High Country 1

8/5/2018.  Tuesday.  R & R were disturbed only once by a very heavy shower of rain but slept well.  At 6:45am, they climbed out of bed to have breakfast and chat with J before he went off on a job which D had already set out for. J left about 8:00am so it really was time for R & R to get serious about showering, sorting out stuff and packing down.  They took a break at 9:00am and had a cup with T before finishing up.  They agonised over the decision of whether or not to take or leave the bikes and rack.  In reality they had only used them three times since leaving home.  They decided to leave them in the hope that J could take them over to WA when he next goes back with the big truck.  Just before leaving at 11:00am, Jayco rang to say they had the smoked plastic protector for the fridge in stock so RL agreed to pick it up on the way out.  By 11:30am, R & R were on their way, driving east from Melbourne on Princes Hwy heading for Moe.  RL drove through Narre Warren, Berwick, Officer, and Packenham which are places that you would miss if you took the M1.  The land opened up into farming country shortly before Princes Hwy joined M1.  In this part of the journey the countryside was undulating to hilly but not mountainous.  They passed Gumbuya World which looked like a massive adventure playground and bypassed Warragul bound for information at Yarragon.  Yarragon is a lovely little township with lots of cafes and chocolate and lolly shops.  R & R ate lunch, and armed with information from a very helpful lady, set out for Walhalla, via Moe, just before 2:00pm.  Moe is a very big town only a few kilometres east of Yarragon so it was not long before RL drove north out of Moe 45kms towards Walhalla.  There, the road was a far cry from the big flat highways.  It was only one lane going each way, hilly and very winding with warnings to watch out for log trucks, motor cyclists and wombats. For a while the road passed through the Moondarra State Forest where there were tall trees are on both sides of the road before it opened up a little for some cattle farming. It passed through the settlement of Erica which was very pretty and grows spuds. Mt Baw Baw rises to the west and looks huge.  At Rawson, RL turned east towards Walhalla. The last 15kms or more was very winding and quite steep with hairpin bends suggesting 25-30kms/hr.  Massive trees and ferns line the road which had sections where the rock face has been netted to help prevent falling rocks.  It was fortunate that only one car had been following behind RL the whole time and that had been early on.  At Thomson Station the road goes over a bridge with water and a rail line under it.  At 3:15pm (an hour after leaving Moe) R & R arrived at Walhalla.  It really is a place that looks stuck in a time warp.  Gold was discovered here by Edward “Ned” Stringer in 1862 and in the years following 13 tonnes of gold was removed from the Long Tunnel Extended Gold Mine.  After the gold rush, the town all but died with only a few original buildings remaining. Others have been rebuilt in the style. At its height it boasted 4000 residents. Today there are only 20 with some of the people who work in town in the tourist industry driving in from nearby towns.  At North Gardens Campground, R & R dropped the camper and backed the Ute out of the way, had a coffee and set out for a walk to try and take some of it in.  They also wanted to check if any point up or down had Optus reception.  When they got back, they tested the Telstra dongle. RA was not too concerned as they had connected with most everyone the day before. When they got back at 5:00pm, they set up the camper with the flies, just in case, which took a total of 35 minutes.  They thoroughly enjoyed dinner before reading and writing diary.  By 8:00pm it was really getting chilly so it looked like they were in for a cooooool night … they would not even know how cool because they couldn’t get it on the phone.

9/5/2018. Wednesday.  It was a very cold night because the pillow felt damp where RA had blown air out but not so cold as to make the car windscreen icy.  We did however bring out the dressing gowns, mittens and beanies as they got up at 7:30am for coffee and breakfast and waited for the sun to begin warming everything. It shone first high up in the tress on the western side of the valley and then moved downward on them.  The toilet block was first in the camping area to benefit so after breakfast R & R stood there for a few minutes before heading off for a walk at 9:30am.  The first 150m was the only, but very, steep part, of the track.  The rest was then almost level about half way up the side of the valley with parts of it needing little bridges or rails for the tourist’s safety.  About half way along Walhalla has its mine site museum and tours.  All along the views down into the valley are spectacular showing the trees and ferns or the buildings in the valley below where Stringer Creek flows gently at this time of year.  By 11:00am they were back for coffee and a banana with the intention of an early lunch to be ready on time for the 1:00pm Train Tour.  The rail had fallen into disrepair after the rush ended (early in the 1900s) but enthusiasts have lovingly restored it and volunteers run it 3 times a day, every day of the year except Christmas.  Tickets (2 adult concession @$15 each) are like those issued when R & R were children!  The steam train puffs smoke as it clatters and rambles over trestle bridges, alongside Stringer Creek one way for about 15 minutes with a break at Thomson Station where tourists take a photo, toilet or shop break before returning.  On the way out everyone was madly taking photographs but on the way back they were just taking in all the scenery. R & R were back shortly after 2:10pm for a cup and chatted for a while with a lady who was traveling with two dogs before they went for another walk.  That time it was up the hill to the Cricket Ground.  A 45 minute, 2km round trip walk up and down the face of a hill to play cricket!  The walk up was steep and they stopped a few times to catch their breath as it zigzagged its way back and forth, while the walk down was easy. While they were on the oval (it still has a concrete pitch) RL sent a SPOT message so that everyone would know they were safe.  By 4:30pm they were back at the camper with plenty of time to read and write before preparing dinner. You could feel the cool moving in as the day ended.  Walhalla really is a sensory heaven.  You see: a kaleidoscope of shapes, forms, patterns, in every shade of green, and in autumn, yellows, gold and reds in the flora, dappled in light and shadow; the dichotomy of old and new buildings, lifestyle and technology.  You smell: various plants, earthy smoke on the train and campfires. You hear: water trickling over rocks, bird calls, wind whispering in the trees, trees creaking, voices travelling, train whistles and hoots.  You feel: breeze as the leaves fall from the trees and swirl, warm in the sunshine, cool in the shadow, damp where there is no light.  You sense: height and depth, everywhere. A special place … a special day for them!

