Tag 48: Lakes Entrance - Cape Conran Coastal Park

We sleep in late as we went to bed very late yesterday. We want to take it easy today. We quickly drive to Woolworth and get fresh rolls and milk. Then we go to the big playground at the entrance of the city. It's really great! The biggest and most beautiful one we've been to so far. It seems to be quite new too. In general, public playgrounds in Australia are amazing. They are more like motor skill parks and exactly the right thing for our Sami Bear. We have a snack in the parking lot before we continue our journey.

We make another short detour to the lookout point in front of the city. From here, you have a great overview of the water landscape. Lakes Entrance surprised us. For us, it was just a stop on the way, but we really liked it here.

Michi would like to try surfing and he read at the Surf Shack at Cape Conran that they offer lessons. We drive to the store on the waterfront and ask. It doesn't look good because the group must consist of at least 8 people for one hour. They will call us if it works out.

We set off towards Cape Conran. Originally, we wanted to go from Lakes Entrance to Mallacoota. However, since we stayed one night shorter than planned in Wilson Promontory, we have one night buffer and decide to stay where we like it.

The drive is varied and the scenery is very beautiful - lots of green and lots of water. We decide to take the coastal route via Marlo. We make our first stop at West Cape in Cape Conran Coastal Park. We stroll along the small footpath by the sea and enjoy the warm afternoon sun. Then we continue to East Cape. Here, there is a beautiful sandy beach. We are not alone, but it's not crowded. A few surfers, a few sun worshipers.

We really like it here and we don't want to drive another 130 km to Mallacoota. Since Banksia Bluff Camp is only accessible via an unsealed road, we are not sure if it is suitable for us in terms of access and also the pitches. We go and check it out and it's fine. We decide on site number 70. When we arrive, we immediately get a visit from a camping neighbor. He is very proud that he caught a sea snail today and wants us to try it. We really like the breaded snail. Samuel is skeptical. Our camping neighbor Mike says that Japanese people would pay 750 AUD for this snail.

We pack up and go to the beach again. Today we have kangaroo steak again (tastes just as good as always) for dinner.

Our last week in Australia has begun. Next Saturday evening, we will already be heading from Sydney towards Dubai. We never thought that the 8 weeks would go by so quickly. During the car rides, we often talk about all the places in Australia where we still want to go - I think we will come back.

December 10, 2016

Accommodation: Banksia Bluff Camp / Cape Conran Coastal Park (1 night 40 AUD, large national park campsite with toilets and outdoor showers, in the forest, access to the sea)

Weather: sunny, 22 degrees

107 kilometers today, total of 8,188 km