Croajingolong was stunning at Shipwreck creek campground – seemingly aptly named judging by the storming waters meeting jagged rock formations. This was contrasted by beautiful blue waters and pristine sand beaches, only shared by some “swamp wallabies” to start. Luckily some other travellers, Sam & David, caught up to me on the beach with a bottle of wine to help cut the chill in the air – we had such a lovely time chatting for hours before calling it a night.
The following day was spent in the woods, wandering the hiking trails in search of wildlife – a few roos and wallabies came to say hello, but the plants and ocean were the real winners of the hike. Another night on the beach was too good to pass up!
After exploring all there was at Shipwreck Creek campground, I made my way to the town of Mallacoota, completely surrounded by Croajingolong on all sides that weren’t ocean. Mallacoota was a RVers paradise: designed around water front RV locations, boating, and a small but plentiful town centre with some food options and the other essentials. I spent one last day in the sun here before heading deeper into the rainforest towards southern Victoria.
It turns out Northeast Victoria is quite remote, despite its relative proximity to major cities. So remote, that I found only one spot to park my van after leaving Mallacoota late in the afternoon – the back parking lot of Bell Bird Inn, a retirement project motel run by Gary. I called Gary per the instructions online to let him know I was coming, and he said I was free to come for no money, before asking if I was wanting dinner and a beer. If you know me, that’s purely a rhetorical question.
Walking into the Inn felt like a fever dream – Gary later explained to me that when you are in the middle of nowhere with disposable income, it gets easy to buy some stuff you don’t need. Some eclectic things turned into a lot, and then eventually he became famous with campers for this very reason. I had a nice curry, a few beers, and talked with Gary and one other camper for hours about everything under the sun, while trying not to get distracted by the pawn-shop-esque stuff scattered around me. Definitely one of my most memorable experiences.
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