10/5/2018.  Thursday.  It rained heavily at one point during the night and showered on and off at other times.  R & R were both restless for a while before getting out at 6:30am.  Because they had been warned that there would be snow at 800m and heavy wild weather for a couple of days, they set about breakfast and packing down as quickly as possible while it was clear.  Their fingers were near frozen as they packed the wet flies and put the cold metal bits away. By 8:40am, RL was driving out of Walhalla and back up and round all those hairpin bends.  RA was not even going to worry about it.  RL said, “It really is quite spectacular!” to which RA added, “… sparkling with the sun peeping through where it can!”  The sunlight strobed as the car passed through the trees.  Thomson’s Bridge, the point to which they came with the train the day before, was about 5kms.  In the next 5kms they saw at least a dozen cars driving down into Walhalla, an articulated truck with a digger on it and another truck but luckily there was nothing behind them wanting to pass.  R & R also saw the most unusual running bird, dark in colour, with a long thin feathery tail which, only later, did they realise was a lyrebird.  When they got to the turn off they stopped for a cup and to put the computer on charge on the Thumper.  Not sure about the Thumper?  It is an auxiliary self-contained power pack which is kept in the back of the Ute.  By 9:15am, R & R were heading 35kms for Traralgon via Tyers with the trees being so close overhead that the Navigator had difficulty getting a GPS signal. There was some farming land in between logging activity.  Coming down, they passed Matthew’s Quarry and stopped at a lookout for some photos of the three power stations in the La Trobe Valley below.  They had the CB on Channel 40 and the expressions “Cobber” and “Oooo Rooo” came up in between some swearing.  A generation ago no one would have sworn on the air!  Traralgon is a big centre with an information centre and they stopped there about 10:00am.  R & R walked round checking out the op shops and went to Chemist Warehouse for a couple of things.  After coffee and banana they headed for Glenmaggie via Hayfield.  It was lovely flat country with cattle and dairy farming and some irrigation, and the hilly country to the north and east.  Lake Glenmaggie was at its lowest in terms of annual cycles, with very little water and little activity.  On the shore line there was a boat clubhouse which would indicate that at other times it would be a hive of activity.  Although the day was dry, it was cloudy and the wind was icy cold.  R & R had late lunch, rang H, their daughter, and walked around taking some photos. About 1:30pm, they headed for Rosedale 27kms away. Rosedale is a community that is surrounded by dairies and a logging industry.  There is also a big fertiliser company and a new industry creating high tensile steel products.  It had been suggested to them that Willow Park, 2kms east of Rosedale near the La Trobe River bridge under Princes Hwy, would be a good free rest area for a couple of days if the weather was going to be bad.  As it was sunny, they set up the camper and were having coffee and ringing the local dentist by 3:00pm.  Yes!  They would have a space to fit RA in tomorrow.  Shortly after that R & R went down town just to check things out.  They spotted an op shop where RA found a long woollen jumper.  Then they drove past the dentist to make sure they could find it easily the next day and searched for the Neighbour Centre where they understood they could get a free shower and exchange books.  Just before 5:00pm they were back at the camper.  RA helped her husband sort out the photos on the computer and they proofed a draft for the blog before dinner.  After, RA paid the license on the Camry and then wrote some diary while RL read.  RA was so grateful … she was not fond of dentists but so glad that her tooth would be fixed.

11/5/2018.  Friday.  There was no rain overnight to R & R’s knowledge but it was cold even though officially it was only about 5-6*C.  Being just metres from the highway, it was extremely noisy but that was not the reason they had trouble sleeping. They were frozen especially their feet and they were both glad of morning.  One truckie about 6:00am thought everyone else should all be awake and hooted long and loud as he drove nearby.  R & R had breakfast and tidied up and were right on time to be downtown Rosedale at 9:00am to the Neighbourhood House for a free shower and book exchange.  They also bought a couple of tickets in the Mother’s Day raffle and a jar of pickles made as a fund raiser. At 10:00am they were back at the op shop where the day before RA had seen a hot water bottle!  If it was still there, they would buy it. Fortunately, it was and they bought a piece of cloth to wrap it in.  RA felt quite calm as she walked into the Rosedale Family Dentist.  She was just so happy that they could fit her in.  They were very warm and welcoming and the dentist was accustomed to working with children.  Because RA had lost the filling from the front tooth that had a root canal treatment, it did not need an injection which was great.  She, the dentist, and her mother, a doctor, had together set up the clinic about 18 months before as they were locals and could see a need for it.  RA was out in just under the hour and it had begun to rain with grey and damp setting in.  R & R popped into the other op shop, where they chatted with a lady who was lamenting the drought conditions in the East Gippsland area, before heading for Sale 24kms east just before noon. The countryside was veiled in a grey mist and there was road works happening almost half the distance so it was not easy to see much.  The Thomson River (Walhalla) comes to the sea at Sale and in earlier times a canal was made to move cargo from the rail past the lakes to the sea. It was only about 20 minutes before R & R were parked outside the courthouse in Sale having a coffee and banana and chatting with K, RL’s sister.  R & R walked over the road to the Port Sale library/information centre/café and art gallery.  The highlight in the gallery was the delicately intricate cloth and thread works of Annemieke Mein.  They feature Australian flora and fauna, in particular birds and moths.  R & R enjoyed looking through the raindrops on the library window at the boats on the canal of Flooding Creek which would have been even greater a delight on a sunny day.  Back at the court house at 1:30pm, they had late lunch in the car, before RL moved the car nearer the Plaza and they headed to the main street called Raymond St.  It features a clock tower which tolls a bell on the hour.  If you worked there you could be sure to know what hour of the day it was.  R & R popped in and out of six different op shops and RL found his wife a fabulous Gondwana jacket which fitted all the criteria and was near new for $10. After a look around the Plaza they did a quick food shop and headed for the two lakes down town.  At 4:20, R & R were parked between Lake Guthridge and Lake Guyatt drinking coffee and being entertained by a great number of water birds as they strutted and played antics in the autumn rains.  Twenty minutes later, they were heading back to Willow Park at Rosedale where they sat in the car appreciating the warm for a few more minutes before unpacking the groceries and shifting into the camper.  RL read while RA sorted food and looked at the maps.  RL joined her with the maps and they ended up being a little late with sweet and sour for dinner.  Their daughter, S, rang to tell them about her exciting day and somehow RA didn’t quite get to finishing the diary.  At least it was a warmer evening … and now they were armed with a hot water bottle.

