stuff.

It was nice to park in Ocean Grove for a week, it really is a lovely spot, Darren and I enjoyed walking the boardwalk in the mornings and although the park has some 400 sites there was only 6 or so vans in so it is very quiet. We also were looking forward to seeing our friends, the Holt's. They are making a move from WA to the East to be closer to family and it just so happens that we will be here when they arrive, so we are very glad to be able to catch up with them before we head off and as they start their new adventure in their old stomping ground of Geelong!

So on Monday we had our usual family devotion time - it has been wonderful to have the slower pace of life which affords us the extra time to spend reading God's Word together so we can learn and grow in wisdom and character. After this the kids did their school work, as usual, and we headed off to do some shopping, before returning for lunch and then to await our WA visitors!! It is always GREAT to see familiar friends and when we have been on the road for so long and don't have the face to face contact with those we know, it makes those we see even more special! Not only that, we rarely get the chance to entertain in our 15m square space, so this was rather exciting and novel for us!!

Well, after all this build up, it was really great to see Marcus, Caroline, Paul and Alex. We caught up on their news of things back home in WA and told them of our travels. We had a BBQ and then - as the day had been so warm, we took an evening walk down to the beach. There was barely a breath of wind and we all enjoyed kicking the footy and playing the "cross out the square" game, a Marcus specialty! Unfortunately I forgot my camera so you all miss out on a fabulous sunset shot (lucky for you Marcus!!) but the memory will remain ours as to the treasured time we had with our good friends - great conversation, good fellowship and fun games! It is good to know, even though distance separates us, faith and friendship are not limited by that (and blog updates are a real bonus too!)

Tuesday started out warm and we visited the local library - a favourite activity of ours - to enjoy reading some books, that was until the clouds came up and it was a scramble to get back to get the washing in before the skies unleashed another rain/thunder storm again! Darren and Jerome went to visit the Armstrong's, friends of Marcus, who had a fantastic train memorabilia collection and model railway. This is always a highlight for Jerome, he loves to see what others collect and talk with anyone about trains!

Well, after a week at Ocean Grove, it was time to move on and so on Wednesday we packed up and headed out on the Great Ocean Road, through Torquay and Lorne to Wye River. It was a lovely drive, although clouds and light misty rain somewhat obscured what could be a brilliant view. The road was windy and it was an experience to travel this famous stretch of Victorian coastline - and admire the men who, with pick and shovel, built this road from 1919 to 1932 - it is an icon of our great nation and I always love to see the sea stretching off to the horizon. I am reminded of the song we sung when I was young - "Wide, wide as the ocean, High as the heavens above, Deep, deep as the deepest sea, is my Saviour's Love..." How vast and unfathomable is the love of the Lord for His children and for all those who He created and how thankful I am for His mercy and grace extended to me.

Yesterday, we enjoyed a brief return to spring and made the most of it travelling to Apollo Bay where we enjoyed stunning views of the coastline and Bay area. It really is a majestic place with some very nice beaches. We even saw a koala crossing the road on the way back! With bad weather forecast we put up the annex and pegged everything down and today, it is back to the cold with rain, wind and multiple hail storms... we will not complain though, as Mum said, "You'll get plenty of the warm weather when you get home to WA, enjoy what you have now." And yes, we'll take that advice get all the winter woolies out and rug up for the next few days! Brrr