By Susan Gough Henly
Sentinel ... the Split Point Lighthouse can be seen along the Great Ocean Road.
Aireys Inlet is a quiet country town wedged between the bush and the sea along the Great Ocean Road. While it does not have the glamour of Lorne or the surf culture of Torquay, it retains an understated charm marked by its iconic lighthouse, thriving local artistic community, secluded pocket beaches backed by limestone cliffs, plus a wide sweep of sand that starts at Inlet Beach and rolls all the way to Eastern View. Behind is the wild beauty of the Great Otway National Park.
Aireys Inlet owes its name from John Airey, who took up the Anglohawk pastoral run from Painkalac Creek to Point Roadknight in 1842. In 1887 the area was subdivided into 100 blocks of land, yet few were occupied because the area was so isolated.
Timber milling was the town's biggest industry until after World War I and a school, post office, pub and Anglican church were all built for the timber-milling community. The 34-metre Split Point Lighthouse was built in 1891. In the early 20th century, the last lighthouse keeper scratched a hole in the black paint at the back of the lantern so he could still see the light shining while he was at the pub. For many years, the pub was also a stop on the Cobb and Co route that took the Old Coach Road behind the coast.
Aireys Inlet became a supply depot when Geelong's then mayor, Howard Hitchcock, formed the Great Ocean Road Trust to employ WWI returned servicemen to build the Great Ocean Road and create a monument to all who had died. He saw great tourism potential for the region, proclaiming it superior to France's Riviera better for its ocean, mountain, river and fern gully scenery.
Take a tour of the Split Point Lighthouse, affectionately known as the White Queen, and enjoy superb 360-degree coastal vistas. Phone 1800 174 045, see splitpointlighthouse.com.au. The 51/2-kilometre return cliff-top walk provides an amble through coastal heathland, haunt of the threatened rufous bristlebird, with views of the Southern Ocean. There are several access points to secluded beaches, backed by dramatic limestone cliffs. The locals have various names for them but Parks Victoria signs identify some as Smelly, Step, Sunnymead and Sandy Gully. Turquoise mermaid pools offer hours of beach-combing pleasures, while the grotto is a pretty limestone arch.
The two-kilometre Inlet Beach and Bark Hut walk leads from the lighthouse with gorgeous views to Fairhaven before descending to Inlet Beach. Continue on to a reconstructed bark hut (the original hut was built in 1852 by Geelong butchers Thomas Pearse and Robert McConachy) in a pretty park next to Allen Noble Sanctuary, a lush wetlands area.
Blazing Saddles, in the bush behind Painkalac Creek, has trail rides for beginners through to advanced riders, both along the broad sweep of Fairhaven Beach and in the Great Otway National Park, with its coastal views and chance of koala and kangaroo sightings. Phone 5289 7322, see blazingsaddlestrailrides.com. Great Ocean Road Adventure Tours has canoe rentals along Painkalac Creek, a marvellous place to explore in the early mornings or late in the day, when you are likely to see ibis, egrets, eagles, parrots, rosellas and sulphur-crested cockatoos. They also rent mountain biking gear and helmets and provide maps for touring Great Otway National Park. Phone 0409 334 233.
Surf at Fairhaven Beach, patrolled during the Christmas holidays and summer weekends, and walk the eight-kilometre stretch from Inlet Beach to Eastern View. You can't miss the 1970s-style pole house 40 metres above Fairhaven Beach and, if there is a southerly blowing, the hang-gliders soaring over Moggs Creek.
At Eastern View, check the Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch and memorial sculpture, commissioned in 2007 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the building of the road. Aireys Inlet Farmers Market takes place on the second Sunday of the month from November until April at the local community hall.
Cimarron bed-and-breakfast, owned by Wade Chambers (see 'Local's view', below), is a colonial-style house built from large, hand-hewn local timbers. The property has great views to Point Roadknight and to the open ocean.
Each of the three guest rooms has a queen-size bed, private bathroom, television and video, with access to 1000 films and 3000 books.
Guests can relax around the wood stove in the large vaulted-ceiling living area adorned with indigenous art, or on the verandas surrounded by native bush gardens. Rooms from $150 a night. Phone 5289 7044, see cimarron.com.au.
With a solar-heated pool and barbecue facilities in pretty gardens, the rammed-earth Lightkeepers Inn Motel has air-conditioned accommodation from $135 to $165 a night on the Great Ocean Road. Phone 1800 032 639, see lightkeepersinn.com.au.
Ocean Inlet has three accommodation options, all with ocean and bush views: the shore house luxury apartment ($275 a night with gourmet breakfast provisions); the coral cove, two-bedroom accessible apartment ($250 a night); and the budget gazebo and camper's cabin ($90 a night). Phone 5289 7313, see oceaninlet.com.
Rent a beach house through Great Ocean Properties, phone 5220 0000, see greatocean properties. com.au, or Great Ocean Road Real Estate, phone 5220 0200, see greatoceanroadrealestate.com.au.
Pam and Kosta Talimanidis have contemporary Greek cuisine (fresh calamari and snapper are highlights) in their understated roadhouse restaurant A la Grecque, where tables sprawl out under market umbrellas by the gum trees. Phone 5289 6922.
Truffles Cafe Deli is a casual spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Excellent pizzas and good Thai dishes. The small deli sells fresh seafood. Fully licensed and BYO. Phone 5289 7402.
Enjoy old-fashioned Devonshire teas, cappuccinos and toasted sandwiches at the Lighthouse Stables and Tea Rooms, with its pretty gardens and gift shop. Phone 5289 6830.
Skinny Legs Cafe and Deli is a reasonably priced breakfast and lunch spot, with great coffee. Phone 5289 6006.
Events Aireys Inlet Open Mic Music Festival, March 12-14, is a free open forum for all types of music, from rock bands to solo acoustic acts. See aireysinlet.com.au/music.
About one-and-three-quarter hours from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road, between Anglesea and Lorne. More information See visitvictoria.com; visitsurfcoast.com. Sue Gough Henly travelled with assistance from Tourism Victoria.
"IT'S just on 40 years since I first laidmy American eyes on Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet - a wonderful moment for a boy born in the Oklahoma dust bowl," says Wade Chambers.
"Why would anyone leave this very special place? Parrots and cockies abound on our block and in the surrounding Great Otway National Park. From the veranda, I sometimes see 10 sorts of improbably coloured birds before breakfast and kangaroos boxing on the lawn after dinner.
"My partner and I enjoy beachcombing along miles of empty shoreline and rock-pooling on the seven little pocket beaches beneath the cliffs on which the town is situated.
"There are waterfalls in the Otways, orchids on Ted's Ridge Track, benches and lookouts on the Cliff TopWalk, horses to ride along the Old Coach Road and sophisticated wineries to visit nearby. These days, we even have a few highly rated eateries in the area. "Of course, Aireys Inlet is also the town that came back from the utter destruction of AshWednesday in 1983.
And if we have to, we'll do it again. After all, we're the original gateway to the Great Ocean Road and if we're still a little artsy-craftsy, we're also the inheritors of the community spirit that built that international touring landmark."
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