Lakes District

19/10/2018 Friday R & R slept well enough and woke to a camp area shrouded in mist but it was not cold.  After breakfast, the mist had cleared enough for R & R to walk back down town so RL could take some photos.  It gave the canvas time to be almost dry before packing it down.  By 9:40am, R & R were away for Longford 27kms east where the road ran almost parallel to Princes Highway only south a few kilometres.  A rail line ran near the road.  R & R saw one dairy farm with cattle and overhead irrigation to the north of the road before the Holey Plains State Forest began.  There were many log trucks heading west and RL found he had picked up a couple of stone chips in his windscreen.  Where it was not forest, cattle grazed on land that was, more or less, cleared from its reeds and coastal vegetation.  Longford, at about 60m above sea level, looked like a suburb of Sale (5kms north) as a sign indicated Sale Golf Club.  RL turned south to Seaspray 25kms away where, shortly, there was a turn off to the Longford Oil and Gas Processing Facility (Esso & BP).  Not long after, there was a very large market gardens and sheds, part of the Covino Farms vegetable giant.  R & R also saw other activity like a pure bred Arabian horse stud, kennels and cattery, sheep, cattle and horses with crops and on-farm silos.  The road was good and looked very pretty with light and shade cast on it by the densely wooded nature strip.  Being coastal, R & R could see some gums trees but there was also paperbark and bracken and some paddocks with reeds and rushes.  The entrance to Seaspray, an avenue of very large and very ancient conifers, heralded a delightful seaside village.  It had been a sunny drive, and nearing 10:30am, but a dense mist hovered over the coastal dunes and beach.  R & R sat in the Ute and had a coffee while RL chatted first with his sister, E, and then with M, an acquaintance.  By that time the mist had cleared and RA had a great time searching for shells on the lovely golden yellow sand.  Even if the weather had been warmer, R & R would not have gone swimming as there were signs about currents and undertows.  By 11:30am, R & R were headed back north for Longford and then turning east 30kms to Golden Beach.  The road was undulating and flanked by coastal vegetation on both sides, in between cleared land with channels, irrigation, crops and cattle. Some paddocks were less cleared and reeds grew in the pasture.  Dutson Downs, Glencoe Lime, Dutson Gravel and a soils and organics recycling plant were seen south of the road with settling ponds, as was Lake Coleman to the north.  RA also noticed a RAAF Firing Range which had about 3-4kms road frontage on the north.  RL drove over Lake Reeve causeway into Golden Beach about 12:30pm.  It took R & R a while to select their camping spot as the RV area was in the same carpark as their market (which just happened to be the next day) and the alternative area was thick with mosquitos.  Eventually, R & R make a compromise and set up to have lunch followed by a cat nap.  About 2:30pm, R & R set off for the township of Loch Sport which has Lake Victoria on its northern side and the ocean on its south and is surrounded by the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park.  Loch Sport is also known for the 90 Mile Beach.  A gas pipeline follows the coast closely from the plant near Longford to the far end of the coastal parks near Lakes Entrance.  On the northern side of the road, about half way, R & R saw one farm, Wellington Park, which had sheep and crops and bordered Lake Wellington but for the rest there was coastal park lands with typical vegetation including many banksias and ti tree, white, pale pink and dark pink. in bloom.  Closer, there was a type of wattle in bloom as well.  RL drove through Loch Sport to the far end which was more hilly and then out to the surf beach at Stockyard Hill.  That meant driving over the causeway which traversed the coastal flat swampy area.  A Loch Ness Monster and its baby had been planted there and was worth a shot despite the fact that the area had that swampy coastal smell.  The beach, part of 90 Mile Beach, was windy and had many blue bottles along the water line with the shells so RA put her thongs back on her feet.  Again, there were warnings about currents and the dangers of swimming.  R & R had a cup and rang their daughter, S, briefly.  RL drove back through town but on the other side near the Marina and beaches on the edge of Lake Victoria.  There, RA found, not shells, but lovely smooth flattened rocks with lines running through them.  It was near 5:00pm, when R & R returned to Golden Beach and the camper.  They went down to the beach for a quick look before settling into the camper for the evening.  The wind had come up a little and it was much cooler.  RA wrote her diary and RA read his book for a while before contemplating dinner.  They rang and chatted with C, RA’s brother for a while.  Their son, S, rang and then their daughter, S, after which R & R downloaded RL’s photos onto the laptop and looked through them, deleting as they went.  It had been a lovely day with all that water … shells and smooth pebbles.

