Just beyond the Great Ocean Road in Victoria traveling west is the small beach side town of Portland. It was here we spent 6 fabulous nights to enable us to fully explore the region and discover the best of Portland. What an amazing location we found it to be, there are so many things to see and do!

This is one of those few towns we have been to where we could picture ourselves living and certainly somewhere we will revisit in the future.

The Portland weather was great to us and we enjoyed beautiful sunny skies and good weather. March and April may just be the best months to visit before the really cold weather sets in.

Portland Marina

Discover the Best of Portland at the Port

Portland has a large, deep, sea port and is currently a major timber and wood chip exporting location. The Port of Portland is a great way to discover the best of Portland. Watching the trucks at the Port being unloaded of the wood chip cargo is eerie when you watch for the first time. The trucks are raised high into the air to an almost upright 72 degree angle until all the cargo is released. It is fascinating to watch and it would be interesting to know how those trucks are locked in.

Each truck only takes a few minutes to unload. A new truck enters the Port every 30 seconds, 7 days a week. They unload products including logs, wood chips, aluminium ingots, livestock, grain and fertiliser.

A large fishing fleet occupies the Marina with Rock Lobsters, Abalone, Fish and Squid all bountiful and caught in the beautiful local waters. It’s a busy wharf with lots of activity.

The Jetty’s and Pontoons are perfect fishing grounds for land based fisherman and the rock walls are home to a variety of fish. Snorkeling and spear fishing are very popular here.

Portland Camping

For our accommodation at Portland we stayed at the Henty Park Campground which is behind the Portland Cable Tram Station. The Tram takes you on a 7km journey around the town and is mostly run by volunteers. The Campground is a free 48 hour stay for vehicles which are self contained and became a great location for us to make new friends and a great base to discover the best of Portland and nearby beaches.

We also had one night at the Sawpit Picnic Area just out of town to break up our stay at Henty Park.

Here are Our 22 Best Free Camps in Australia

Beautiful Cape Bridgewater Beach

Cape Bridgewater

A short 15 minute drive out of town is Cape Bridgewater, one of the best beaches in the region. It is as good as anywhere with beautiful white sand, clear blue waters with waves rolling in on a calm day. It was here I attempted to go surfing with my Cousin Tim and his wife Amy, only my second ever attempt. Alas, at least I tried.

There are so many awesome beaches around Australia, here are our 3 lists of Best Beaches –

1. The Best Beaches in Australia 1-10

2. The Best Beaches in Australia 11-20

3. The Best Beaches in Australia 21-30

In the water on the Seal by Sea tour

Seal by Sea Tour

We also completed the Seal by Sea Tour at Cape Bridgewater and this would have to be our best value for money tour on our trip so far. You will discover the best of Portland by sea for just $40 per adult. They will take you along the rugged coastline to view the cliff faces to the first of several large Seal colonies.

Then they took us further up to the tip where we witnessed big NZ Fur Seals and a few Australian Seals before heading back to the first group of Seals where they have a shark cage located. For an extra $20 they provide Wet suits and snorkeling gear to allow you to swim with the Seals. We were all very keen and jumped into the waters to engage with the Seals.

The Seals were otherwise occupied though and didn’t come to us in the cage so we asked could we go out of the cage. The guide said we could but it would be at our own risk. “Risk of what” we asked? “Great Whites” he said!! Without hesitating we all jumped into the water anyway and for almost an hour we swam with the Seals. The Seal Pups were so inquisitive and would come right up to us, sometimes stopping in front of us to take a look.

Watch our videos of us swimming with the seals:

Seal by Sea Tours are still just $40 but they now have new snorkeling tours. Book the trip we did or view their new tours at their website – http://www.sealsbyseatours.com.au/

Cape Bridgewater Koala

Our First Koala Encounter in the Wild

Heading back from Cape Bridgewater we were surprised to find a Koala beside the road. We stopped to ensure he didn’t venture onto the road and were amazed when he came over to Adele allowing her to pat him. The Koala was surprisingly friendly and then it took off heading for our Motorhome. At first we thought he was looking to hitch a ride but eventually we got him into the bushes away from the road.

Amy Surfing

Tim Surfing

Blacknose Point

Blacknose Point is a very popular surfing spot at Portland and our cousin and his wife got out the surfboards and headed in for a paddle. We sat on the rocks and enjoyed watching them in action and managed to capture some great photos.

This time I left it to the experts, my training wheels are still on at this stage!!

Portland Wind Farm

Portland Wind Farm

The Portland Wind Farm is one of the largest in Australia. These huge wind turbines generate electricity from the wind. This one in Portland produces 500 GWh annually, enough electricity to power approximately 125,000 homes each year or over 7% of Victoria’s annual power.