12/5/2018. Saturday.  It was really not that cold but so snug and warm in bed that R & R were reluctant to get out . They got out at 7:00am and although RA would have liked to finish the diary, RL was anxious to get going.  So by 8:30am, they started packing down and were on our way, though they stopped downtown Rosedale to chat to S, their son, for a while.  RL drove 15kms on Princes Hwy to Morwell and by 10:10am it was a lovely 10*C and sunny.  Morwell is a big centre with a huge regional medical and hospital precinct, Energy Brix Aust. Federation Training, a lovely Federation Rose Garden and a clock tower.  It chimed on the half hour as R & R were coming out of the op shop.  About 10:40am, they headed for Warragul 50kms west where the M1 runs parallel to the rail line and agricultural activity includes cattle, dairy, potatoes, tomatoes and greenhouses. The Navigator had the Ute on the M1 bypassing Warragul and bound for Neerim 27kms north where a sign warned not to be carrying potato past that point. The country side became quite hilly and windy with warnings for motorcyclists of whom they saw many throughout the day. Walnuts are grown at Neerim and R & R saw many horses and two camels.  It became very like the country side near Manjimup and Pemberton with tall trees and ferns and RL commented “How nice!” because he was able to see downwards.  After turning west at Yarra Junction, R & R saw a seedling and tree venture called Nationwide Tree and some vines.  Shortly, they entered the La Trobe State Forest which was very winding but not too steep (as in up and down) as for the most part it ran in the valley between the mountains.  Here is the beginning of the western end of the Great Dividing Range with MT Baw Baw Alpine Village to the east.  It became increasingly steep and the tree ferns were at least twice as high as the Ute.  Powelltown is a timber town with a massive hardwoods mill and has the Powelly Pub.  Here the road runs alongside the Yarra River with farming activity including cattle and market gardens. Apple orchards are huge and the trees, under net, are full in red fruit.  The picking season appears to be in full swing with trucks on hand to move produce. Just a little further north the Gladysville Primary School has a big red apple at its front gate.  There R & R saw another milling yard, more market gardening and vineyards.  At Yarra Junction, they stopped at 12:30pm to pop into an op shop where RA bought a neoprene pencil case for 50cents, just perfect for storing a couple of tent pegs and the stabiliser ropes.   R & R sat facing the north with the mountains before them as they ate lunch.  The tops of the mountains could not be seen for the dense grey cloud covering them.  Shortly after 1:00pm, RL drove west, then north east to Healesville via Woori Yallock a total of 25kms.  It was lovely countryside with flower growing, vineyards and the Yarra Valley Quarries. At Healesville RL stopped at 2:00pm as it was about time to make a plan for the next 24 hours.  It was agreed to head to Alexandra on the Maroondah Hwy 65kms to the north east.  RA checked out petrol prices and times for Mass.  On the rise out of Healesville, there is a lookout over the Maroondah Water Reserve which is part of the supply for Melbourne.  The Yarra Ranges National Park begins shortly afterwards and it was here that the roads became very winding and tight and the trees massive.  The elevation of the ranges is 500m above sea level with Denby Knob just to the west of the road rising to 750 m. Below Denby Knob stands the Black Spur Roadhouse where RL saw the sign for diesel at 137.9c/lt (Narbethong) so he slipped in to refuel.  Shortly after that the country side opened up again and levelled off to between 200-300 m. Buxton lies at the base of Mt Sugarloaf and Jawbone Peak and looked lovely with the sun breaking through the trees mid-afternoon.  Just around the corner The Cathedral rises to 814 m and at its base a farm called “Hope Spring”.  Others in that range rise as high as 1250 m. At Taggerty, which crosses over the Acheron River, RL was breath tested by a booze bus.  The young officer joked about RA taking notes as she had her pen and paper in hand.  Shortly after, the Ute was descending to Alexandra 2km down the Acheron Cutting.  It was spectacular.   At 3:30pm RL was driving over the Gouldburn River into Alexandra. Alexandra, it is noted on the sign is the birthplace of Dame Pattie Menzies (nee Leckie).  R & R parked the Ute and walked to the information centre and into an open op shop on the way. Alexandra has a Catholic Church and 5kms out a free camping site, so they set the Navigator to Brookes Cutting Reserve, on the edge of the Gouldburn River and set up.  Shortly after 5:00pm, were having coffee and chocolate (Fruit & Nut, a Christmas present from their friend, B) before getting out the ipad and the computer.  RL helped with dinner and they both went back to their chosen tech.  S, their daughter, rang and wished RA Happy Mother’s Day … just in case she didn’t ring a third day in a row.

