While Gabby was working at her work's sponsored boat races at Sorrento, Hans and I explored the lower reaches of the Mornington Peninsula...
Looking over the Portsea back beach facing into Bass Straight
Exploring London Bridge rock formation
We walked about a kilometre or so down the beach. It was hot but the breeze made it comfortable. The thin line of bathers in the distance were only there because it was the only section of beach that was patrolled by surf life savers. The seas here can be pretty treacherous so people have learnt to 'swim between the flags' all over Australia...
Local users of the beach, a crab fisherman and a couple of young-uns going for a stroll
At the bottom of the Peninsula is Point Nepean National Park which was until recently a restricted defence area...this is in the grounds of the old Quarantine Station and Army Barracks. If any ships had people with disease they were sent here and the whole ship was offloaded until the sickness was identified and contained...
Luggage was sterilised by steam or chemical fumigation
The park has a small tractor driven train for ferrying visitors around if they wanted to...we probably should've taken this option!
Some of the displays in the old hospital were excellent I thought...minimal interpretation but simple, poignant use of typography and imagery
There was a feeling of despair and loneliness
Stairs looking almost like a graph of the station's decline
Some old portable school rooms that were common when I went to school
Swallows on wires...
Before exploring further we went back to Sorrento for lunch at a cafe famous for the Australian delicacy vanilla slice - another first for Hans!
Some of the yummy stuff available, some of it from Europe.
We were lucky to get a seat inside...the street was full of people - absolutely 'chockers' (chock-o-block/full/congested)!
Cars everywhere looking for a park.
Looking back down the main street towards Port Phillip Bay.
After lunch we continued back into the Pt Nepean National Park. We parked the car and walked towards the old Fort at the end of the park but we ran out of time...it was about 7km from the car park to the end and return so we were being a bit ambitious...luckily it was a bit overcast and not so hot from direct sun
Looking across the bay to the Belleraine Peninsula and Queenscliff across the Heads.
One of the old gun emplacements.
After this we picked up Gabby and drove the 100km home. Tomorrow was an early start for Sydney!!
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