The Prop's Perigrinations : 31 May 2023

Up betimes at Seaspray to an unusually mild morning after a comfortable night in the Tadpole. We had been led to expect gale-force winds but these did not eventuate until mid-morning today.

A comfortable evening watching telly in the Tadpole

In light of predicted inclement weather today the Prop booked a "DeLuxe Cabin" for two at the Yanakie (say: yan-a-key) Caravan Park on Wilson's Promontory.

Being only about a 1 and 1/2 hour drive we decided to take a few detours to inspect some beachside settlements.

First, to Woodside Beach which claims to be "the beginning of the southern end of Ninety Mile Beach".

To be honest, the Prop couldn't tell whether Woodside Beach was at the beginning or somewhere in the middle of the Ninety Mile Beach.

Woodside Beach looking north - no "beginning" in sight

Woodside Beach looking south - no "beginning" in sight

Next, to McLaughlan's Beach.

On the way, passing through the very rich grazing pasture typical of Gippsland, the Prop saw the most heavily sheep-stocked paddock that he has ever seen. The Prop estimates that there were over 1,000 sheep in a four acre paddock - all of them recently shorn and looking pretty well fed.

Gippsland - unusually high DSE

(See: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_Sheep_Equivalent)

McLaughlin's Beach is, in truth, more of a coastal wetland than a "beach" as such. It has long jetty and is apparently a very good place to catch cockles (but not mussels) alive alive-o!

The McLaughlin's Beach Jetty

Cockle catching - very strict "multilingual" rules apply

Round Leafed Pigface (Disphyma Crassifolium) - a dominant species in the McLaughlin's Beach Wetlands

Driving through Alberton the Prop was struck by the somewhat less than sensitive restoration of the Victoria Hotel.

Authentic Victorian-era mural - not!

Arriving next at Welshpool, the Prop decided to drive the extra 5 kilometres down to Port Welshpool to see if anything would jog his memory of the former "SeaCat Ferry Terminal" which served the short-lived aluminium catamaran ferry service between Port Welshpool and Georgetown in Tasmania between 1990 and 1993.

Although the Prop could not claim to have any recollection of the terminal (which we used at least twice) the terminal itself remains surprisingly intact despite the passage of 30 years.

The former SeaCat Ferry Terminal at Port Welshpool

Port Welshpool is also known for its unusually long and curved jetty/Wharf which was specifially designed to run parallel to a deep channel to accommodate large seagoing vessels.

The lengthy Port Welshpool Jetty

The "Dreamtime" story of the local first nations people. Typically, this story assimilates humans with the whole of "creation"

We arrived at Yanakie about mid-afternoon after taking a bit of a "Jimmy" buffeting from strong northwesterly winds.

Yanakie (or more accurately, the Yanakie Caravan Park) sits on the eastern side of Wilson's Promontory and has expansive views of both Ninety Mile Beach and "the Prom" itself.