13/5/2018. Sunday. Mother’s Day.  R & R woke at 6:55am having slept quite soundly and warm. They had already decided to stay a second night so they did not have to hurry to breakfast and set the camper down before 9:00am Mass.  They were in good time.  After Mass, RL immediately set out for Eildon 24kms to the east.  It was a lovely drive on Goulburn Valley Hwy, just as the name indicates, in the valley running alongside the Goulburn River.  The road was winding, undulating but not steep.  There farming includes cattle and dairy and at Thornton which is half way in between there are fishing industries like fly and trout fishing.  At Eildon, RL headed for Jerusalem Creek which was about 5kms out, very winding and hilly into the Lake Eildon National Park.  It was about 3kms generally uphill and then 2kms generally downhill. The flora is not like Alpine flora with the trees being much smaller and there are no tree ferns, only bracken.  At about 10:30am, they were having coffee and looking at the remaining speed and house boats moored on the lake side. The day parking area required putting the Ute into 4WD as it was quite steep and rutted.  On the way back to Eildon township, R & R went up Mt Pinniger to Foggs Lookout (503m).  They were amazed by the sheer length of the power lines which hung suspended from one side of the lake on the opposite hill to the hill they were standing on. Somewhere in the depths below, 300m or more, the wires had red balls to indicate power line overhead to the boats in the water.  The span of the wires could only be a guess, maybe 3-4kms between the towers!  And the lake itself … huge!  Four times the size of Sydney Harbour at its current level and the largest in the southern hemisphere!  RA made RL park the car and walk the loop as it was unsurfaced and they did not know its condition.  It must have been a couple of kilometres with an icy wind but the feet had warmed up by the time they got back to the Ute.  RL drove over the spillway, stopped for a photo break and continued on over the dam wall.  It really was as safe as … but RA just didn’t like it.  From the top, the AGL power station can be seen and next to it a massive boat and marine repairer.  There were at least a couple in Eildon and also storage for boats.  R & R returned to Alexandra about 12:20pm via the Back Thornton Road along which there are many camping, caravan and B & B styles of accommodation. Obviously, holidaying here with boating, camping and fishing is big business in season. Fellow campers had told R & R that Melbournians flocked this way for boating and fishing activities at it was so close (90kms away) and so reliable. By 12:45pm they were at the Laundromat in Alexandra, sitting with the wash in the machine, eating lunch and chatting with G, RL’s brother.  R & R returned to the camper and hung the washing before heading out again at 2:00pm to Snobbs Creek Falls.  It was about 2/3 of the way back to Eildon.  They had passed it on their way to the lake, but it was only when a lady outside the Laundromat suggest they see it, that they gave it a second thought.  The falls were in the Rubicon State Forest and the road was about 6kms, half of which was unsealed so the Hum engaged 4X4 again.  As R & R got out of the Ute, they could hear the roar of the Cascades and Falls.  The viewing platform for the falls hangs out over the rocks and water and when they turned to face the falls they were only a metre or so from white, rapidly falling water.  It was an amazing sight and well worth returning for.  R & R were back in Alexandra about 3:30pm and took a photo of the Princess Alexandra (wife of Edward V11) statue and became aware that Alexandra, like many other towns, was founded on gold at Red Gate Diggings, UT Creek.  Back at the camper RA fetched the washing in while RL chatted with a couple of guys before they went for a walk down to the river.  There were wombat holes, wombat claw markings in the soft mud at the river’s edge and wombat poo everywhere but not a wombat to be seen.  RA consoled herself with the thought that at least she was sharing the very space that they moved on.  At 5:00pm, they were back.  RL read and RA answered a questionnaire on her migration story that S, her daughter, had sent as part of an assignment.  Having emailed it back, R & R were free to start cooking dinner.  After dinner, they chatted with S about the assignment, read and did diary.  RA thought it had been a lovely day full of adventure … and with greetings from all her children.

Chez Dandenong 3

4/5/2018.  Friday.  It rained heavily somewhere in the middle of the night and both R & R were awake and listening to it but drifted off again.  At 6:30am, they were out of bed and into gear as they needed to get the camper to Jayco to sort out its issues.  They had coffee, breakfasted, left at 8:00am and arrived there in good time.  A guy, called P, greeted them and another, called S, joined them as well.  These guys were patient, listened to R & R’s grievances and explained some things they were not sure about.  Half an hour later they left the camper with the assurance that Jayco would look at everything but that R & R would be charged for the cost of the wheel alignment.  R & R had a cup of morning tea with J and the boys before heading to the Dandenong shopping plaza.  It boasts 3500 car bays.  They wandered around the shops a while and popped into to enquire about vacumn cleaners, in particular the Dyson stick variety.  They shopped quickly for food, firstly at Coles and then for fruit and veg at the Market Place in the middle of the shopping centre.  When R & R got back the boys had finished lunch with a view to heading off for a job in the truck.  RL may well have gone with them save the fact that the job may have taken a couple of hours and that meant he may not be back when the camper was ready.  R & R had lunch before RA started preparations for dinner.  It rained and misted on and off all day but in between there were splashes of sunshine.  At 1:30pm, R & R headed back to Jayco as they understood that the work should be completed before 2:30pm.  Things must all have taken a little longer than expected and Jayco did discover an issue with the water pump that required exchanging for a new one.  There was, quite rightly, an issue with the alignment and as they were nearly ready to leave the new door lock was not shutting properly.  It being already after 4:00pm, the guys at Jayco offered to look at it on Monday morning.  It took ages to get from the Frankston-Dandenong Rd to the Sth Gippsland Hwy along Greens Rd and RL commented that it was even slower that travelling on rough remote roads and tracks.  Fortunately, the hold-up was with traffic heading south and since R & R were heading north they were then home quickly.  They arrived back at the workshop at 4:45pm to find all was quiet so RL sat and read while RA wrote the diary and sorted some paper work. Dinner was a quick think about what they had left over and what RA could find in J’s pantry.  Consequently, everyone enjoyed tuna Mornay and mixed steamed vegetable after which they all only watched a little TV before quitting early as everyone was tired.  Overall, it had been a good day despite all the delays … as Jayco had come to the party in helping R & R sort out things so that they could be on their way again soon.

5/5/2018.  Saturday.  R & R slept well and were out of bed at 7:00am just like J.  Everyone had a lazy morning chatting while breakfasting.  J was measuring cord and weaving nets while R & R read a blog draft.  J needed some seed mix for his breakfast and some special cheese so they all went shopping to the Dandenong Markets about 9:30am.  They wandered round for ages before heading off to look at the Dandenong Stadium which has 15 basketball courts with Ringleader backboards.  Pretty impressive!  J then drove along Stud Rd up to Hume Basketball about 11:00am.  This stadium is near new and features Ringleader basketball equipment. It is amazing to see so many kids playing basketball, so many games over the period of a day, so many courts and such big car parks with so few empty spaces.  J then drove back via East Link and drove around many of the back streets of warehouses in the Dandenong area.  Again, there was a sense of so many and so busy.  Interestingly, there are little café lunch bars on many of the corners as there is a real need for the right kind of food at a reasonable price to suit the workers in the area.  By 12:30pm, they were back for coffee and lunch, a chat and then quiet time for a while.  R & R came in for a cup of coffee about 3:00pm and were drawn into a production on ABC TV called “Kakadu”.  It explores various aspects of Kakadu including the search for indigenous rock art, animal survival in the dry time before the monsoon season begins, crocodiles and crocodile farming and the research into saving an endangered quoll species.  Compelling viewing!  RL and RA went for a walk for about an hour just around the area and were drawn into conversation with a couple of car salesmen because they had three veteran cars on display: 68 Camaro, 66 Mustang and an old Chevy Ute. One of the salesmen, recommended Walhalla as a free camping spot as a favourite of his and his son.  RA had a bit of a sugar dive which was fixed by a chocolate binge.  Luckily she was carrying some in her back pack which she’d taken to carrying with her ipad at the ready for any photo opportunity.  When they got back, RL helped RA cook the mince and onion ready for satay for that night and for a quick start on the next night’s dinner after Mass.  Everyone enjoyed the satay and watched some TV.  S, their daughter, rang and RA wrote a little diary.  They made plans for going to the Caribbean Markets in the morning … a novelty for all of them since J had never been himself.

