Portland

After packing up we drove from Halls Gap in the Grampians to Dunkeld where we visited the Information Centre and Mars had a free hot shower next door.  We waited in the nearby park, then picked up some bread and made some lunch.

From there we continued driving in the direction of Portland but stopped just before it at the Saw Pit Camp Grounds, a beautiful bush setting (again) but could still see the ocean from one of the lookouts.  One part was already full with caravans so we chose the second area and set up camp there.  That afternoon the kids did some school work and enjoyed the location.

A busy campground!

The following day we drove into Portland and took the tram around town to different points of interest. The breeze was quite fresh on the first drive but the heat coming from the motor around our legs kept us warm on the back. Brenton found a motherly lady to keep him warm!

Axel found the whole experience quite tiring...

The main industry in Portland is wood chips and pine which they export.  We watched the trucks loaded with wood chips park on a ramp which was then raised up to at least 45 degrees (!) to empty them out. 

There was also some old style fishing boats parked at the wharf which kept the kids interested, as well as a boat with lots of lights set up - a squid-fishing boat!

We bought some fish and chips for lunch and sat on the foreshore to eat them. After lunch the kids were keen to have a go on the skate park.  When we finally managed to encourage them off we went on the next tram ride and did another tour of the town.  We finished at the Visitors Centre where the kids could walk into a sperm whale skeleton, as well as see a full size shark replica of shark caught out of Portland.

We headed back to camp and after dinner went for a walk through the forest to the beach lookout.  There was lots of kangaroos and wallabies to be seen.