20/10/2018 Saturday R & R slept well and woke to a pleasant 16*C at 7:00am to find that the day had already reached its maximum and was forecasting rain all afternoon.  With that in mind they set about going to Sale to do shopping and return by lunch time if the forecast was fulfilled.  At 9:00am, R & R left the camper and returned to Longford 18kms that they had travelled out on the day before.  They had seen signs being posted for a cycling event the day before.  On their way into Sale they passed many cyclists, of all ages and experience, participating in a fund raiser, riding bicycles for MND. Then they turned north for 6kms towards Sale.  The entrance to the city of Sale from Longford was really just a series of bridges over rivers: Long Waterhole, Latrobe, Thomson, and causeways over flood ways: Graingers and Cox.  The Port of Sale was the Gippsland’s first city and has a history rich in shipping as a port in the early days.  About 9:30am, R & R parked near the information centre which was not yet opened so they headed off downtown.  They checked out at least half a dozen different op shops and planned where to park for their shopping.  They returned, a couple of hours later, to the Ute via the information centre where they were given some ideas for their jaunt towards the NSW border along the coast.  At the Ute, R & R had coffee and rang RL’s brother, S.  It had been cool and slightly damp but the sky was darkening when they went into the shopping centre.  When R & R came out with their groceries, it was raining heavily, as it did most of the return journey to Golden Bay.  It was about 2:00pm before R & R were unpacking and thinking about lunch.  Having a cat nap with rain pattering on the roof and canvas was pleasant; much more pleasant than trying to do some sightseeing.  S, their daughter rang, just to say how happy she was with the tyre job that had been done on her car.  After a cup, about 4:00pm, R & R went to have a shower before doing a draft check on a post and selecting some photos for it.  For some reason, RA prepared dinner a little early so they ate early.  That left plenty of time for RA to write diary and publish the post they had worked on, while RL read.  The rain had eased a little and RA hoped it would be dry in the morning … to pack down and head for Mass in Sale.

21/10/2018 Sunday It was 10*C when R & R woke at 6:30am, though it felt a little cooler.  The rain had long since ceased and things were beginning to dry out.  After breakfast, R & R set about packing down and heading back to Sale 32kms for 9:30am Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral.  It was 8:15am when they left Golden Beach so they knew they would be early.  As they drove into Sale, large crowds were drawn to the huge Charity Variety Markets, held on the third Sunday of every month on the Thomson River Canal Reserve just down-stream from the Port of Sale itself and the town.  RL was particularly interested to find out about the Port part of Port of Sale so he determined to go back to the information centre and find out after church.  The Cathedral was full and a choir sung with the piped organ.  So many different churches R & R had visited; different buildings and communities in different parts of Australia.  R & R went straight to the laundromat, knowing full well that it would be at least an hour to get the clothes washed and dry again.  It did not matter too much as RL spent most of the hour on the phone first to his brother-in-law, J, and then to his sister, R.  That done they headed for the dump and water point to fill up the water tank before popping into the information centre about 12:30pm.  It was true, as R & R suspected, that the Port was about a shipping route that connected to the rail heading inland in days gone by.  The canal from the port to the junction of the Latrobe and Thomson Rivers was made to complete a series of waterways and lakes running parallel to the coast all the way to Lakes Entrance and then out into the Bass Strait.  As the crow flies Sale is about 100kms from Lakes Entrance but the shipping route would be much longer than that considering that the Gippsland Lakes System covers 400 square kilometres.  It is known as the longest inland waterway in the southern hemisphere.  RA was particularly keen to see the swing bridge, under the impression that it was a suspension bridge.  R & R soon learned that it was not a suspension bridge, rather a bridge that rotated on a turntable to allow ships and boats, that were too tall to pass under the bridge, to pass through.  They were totally impressed with the engineering that went into making it happen.  The bridge, built between 1880-1883, had neat brick ramparts at each end.  Only about 6m at either side was fixed not to swing.  The cogs and wheels were huge!  People sat patiently fishing despite a couple of jet skis roaring upstream.  The day had become sunny and a pleasant 17*C so R & R ate lunch at the Ute in the shade.  To RA’s surprise she saw smoke where a fisherman had lit a fire in preparation for fish, which he had caught, for lunch.  It was 2:00pm when R & R headed for Stratford 20kms north on Princes Highway.  The railway line ran near the road which was flanked by lovely big gum trees on both sides.  