20th February - Melbourne to Apollo Bay, Victoria, Australia

WE checked out of the hotel in Melbourne early morning and then I walked to the Avis Car Rental garage about 30 minutes away.  Australia drives on the left so I was happy with that and then even more happier when I got a VW Tiguan, same as my car at home.  I made my way back to the hotel to pick up the luggage and Helen.  I didn't  do too badly, only cutting up one person at a junction.

 From the hotel we picked up the MI and headed out of Melbourne towards Geelong, a city we had visited a few days earlier.  The navigation was set for the town of Torquay, the gateway to the Great Ocean Road.  It took about an hour's drive to reach Torquay, with Cockatoos, both black and white flying across the road and all the land around us so parched dry.

From Torquay we picked up the Great Ocean Road that literally follows the coast around the steep cliffs that come down the ocean shore.  The drive took us through the Great Otway National Park and to our first stop the town of Lorne.  We stopped outside a cafe where we enjoyed a coffee, we then went for a walk through the town, where the main feature was the number of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos looking for an easy lunch.

They were also quite tame and allowed you to get quite close.

Lorne is one of those seaside towns that has an important cultural background and music festivals are held throughout the year.

Walking back to the car we heard the familiar laughing call of the Laughing Kookaburra, and managed to find it on the creek that flows through the town.

The largest of the Kingfisher family it has a formidable beak.  Not only does it eat fish, but also frogs, Lizards and Snakes.  They are also found not only along rivers and streams but in woodland forests and even gardens.

One of the many Sulphur-crested Cockatoos alongside the river bank.

We left Lorne and continued along the Great Ocean Road, our destination being the next  main town, Apollo Bay.  However it was difficult not to stop along the way to take in the fantastic scenery.

We checked in at our hotel in Apollo Bay and then decided to go for a walk around the town, stopping for directions at the Information Centre.  As we walked up to the centre we noticed seed pods falling from the tree above and looking up we saw several Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos hiding in the tree above.

There was a park behind the Sand Dunes that separate the beach from the town.  There were plenty of birds in the bushes but this Buff-banded Rail was a big surprise.

The Buff-banded Rail is a secretive, medium-sized rail. They are strikingly marked with grey eyebrows, black-and-white barrings on the body and a rich chestnut buff band across the upper breast. Buff-banded Rails are found in wetlands of all kinds.

In Hobart we had come across the Superb Fairy Wren, but only females, here along the edge of the fence and scrub we found the male that give the bird it's name.

The breeding plumage of the male Superb Fairy-wren is unmistakable – a light blue cap, ear tufts, and cheeks; a black eye-stripe; dark blue-black throat; brown wings and white breast and belly. Beak of the adult male is black and legs are brown to dark brown. The adult female is mostly brown, with white throat, breast and belly. The beak is orange-red, with a similarly coloured eye-stripe; the tail is brown with a faint pale blue-grey tinge. The female has the same plumage year-round. The non-breeding adult male looks similar to the adult female, except that the male has a black beak, and navy-blue tail

The Superb Fairy-wren is socially monogamous. It is also a cooperative breeder, with all members of the family group helping to feed the nestlings and rear young, as well as defend the territory. The group comprises of the breeding pair, and up to 7 helpers which are often males that were raised on the same territory in previous years.

Avery nice close up.

The Superb Fairy-wren was one of the first Australian birds to be described. Male Superb Fairy-wrens have been labelled as 'the least faithful birds in the world'. Females may be courted by up to 13 males in half an hour, and 76% of young are sired by males from outside the social group.

Helen went back to the room to try and sleep of the affects of a cold.  I remained out and explored the area, looking for some more birds.

As I walked back with her I noticed a group of dark Cockatoos flying towards the beach, I took photographs and later identified them as the rare Gang-gang Cockatoo.

The Gang-gang Cockatoo can be seen throughout many parts of south-eastern Australia. In the summer months, they are mostly found at higher elevations, where they breed in tree hollows in the moist eucalyptus forests of the mountainous Great Divide. After the breeding season has finished, and the days grow cooler and shorter, they undertake altitudinal movements, leaving the mountains and flying to lower elevations to spend the autumn and winter, where they often inhabit suburban gardens of lowland towns and cities.

The adult male seen here has a distinctive scarlet red head and crest, with the rest of the body slate-grey. The adult female has a dark grey head and crest, with the feathers of the underparts edged pink and yellow. 

The young birds are similar to the adult female, with young males differing by having a red crown and forehead and a shorter, less twisted red crest. 

I headed back to the bushes around the Information Centre and found this Grey Fantail.

A little further along in the scrub I found a Silvereye.

The Silvereye is a small bird with a conspicuous ring of white feathers around the eye, and belongs to a group of birds known as white-eyes. The Silvereye shows interesting plumage variations across its range. The grey back and olive-green head and wings are found in birds through the east, while western birds have a uniformly olive-green back.

A bird that I was now quite familiar with, the Little Wattlebird.

Views along the beach as the clouds and mist started to lift.

Blue skies.

More birds in the scrub, a New Holland Honeyeater.

The New Holland Honeyeater is mostly black and white, with a large yellow wing patch and yellow sides on the tail. It has a small white ear patch, a thin white whisker at the base of the bill and a white eye. This honeyeater is an active bird, and rarely sits still long enough to give an extended view. 

Then of course more Superb Fairy Wrens, showing well in the scrub.

At the far end of the beach I came across a few more Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos in the trees.

There was my first Willie Wagtail on the golf course and another New Holland Honeyeater showing well.

By the children's playground there were Yellow-rumped Thornbills feeding on the ground.

The Yellow-rumped Thornbill is the largest and probably the best-known thornbill, with a striking yellow rump. It is mainly grey-olive to grey-brown above to cream below, with a white-spotted black crown and a dark eye stripe. The tail is black, with white tips.

The Yellow-rumped Thornbill is found on the ground in open habitats, such as woodlands, forests, shrublands and grasslands with some trees. It is also common in agricultural lands, along watercourses, beside roads and in parks and gardens.

Another Little Wattlebird.

A bird I had wanted to come across then appeared on one of the street lamps, a Galah.

The Galah is easily identified by its rose-pink head, neck and underparts, with paler pink crown, and grey back, wings and undertail.

The Galah is becoming more abundant around areas of human habitation, with the growth in population largely a result of increasing availability of food and water.

Back at the hotel we had a small patio and this was visited by more Superb Fairy Wrens.  After dinner we had a drink outside as the sun set, the skies now clear.  Tomorrow we continue our journey along the Great Ocean Road, this leg being probably the most spectacular.