12/4/2018. Thursday.
And so it was. Eventually, R
& R closed one of the windows and swapped ends of the bed and tried again
to settle. They got out at 6:30am to a
much cooler day and a few drops of moisture on the canvas but dry, by the time
they had finished breakfast. By 8:30am,
R & R were on their way south to Naracoorte. The farming land there was much as it was
north of Bordertown but the paddocks were smaller and farms closer beginning
flat and then becoming more undulating.
Everywhere, though, there were shelter belts of trees and avenues of
trees along roads and fences and the road verge; making it all very attractive. Near Morambro Creek bracken could be seen along
with zanthorea, red gum as well as the river red gum and banksia. Overhead irrigation was used for feeding
cattle. And along the way there was a 4 X 4WD training camp. At 9:30am, R & R popped into the Naracoorte
information centre. They walked around
and looked into the op shops. Naracoorte
is a very big and attractive town with a Target and a big hospital and medical
precinct including radiology services.
By10:20am, the Ute was heading south again for Penola along the Riddoch
Hwy. Twenty one kilometres north of
Penola is the Fr Woods Tree and Park which is a memorial to the works of Fr
Woods in the area and his connection with St Mary MacKillop. She was inspired and encouraged by him to
teach and create schools and develop the order of the Sisters of St Joseph. She is well known as she is Australia’s first
saint. In the park there are several
statues carved out of tree stumps. So as
not to let the work of Fr Wood go unaddressed!
He was a brilliant man in his own right being learned in the sciences
and proactive in social justice, working for improved roads and services for
the early settlers and particularly concerned for the plight of the aboriginal
people while he worked in the region in the 1860s. Just before Penola is the Coonawarra Wine
Growing region. Coonawarra comes from
the local indigenous word meaning honey suckle. The number of vineyards and the
sheer quantity of vines is impressive and they present themselves beautifully
with roses along the road verges. The
Penola information centre has a wonderful display about the district’s history
for a gold coin donation. It includes
some information about Mary MacKillop and Fr Woods but it focuses largely on
the Scottish heritage in the area and other famous persons who are connected. The poets, Adam Lindsay Gordon, William Henry
Oglive and John Shaw Neilson, as well as the explorer, Lawrence Allen Wells and
the Antarctic explorer John Riddoch Rymill are all displayed here as well as
the Scottish pipe band and singing group that were prominent in the community
in the past. Penola can even boast a
Miss Australia! By 12:10pm, R & R
were heading for Millicent 50kms towards the western coast. Again the road was very pretty with areas
where the canopy all but blocked the sun creating a darkened tunnel in
front. The road verge was green, so that
was a sign of recent rain other than irrigation for the cattle that were
grazing. The closer you drive to
Millicent the more undulating the country side become until it is quite hilly
and covered in blue gum but mostly pine plantation. Mt Burr community exists, supported by a
large forestry industry and is quite lovely to drive through. R & R arrived at the Millicent caravan
park at 1:00pm and had to set up before putting a wash in and having
lunch. By 2:30pm, having hung the
washing, they headed down town. All
these towns have lovely big buildings made from big rectangular blocks that are
often painted white but with cream around the windows, door and four corners to
accentuate the size and shape of the blocks.
They are very attractive. R & R were back to do some reading, diary
and internet and mind the washing. Even
so, it was still damp enough to have to put in the dryer. They were, however, comfortable enough with
their decision to stop at a caravan park and wash and shower as the forecast
for the next few days was wet and wild … something they had limited experience
with, when camping.
13/4/2018. Friday.
There was just a hint of moisture as R & R woke after a very quiet
night to only the sound of magpies warbling and to willy wagtails and wattle
birds. No cockatoos screeching as they
swarm down and squawk before startling and flying way! They were in no
particular hurry so they entered an online competition for a HEMA before
tidying up, packing down and showering.
At 10:10am, they popped into Vinnies downtown before heading 50kms east
to Mt Gambier with the Mt Burr ranges to the north and the Millicent wind farm
to the south. It was farming country
similar to yesterday with a big dairy group and mill before they were seriously
into the forestry area called Mt Gambier Forestry which was undulating and very
pretty. Every few kilometres there was
an overtaking lane which made it a little easier for the Hum to stop as the
camper lights had turned themselves off.
A little jiggle and they were working again and the Hum was off. As soon as R & R arrived in Mt Gambier
they went to the information centre. It
being already quite late in the day, with the possibility of poor weather
forecast, RA checked on a couple of the budget camping venues and settled on
the show grounds for $15 a night but the care taker would not be back til after
1:00pm so they ate lunch and walked to the nearest op shop to fill in time. R
& R set up the camper, having checked the weather and agreeing that the flies
were not necessary, had a cup and headed out for some sightseeing, but not
before refuelling and popping into an op shop that was just around the corner.
