Rye, Sorrento and Point Nepean

On Sunday the 17^th Feb we left Stony Point and drove straight to Point Nepean at the end of Mornington Peninsular (ie the car park at Gunners Cottage – better room there for parking with the van.) The campground we were booked into was the Tyrone Foreshore Camping at Rye and did not allow check in till 2pm. I have never heard of that as far as caravans are concerned. So Linda had a great idea that we spend the day visiting the Quarantine Station and the Forts so that we weren’t wasting any time.

There is a good shuttle bus service for $10 a head, unlimited rides. We caught the bus to the Quarantine Station and had a walk around. Visitors from overseas went into quarantine to ensure they did not carry diseases into the country. There were some stories displayed of ships that were sad tales of large numbers of people dying from contracting smallpox and other diseases. There were chambers that used chemicals and steaming to purify clothing and other items. Unfortunately I did not think to get photos of either of those things which was unlike me.

The early buildings at the quarantine station were commenced in the 1850s.

Then on the bus again and had lunch at the vans before taking the bus out to Point Nepean. Firstly here are some photos of the terrain and views of the heads of Port Phillip Bay.

The forts were constructed in the 1880s and were modified as technology and weapons improved.

The water looked beautiful from our vantage points above.

It was probably around 3.30pm that we finished out at Fort Nepean and then headed to camp. Upon arrival we found there were two cars parked on my site and we could not get in and set up. I spoke to some people on the beach and they said the cars were not theirs. I got hold of the manager of the camp ground who arrived ten minutes later. He headed off to talk to people to track down the owners. There is very little room to spare at these foreshore campsites so I had to drive out so that Ross could get past me as his site was past mine. By the time I made it back the owners of the cars had been found and left. I am glad I was not there at the time they returned to their cars as I reckon I would have said some things I might have regretted later. They were so rude to park on our site and they cost us valuable time.

So we setup and walked down to the beach. When I say we walked down to the beach I mean we walked off our site and we were at the beach. I think our position here was the best campsite position we have ever had. It was so beautiful. This shot shows the water at the back of our van.

This shot shows the bathing boxes on the beach and our campsite is immediately behind one of the boxes. 

It was a humid night and there was absolutely no breeze so it was just great being down at the water. We swam and just chatted whilst standing in the water. It was just a magic time. I found it very interesting watching the container ships and cruise ship coming in and out of Melbourne, especially the Spirit of Tasmania seeing as we had travelled on it.

The next morning, Monday, we had a walk along the foreshore for a bit into Rye. The bathing boxes are a peculiar but cute thing that is common on the Mornington Peninsular.

After the walk we went into Sorrento to check it out. Firstly a few general shots.

A lot of history has been preserved at Sorrento. This painting which is posted at the foreshore shows how it was back in the day in 1904 when it was painted.

There are still a lot of the same buildings existing.

Linda and I checked out a few more historical buildings and items in Sorrento the next day, Tuesday.

When Linda and I left our campsite to go into Sorrento that morning I forgot to unplug the lead to the fridge freezer in the Landcruiser. So as we were driving along the road into town we were dragging the extension lead giving other road users an interesting spectacle. We pulled into a couple of driveways and checked some things out and drove around town dragging our extension lead. I wondered what that white line was on the road when I was reversing and looking into my reversing camera. When I came out of the hardware store a fellow was standing at the back of the vehicle and he asked if the Landcruiser was mine to which I nodded. He then showed me the folded up extension lead which he had looped over the tow bar. He showed me the plug and said, “It still alright. You can still use it.” I thanked him and couldn’t believe I had done that and that it was still intact.

After going to a plumbing supplier to get a washer I need for the sink I was keen to get back to the van and check out it I had done any damage and see if the lead worked. The lead worked fine. I had not done any damage to the power point on the van as I had the lead plugged into another shorter lead so it had disconnect from that one quite easily. Even the washer for the sink plug was the right size and worked beautifully.

Then it was time to head to the Baths Restaurant where we had decided that we would have lunch to test out the reputation of the Mornington Peninsular as a foodie destination. The venue was just perfect and the weather improved a lot so we were all happy.

We all enjoyed our meal there but there was a story with that. I asked for my porterhouse steak to be medium rare but when it arrived it was well done. Being such a difference to how I ordered it I spoke to the waitress who immediately agreed and took it away. The replacement steak meal came and it was a nice juicy steak cooked just medium. I was not going to say anything about it not being quite right but the waitress came over and said, “It’s still not right is it?” I told her that it was medium but that I was happy. She gave me a complimentary glass of wine and explained that they had an apprentice chef in that day and he was having to carry an extra workload. When the bill arrived the steak had not been included. I was very impressed with the service and attitude of the staff and I thanked them and said I would give them a nice mention in ‘my blog’. We were not the least bit unhappy with our lunch and the experience. The Baths Restaurant certainly passed the test that day. So I guess I am a food blogger as well now.

After lunch it was back to camp and relax, swim and read. The sun did come out again and it was a nice afternoon.

After dinner we came out and saw the large moon and its glow on the water. It was a little cool and windy otherwise it would have been nice to stay out longer.

The next morning we walked down the beach a short distance and up the small hill. We had not gone up there before so had to do it. Unfortunately it was another grey morning.

Then it was time to hitch up. We towed the vans down to Sorrento for a final look before heading off. There was an area we could get off the road and park. Had a walk into town and a coffee and back to the vans. Jan and Ross then left for home. Ross had to get back for work. It was great travelling with them and we all had a great time. I did a bit on the blog, had a shower and lunch and then it was time to leave to go to stay with our friends Jude and Greg at Safety Beach.