The Steele's Set Off: Portland

Labour Day Weekend 2019 we spent in Portland

We stayed at the NRMA Portland Bay Holiday Park

184 Bentinck Street, Portland

8th March - 11th March 2019

$111 for 3 nights for 2 adults, 1 child

Site 6

The Park is positioned on a cliff top overlooking the bay close to the centre of town & was the perfect position for us. It had nice amenities, a playground, camp kitchen, laundry & a children's bath. Our site was located on the road edge which made it a little noisy during the day but wasn't too bad at night. The sites are not very deep just enough for the caravan length but are very wide which I actually liked as it didn't feel like you were on top of each other.

After we arrived on Friday and set up, we went for a walk to check out the town.

Portland is located on the south west coast of Victoria & is the site of Victoria's first permanent European settlement.

Saturday

Behind our Caravan Park is an old light house that is no longer in use but the kids still enjoyed having a look

On Saturday we went to Cape Nelson in the morning, we did the Enchanted Forest Walk.

The walk is in the Discovery Bay Coastal Park Area. The start point is along Scenic Road. It is possible to either walk along the track and return via the road or turn around and retrace your steps. We walked along the track & sent the boys back along the road to get the cars.

It is about a 45 minute walk, the path descends down steps into an area with Bower Spinach Vines hanging down from Moonah Trees which gives the Enchanted Forest feel.

There are many lookout points where you can see the ocean and on the other side are huge cliff walls

There was a small clearing where people had been building rock towers

Waiting in the car park for the men to get the car

We then continued down the road to the Cape Nelson Light House.

This light house is still in operation & offers spectacular coastal cliffs & views. There is also a cafe and accommodation on site.

On the way back we stopped at Fawthrop Lagoon & had a picnic for lunch.

Sunday

Sunday was a little bit wet but that didn't stop us jumping on the Portland Cable tram & going for a ride. The tram stopped right outside our caravan park.

Family (2 adults + 3 children) – $45

Adult – $18
Concession – $16
Children 5-16 – $7
Children under 5 – free

The tram runs along the foreshore, you purchase a daily ticket which allows you to hop on/hop off at your leisure while learning about Portlands history from the volunteers on board. They even supply blankets in the cooler weather!

One of the places we got off was the Botanic Garden & had some fun exploring in the rain

We stopped at the foreshore for a play at the park before heading back to camp for some lunch

That afternoon we walked back to the Portland Lighthouse and followed a track along the beach back to our camp

The stairs from the lighthouse

When you have had enough walking!

Monday

After packing up we headed to Cape Bridgewater, approx 20 minutes from Portland

Cape Bridgewater was once a volcanic Island it has some of the highest coastal cliffs in Victoria overlooking the deep-blue waters of Bridgewater Bay that stretches in a perfect crescent around the rim of a huge, ancient volcano crater

Our first stop was the Blowholes formed from the lava flows of an extinct volcano the basalt (black) and scorpia (purple) rock create spectacular spouts of sea spray during high seas. Located 2 minute walk from the car park.

A further 50 metres long is the Petrified forest. This was formed when sand dunes covered moonah trees 1000's years ago. Water seeped through the sand and down the trunks decaying the organic matter, leaving behind 'petrified' trunks.