6/5/2018.  Sunday.  R & R were awake and out by 6:30am as they did not want to make J late for the markets.  RA had had a wakeful night for no reason that she could claim so she was glad to be getting out.  At 7:50am, having breakfasted and chatted with tea and coffee, they were on their way to the Caribbean Markets at Scoresby.  J was early for its 8:30am opening but everyone was happy to sit and wait. This market unlike the Dandenong Markets had little or no trash and treasure style of stalls.  It did not take them long to do a quick scoot around and decide that they would not be finding anything of interest to any of them.  Everyone was very disappointed, though RA could see that the Gardens and playgrounds would be a fabulous place for a family outing and picnic.  There are train rides, a chair lift, a suspension bridge and food stalls that would provide lots of entertainment.  So, it was unanimous that they head for the Lunar Markets that are near where J lives.  J found a couple of bit and pieces that he wanted and RA was lucky enough to pick up a couple of pieces Delft china for $2 each, so she was happy.  They returned for coffee at 10:30am before putting a wash in and having a shower.  RL had rung G, his brother, and left a message so G returned the call and RA hung the washing.  Everyone enjoyed chicken and salad sandwiches for lunch while watching ABC “Landline”.  About 1:30pm, everyone had a rest/quiet time and emerged for a cuppa just before 3:00pm.  J wove his basketball nets while RL checked a draft and then read his cowdy (cowboy book).  RA paid a couple of bills on line.  Right on 4:00pm, R & R went for our walk before fetching the washing in.  Luckily it was all dry as it had been a fine day despite the cloud and the threat of rain.  RL had a fiddle with the light bar on the top of the Ute before he and his wife headed for 5:30pm Mass at St Mary’s.  Dinner of Chow Mein was easily prepared and RA was serving it just as the 7:00pm ABC News began.  RL worked on his lights again, while J worked on his nets and RA did her diary.  Well, the next day should be interesting RA thought … her 63rd birthday.

7/5/2018.  Monday. R & R were awake and out of bed early about 5:30am about the same time as the guys were getting ready for work.  R & R needed to have breakfast and be at Jayco for the work to be done on the camper door as arranged. RL gave RA the lovely opal bracelet they had bought a couple of weeks before, downtown Melbourne. R & R left about 7:30am, had dropped the camper off and were sitting waiting outside Harvey Norman shortly after 8:00am, an hour before the store opened but they did not want to go back and disturb J yet.  It was a good time to make a coffee and to try to download an ebook through Overdrive, something they had tried before without much luck.  Success this time!  R & R were in search of a vacumn cleaner and after much deliberation settled on one that would be suitable for use in the car and camper.  About 10:00am, they went back to J and had a cup of coffee before heading downtown Dandenong to do food shopping in readiness for leaving Melbourne the next day. On the way back they filled up with fuel.  R & R had a late lunch and waited a while for S from Jayco to ring.  Eventually, the Hum just drove there and waited outside.  Jayco had not yet finished so R & R had a cup of coffee while waiting.  R & R looked over the work that had been completed and were satisfied that Jayco had done their best to deal with all the issues and drove away contented.  When they got back, they had doughnuts for afternoon tea with the guys instead of a birthday cake.  At 4:45pm, R & R went for a walk and chatted with S, their daughter, for nearly three quarters of an hour.  It had been a lovely day with emails and messages and phone calls from absolutely all our families, including RL’s siblings and some others as well.  On return from their walk R & R set up the camper and began to prepare dinner.  RA wanted RL and J to indulge her in trying a new recipe, a gravy beef with cornmeal dumplings.  She enjoyed making and eating her own birthday dinner and hoped they enjoyed it too.  After dinner everyone watched TV for a while before bed.  It had been a really good day … and the next, they would be off again with only a vague idea about where they were going.

South Gippsland

1/4/2108.  Tuesday.  R & R were awake at 6:00am to a cool morning with the guys loading the truck and getting ready to head off for the day on a job somewhere near Springvale Rd.  R & R breakfasted at 7:30am shortly after everyone had left and made preparations for the day, doing the seeds and nuts for breakfast and pouring over the maps to plan a brief get away. By 8:30am, they had showered and RL was helping to proof read the blog texts and select the photo for the day.  They had the dongle in the laptop but it appeared the data had run out as they were not getting anywhere with the mail or with internet so about 10:00am they gave up on it.  After getting the washing in, packing down the camper and sorting the Ute, R & R were heading south down the South Gippsland Highway by 11:00am with 100kms on the clock planning to sleep at Franklin River Reserve near Toora,160kms away in South Gippsland.  It was an extremely hazy morning and a quick Google check revealed that it was caused by controlled burning on the eastern side of Melbourne and that it was not likely to go away.  Along the way RA noticed that Cranbourne RSL had a navy plane as its feature and saw the Turning Point Church which was a massive modern complex and, directly over the road, a tiny traditional church with a spire on top.  The highway became double lanes both ways with a nature strip in between and the countryside was flat and opened out to farming, dairies and hot houses.  At noon as RL drove into Tooradin he noticed a Trash and Treasure sign and thought it was time for a break. R & R looked through the sheds of mostly collectables and antiques before RA picked up a solar torch for $5 which she immediately unwarped and set on the dash to charge.  R & R took photos of a big fish and of the bridge over Sawtell’s Inlet with its mangrove swamp.  They hadn’t realised that they were on the tip of the eastern edge of the Mornington Peninsula with French and Phillip Islands directly to the south.  Heading off again, they passed more dairy country before coming to Koo-Wee-Rup which boasts being asparagus country and also has several op shops and antique/collectable shops.  There is an installation in the centre of town featuring a Centenary clock and recording details about the 1932 flood.  Fortunately, Koo-Wee-Rup had a Woolworths so we were able to buy bread and make lunch.  RL got chatting with a man who had a Jayco Swan of 2016 like theirs.  This man had been travelling and the cord from the winding mechanism broke.  Jayco fixed it for him and apparently there was a recall of 2016 models to have their mechanism checked over!  About 1:40pm R & R were heading south towards Lang Lang, with a still hazy sky over several creeks, noticing free horse poo signs, Browns Fertilizer and Lime and the Caldermeade Farm Dairy and Café.  Shortly after Lang Lang the South Gippsland Hwy veers east passing Bass Gas plant and more dairy farming.  The country side becomes more undulating to eventually being quite steep going up and down and round bends that suggest speeds of as low as 65kms/hr.  There were also signs about cross winds and several sections with road works in progress.  The area is renowned for it being the Bass River Wine growing region and there is a cheese factory.  By 2:20pm, R & R were popping into the Korumburra (nicknamed “Burra”) information centre for suggestions on what to do with the next couple of days.  At the information centre there is a display of the Coal Creek Railway Station.  By 3:00pm it was a pleasantly warm summery afternoon though still a little hazy as R & R continued on through Leongatha (which a big centre with traffic lights) and Koonwarra which has a huge tractor dealership.  The countryside continued to be hilly with large trees on the road verges, in valleys and near the bridges over creeks and rivers e.g. Tarwin, Stony and Deep.  R & R passed through the townships of Meeniyan (which means “turning point”) and Foster before arriving at Franklin River reserve by 4:15pm.  They parked, had a coffee and walked along the river, around the reserve, up to the bridge and read the signs in the Rotunda.  The whole area is a haven for Australia’s iconic wildlife, where wombats, koalas, platypus and lyrebirds live in specific pockets of the region, though the only specimen R & R saw was a dead wombat. About an hour later, they set up the camper, had a cup and pawed over some maps before making dinner.  The evening got cooler as they read before posting a blog, so they put more clothing on and threw another blanket on the bed … to dream of seeing any of the above mentioned animals, alive, in the wild, on their travels.

