A top temperature of 35C and a hot north wind was forecast for Thursday 14th December as we braved our Christmas trip to Queenscliff and Sorrento.
After an hour we arrived for morning tea at the Geelong Botanic Gardens, which were looking very sad after months of drought and severe water restrictions. With a lack of grass and the blustery north wind, it was a very hot and dusty tea break indeed!
The Geelong gardens celebrated 150 years in 2001, and in 2002 opened its 21st Century Garden extensions. The 21st Century Garden is a unique project linking past with the present. These gardens are the fourth oldest in Australia and one of the few historic public gardens that have been actively and continually cultivated and well maintained. Unfortunately, we did not have time to explore this wonderful section of the garden.
After finishing our morning tea, we set off to Queenscliff for our ferry trip across Port Phillip Bay to Sorrento. Despite the wind, it was a smooth crossing and a lovely relief from the heat. As we crossed the water we had great views of the lighthouses at Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, and east to Sorrento, Portsea and Point Nepean. We also passed several container ships going to and from the ports in Melbourne and Geelong.
Once we arrived in Sorrento, we continued on to the Rye Hotel for our Christmas lunch.
After lunch we had a quick stop at Lintons Nursery in Mount Eliza for some last minute Christmas gifts, before we headed back to Camberwell on the freeway.
