[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] O [/dropcap]ne of the many great things about the wonderfully named Pickled Pelican in Portland is that you can try it at any time of the day.

With opening hours from 8am to 10pm (Tues-Sun), it is a great spot for breakfast, morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea or a casual dinner, and it seems to draw a steady crowd for each one.

Its location helps, as it is the first, most interesting café you come to when driving into Portland from the east. The double-storeyed, whitewashed, restored old building is a great example of the city’s heritage architecture which is so vastly under-rated compared to Port Fairy.

Last week was my second visit to the Pickled Pelican. The first was for coffee and cake and both were fantastic. A sign of how seriously a café takes its coffee is how much it invests in a coffee machine and the Pickled Pelican has gone for a top of the range Ruggero that is so sexy, it is worthy of its own Facebook photos: and why not?

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] T [/dropcap]here is an excellent selection of cakes and biscuits, including a delicious lemon curd tart ($6) and the tempting chocolate pistachio Vienna biscuit ($3.50) that was proving a hit with the 11am coffee crowd.

Four-legged patrons are also not forgotten, with the Pickled Pelican offering a puppycino – yes – for dogs that is made up of puppy milk, liver slivers and a dog biscuit. (You never told me about those! – Barney, the bluestonemagazine cocker spaniel).

For lunch last week I tried the vegetarian toasted Turkish bread sandwich ($13.90) because it promised field mushrooms, which I love. It was soft, moist and very filling.  My fellow diners were keen on the soup of the day which was a creamed mushroom with a generous serving of toast ($14) that looked equally as delicious.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] C [/dropcap]hef and manager Katy Sullivan has worked hard to create something classy and different for Portland and if the diverse clientele is anything to go by, she has succeeded. Local public servants appear to favour it as a place for a working lunch, with nooks and crannies both upstairs and downstairs for a quiet meeting.

The breakfast bar at the front of the café, meanwhile, draws backpackers, older couples and people just popping in for a quick coffee … but the morning sun pouring in through the tall windows makes it hard to leave.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] K[/dropcap]aty has also introduced themed dinner nights that have proven really popular among those hankering to try different cuisines such as French, Moroccan, Thai, Mexican and Indian. Other nights there is tappas and live music.

Next time, I hope to be able to get across to Portland one evening to try the Pickled Pelican after dark because I have a sense it would be jumping.

All our reviews are independent: we pay for what we try.

[box] Pickled Pelican, 137 Percy St, Portland. Ph: (03) 5521 1641.[/box]

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After living in Tasmania for a time,  the bar had been set very high for bushwalking. A visit to Cape Bridgewater, however, exceeded all expectations.

 

 

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #DDCE8D;”] E [/dropcap]xactly where the Great Ocean Road comes to an end in south-west Victoria is open to debate, but those who turn off too early – say, at Port Fairy – are missing one of the most spectacular beaches and cliff top walks in the state.

Cape Bridgewater is only 20km west of Portland and wraps itself around a long, crescent-shaped beach that is perfect in itself for a long walk, but the real joy lies in a two-hour return walk to the tip of the cape that takes in two seal colonies.

You can prime yourself for the walk ahead with a morning coffee at the charming Pickled Pelican café in Percy St, Portland – say that three times quickly – or breakfast at the funky Bridgewater Bay Café that has absolute waterfront views. (Unlike many beach cafes, this one is open all year round).

The walk starts with steps up from the carpark about 100m west of the café, although we still managed a wrong turn and ended up on a wheelchair ramp rather than the steps, which was slightly embarrassing.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #DDCE8D;”] F [/dropcap]rom the carpark, the track meanders high along the farmland boundary before descending to the shoreline where Seals by Sea Tours run seasonal boat trips out to the seal colonies, cutting the travel time to a few minutes. For those who like to walk, however, the trek is just beginning.

The track rises up to the cape in a steady climb, but is still steep enough in parts to work up a sweat on a warm day and requires a reasonable level of fitness (be sure to carry a water bottle, and binoculars are also handy).

The views as you move up and along the cliff face become increasingly spectacular and are equal to those of the more famous parts of the Great Ocean Road around Port Campbell and Peterborough.

[quote type = “center”] Allow time for plenty of stops to take photos, as on a clear day, the views across the bay are vast and breathtaking.[/quote]

While the scenery alone is worth the walk, Cape Bridgewater is also home to the largest mainland colony of fur seals in Australia and there are two viewing platforms from which to watch them at rest and play.

The first platform overlooks a flat rock that is equivalent to a seal sun bed, while the second, at the end of the walk, looks down on a reef that the seals use for surfing (this is where the binoculars come in handy).

[quote type=”center”] While wildlife is wonderfully unpredictable, we were lucky enough to see a dozen or more seals frolicking in the surf and catching waves like Kelly Slater.[/quote]

The geology of the area is also fascinating, with the tip of Cape Bridgewater actually part of a volcanic crater – such facts always make my head spin.

After a packed lunch, the return walk was less arduous, being mostly downhill, but equally as beautiful, with the mid-afternoon sun shimmering on the water.

This is a walk that is not too long, not too difficult, and very rewarding: perfect for a fine spring day.

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