2/5/2018.  Wednesday.  R & R slept well and woke to 14*C but it felt much cooler while the forecast promised it would be up to 22*C mid-afternoon.  They also woke to find a near full camp site considering they were only the second there when they set up the night before.  Out of bed by 7:00am, they breakfasted and tidied up before RL read and rang his brother, S, and RA did the diary she had not done the night before.  At 9:30am, RA was taking a photo of a map of the locale at the rotunda and they were on their way to Toora for 2kms before turning north towards Agnes Falls a further 15kms.  From many places in this area the tourist is able to see the dozen or so wind turbines from the Toora Wind Farm.  The countryside and therefore, the road, is steep and winding with views of the valleys below and hills above, water in dams, logging and dairy cattle everywhere.  RL said “Beautiful!” and RA said “Amazing!”  They saw some crimson rosella which are even more spectacular than the western rosella.  They commented that, by nature of its type, being time and labour intensive farming, they actually saw farmers working; something that you see very little of generally in your travels.  Agnes Falls, at 59m, is Victoria’s highest single span falls and is spectacular.  One can only imagine how much more impressive it would be and the roar by the end of the winter rains. By 11:00am, the sun was trying to peer through the haze as RL drove on Blair Hill Road to Welshpool where they saw a huge dairy. The rolling green hills here in the Gippsland are the southern end of the Strzelecki Ranges and rise very quickly to 200-300m above sea level even though they are only a few kilometres from the sea.  The drive down Blair Hill Road is densely wooded in sections, at one point has a mirror (like those used in hospitals or busy city laneways) to show traffic from another direction, and drops in height constantly over the last few kilometres into Welshpool which is just above sea level and only a couple of kilometres to Point Welshpool.  The historic jetty was closed as it was under repair but it was worth the drive out to see the jetty terminal and many, many black swans on the tidal flat which looked like it rises a couple of feet when it comes in. Desperate for a coffee, they stopped in the main street of Welshpool, at 12:40pm, right in front of an op shop!  They did not miss the opportunity!  RA found a blue and white china cow (Delft) to remind her of the fact that she had never seen so many cows as she had in the last two days. From there they headed to Foster for information on Wilson’s Promontory and ate a late lunch.  By 2:00pm, RL was heading south 60kms down to Tidal River.  About half the distance is farming, flat country, mostly dairy, some of them quite large; the other half is National Park , dense coastal woodland and increasingly mountainous.  RL noticed one particularly large dairy that had started the evening milking already and estimated the line of cattle to be almost 800 head.  The speed limit within the park is 80kms/hr but there are suggestions for lower than that in some sections.  RL turned east for 4kms to Duck Point/Corner Inlet and back out again.  It was grey and the inlet, very quiet, but you could see that it was an ideal place for families, fishing and fun in season.  The water was calm and clear with a child friendly beach to walk in both directions.  Further south into the NP R & R could see evidence of a fire probably last season and in other places of fires from previous seasons where regrowth could be seen.  The hills rise to 300m above sea level, with Mt Leonard rising to 556m and Mt Oberon to 558m above sea level while being only one or two kilometres from the sea.  They are magnificent – almost as though – they have just risen out of the sea.  Some of them have rock faces and the spectacle is just jaw dropping!  At 3:20pm R & R, stopped in the Tidal River camping area and walked down to Norman Beach.  It really is a credit to Parks Vic that this park as a whole and this camping area in particular are so well set up and out and so neatly kept. The options for walking, swimming, surfing and camping are endless. R & R noticed several schools using the camp facilities.  A small cabin will cost $100/night while camping is $60.  The Hum drove 3kms (approximately 5 minutes) up Mt Oberon to the car park where remains quite a steep walk of a couple of kilometres higher up to the top.  From the car park there are also several other walks of varying lengths, none short.  Here R & R saw another of the smaller, very dark, almost black kangaroos that they had seen a few of in this area.  It getting later in the day, they agreed to pop into Squeaky Bay before heading back to Foster.  The sand there is quite white and it really does squeak as it is walked on. Both Norman and Squeaky beaches are suitable for surfing and have sea birds other than the common sea gull and both look out in a westerly direction.  Although the signs indicated that one might see wombats or koala, R & R did not see any this time!  By 5:45pm, they had just come into Foster when S, their daughter, rang so they sat in the street for a while to chat.  Eventually, they were back where they had left the camper fully set up.  RL rang his sister, K.  Dinner was quick and easy, if just a little late, and they sat to read/write for a while before bed. It had been a very interesting day … the highest falls in Victoria and Wilson’s Prom … the most southern tip on the Australian mainland.

