Story by Jac
Otways Moonlight Cottage Delight
Adventure in Hordern Vale, Great Ocean Road, VIC, AU
Greeted by two koalas high amongst the gum trees, I’m not sure we could have had a more Australian welcome to the Moonlight Cottage. This space was just perfection. Simple open plan design, large front windows, wide verandah with a spacious free range yard. I stood still and took in three deep breaths. One... two... three…
"It’s a full moon tonight,” my sister Flossy said. And that indeed it was. We were in the right place to see it at the Moonlight Cottage.
We woke with the sun and were ready for adventures to ‘the mouth’ where Aire River meets the sea. We made friends with some locals who had a boat to take us there, even though it’s only a brisk walk away. By gosh it was worth it! We climbed to the top of the sand dunes and flew back down on our boggy boards! The view at the top was breath taking! We spent the rest of the day swimming and playing where we had the ocean to our left and the river to our right. We explored the rock pools and made memories in the sand. The day flew quicker than Peter Pan.
The next day, we enjoyed a slow morning in our humble abode. Hot showers, freshly brewed coffee, cosy fire and our novels - it was the stillness our spirits needed after our adventures yesterday. After lunch we decided to check out the beach side at the nearest town Apollo Bay, as we fuelled up and got some snacks.
We found a sweet distraction each at the Ice Cream Shop which was too hard to resist! I had white chocolate and raspberry, while Flossy had caramel flavour (for those wondering!). We decided an afternoon siesta with the koalas was a good idea, so we headed back to the cosy cottage to do just that. That night was as still as our morning.
We felt so excluded from everything - a real disconnect from the outside world. It really was you, me, and two koalas in the trees. We left that morning feeling recharged and reconnected with ourselves. We thanked the koalas for watching over us and went on our way. Couldn’t help ourselves to have a mini stop 10 minutes down the road at Castle Cover Lookout, and it was totally worth it - what a view!...
"It’s a full moon tonight,” my sister Flossy said. And that indeed it was. We were in the right place to see it at the Moonlight Cottage.
We woke with the sun and were ready for adventures to ‘the mouth’ where Aire River meets the sea. We made friends with some locals who had a boat to take us there, even though it’s only a brisk walk away. By gosh it was worth it! We climbed to the top of the sand dunes and flew back down on our boggy boards! The view at the top was breath taking! We spent the rest of the day swimming and playing where we had the ocean to our left and the river to our right. We explored the rock pools and made memories in the sand. The day flew quicker than Peter Pan.
The next day, we enjoyed a slow morning in our humble abode. Hot showers, freshly brewed coffee, cosy fire and our novels - it was the stillness our spirits needed after our adventures yesterday. After lunch we decided to check out the beach side at the nearest town Apollo Bay, as we fuelled up and got some snacks.
We found a sweet distraction each at the Ice Cream Shop which was too hard to resist! I had white chocolate and raspberry, while Flossy had caramel flavour (for those wondering!). We decided an afternoon siesta with the koalas was a good idea, so we headed back to the cosy cottage to do just that. That night was as still as our morning.
We felt so excluded from everything - a real disconnect from the outside world. It really was you, me, and two koalas in the trees. We left that morning feeling recharged and reconnected with ourselves. We thanked the koalas for watching over us and went on our way. Couldn’t help ourselves to have a mini stop 10 minutes down the road at Castle Cover Lookout, and it was totally worth it - what a view!...
Things We Did
- Experience
- Beach
- Lookout
A 1.5km walk from the Tire River boat ramp to 'the mouth' where the river meets the sea. It's absolutely beautiful and we had the entire space to ourselves! We were lucky enough to make friends with some locals who had a boat to get us to the destination. We went skiing down the sand dunes on our boards and the view from above is breath taking. A full 360 of the River and the Ocean. Beautiful beach. Great swimming spot and lots of rock pools and scenery to see! Brave the walk. or go for a canoe! You won't be disappointed! We didn't get the chance to see the sunset this trip but it would be an A+ kinda experience!...
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Where we stayed
Things we did
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