The Frasers come to town

We are still in Echuca, having spent 6 days here with Shelly Lili and Jack. I cant believe how fast the time has gone. I think we have seen everything Echuca has to offer. The old port area is steeped in history. It was restored in the 70’s and in the early 1980’s the mini series “All the rivers run” was filmed here and that really put Echuca on the map. It has been a very popular tourist destination ever since. This port was once one of the busiest in Australia, but when the rail came through, the port area died. We took a paddle steamer boat down the river. The water levels are about 4 to 5 meters down on normal, that is, since the drought began 6 years ago. The roots of the river red gums along the banks, are completely exposed. Lili and Jack were allowed to steer the boat for a short distance, and got a certificate for their efforts.

The pool in the caravan park was a great hit for the kids, as we had a couple of really hot days.
The Holden museum was also a winner with over 40 restored Holdens, from the 1950s to the 1990s.
With the school holidays a few weeks away, we were the only visitors to The Billabong Range, where you can play Mini golf, ride a pony/horse, see the baby animals , climb a rock wall etc. The whole property is a little aging but the kids had a great time.
On Thursday evening we enjoyed an early Christmas dinner together, as we wont be home till March. Roast dins, plum pudding and pressie frenzy, was as close as we could get to the real thing. Of course one of the gifts just had to be “All the rivers run”. Every shop in Echuca sells it .
We will all have dinner together tonight then Shelly and the kids will head back to the Central Coast in the morning. It has been great having them here and I feel sad to see them go .
Suddenly, we will have to start thinking about Where to next.. We have an extra day here free, so will probably take advantage of that (pay for 6 get the 7th free) and wash The Manna House inside and out before heading off in the direction of Swan Hill.

Just when you thought I had forgotton, here's another verse of "My Country"

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back threefold -
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze

Vicki

Marnie and Lili at the port of Echuca

Lili And Jack at the old port Echuca

Old paddle steamers.

More Lili and Jack

The Holden Museum

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Pony ride for Jack at Billabong Grange

And Lili too

The Old Port of Echuca from the Murray river.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The mighty Murray river

Jack and Lili steering the steamer down the Murray

Family portrait of the Frasers

The Grampians to Echuca

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart, around us,
We see the cattle die -
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Another stanza from Dorothy Mackellar‘s Wide Brown Land….this poem is so appropriate to Victoria and what we are experiencing at present. Out of the last 30 days, most have been blue skies and over 34C and as high as 44C and not a drop of rain. But in the last 3 days the temp has dropped to 22C and it has bucketed down, and I am sure the Victorians are rejoicing at the sight of all this rain.
After a second night of kangaroos parading around the camping ground, we left Hall’s Gap in the morning and enjoyed a visit to several local art galleries including one of the resident artists studio’s near by. Hall’s Gap has an excellent wild life park and there, we were treated to an extraordinary display of male peacocks endeavouring to rouse their female counterparts. With amazing colourful feathers spread out fan like, one of them shook the lot, sounding rather like a rattle snake. We were very impressed but alas, his female friend would have none of it and strutted off into the distance. The males even chased the ladies up a tree, but they remained adamant and would have nought to do with them.
Stawell was our next stop, though not far from the Grampians, Marnie though it might provide a good back drop of the range from which to paint. The van park was by a lovely lake, but alas the Gramps were not visible from there. It was another stinker, so we parked side long to the lake , just a few meters from it and although there was a sign saying “no swimming” it felt cooler just looking at it. We stayed 2 nights and did some sight seeing to the local points of interest, namely the “Big Hill”, great panoramic vista and the gold mine which is still productive.
On our way to Wedderburn, the wind suddenly picked up and we could see dust lifting off the ground in the brown, dry fields either side of the road. In no time, we were in the midst of a dust storm, being buffeted around by the wind. Large chunks of tree branches littered the road, so that Marnie had to take care not to hit one and we prayed none would drop onto the van. By the time we arrived in St Arnaud for lunch, the storm was over and we had gritty, sandy dust over everything inside. Then it rained, just a few drops, but enough to make lovely mud pies. Ah, the joys of travel!
Our water filter had begun to deliver at a painfully slow trickle ,seemingly blocked a little, so we decided to take a look at it. A bit like a lady looking under the bonnet of a car, not sure what you expect to see. Only problem was, we neglected to turn off the water first. Oops, an awful lot of water can escape before one has time to hop outside and disconnect the hose. Water gushed out in copious amounts, need I say more.
My computer battery had suddenly died, so we went looking for a new one in Bendigo, but without success as there are apparently too many different ones, so they must be ordered in. When we got back to the van, there was a note on the windscreen from the New Zealand couple we had met in the Grampians, asking us to join them for a cuppa at their camp site at Bendigo showground. As we were ready for lunch, we drove up there and it was great to see them again.
After Bendigo, we found an excellent free camp just 18 ks from Echuca by the Campaspse river. No sooner had we settled in, than it began to rain and continued quite heavily, all night. I’m sure the farmers were rejoicing. Its pretty much the only real rain we have had in 5 weeks.
It was exciting to arrive in Echuca the next day, knowing Shelly and the grandkids would be there by the afternoon. Arrive, they did, around 2.30pm, having driven all the way, from the Central Coast, about 900ks in all. They have a cabin opposite our motor home site and will be here for 6 nights. I think we will be having a great time together.