3/5/2018.  Thursday.  R  & R were awake and out by 7:00am to a cool morning.  Toora, on the coast had a forecast of 14*C but it must have been much less down by the river understorey of the tall trees.  They needed to wait for their nearest campers to leave before they could back the Ute to the camper so they spent about half an hour working up the first of the Dandenong posts and picking the photos.  At 9:00am, R & R drove to Port Franklin, via Dorans Rd only about 5kms away, in a vain attempt to see koalas.  Instead, they were rewarded with a great little fishing village and a working fish shop on the meandering Franklin River with colourful boats surrounded by coastal plants.  When they got back about 10:00am, the nearest campers had left and R & R were able to pack down the camper, hitch it up and be away within half an hour.  They headed for Foster so that they could take a quick walk by the river, crossing the bridge at the sight where gold was first discovered at Stockyard Creek.  RL handed a number plate that he had found on the road in the National Park in at the Police Station while RA took a couple of photos of the clock tower in the main street and the hotel behind it. At 11:10am, R & R were heading back to Melbourne, back through all that hilly country, up and down and round and round; spectacular but exhausting.  By 12.15pm as R & R arrived in Loch, RA was well and truly due for a break.  Just to stop and put her feet on the ground!   They stopped in the main street, went to the public toilet and popped into the Post Office to enquire about the Loch Stock and Barrel Swing Bridge.  It was just over the highway so they decided to go there.  Not without difficulty!  Unfamiliar with the area, the Hum crossed the highway which immediately wound round and up a hill, with a logging truck pushing from behind, and missed the turn off.  When able, he turned off, backed up and turned around, only to find the gateway blocked by a work ute and trailer.  Eventually, RL squeezed his way through.  R & R enjoyed the bouncy feeling of walking on the bridge and the magnificent oak trees that must have been planted long, long ago and the break for lunch.  At 1:30pm they were back on the road for Dandenong, only stopping briefly at Tooradin.  RA had bought a solar torch the other day on the way down but the solar part of the torch was not working.  It was using the battery, which should have been a backup, and not charging.  The guy there gave them a replacement.  R & R arrived at the Dandenong at 3:00pm to find everyone still at work when usually the yard would have been virtually empty shortly after 2:30pm.  Everyone had a cup shortly after R & R arrived, looked at RL’s photos from the last couple of days on the TV and chatted a while.  Later when everyone had left, J moved the truck forward so that RL could put the camper under cover from the forecasted stormy weather.  RA had put the replacement torch on the dash to take advantage of the remaining daylight and noticed that the charge button was working, so she was pleased considering the effort and embarrassment involved with complaining.  Everyone was tired so RA prepared dinner a little early.  They watched ABC News at 7:00pm before a quick shower and heading to bed.  They returned the missed call from S, their daughter, read and wrote a little and quit early.  They could hear the wind making the tin roof rattle … and wondered how the weather would play out overnight and into the next day.

Chez Dandenong 2

26/4/2018.  Thursday.  R & R slept well again and were awake by 6:00am.  Determined not to disturb anyone they went quietly downstairs to put a wash in while they had breakfast.  By 7:15am, they were hanging washing on the line and heading back upstairs for a shower.  Everyone was up and downstairs breakfasting by 8:00am so R & R went to join them for a cup of coffee.  RL and C chatted and sorted music, while RA looked at maps for cheap fuel and made a couple of phone calls.  AB Bolts on Wood St Thomastown had the nut the Hum was after so RA checked out its address and, fortunately, it was actually on their chosen route for the day.  In between the boys and their music, RA sorted what was left to sort, brought the wash in, made the bed and under instructions from CH, made some rolls and sandwiches for lunch to eat on the journey.  At 11:30am, R & R stuffed everything in the Ute and, after hugs all round, drove off so that CH and L would be free to go to their lunch to catch up with friends.  Roxburgh Village was a direct route for shopping and R & R were familiar with it so it made sense to pick up some supplies for the next couple of days.  At 1:15pm, RL spotted a United with diesel even cheaper than the one near J, so he pulled in to fill up.  One less job to sort later!  AB Bolts was easy with the help of the Navigator, so by 2:00pm R & R were on their way to Dandenong some 60kms away.  RA had picked direct straight lines for the route so they did not use the Navigator who always wants to use freeways.  That meant that the journey had more stops and starts with sets of lights but it gave enough time to recognize which lanes and turns are needed.  As RL turned east on Whitehorse (away from the city) for Springvale Rd, RA noticed a couple of very tall buildings off in the distance and was surprised that they stood like sentinels all by themselves and were not downtown Melbourne.  When they got closer, the signs on buildings read THE CHEN and Whitehorse Towers.  They are just spectacular because one is sliver in colour and the other, gold. Awesome!  R & R arrived at J’s, (RL’s brother-in-law’s) workshop at 3:55pm to find no one there and the gate locked.  RL rang J who rang back with T’s number and T rang them back about 5:00pm with the assurance it was no trouble to be round in 5 minutes and let them in.  R & R set up the camper within the hour, rang H, their daughter, and then cooked dinner timed for 7:00pm in the hope that J would return from Geelong in time.  No sooner had they started without him, he turned up.  They all enjoyed chatting quite a while before quitting.  It was great to be with family again … to share common ground and feel at home.

27/4/2018.  Friday.  R & R woke at 6:00am and had a cuppa before having breakfast and coming over to say good morning to J and T and the other guy called, D.  J drove ahead for RL to follow and to introduce R & R to his preferred mechanic PD Automotive just down the road.  He brought them back and they had a cup and tidied up.  J needed to go to the bank so he offered to drop R & R off at the markets at Dandenong.  RL & RA walked through the markets and then from the top of Lonsdale St down Princes and back to J’s taking a couple of photos and popping into the op shops along the way.  At 11:30am, they were back and sorted out all the emails from CommSec about shares for their SMSF and downloaded the photos from Z and B’s wedding.  The photos were really lovely and they both looked so happy.  Everyone had lunch together and about 1:30pm the Ute was ready so J dropped R & R back at the garage.  On the way back RL stopped in at Carac to see if it stocked camper door locks or had any ideas about snorkels/vents for preventing dust coming in.  When they got back, R & R tidied up all the different notes on the camper ready to see someone/anyone at Jayco on Monday.  After that RA really needed to go for a walk.  S, their daughter, rang while they were walking so they chatted more than half an hour.  R & R cooked dinner for 7:00pm before enjoying it, chatting and watching TV.  The day proved that R & R were quite capable of filling in a day … when everyone else around them was working.

