Here we go again - when I get in the car each time we leave an area I hum that tune 'On the road again' or 'Hit the road Jack' - it's become a bit of a habit. Anyway, we left Mildura on another lovely day to head towards Bendigo. Not in a hurry & not too many miles to cover, just taking our time as we are due at our friend Janine's in Trentham on 20th. It will make a good base to see the area & nice to see her again.
Our first tourist stop was to be not far out of Mildura to see the 'Red Cliffs' along part of the river, but after following a 'tourist drive' which only took us through some residential streets, then out to a scruffy rural bit, we still didn't find them, so gave up. They are not very good sometimes with their signage to things like that, but highway road signs are another matter & are excellent. Also in this little township was an historic machine called 'big Lizzie'. Stu was very keen to view it & took photos. It was used in the 1800's to clear scrub & is the most incredible looking machine of HUGE proportions. They do value their heritage & history here I feel, & there are all manner of machinery, carts, buildings etc from the old days Continuing on we passed through lots of little towns, most of them looking a bit depressed with lots of closed shops. The very worst was a town called Charlton which was one of those hit worst by the floods in January, their 3rd hit. Most of the shops were closed & in the window of one were displayed photos of the town in flood. It was absolutely heartbreaking to see the devastation & be actually there in person - the impact of it all was somehow much greater, & we went away feeling quite sad & depressed for them. People we saw in the street looked that way too, hardly a smile among them. It would have been quite a charming little place I imagine. Had a lovely little park & a great caravan stopping place run by the local council. The set up was two brick buildings which were set up as ensuites (4 to each building) & parking space around the 4 sides for 4 caravans. You had a key for your own ensuite & also power & water. Don't know what it cost but I imagine it wasn't too expensive. We didn't stay as it was too soon for us unfortunately. I almost felt like staying just to try & help the town with a little bit of revenue. Continuing on we headed for a free parking place we found in our 'travellers bible - just a rest area really), but fine for one night. It was just far enough off the highway not to be too noisy & looked over a lake in the distance. We arrived there for lunch & had a very relaxing afternoon for a change, just reading in the sun (& yes, that means Stuart too)! The highway isn't a busy one, so it was pretty quiet & we were fortunate to get a lovely sunset that evening.Second day out, still on the flat & not much of interest. Stuart has discovered the cruise control, so has been 'foot free' for much of the day, though he says it gets a bit boring not doing anything. It is so long & flat he can almost be 'hands free' as well, but I didn't encourage that as you can imagine. Our next campsite was also to be a free one, beside a reservoir about a km off the highway. We arrived to find a big area of it already taken up by what looked like 'squatters' with their toilet & shower tents etc. Also had most of it roped off. However we drove in to see what space there was for us & before we could get out of the car were met by an older couple who more or less told us that they would prefer we didn't park there as their family would be back for Easter which was why there was several caravans & tents. We could have said they had no right to keep us out, but we weren't keen on being so near them anyway although they looked OK. Informed us they had been there 4 weeks. Anyway, we found another spot a reasonable distance away which wasn't too easy to get into, but thankfully Stu is so good backing the van. It was right on the edge of the lake & was really beautiful when we arrived with the sunshine & reflections. Gum trees do make great reflections I must say. Also quite a lot of birdlife & although we have purchased a bird book, it's usually pretty hard to see them. Must get binoculars. Late in the day another caravan arrived & parked behind us blocking our exit, but asked if it was OK because they would be leaving early next morning. We went off to explore round the edge of the lake & take photos - couldn't get right around as it was blocked by a fence about halfway. We did however find the most beautiful rocks - like granite with lovely seams of colour. We think it was actually a type of sandstone as we had seen some at Mungo Park which had been made into an aboriginal sculpture with carvings in it. Would love to have some for my garden at home!
We had a good night in peace & tranquility & set off for Bendigo next morning.
