We enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Goulburn brewery with Anna and Andrew and were pleased that we followed Andrew’s recommendation to order the steak.  After a good night’s sleep in their massive guest suite, we headed off to Lake Tyers....

Stratford on the Avon, not to be confused with the English town of Stratford upon Avon, was a worthwhile stop for a coffee. The river was calm and tranquil as we walked along the art trail, starting with ‘the Globe’ that illustrated the town’s links to its sister cities....

Today was meant to be day 1 on the rail trail, but the dismal weather forecast encouraged us to make other plans. 

Port Albert was very quiet and clearly past its prime, with a number of businesses up for sale or lease....

With better weather forecast we returned to Welshpool and set off on the rail trail towards Meeniyan. The coffee in Toora, just 12 kilometres down the trail was an improvement on the previous day’s and the clouds began to lift as we left the town....

It was another cloudy morning with the promise of clearing skies, as we headed to Wilsons Promontory.  We parked at Tidal River and planned a walking route that would allow us to cover a few highlights including Squeaky Beach, named by Tourism Australia as Australia’s best beach for 2024....

It was overcast and threatening rain as we drove into Mirboo North to cycle the Grand Ridge cycle trail to Boolara.  As it was only a short 13kms each way, we had time for a leisurely coffee and a wander through the little town.  It had a few cafes, interesting shops and murals, including one featuring the native Scarlet Robin....

Back at Meeniyan again, this time to continue the Great Southern rail trail to Loch. Heading out of town we passed a community garden. We crossed the Tarim River bridge which ran alongside the old disused trestle bridge which had partially collapsed. At Koonwarra we stopped for a leisurely coffee on the verandah of Milly and Romeo’s....

A leisurely start with a wander around the village and brunch at the Loch Village food store. Though not very big, Loch had a lot to offer with boutique shops, cafes, a brewery and wine bar.

It was still overcast as we took the trail for the short 5.5km ride to Nyora, the end of the rail trail....

It was foggy as we drove through the hills to the coast, with extremely poor visibility.  We could only imagine the views we missed as we finally emerged into sunshine and views to the coast....