Cattle and sheep were grazing on farming land that was either dry with a green tinge or wet and green from being irrigated for feed or silage. Stratford on the River Avon as its Welcome sign puts it, is believed to have got its name from the fact that Shakespeare was born in Stratford which is on an Avon River in England.  With this in mind, Stratford has an annual festival with a Shakespearean theme.  There was very little water under the bridge as RL drove into town and parked on the main street.  R & R walked up and down to take in the atmosphere of the little town and were enchanted with the playground which had a couple of wooden carved throne seats and a sculpture about sister towns around the world.  RA was fascinated to read a board about the treatment of Aboriginal people in the area in the 1840-1850s.  It did not take RL long to arrive at Providence Ponds, a rest area on the Perry River, 18kms east of Stratford.  R & R set up, had coffee and a half hour cat nap.  They facetimed their son, Z, and tried ringing their daughter, H.  She was busy and grandson, R, took the phone and monopolised to conversation for ages before promptly terminating the call.  RL read while RA wrote her diary until it was time to start dinner.   R & R chatted with RL’s sister, E, while they were cooking dinner and then with their daughter, S, while they were eating.  H, their other daughter rang briefly.  R & R read until it was time to go to bed.  R & R had had a quiet … but pleasant day.

22/10/2018 Monday R & R woke to a cool morning of 7*C and RA’s nose knew it.  The forecast was for a lovely sunny day so there was no need to worry, just get on with it.  After breakfast R & R packed down and were on their way east on Princes Highway to Bairnsdale 35kms away.  Most of the way, there was road works at some stage or another with sections of 40kms/hr.  R & R saw sheep cattle, horses (even a couple of Clydesdales) and crops growing on undulating countryside.  There were big trees in the nature strip and in the paddocks, along with some that still had coastal reeds in the pasture.  While the lakes to the south could not be seen, the mountains of the Great Dividing Range were against the northern horizon less than 50kms away.  Bairnsdale calls itself the Commercial Capital of East Gippsland.  RA had to agree as there were many camping (including Jayco), machinery and vehicle (including Kenworth) sale yards on the 5km, or so, along the entrance into the CBD and on the other side.  There were lights and fast food outlets and both of the big supermarkets.  RL pulled in to refuel before stopping opposite the information centre next door to St Mary’s church.  By 9:30am, it was already a pleasant 16*C when R & R sought information and maps.  They were encouraged to look into the church and told that guided tours were given.  R & R were delighted to be greeted by a tour guide and to be told the details about the church and, in particular, the paintings.  The first part of the church was built in 1913 and the front with its spectacular tower was added shortly after.  Paintings, adorning the entire ceiling and walls, were created by Francesco Floriani, during a four year period from 1931-35.  Out of work during the depression, Floriani, who had trained in painting in Italy before emigrating, asked the priest if he knew where he might find employment.  When the priest discovered he was a painter he asked him to paint a couple of statues.   From that he was commissioned to paint the whole church.  The works, which depict catholic faith, are copies of frescos of the famous Italian artists.  But … there’s a twist.  The faces of many of the characters are of known persons: the artist himself, his daughter, the housekeeper, the priest and it is believed that the faces of the approximately 400 angels resemble students from the school at that time.  Floriani went on to paint at the Regent, Plaza and Forum in Melbourne.  The Church and its famous paintings were heritage listed but in need of some restoration so R & R were pleased to contribute to the fund.  About 11:00am R & R had a cup of coffee before walking all round Bairnsdale with their map of the op shops.  They popped into 7 out of the 11 marked on the map RA was carrying.  By 1:15pm, it was 24*C and R & R were in need of lunch before driving 22kms east on Princes Highway to Swan Reach.  Immediately, the road lead them on the bridge over the beautiful Mitchell River with boats moored alongside and past the Patties/ Four & Twenty factory and the Gippsland Adventure Park.  There were road works along the road which drove through undulating to hilly countryside supporting cereal cropping, sheep, cattle, wineries.  RL drove through the twin river townships of Nicholson on the Nicholson River and Johnsonville on the Tambo River. Johnsonville had a Black Stump outside its Post Office.  Both were lovely towns with lovely rivers.  A few kilometres further Swan Reach, also on the Tambo River, was another lovely settlement.  There RL turned south for 8kms following the Tambo River a while towards Metung.  RA had asked the Navigator to assist them to find the RV rest area on Rosherville Rd but RL realized he had gone too far and stopped.  Enlisting the help of Wiki Camps was not much better.  R & R were just about to drive away when they spotted a tiny area with an RV sign on it that had been hidden from view when they first drove past.  Relieved R & R set up and were having coffee by 3:00pm, followed by a cat nap and a reading session.  About 4:30pm, they walked up the hill overlooking the rest area to a lookout over the area where Chinaman Creek came to Bateman’s Bay with all the water craft moored along both sides.  Their daughter, S, rang so R & R returned to the camper to chat in comfort. After dinner, R & R began to read and write but they set the books and laptop aside when RA’s sister, J, rang as they had not spoken with her in the couple of months she had been on holiday in Canada.  There had been all manner of bird calls in the afternoon around the camper which had silenced as darkness fell … allowing a frog chorus to take up where they left off.