At 3:30pm, they were looking out over the Mt Gambier volcanic crater blue lake
as the wind blew in strong gusts and the sky darkened; so dark that the lake
was not brilliant turquoise blue as seen in the brochures but dark inky blue,
almost black. The signs contain the most
interesting information about the layers of the volcano wall that can be seen above
the water line. There is a distinct
layer of white and of black and it has a depth of 72m. RL drove round the 5km perimeter and stopped
at all the lookouts but it was so windy … the water didn’t magically change
colour depending on the vantage point!
He drove to the Leg O’ Mutton Lake lookout and to the Valley Lake both
of which would have been more impressive on a calmer day. By now, they were aware that the call on no
flies was a mistake, so at 4:00pm they high tailed it back to the camper. Dropping the flies, raising the centre poles
and tying the camper to the Ute were no easy task in the wind and the now
steady rain. As soon as R & R were
able, they stood in the camper and waited for a big enough break in the weather
to finish the job, head to the toilets and change into warm dry clothes. They read and did diary before dinner,
chatted with their daughter, H, and son, S, as the rain persisted and then read
again after dinner. RA finished her
book. The long and the short of “Left for Dead” is that RL doesn’t believe more
than half the story, and RA … she’s just a believer … she’d like to believe it
is possible and it is true.
14/4/2018. Saturday.
It took ages to settle. It was
wild and wet with canvas flapping and blowing and drenching rain though RA
didn’t believe that it was the weather that was unsettling. R & R were
awake by 7:00am but only got out at 8:00 when it was absolutely important to
head to the loo. They had breakfast,
then RL read for a while RA reworked the diary for the blog. In a break in the weather they rearranged a
couple of the tent poles, which for the most part had done really well to
remain fast under stress, and took the Ute downtown. Mount Gambier is a city, quite big and busy
but it was unusually busy with people darting in and out in the heavy
rain. Elizabeth St, at the heart of the
big shopping precinct underground car park, obviously had issues with drainage
as cars were splashing up a wash away there.
It rained heavily. In between, R
& R ducked into a few shops to take umbrage and took a brief look at the
Main Centre sunken garden. It would have
been just gorgeous with a little sunshine.
By 11:30am, they were sitting in the Ute having coffee in the pouring
rain, listening to “It’s a Long Way to the Top” by AC/DC, waiting. Eventually, the rain eased and they ventured
out to look at Umpherston Sinkhole, walking down the paths and stairs, down
into the bottom and taking photos. It
was impressive as a geological feature, but also in its history and the beauty
created within it. This sinkhole is within a kilometre of the show grounds,
where R & R were camped, and is next door to the Forestry milling
operations. The aroma of pine being
processed and dried was just delightful. They returned to the camper shortly
before 1:00pm to have toasted cheese for a treat and read for a while before a
cat nap, from which RL woke stating, “Did they get drenched!” Heaven only knows who or what he was dreaming
about. At 3:00pm, RL had a shower while
RA did diary and then it was her turn to head for the shower. RL rang his brother, S, while RA edited some
blog text after 4:00pm. By 5:00pm, RA
was cooking dinner so that they could be back downtown for Mass at 6:00pm. After, they walked back to Main Centre and
the sunken garden but it was cold and windy and there was nothing happening at
that hour so they went back to the camper.
RL helped edit the text and choose photos to publish the blog. R & R quit exhausted about 9:00pm. It was just lovely to be toasty warm … for
the first time in the day.
15/4/2018. Sunday.
R & R slept in til 7:00am. It
took them a couple of hours to have breakfast, tidy up, pack down and to return
the key for the $20 deposit return.
Fortunately, there was only a light mist part of the time that they were
packing down. RL headed east for
Dartmoor, about 40 kilometres.
Everything was wet and grey and there was debris on the road. It was not long before R & R were back
into forestry country again on both sides of the road. Here they saw two live emus just before the
SA/VIC border. The Victorian open road
speed is 100km/hr and you lose half an hour in time. After the Rennick State Forest, the
countryside opens up into cattle farming with forests of pine and blue gum dotted
in between. Bracken seems to be very
dense in the forests and also a problem in the paddocks in this area. R & R noticed that there had been a big
fire here this last summer. They enjoyed
their walk around the wood carvings in Dartmoor despite the damp grey morning
and took photos of the ones commemorating war and of the nursery rhyme characters
in the park. By 10:45am they were driving over the Glenelg River then north
east 24kms to Digby, which as a community is a little larger than
Dartmoor. This section of the road was
quite hilly and winding with both natural and planted forests and smelled
beautifully of pine and blue gum after the rain. From there, RL drove north to
Merino about 11kms and noticed that it must have been quite stormy here as
there were branches and trees that had come down. Merino is a little larger as
a township than Digby. The exit north
east from Merino to Coleraine, about 22km away, is quite steep and winding and
opens out into very pretty farming land with sheep, cattle and dairy farms
growing early oats for their stock. Despite the landscape having limestone and
volcanic rock showing in the gullies and on the road verges it all appears
quite arable. A steep winding descent
down into Coleraine shows how big a town it is in the valley below. R & R stopped at the information centre
there at 11:45am and realized that due to the change in time zone they had
missed morning tea so they had a quick cup and a snack. The rise east out of Coleraine toward
Hamilton is not quite as steep as the descent and it appears that you are
driving on the flat when you get to the top.