Petrified Forest

Petrified Forest

Just past the Wind Farm is the Petrified Forest. The formation of the Petrified forest is a collection of hollow tubes of Limestone called “solution pipes”. These have been eroded over millions of years of rainfall. Water gathers in a shallow pan of sand and seeps downwards dissolving the Limestone. The mineral saturated water then cements the sand, forming hard, trunk shaped pipes. Some of these pipes can be up to 20m high.

Portland is approximately 200kms from the South Australian border in the south west of Victoria. It’s a great place to stop with lots of shops, excellent accommodation for a weary traveler and the people of Portland are very friendly. The winter months do get very cold so the peak tourist season is usually from October to May each year.

The Great Ocean Road begins about 120kms East of Portland just past the town of Warrnambool.

Some other great places to stay along the Great Ocean Road are:

Anglesea Beachfront Caravan Park

Marengo Holiday Park

Have you been or are you yet to discover the best of Portland? Tell us about your time in Portland?

Safe travels

Kev & Adele
Indefinite Leave

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Photography and Socials

Our camera equipment we use for all of our photos and videos are:

Samsung Note 10 Plus Phone – https://ebay.to/2upyEfM – Most of our photos are simply from our phones. The Samsung phone cameras are pretty insane. Our phones have 512gb storage in ours but the 256gb in this one is heaps. We have sourced this one which is approx $500 less than we paid for ours.

Canon 800d – https://ebay.to/2GoBt37 – the latest DSLR Canon 24mp camera, buy here to save.
Lenses – Canon 50mm lens – https://ebay.to/2RL7CY7  This is the lens I use the least, ideal for still, close up shots.
Canon 24-105mm lens – https://ebay.to/2ve3w2Z This is my all round, everyday use, zoom lens. Amazing quality, great price.
Canon 70-300mm lens – https://ebay.to/37pCAM9 – I use this one a lot for long range shots.
Sigma 10-20mm lens – https://ebay.to/2RpOJed  – My wide angle lens for all my inside photos & video plus lots more, love this lens.

Our Go Pro 7 Hero Black – https://ebay.to/38wMc7V  –  is an awesome piece of equipment. I use this for all underwater, action video and some general use. Buy here brand new and great value.

Mavic Pro Platinum Drone – https://ebay.to/37oKkhb  This is an absolute ripper of a drone. The Fly More Combo will provide you with everything you will need. I use this for all my aerial footage and this price is well below other retail stores.

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Where to Find Us

Follow us, Subscribe, Like, Share, and Comment on our website and social media here:-

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indefiniteleave/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indefinite_leave/

Website: https://indefiniteleave.com.au/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/indefiniteleave

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/indefiniteleave/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/indefiniteleav3

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This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through a link on this page we may receive a small commission. It will not cost you any more, in fact we’ve sourced out some great deals for you. Thank you for supporting us.

Our very first night on the road, I got pissed!! I wasn’t looking to save money on alcohol that night.

The whole saga of packing up our house and the nightmare of reducing our lives to what we could fit in a Motorhome was horrific and our first night on the road was huge. Our new neighbours were awesome and I went hard. From what I remember and what I was told, it was a lot of fun.

Whilst that hasn’t happened since, what has been a constant is Happy Hour. Every day back at camp there’s Happy Hour happening and we’re often front and centre. If there’s not a community one then we will have our own.

A few drinks each afternoon have been a part of the social life living on the road as we travel Australia.

Without the budget we had at home when working we don’t have the funds like we used to. Our favourite drops of Small Batch Bundy and $30 bottles of Sparkling have been reigned in significantly and we have mastered a few skills at reducing our costs on joyous festivities.

Our Tips on How to Save Money on Alcohol

Let’s look at our Best tips to saving money on the turps!!

Give up the Grog!!

Ohhh who are we kidding!!

Not going to happen is it! We do have one friend who actually did give up all alcohol whilst doing the lap.

But we can save money by ensuring we are drinking responsibly and maybe cut back on our consumption. This is probably wise given we spend a lot of time driving.

Happy Hour at Quobba

Downgrade

As I mentioned, before we left we could afford closer to the top shelf for our drinks but now it’s all bottom shelf. Basic level spirits and wine and sparkling under $10 are our budget. Even better is when the are on special.

I’m not a beer drinker but our son even found himself buying Tun when we were traveling. A Carton of 30 cans was cheaper than a slab of any Aussie beers.

Downgrading has probably been our best way to save money on alcohol while traveling!

Uncle Dan

We find Dan Murphy’s the cheapest of the major chains and Liquorland can have some great specials too. The Cleanskin range of wines is excellent value and has a good Sparkling White for $6-7 and even a Sparkling Red. Adele likes Moscato and we buy them for $5-6 a bottle. I don’t get any headaches from this range.

They have a huge range of beers and usually at the best prices.

I enjoy ciders and buy these by the carton which also provides more savings.