28/4/2018.  Saturday. R & R were woken at 2:45am by an alarm beeping.  RL immediately sprung out of bed while RA lay, wondering why a smoke alarm could be beeping if it had been disconnected.  The wailing continued as RL tried to work out what to do.  Eventually, RA got out to find J and RL at the alarm for the building itself.  That alarm, T and J asserted had not been working for months! Suddenly, it was inexplicably alive and well.  J turned it off and everyone all went back to bed after a trip to the loo.  J and T were working again by 6:00am but R & R stayed in bed til nearly 8:00am before having breakfast.  After breakfast RL helped J in between working on his new spotties with the bolts he had acquired and fixing the tap which a fellow camper had broken while trying to help them.  RA cooked a curry for dinner and worked on the computer.  Shortly after noon everyone had a cup of tea together with T before he went home.  That meant lunch was a little later and they chatted more before showering and heading out.  About 2:00pm, J was driving down to Arthur’s Seat which is the highest point down on the Mornington Peninsula. RA thought it was lovely to drive away from the built up areas on the edge of the city and to actually see farmland and animals grazing along the highway on the way to Frankston.  J drove to the bottom of the Eagle, the gondola chair lift, and they all considered taking a ride or driving up.  Everyone was game for it, though R & R were at a distinct disadvantage since J had been on several all around the world.  Put off by the $24 ticket, it was decided that J drive up.  It was very steep and winding with hair pin bends and RA tried not to look down as they went.  The view from the top was amazing, with a sense of not believing how high up they were.  From the top a tourist can see how high it really is but the best views are at the top two lookouts where it is possible to see the Dromana and Rosebud jetties, the Eastern lighthouse on the coast about half way in between, and east to the point where Port Phillip Bay meets the sea. Shortly after 4:00pm, J drove back via Frankston to check out a basketball stadium that the guys had recently completed.  He also stopped in at Dandenong Village for a quick shop and checked out another 24/7 basketball stadium that has Ringleader equipment in it.  It was getting dark when they got back so it was a good thing that the curry had been prepared earlier.  Everyone enjoyed dinner and watched a little TV.  RL rang R, his sister.  R & R had enjoyed a lovely afternoon … they had not expected that J would want to take them on an excursion.

29//4/2018.  Sunday.  R & R were both very restless, possibly anxious not to sleep in and make J late for the markets, even though he had promised to wake them in time.  They came out shortly after 6:00am and had coffee followed by breakfast.  By 7:30am, they were all at the rear gates of the Lunar Sunday Markets handing over $5.50 early bird fee and looking for a bargain or two.  Lunar Market is quite, large filling the car park at the centre of a 4 screen drive in.  Shortly after 8:00am, it was swarming with people from every culture, some speaking in languages other than English.  They spent a couple of hours there, all bought a few things and were back having coffee and testing the chestnuts that J had bought and roasted for them.  RL and J went back to measure a drill bit before J bought it.  They left RA behind so she could start on a camper cleaning binge.  They had lunch at 12:30pm and talked about going to a different market but settled on having a quiet afternoon.  RL worked on putting the skid plate back under the front of the Ute while RA made stock from the chicken bones and finished the tidy up/clean in the camper. R & R were contemplating going for a walk when J’s nephew and his girlfriend turned up, so they had a cup with them.  It came up about the Harvey Norman Factory Outlet on Greens Rd just a couple of kilometres away, so R & R went there to see if they could find a suitable vacumn cleaner for the Ute and camper, which would need to be bag less, have small sucking tools to fit in tight places and be fairly light and compact.  They did not find anything but it didn’t matter as they were already out so the Hum drove to IGA for soap, coffee and blades before parking at St Mary’s on Foster St for 5:30pm Mass.  They were early but it was a great opportunity to get a walk in and take a photo of the Dandenong RSL chopper on a pole.  After Mass it was a quick job to throw together a chicken soup with quinoa in it and make some toast for dinner.  S, their daughter rang while the soup was cooking.  After dinner, they all watched Grand Designs before heading to bed for a well-earned sleep … RA hoping it would be better than the night before.

30/4/2018.  Monday.  R & R slept well and were out of bed for coffee, followed by breakfast, putting a wash in and showering so that J could take them to meet his friend and business contact, M, who has an engineering business. M had recently launched a company called Little Gym which sells home gym kits for younger gymnasts and a fabulous electronic learning mat suitable of kindergartens or special needs.  They were back by 10:00am to hang the washing, have coffee and put the camper down to go to Jayco with a list of issues that needed resolving before they headed off again.  RL & RA spoke with a guy called, C, who asked for the issues in writing and he would see what he could arrange.  RL was thrilled to see a fold down bicycle for $79 that the service department had in reception as an ex display item.  Naturally, he bought it.  Shortly after noon, they were driving back to email their concerns to Jayco and have lunch.  J insisted that R & R try eating walnut with licorice.  Totally a novel idea and totally a taste sensation!  RA paid their PBF account over the phone as it was due that day.  Shortly after 2:30pm, when the workers from the business next door had shut down and gone home, everyone shuffled vehicles so that T could paint some stuff and R & R could fit the camper in. C, from Jayco, emailed with the offer of servicing their camper on Friday which gave R & R a few days with no plans.  M, who was interested in buying a Jayco Swan, came round to watch R & R set it up and to have a look inside.  They all chatted quite a while before R & R went for their half hour walk and a chat with S, their daughter.  RA cooked dinner using some of J’s vegetables, sweet potato and corn and making gravy mince with theirs.  Again, J was able to wow them with his food knowledge.  He cooks his corn as a whole vegetable with its husk and silk still intact for 5 minutes.  Easy!  They all watched some more TV while J wove his nets and RA worked on the computer.  RL and RA looked into maps and parkwebvic.gov.au with the thought of making a loop drive away from Melbourne … and the intention of returning to Dandenong on Thursday afternoon for Friday’s camper service.