Vicki

Marnie and a pair cute deers at the wildlife park Hall's Gap

Mr Peacock persuing his lady who is not remotely  into it.

Even the back view is impressive

Sleeping beauty at the Hall's Gap wildlife park

Stawell camping by the lake

The lake at Stawell by our camp spot

The Lonely grave, Wedderburn

Interesting sunset Echuca Van park

Ballarat to The Grampians

Marnie in a wonderful second hand bookshop

                  in Castlemaine.

Here's a little more Dorothy Mackellar for all you poetry lovers.

A stark white ring-barked forest
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes,
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops
And ferns the warm dark soil

We are in The Grampians now, and finally the temperature has dropped to a comfortable 26C. Very pleasant for bush walking and rock climing (for those inclined to such things)
Driving to Ballarat we went through Castlemaine (great art gallery) Daylsford and Hepburn Spa. We were of the mistaken impression that we could have a dip in the natural springs at Hepburn.(not true) However, there was plenty of mineral water free at the pumps scattered around , so we filled several bottles. It was disgusting stuff. Tasted (and looked ) like rusty water!
We were happy to arrive in Ballarat after a long hot day. In the morning we dropped TMH off at the Jayco place to have an extra vent put in above the existing one and hoped that would fix the fridge problem, ( it has)  and took ourselves into the city for a good look around. Great art gallery here too and beautiful old restored buildings. This is a huge city with sprawling suburbs.
We took off for Dunkeld in the morning. It's at the lower end of the Grampians and trust us to arrive on what turned out to be, "the biggest day of the year " there. It was Race day and the small population of a few thousand had swelled to 12,000. There were glammed up girls and guys everywhere, and the races were due to start in an hour. The caravan park looked very full, so we were happy  to find they just had a cancellation and we could have a spot. We went for an evening stroll to the nearby wetlands and watched the sunset over the  beautiful Grampians. There was much merriment in the van park after the races.
It just keeps getting hotter! A short drive into the Lower Grampians and we stopped at one of the National Park's well set out camping areas. Loos and water available and bays marked out to camp. There was another couple stopping for the night, so we plonked ourselves next to them and tried to get some shade. The temp was a scortching 44.5C Most of the trees around this section of the park, were burt out in a big bushfire 3 years ago. It raged through most of the Grampians. There is a reasonable amout of regrowth now. Thankfully, the nights are considerably cooler, so we sat outside and had a cuppa with our New Zealand neighbours and enjoyed waching the kangaroos come out to munch the grass.
There are so many beautiful places one could camp in the Grampians, but it is strictly in allotted places only. We went to Halls Gap the nex day and drove up to the Wonderland car park.As the temp was now a much milder 26C we decided to do the Grand Canyon walk, described as a moderate in difficulty and about 2.5K around. Moderate it was'nt, difficult it was! I felt like a mountain climber by the time we reached  top, but it was rewarding with great views. We would love to have gone on to reach the Pinnacles, another hour or so upwards, but my knees simply would 'nt have coped. We did another delightful bush walk the next morning to a place called the Venus Baths, lovely rock pools and running brooks. Last night at dusk, the van park filled with kangaroos, dozens of them. Lots of joeys in pouches.....so cute, their heads hanging out to nibble the grass.

Vicki

Ballarat

Strange thing under a tree near Dunkeld

Our first glimpse of the Grampians

Beautiful old tree in the Arboretum at Dunkeld

The Wetlands near Dunkeld van park

Near sunset Dunkeld

The Grampians

This bush shower was in the camping ground called Jimmy Creek. Marnie tried it out.