Become a member for free and receive even better discounted prices.

Visiting Wineries

We have visited so many winery regions around Australia and learnt this is where we tend to over-spend our budget. Now when we visit wineries we go with a plan.

One of us has to drive so the sober one makes the buying decisions. It’s so easy to walk out with a carton of wine way over your budget after you’ve visited a winery or 3.

We only sample what we genuinely think we might buy. By reading the wine list first and working out which drinks we know we would enjoy it helps us make better buying decisions.

Drink at Camp

We don’t go out very often when traveling. We make all of our own meals and drink back at camp. This has saved money on alcohol heaps for us during our travels.

Pub Stays are Never Cheap

Early on in our trip we worked out those Free or $5 Pub spots for camping ultimately always ended up costing us the equivalent to 2-3 nights in a Caravan Park. 2 meals and a couple of drinks each and you can easily blow $100.

We rather find a Free Camp or if we ever do stay at a Pub, we go in for 1 drink and then head back to camp.

Bundaberg Rum

Drink Slower

The first thing we taught our sons as teenagers was to not drink too fast. Of course, when they’re young they go hard early and the next day I’d tell them all about what they missed out on.

By drinking slower not only will you wake the next day with a clear head and no embarrassing photos taken of you, it’s a lot cheaper too therefore you save money on your alcohol bill.

Set a Time

Consider setting a time of day before you allow yourself to start your first drink. I never drink before lunch time, only very occasionally in a social setting I might have a Cider with lunch, but mostly it’s at least 4pm before I’ll have my first drink of the day. There are some days where at 2 or 3pm I’m thinking I’m a bit thirsty but I check the clock and figure I’ll wait a bit longer.

I’ll have 2 drinks before dinner and then I’m done.

Stop to Eat

Start drinking as close to meal time as possible, that way you can stop while eating and if you’re anything like me, I struggle to keep drinking after I have eaten.

Dudley Wines Kangaroo Island

Don’t eat Salty Food

Put away the chips. Same goes for biscuits and dip. All those salty, fatty foods just make you thirsty and you drink faster and more.

For snacks, instead choose carrot, celery, olives and bread with a homemade pate.

Bread can also help absorb the alcohol.

Drink Water

In between drinks have water. It might be after every second or third drink. It will help you pace yourself and keep your night under control.

Wine Spritzer

Our friends love their wines and decided to mix the White Wines with some Soda Water. They’re main reason was to just dilute some of the alcohol but it also makes the wine bottle last longer. This will help to reduce the cost when drinking wine.

Others mix their wine with water or lemonade for the same effect. (I wouldn’t but apparently others do)

Of course you can add Ginger Ale or a range of juices and garnish it to make a Wine Spritzer.

Don’t Drink and Drive!!

This could be an ultimate cost from drinking. If you’ve had more than one, hand the keys to someone who hasn’t had any or arrange other transport.

Our ‘How to Save Money on Alcohol’ is just one of a series of articles we have compiled on ways to save money while traveling. You may also enjoy reading:

How to Save Money on Food and Groceries

Save Money staying at Caravan Parks

How to Save Money on Accommodation

Pin It!

Let us know if you have any other tips on how to save money on alcohol!

Drink responsibly and safe travels!

Kev & Adele
Indefinite Leave

___________________________________________________________________________

Photography & Socials

Our camera equipment we use for all of our photos and videos are:

Samsung Note 10 Plus Phone – https://ebay.to/2upyEfM – Most of our photos are simply from our phones. The Samsung phone cameras are pretty insane. Our phones have 512gb storage in ours but the 256gb in this one is heaps. We have sourced this one which is approx $500 less than we paid for ours.

Canon 800d – https://ebay.to/2GoBt37 – the latest DSLR Canon 24mp camera, buy here to save.
Lenses – Canon 50mm lens – https://ebay.to/2RL7CY7  This is the lens I use the least, ideal for still, close up shots.
Canon 24-105mm lens – https://ebay.to/2ve3w2Z This is my all round, everyday use, zoom lens. Amazing quality, great price.
Canon 70-300mm lens – https://ebay.to/37pCAM9 – I use this one a lot for long range shots.
Sigma 10-20mm lens – https://ebay.to/2RpOJed  – My wide angle lens for all my inside photos & video plus lots more, love this lens.

Our Go Pro 7 Hero Black – https://ebay.to/38wMc7V  –  is an awesome piece of equipment. I use this for all underwater, action video and some general use. Buy here brand new and great value.

Mavic Pro Platinum Drone – https://ebay.to/37oKkhb  This is an absolute ripper of a drone. The Fly More Combo will provide you with everything you will need. I use this for all my aerial footage and this price is well below other retail stores.

