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Victoria (Western Region) |
| Lorne | |
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you come around a bend in the road you catch a glimpse of your next major
town, Lorne. There it sits on the edge of Loutit Bay, proudly backed by
the stunning, heavily-forested Otway Ranges. It's little wonder that Lorne
was the first area of Natural Beauty and Special Significance' declared by
the Victorian Government. Locals claim there are more sunny days here than
anywhere on the west coast, and, however idle the boast, someone certainly
looks down on Lorne with favour. You'll never be bored. There's so much to
do, even in winter.
Swimming in the warmer months, boutique shopping, visiting local galleries and dining at the fine restaurants are a few of the pleasures of this seaside town. You can also explore the magnificent tree-fern gullies and waterfalls along the walking tracks of the Angahook-Lorne State Park from the convenient base of any of the guesthouses, cabins and bed and breakfasts found nestled in the hills. |
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| Picturesquely
located at the foot of the heavily forested Otway Range, on the
banks of the Erskine River, LORNE has long been the premier holiday
town of the Great Ocean Road. Only two hours’ drive from the city,
it’s hugely popular with Melbourne weekenders who relish its
well-established café society and whiff of 1960s counterculture overlaid
on an essentially middle-class 1930s resort. To complete the picture, the Angahook–Lorne
State Park, with its walking tracks, plunging falls and fern gullies,
surrounds the town.
About nine hundred people live in Lorne, but from Christmas until the end of January twenty thousand more pour in; if you arrive unannounced, you’ll have no hope of finding even a camping spot. The Falls Festival, on New Year’s Eve, is celebrated with a big rock concert that attracts droves of teenagers, followed eight days later by the Mountain to Surf Run and one day later by the highlight of the peak season, the Pier to Pub Swim. It is the largest blue-water swimming event in the world and attracts as many as two thousand competitors who race the 1200m from Lorne Pier to the main beach. The atmosphere surrounding these events is a lot of fun, but generally Lorne is much more enjoyable when it’s less crowded, which means avoiding weekends and the peak summer season. The main beachfront promenade, Mountjoy Parade, is enlivened by the Grand Pacific Hotel, with its 1870s facade, and the modern, terraced Cumberland Resort, the so-called “Pink Palace”. Between the street and the beach is a foreshore with tennis courts, trampolines and pool. The surf beach itself is one of the safest in Victoria, protected from the Southern Ocean by two headlands, but in summer it gets very crowded. Thirteen kilometres south is the secluded unofficial nude beach of Jamiesons, hidden by ferns and gullies near Jamiesons Creek. Angahook–Lorne State Park |
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| Angahook–Lorne
State Park extends along some 50km of coastline, from Aireys Inlet to
Kennett River. Pockets of temperate rainforest, towering blue-gum forests,
cliffs and waterfalls characterize the Lorne section of the park, south of
the Erskine River. The Erskine Falls, one of the most popular
attractions, drops 30m into a fern-fringed pool – you can reach them
along a winding eight-kilometre road (some of it gravel), which ends with
a short descent on a very steep but sealed section. From the car park the
falls are a few minutes’ walk through majestic trees and tall umbrella
ferns; another 150m takes you down to the quiet, rocky Erskine River.
It’s also possible to walk through the bush from Lorne to the falls
(7.5km one-way; 4hr), starting from the Erskine River Caravan Park
and following the river; after 1km you’ll pass the Sanctuary, a natural
rock amphitheatre, then Splitter Falls and Straw Falls, before reaching
Erskine Falls.
Closer to Lorne, Teddy’s Lookout, in Queens Park, is either a quick drive from the Great Ocean Road, up Otway Street, turn left at the roundabout into George Street, or a three-kilometre walk. You end up high above the sea, with a view of the St George River below and the Great Ocean Road curving around the cliffs. On the way back to Lorne, the Qdos Arts centre (daily 11am–11pm) on Allenvale Road, with an art gallery, sculpture gardens and a very good café-restaurant, merits a visit – just turn left at the roundabout and go up the hill. Eating and entertainment |
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There
are great places to eat and drink everywhere in town. Kosta’s
often has music in the evenings, while the Lorne Hotel has
bands on Friday and Saturday nights, and its public bar, with pool table
and pinball machine, is a favourite with the young crowd. The Lorne
Theatre, 78 Mountjoy Parade (tel 03/5289 1272), screens films all
week during summer.
Accommodation |
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Lorne
has a mix of old guesthouses and modern holiday apartments – often side
by side. There’s plenty of motel, hotel and self-catering accommodation,
but most of it is in the upper price bracket.
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