Cute pregnant Wallaby at Jimmy Creek.

We made it to the top of rgand Canyon.

Evening in the Halls gap van park.

Marnie at Venus baths, Halls Gap.

The heat wave

I love a sunburnt country
A land of sweeping plains
Of ragged mountain ranges
Of droughts and flooding rains,
I love her far horizons
I love her jewel- sea
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!
Dorothy Mackellar.

Who remembers this from school? We had to learn it by rote and I still remember it. The countryside we drove through from Benalla to Yarrawonga ,reminded me of it. So wide and brown, not to mention flat as far as the eye can see.
We took a lovely lake cruise in Yarrawonga. Fascinating and eerie. There are dead red gums sticking up everywhere. (see pics)
We enjoyed 2 days in the local van park in a great spot over looking the Murray river and felt inspired to get into some free camping up towards Cobram. However, we don’t seem to have great success in that area, as the camps were badly sign posted and when we eventually found the one we were looking for, it was not really suited to a motor home , more like a 4 wheel track again. Feeling discouraged, we headed for Barooga and camped over night there. Happily they had a swimming pool, as the temp once more up to 36C.
My seat belt had a problem, failing to retract properly, so we took off for Shepparton, knowing there was a VW dealer there. And although it couldn’t be fixed on the spot, they were able to make a temporary adjustment so that it will work till it can be fixed. (a much bigger job than expected) Marnie also had a chance to see the chiropractor in Shepparton, and we had time to see the town (larger than expected)
The heat wave just keeps going and the fridge is once more a problem. We headed for Bendigo in 40C temps and by the time we arrived, most of the fridge contents had gone off. After a few hasty phone calls, we drove out to Kangaroo Flats and found a Jayco dealer who told us what the problem was (in his opinion) The fridge has been incorrectly installed with the vent about 8 inches too low, so that the hot air cant escape. That may well be the problem. However, he said he was booked out for months!! Thankfully, we were able to make an appointment with Jayco in Ballarat for 2 days hence then went out and filled the fridge with ice.
Bendigo is a beautiful city with an amazing art gallery, numerous attractive, historical buildings and a great way to see it all. They have a talking tram ride which takes you to the best attractions and you can get on and off at will and use the ticket for 2 days. Most enjoyable.
Vicki

Lake Malwala at Yarrawonga

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Marnie by the lake

Cockatoos enjoying a hole in the red gum tree.

The beautiful, mighty Murray river. to the left and Lake Mulwala below.

Check out the size of this one. You can pick your own strawberries at The Big Strawberry outside of Cobram.

Bendigo

One of the old trams used for the talking tram ride through Bendigo

Marnie trying out one of the trams in the tram museum, Bendigo.

The Kings Valley and 4 wheel driving

The beautiful Lake Benalla, near where we camped.

We have been out of Telstra range on and off as we drove through the King Valley, (so no blogging) for a while. It has been 36C for the last 3 days, so shade has taken on a new dimension when choosing where to stay.

We left Beechworth and planned to do a few recommended scenic drives, one was near town and only 5 Ks round and the other was 26 Ks via Stanley. The first was not really suitable for trucks, but we think of ourselves as a big car, so ignored the warnings and entered the narrow, one way drive. We travelled about 1 K and soon began to regret our decision as the road was very narrow with large boulders,very close to the road, threatening to wipe out the side mirror, skinny bridges and no turning back. What pipped us off, was the fact that it wasn’t even very scenic. We managed to make it through OK and should have taken that as a warning for the next drive. But no, ever suckers for punishment, we pressed on, only to find the next chosen route, which began with a lovely sealed road and fairly scenic, deteriorated into a 4 wheel drive track after about 8 Ks .Thus ended our second scenic drive!

We found a beautiful free camp at Everton, on the food and wine trail (a bit like the Hunter Valley) and thankfully there were already some people camped there. Situated on the Ovens river and very peaceful. We were joined later by another couple in a motorhome and had chats and drinks with them and got plenty of advice as they had been living on the road for 4 years and intended to" keep going".