___________________________________________________________________________

Where to Find Us

Follow us, Subscribe, Like, Share, and Comment on our website and social media here:-

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indefiniteleave/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indefinite_leave/

Website: https://indefiniteleave.com.au/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/indefiniteleave

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/indefiniteleave/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/indefiniteleav3

___________________________________________________________________________

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through a link on this page we may receive a small commission. It will not cost you any more, in fact we’ve sourced out some great deals for you. Thank you for supporting us.

Indefinite Leave nearly never happened!! We had to overcome a lot of Fears to make it all happen and do it anyway.

I’ve never talked about this before, I’ve always just recalled how we made our decision and everything happened from there. But its actually not true!!

In a chat with Mike, another traveler, while we sat and enjoyed the view over the Murray River, I remembered the time I nearly stopped our whole trip long before it even began.

Lucky Bay

Since the moment we met a German couple who had hired a Motorhome and completed the road trip from Brisbane to Cairns and they talked about all the places they had been, we decided this was something we had to do. It was Australia Day 2015.

We spent the next 6 months researching and reading, making lists, looking at other people’s photos, following travel blogs and attending Camping Shows and it was all so exciting. Then one day I had a counter intuitive thought.

Is this really possible, is it really for us, are we making a massive horrible decision?

Weighing up the Pros and Cons

I got to a point where I wrote a long list of all the reasons why we shouldn’t leave on our trip. There were so many reasons, good reasons, and as I wrote them all down it began to make sense, there’s no way we could really leave and do this.

Once I would present them to Adele I knew what her response would be. I could hear her words already. I knew she would say “Yes I was thinking that too”!!

After all, Adele was the conservative one, I’ve always been the risk taker.

Great Ocean Road

Should we Stay or Should we Go?

Then Adele would add more reasons to the list that she had been thinking and common sense would prevail and we would get on with life as we knew it. We would stay in our comfort zone, keep the protective roof over our heads, stay financially stable and do as we had always done and not overcome the fear.

After all, it’s what everyone else does!!

I can distinctly remember the moment I brought the conversation up and it went like this –

“I’ve been thinking and there’s really a lot of reasons we shouldn’t do it”, I said.

I remember exactly Adele’s response word for word – “What you don’t want to go?”

It wasn’t just the words but the tone of mass disappointment, like I was completely letting her down. The look on her face said everything, this was not her thinking.

Qantas Museum

I quickly hid my list in my pocket and responded, “ohh yes I want to go, just checking you didn’t have second thoughts……”

Good save Kev…. Phew!!

From that moment the thought of not going never entered my mind again.

My list of Cons

I still have that long list of completely good reasons we shouldn’t go. It read:

Friends
Family
Income
Hot
Cold
Things will go wrong
MACKS
Wanderers
Miss our stuff
Cameron
Midges/ Sandflies
Restricted electricity and water
Minimising

*MACKS was our Golden Retriever

*Wanderers referred to the Australian Wanderers Cricket team. I had just been to England and enjoyed a great tour and the next one was to Barbados which I was desperate to do. In the end I did miss out but our son Cameron got to go.

*Cameron is our youngest son who had a great job and wasn’t coming with us.

Mount Kosciuszko

Stay Focused and Overcome the Fear

But we stayed focused, overcome the fear from that point and in time everything fell into place.

We felt the fear, or at least I did, and we did it anyway.

It has been the BEST decision ever!!

It’s natural for us as humans to feel fear at the things we don’t know, don’t understand and haven’t done before.

This an adventure that will challenge you but the memories, the bonds and relationships you will make and strengthen you. The moments of amazement and the thrills of adventure will be with you for your life.

You won’t regret a single minute!!

Do it and don’t doubt yourself for a moment. I did and thank God one of us remained focused or Indefinite Leave may never have happened. I can’t imagine not having had the adventures and experiences the last 4 years have brought us.

Kings Canyon

Remember:

Life is short and our Country is huge!!

Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life!!

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s OK. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” Anthony Bourdain

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Neale Donald Walsch

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in an office or mowing your lawn. Climb that damn mountain.” Jack Kerouac

What’s your Plans?

Are you in the planning stages of an adventure? Be sure to download a FREE copy of Your Free Road Trip Guide to Traveling Australia.

We have also compiled The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Road Trip which is available for purchase. This is the information we wish we had when we starting planning our adventure 5 years ago.

Let us know if you have overcome the fear and are going to embark on your own trip of a lifetime!

Safe travels

Kev & Adele
Indefinite Leave

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Where to Find Us

Follow us, Subscribe, Like, Share, and Comment on our website and social media here:-

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indefiniteleave/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indefinite_leave/

Website: https://indefiniteleave.com.au/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/indefiniteleave

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/indefiniteleave/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/indefiniteleav3

________________________________________________________________

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something through a link on this page we may receive a small commission. It will not cost you any more, in fact we’ve sourced out some great deals for you. Thank you for supporting us.