I've been in Victoria for nearly seven months and I've done hardly anything other than busking and geocaching. In fact, I haven't even left the Melbourne area since I arrived here in late November! Today I would go out and explore. Whilst I was contemplating Stony Point, I had a look on Google Maps and decided I was bound for Point Nepean. It's interesting how there are so many places in the vicinity named after the various islands of Norfolk Island. Bonbeach is part of the city of Kingston and I'm one block off the Nepean Hwy. Philip Island isn't too far away and Nepean Hwy is lined with Norfolk Island pines, and Fort Nepean isn't all that far away, either. I've yet to spot a "Burnt Pine" township when I need it. Speaking of Norfolk Island I'm returning there soon, and I really could care less what anyone thinks!
There is no 7-11 near my house in Bonbeach but there's one in Frankston where I'd have to change for the bus to Portsea. The only place I get coffee from is 7-11 (unless I make it at home) since it's only $1. Aboard the bus, rural Victoria really makes itself known as I spotted paddocks and vineyards less than 20 minutes out of Frankston. As the "Garden State" Victoria looks more like New Zealand's North Island than the rest of Australia. The bus ride to Portsea would take over an hour and it turned out I had to pay an extra fare even though I have a Zone 1 & 2 Myki pass. Portsea is classified as Zone 4 in rural Victoria. This marks the furthest I've been from Melbourne since I arrived. Relentlessly I walked, with some geocaches on my radar and wondering why they set up a fort here. It's much like Stony Batter (Waiheke Island); you wonder why it's here even though this part of Australia has never been attacked. Many areas of the park are off-limits due to unexploded ordinance.
It's a fair walk toward Fort Nepean, and the first two geocaches I searched for were MIA. For a long while I wasn't even focused on that, I enjoyed the scenery. Norfolk pines dotted the landscape whilst a brisk wind blew across toward the Bass Strait. A big mistake I made is leaving too late in the day. It's a fair walk from the entrance to Fort Nepean, and it was rather chilly and windy. The three geocaches I found were, keeping with the military theme of the park, in ammo boxes.
I reached Fort Nepean as the sun was ready to set with a gorgeous red hue.
It was windy and I only managed one photo of myself here! The Fort itself is rather interesting with some commentary. A small window with grass like this is cool!
After picking up one more geocache I had to make a move. Time was not on my side and it was getting dark quickly. I could faintly see the sun glaring off the Eureka Tower nearly 80 km away and and then the stars came out! What happened next was even more magical! In the words of Heather Krug, the Moon "rose from the belly of the Earth."
She quoted that in her blog after we went to the Eastern Sierras a couple of years ago with her friend Jamie. That particular night the Moon rose in a similar fashion. Tonight, the Moon just sat on top of the hill like a guard in a watchtower. With no torch but a full Moon I walked in the dark back toward the main road. As I heard rustling in the bush I got spooked, wondering if I was going to have another robbery experience like in Guatemala. No fear! It was just a kangaroo or some other critter. Gazing at the stars I could see an object that was about the size of a star, but it was moving and was making no noise at all. UFO perhaps? One of my favourite UFO stories is about the disappearance of Frederick Valentich in 1978. He disappeared whilst flying from Cape Otway to King Island after he allegedly encountered a UFO. Skeptics believe that he crashed his plane due to spatial disorientation. Over an hour it took to walk from the fort all the way back to the main road. There were no ATMs and no stores open to top up my Myki card so I'd have to either hitchhike or explain the situation to the bus driver and hope he understands. Luckily, albeit shockingly, the bus runs until about 9 PM down here. Traffic was very light so I just waited for the bus. Thankfully the driver understood and just said "get on." Morally, I'm sure he couldn't just leave me stuck in the cold. Andy called me as I dozed off on the bus, surprised I made it all the way to Fort Nepean. A plate of roast lamb with mint sauce, gravy, and Jo's potatoes awaited me as I made my way home, excited that I got all the way to Fort Nepean today!
Now that I've been to Fort Nepean, hopefully next time I'm on Norfolk Island I'll get to Nepean Island!