We stopped at Brown Bros winery the next day and a few cheese/olives and other yummies type shops and stocked up a little on their goodies. Wangaratta was our next destination, but on arrival, found "no room at the inn". The whole town was booked out for the Jazz festival. We had no idea it was so big with lots of international jazz stars playing. It was also a long weekend due to people taking Monday off as Melbourne Cup day (Tues) appears to be a public holiday in Victoria. Benalla seemed far enough away to think we might get accommodated so drove there via Glenrowan, another town laying claim to Ned Kelly, but this time, in a big way. We have a Big Prawn and a Big Banana in NSW but Glenrowan has a Big Ned Kelly. He stands about 7 meters tall. The shops were selling Ned wine, wine holders, dolls and all manner of NK souvenirs . Come to think of it, almost every town for 150 Ks in all direction, has some claim on him and his family. Beechworth even had a cartoon picture of him playing tennis at the local lawn club! (as an inducement to join the club I suspect) see picture below.

The showground at Benalla offered cheap camping so we headed there and found a great spot near the Broken river, overlooking an oval and surrounded by trees with an excellent 4km walking track around the Lake/river. It was positioned opposite the town and art gallery, botanic gardens and most of the places of interest, and just across the river from the CBD, so we deemed it to be a beaut find and enjoyed our 2 days there.

We then moved on to Mansfield in the King Valley arriving in the middle of a big spring festival/street parade/market day. And again, accommodation wise, not much room left for the likes of us. We did manage to squeeze into the last available spot in the park close to town, but it was very noisy with a reunion of mid-life crises bikers, 60 or so of them, including the park owners. Anyway, the town was throbbing with excitement, so we had a look at the markets and art exhibitions and ate dinner at the local pub as it was just too hot (36C) to be cooking. A fairly noisy night ensued as the reunioners (if there be such a word) straggled back to the camping ground after a night of fun.

In the morning we checked out the local cemetery to see the graves of the young policemen Ned Kelly had shot (3 I think, all about 34 yrs old) then headed through the beautiful King Valley aiming for a free camp at Edi. It was again, a 36C day and our fridge was struggling badly. Most of the delicious produce we had bought, was rapidly going off and we ended up loosing a good deal of it. I think we had stuffed too much in, (the fridge, that is) but the situation has only improved slightly since tossing the ruined contents. We will need to have it looked at when we get to Shepperton. Meanwhile we are keeping the stocks down.
We found the Edi camp and it looked great, by a river with lots of other campers However, we could not see from the road well enough to note that they were mostly 4 wheel drivers. In we fearlessly ploughed only to find our progress halted by a large muddy puddle. Others had beaten a track around it, so we decided to follow suite. Not a good decision as we quickly found ourselves firmly wedged up against a tree stump unable to go forward or backwards without incurring some damage to the RV. I endeavoured to push the RV away from the said stump while Marnie revved hard and finally we were set free, only suffering a few dents and a bit of the stump wedged into the gap beside the door. We reversed our way out of there vowing not to attempt any more 4 wheel driving in a vehicle not intended for the purpose and backtracked, tail between our legs, to a van park 8kms down the road called Gentle Annie. It was pretty packed with long weekenders but once more, we were offered the last spot and gladly took it, even though there was no shade. Will the long weekend ever end! This would be a magnificent place to stay by the King River, if given the chance to choose your own spot. It is very popular, with people returning year after year (one family has returned 27 years running) On a stinking hot day (again 36C ) the river was icily refreshing. Hoping for more shade, we took ourselves off the next day to Moyhu, only about 15 or so kms down the valley and found the shadiest spot in the universe. The van park was only half full and a motor home had just pulled out, leaving us the best spot, under the huge, spreading branches of an Elm tree. Oh shade, glorious shade! Not to mention an inviting pool close by and the best amenities block we have yet come across. We quickly set up and began chats with our very friendly neighbours, later accepting their invite to join them for drinkies. The park emptied out rapidly in the morning as it was Melbourne cup day and the weekend was drawing to a close. Just in the nick of time too, as the morning temp had plunged to what felt like 10C (after a thunderstorm during the night) Now what do we do with all this shade!! Ya just cant win.

Vicki

Me stopping to smell the roses...unbelievabley strong perfume and some the size of a dinner plate...Milliwa



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Interesting bus shelter at Everton.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Big Ned with Marnie looking up his armour...Glenrowan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Reproduction of the Kelly family house.

It might have looked like this inside.

A bit of local wildlife at Benalla camp spot.

Did Ned Kelly really play at the local lawn tennis club?

The old Beechworth Post Office.

Mansfield spring fair...coach ride anyone?