23/10/2018 Tuesday Eventually, the frogs ceased croaking and R & R slept.  It was 6:30am when they woke with a pleasant start to a promising day.  RL rang his brother-in-law, J, to see how he was going and agreed to ring back the next day.  It was 8:15am as R & R set off back to Bairnsdale 33kms and they could not help noticing, again, how picturesque it all looked with the rivers, undulating countryside and lots of native and domestic trees lining the roads and waterways.  RL was particularly observant about the stone walling along some sections of waterway, which they later found out was an attempt to reclaim and preserve river banks for the protection of flora and fauna in the lakes area.  Just short of the Bairnsdale CBD, a road swung under the bridge and RL followed it towards Paynesville about 16kms south.  The road followed the Mitchell River closely and again the vegetation was pretty beside the river and road with a swamp just before the turn off to Eagle Point.  RL took a short detour until it ran out near a rail trail bike/hike bridge.  Further south, RL followed the road to Eagle Point Reserve.  RL was keen to see the Mitchell River Silt Jetties, which run between Jones Bay and Lake King, and he was not disappointed.  The map RA was following indicated that a road, despite being unsealed and stating not suitable for caravans, led to Point Dawson and a jetty about 7kms away.  As they had left the camper at Metung, they were able to drive all the way to the point.  The silt jetties have been built up over thousands of years, probably 6-10 thousand years which is young geographically speaking, from silt coming down from flooding inland up the Mitchell River and are the longest in the world.  The two strips of land run closely together varying in width from about 70m down to less than 20m.  The reserve itself is a habitat for wildlife, in particular birds, and for flora to support them.  It is popular for fishing, walking/riding and bird watching.  R & R saw black swans (one pair had a couple of cygnets), pelicans, ducks including the striking but common, Mallard with its green head and white banded neck, ibis, grey egret and falcon.  They also saw jelly fish in the water below the jetty!  About 10:00am they returned to Eagle Point and drove up to Bluff Point Lookout, where the cliffs of sand were fenced, for good reason.  The drop to the water below would prove fatal!  From there, R & R went into Paynesville itself to take a look around.  They popped into an op shop they just happened to drive past.  RA’s map showed that there were three islands off the Paynesville coast.  The largest was only accessible by ferry with a fee, the smallest was only accessible by footbridge, but the third had a bridge that was traversable by car.  R & R drove onto Fort King Island and took a look around.  They were simply amazed at the number of black swans who barely ruffled when R & R approached and who seem so at ease to rest with their beaks under their wings as they bobbed on the water.  It was just before noon when R & R returned to Bairnsdale where they did a book exchange and picked up a few groceries before returning to the camper at the Metung rest area for lunch and a cat nap.  By 2:30pm R & R were heading about 5kms along the foreshore of Bancroft Bay with its marina to the settlement of Metung itself.  They went to Shaving Point and saw the catamaran with tourists scouring the bay for dolphins which can be seen in season.  They also saw the replica of the Charles Edward, which was a paddle steamer used for passenger travel in the 1860s.  It would leave Melbourne for Sale, Bairnsdale and Stratford via Port Albert.  Other steamers like the Avon and the Murray where used for ferrying cargo of all types.  R & R went out onto the Metung Wharf but the afternoon had come up cool and blustery so they were ready to return to the camper for a while to read and write before dinner.  They planned to take the boardwalk which runs near the road, over the waters of Bancroft Bay as far as the marina, to look for dolphins and find Legend Rock in the morning.  Apparently, the dolphins found in the lakes area are called Burrnan and are the oldest of dolphins; all others following them.  RL also read on his ipad and RA sorted her photos and entered the daily details like places been and money spent on hers.  About 5:30pm RA began a new book, having finished Sean Scullin’s adventures up the Gregory River in Queensland in a dinghy.  J, rang to give R & R an update on his position after which G, RL’s brother rang and chatted while R & R prepared and ate egg and bacon burgers for dinner.  S rang was her habit most days about that time.  The frogs were not as loud as they had been the night before … so all boded well for a good sleep. 