Bendigo turned out to be much larger than we had anticipated. We spent the night at the local showgrounds which was quite full of caravans & large trucks which puzzled us a bit until we realised that it was a carnival entourage getting organised for the Easter weekend. Luckily we didn't have to park near them all though they certainly had the better sites. However it didn't matter to us as we were only staying one night anyway. It wasn't the quietest place but for only $20 with power, water & ablutions, who can complain. We set off to the i-site to get all the local info, then walked round town a bit looking at the old buildings etc. The city is quite well laid out & has some lovely parks as do most of the towns we have passed through, even the little rundown ones. The autumn trees were looking quite nice too but everywhere we go we are told they are not as stunning as usual, possibly because the summer has been so wet. We were quite keen to visit the tram museum but after walking there found it was closed for renovations. We would have thought the i-site would have had some indication of that, but we have found a couple of times that this has happened. Bendigo was a huge gold mining area, so there is a lot of history in the surrounding area. In the afternoon Stuart decided he would like to go down an old gold mine called 'Central Deborah' mine, situated more or less in the city area. I was not keen, being a bit claustrophobic in underground spaces, so he set off & I had a nice quiet couple of hours reading in the van - thought I would be in the sun outside, but it was a cool wind unfortunately. The gold mine trip was most interesting according to Stu who enjoyed it thoroughly & learned quite a lot. We are to head to Trentham today where we will park at the home of our friend Janine, but have the day to fill in so will take an indirect route & stop at Castlemaine. Not a very pleasant day with showers & quite cold, so we have lots of layers of clothes on. Again there is lot's of history, - we found this HUGE antique shop which had a whole room of china plates all displayed in racks etc, plus anything you could possibly want to restore an old house. Some was reproductions, but very, very nice. They had books, records, old biscuit tins etc. Really, really interesting, & just perfect to peruse on a cold, wet day. We decided to have lunch out for a change - lovely home-made soup! We discovered a gorgeous little cottage called 'Tea with Grace' Tearooms - unfortunately after we had eaten lunch. I am missing going to my freezer full of home-made food & also missing having an oven, but I guess it's a good excuse not to cook too much. We still take it in turns, though not on a day to day basis. Hate to admit it, but we are enjoying the meat here better than at home, even the lamb. Not so the chicken or the vegies - they don't have the same flavour. Most of the coffee at cafes is OK, but like home, you get disappointed at times. Anyway, we left Castlemaine & finally ..... some hills again. Unfortunately it was still pretty grey & cloudy, but we could see the Great Dividing Range in the distance shrouded in cloud. Took a bit of a tourist route - not deliberately, but Mrs GPS must have had a sleep & took us astray. Turned out rather nice travelling through some delightful little areas, all old & historical & oozing charm. Lots of autumn trees, horse studs, a few cattle, & a bit of citrus growing, including cumquats. Finally arrived at Janine's where we realised there was no way we could get the van under the carport to park in her back section. There was however a big grass area down the side which I believed was also hers & we found an area we could cross the culvert to go onto it. Stu was concerned that it may not belong to her, but I was quite certain it was. Janine was still at work in Melbourne as she had informed us & so we left the car & van still hitched till she arrived home. To keep ourselves warm, we wandered up to explore the village, about the size of Paparoa. It is really old with original old shops, some empty, but it is so charming. Most of them have charming names as well, like 'Miss Marples Antiques' & one had a giant pink pig outside standing on two hind legs which are in a pair of men's boots, & drinking a glass of beer from a straw. So comical. There are several very old hotels., a recently opened art gallery, a small supermarket, several craft shops etc. It is becoming quite a little tourist stop as it's only about 1.5hrs drive from Melbourne. Also lots of retired folk, but many houses owned by people from the city as weekenders. Janine duly arrived home & Stu was correct & it was NOT her land, but a phone call to her neighbour who owned it fixed that problem, as she was only too happy for us to park there right alongside her carport, which means we don't have to get wet going in & out of her house. She has a gorgeous little place with a nice stand of gum trees next door which attract lots of kookaburras & cockatoos. Naturally we had a lot of catching up to do, so Stu had cooked some fried rice for dinner ready for her return & we bought dessert for a change, & ate & talked with Janine's lovely warm fire going.
Very cool, you have been busy little bees, when does the relaxation begin?
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