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| Lakes Entrance ... no longer a quaint little fishing village |
I was ready to leave Lakes
Entrance, reluctantly as the wind blew stronger. My plan was to make it to Wilson’s Promontory
today, Australia’s most southern point.
The wind would be stronger there, and blowing right off Antarctica it
would be bitterly cold.
Like most of my lap of
Victoria so far, I came across a number of road blocks. Forced to find a detour these blockages
indeed became more of a metaphor for my past 12 months. I now realised that these blocks in my path
weren’t something to be negative about but to rather find an alternative route
and add to the adventure of life. I was
enjoying this.
Nestled on the banks of the
Gippsland Lakes, I’d previously been to Metung but, never by land. I soon discovered it to be one of the most
beautiful towns in Victoria, if not the whole of Australia. Unfortunately I soon found it to have that
pompous feel, that many of Australia’s coastal towns that have become a
playground for the wealthy, to have. I
decided to move on and get to places I knew fairly well.
Bairnsdale was the first of
these and became the route for me to Paynesville. I had no intention of staying on here, the
wind was now so cold that it was becoming painful. I braced against the cold and pushed on to
Holland’s Landing, I was sure that I could find a way straight across from here
to Loch Sport.
Arriving in this place I
quickly realised it was the end of the line, one road in, one road out. The town, or what passed as a town, was right
on the water’s edge with no place else to go.
Why the hell would anyone want to come here? It almost had a post-apocalyptic feel to it,
deserted, baron, cold. I rested briefly
and sheltered from the wind before continuing on towards Loch Sport.
Also at the end of a road Loch
Sport seemed to be the complete opposite to Holland’s Landing. It still had a sleepy feel to it but at the
same time had a life, albeit it a rested life.
I now understood why a friend of mine chose to have a holiday home down
here. I too was falling in love with the
town at the end of the road.
Riding towards the west the
weather was getting worse. Hail had
added to the cold winds, riding was not only uncomfortable but also dangerous,
I had to get to Wilson’s Prom as soon as possible and make a decision regarding
continuing. The road to the southern tip
of the Australian mainland was fine, I was really the only vehicle on the
winding road, my only company were a few kangaroos and emus. I’d reached my target for the day and the
views were certainly worth it.
As I stood looking at the vast
scene before me, mountains rising from the angry, grey sea, I couldn’t help but
remember what the voyage of discovery had achieved. Why had I taken it on? To discover the boundaries of my home state
or to discover my own personal boundaries.
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| Life is like a lighthouse; stand up against whatever is thrown at you! |
I’d set off in a westerly
direction 11 days earlier, following the iconic Great Ocean Road, with no
particular destination in mind. I’d
ridden toward the setting sun with no knowledge of what to expect. I’d completed my last days of work for
Computershare, a firm I had given my all for the past nine and a half years. I’d ridden away from home with a heart full
of hate; resentful and disappointed by those who I thought were leading the
company.
Eleven days and almost 3,900km
later my heart had lifted. I’d seen
parts of this wonderful country that I never thought I would. I’d been faced with numerous roadblocks due
to storms and flooding. These detours
had made me realise that this is what life is all about, make the most of
it. I no longer cared about working at
Computershare, I missed my friends and the teams we had built, I was hopeful
that these friendships would last a lifetime.
I returned to Melbourne with a
different perspective which, had been cemented after my accident earlier in the
year. Living life is far too important
than worrying about a mismanaged business that has no care for
individuals. Life is an adventure, so
start exploring …