24/10/2018 Wednesday.  R & R woke a little earlier than usual at 6:30am to a not too cool 11*C and were off for their walk, along the boardwalk, straight after breakfast.  They walked just past the Metung Yacht Club on the Bancroft Bay boardwalk to where Legend Rock sits in the water’s edge.  There were three rocks but, in the process of developing the road, two were removed.  The rock is significant to the Aboriginal people as it reminds them not to be greedy.  Legend goes that three men had plenty to eat but would not share with their dogs, so the women, who were keepers of the law, turned them into stone.  RL did not get to see any dolphins, even though a lady R & R chatted with said that most mornings they follow her along as she walks.  He was pleased to be able to capture the construction works of the continuation of the boardwalk where a digger sat on a pontoon in the water and was hammering posts into the lake floor.  By 8:45am R & R were heading north 17kms to Swan Reach and then 9kms to Lakes Entrance.  It was undulating to hilly countryside with cattle and crops and lovely big trees in the paddocks and on the nature strip.  Again R & R saw the brilliant red rosellas that are seen in the area.  At Kalimna, a couple of kilometres west of Lakes Entrance, the road took a sharp turn round the side of a hill and headed directly down into the township with the information bureau near the round-a-bout at the western end.  R & R parked over the road and sought information.  While there, R & R read and did a quick edit to a letter for S, their daughter.  They found a good parking bay along the Esplanade and chatted with J about his progress.  It would seem that he would not be available to have R & R visit for at least a couple of weeks more.  R & R walked up and down and all around the main shopping area and foreshore, taking in all but one of the eight op shops and the wooden carvings of Simpson and his donkey.  Shortly after noon, RL drove to the skate park, which is one of the many areas in Lakes Entrance that has a boat ramp, and toilet block and picnic area.  R & R had a shower there before having lunch, which they enjoyed while watching a bunch of lads practicing their skills.  They noted one guy who had beautiful fluid movement on a board which belied his ungainly walking gait.  RL headed back up the very steep hill to the lookout at the top which had adequate parking for caravans.  There they took a few photos looking out over the lakes, the entrance and all the waterways and channels.  The water was a brilliant aqua in the pleasant 14*C day and the breeze was neither too strong nor too cold as it had been earlier when they walked down town.  It was so lovely R & R walked half way back down the hill to the lookout below (without adequate space for campers or vans) to get a better view out towards the entrance and back over towards the town.  It was about 2:30pm when R & R headed east out of Lakes Entrance, up and out on a hill equally as steep and winding as the western entrance, 12kms to a rest area called Burned Bridge.  It was another spot on the Indigenous cultural trail and was mostly about the plant foods and other uses of plants, situated on the edge of the Lake Tyres State Park.  R & R had just pulled up when H, their daughter, rang so they chatted for nearly an hour over a coffee before setting the camper up for the night.  R & R walked around the area and took a photo of a unique, rotunda type, shelter that housed the information about bush tucker.  It was getting cooler by 5:00pm, so they returned to the camper and looked at maps before reading and writing and preparing dinner.  R & R’s dear friend, J, rang for a chat after dinner and then E, RL’s sister, rang.  It was extremely quite at the distance of 100m from the highway … even the wildlife was silent.