It was only 15kms to Wannon Falls which the lady had told them was not
falling. R & R ate lunch in the mist
under shelter and then proceeded to the observation deck to find that there had
been sufficient rain in the last three days to have some falling water. Naturally, they were pleasantly
surprised. They chatted with H, their
daughter, a while and noted that there was a great camping area there with
toilets and lots of walks around the falls.
By 2:15pm, R & R were driving through Hamilton. It has a really long main street and it quite
a big centre with lovely old, big buildings.
Hamilton has the Ansett Airways Museum as Reginald Ansett was born there
and a few vineyards. From there, RL drove 84kms to Mortlake passing through the
townships of Penshurst and Caramut. Penshurst lies at the bottom of a big hill
called Mt Rouse and they passed over Murdum Creek where black swans stood at
the water’s edge. Caramut lies at the
bottom of another hill, Mt Shadwell, and is more undulating. There were wind turbines and massive brand
new galvanised steel power poles. Some
paddocks were already ploughed; others had piles of rock in them and the edges
of the road indicated that there had been some rain. Mortlake was quite a big
town and quite pretty. They stopped for
a break at 3:00pm as RL had seen a second hand dealer was open on a Sunday
afternoon. R & R spent ages looking
around for nothing in particular and chatting with the owner who had recently
lived in Esperance, WA. RL drove
(approximately 15kms) directly south east towards Princes Hwy through some
delightful flat farming area with dairies and the community of Noorat which
rests below Mt Noorat. These mounts
stand like sentinels, individual, not part of a range, and are remnant from the
volcanic era. Here, there are simply
kilometres of dry stone wall, lining the roads and creating every paddock. Just impressive to imagine the hours crafting
a stone wall that has stood so well so long. These fences are actually designed
to be thicker at the bottom, of two walls with the space being filled by rubble
and smaller rock and have a large stone, a copestone or through stone, that
pokes out one side, in the opposite direction from the way the others are laid,
acting as an anchor. Once on the Princes Hwy, it was only another 16kms east to
Camperdown. Being on the highway, it has
a very long main street which features a clock tower. It is a very large centre with big industries
including a cheese factory and composting company. Camperdown also has a volcanic crater and
lake; but much smaller and different from that at Mt Gambier. R & R took a
quick break before heading for Colac at 4:00pm. This part of the highway skirts
round the bottom edge of Lake Corangamite which is massive though it can’t
actually be seen from the road. In the
hollows and depressions you see, exposed, the layers of limestone and volcanic
rock, where it is not covered by grasses.
The country side is undulating but for the most part seems arable. Colac is a very big centre with traffic
lights and big shopping facilities. The
Navigator directed R & R to Meredith Park which is a free camping area with
toilets 2kms out of town then 10kms north toward Beeac where there is another
lake. It was damp and windy as they set up the camper shortly after
5:00pm. RL rang J, his brother-in-law,
about staying at Dandenong before they read/wrote after dinner. To RA it seemed such a shame that this lovely
spot was shrouded in mist … it would have been simply delightful on a warm
sunny evening.
16/4/2018. Monday.
R & R woke at 7:30am to a damp grey morning, not violently windy or
stormy, but with a mist that made differentiating the horizon between lake and
sky difficult. Having checked the
weather, which forecasted rain until lunch they agreed to leave the camper and
head back into Colac to see the Floating Islands and Lagoon and do a little
shopping. RL rested while RA finished the diary from the day before. About
9:45am they set out to Colac, stopping in to the information centre, shopping at
Coles and looking into three op shops.
There had been a couple of brief splashes of sunshine but by the noon
hour the mist had set in again. The
Navigator directed them to the camping area called Floating Island which was
where they had thought it was yesterday.
They stopped, but there were no signs, nothing to indicate that there
was a tourist attraction of any sort. So they agreed to salvage the day by
driving north to Red Rock Lookout.
Along the way the road passes through a town called Cororooke which has
several large dairies and is home to the Red Rock Winery and a theatre/art
gallery. There was also what looked like
a Catholic farm and boarding school. R
& R saw a black cockatoo with yellow patches on the side of its face that
they had never seen before. The Navigator kept telling them that the speed
limit was lower than sign-posted and they presumed that the limits must have
changed as the demographics of the area had changed but that HEMA just hadn’t
sorted it out yet. “Oh, don’t be silly!”
RL told him. R & R enjoyed lunch at the Red Rock Lookout at 1:00pm. It was misting so while they waited RA looked
up floating islands. Turns out, the
islands no longer float because since a drought in 2006 the water table dropped
and never lifted again. The reserve has
fallen into disrepair and was no longer a tourist destination. The drive up Red Rock was steep but sealed
and RL knew his wife wasn’t looking down.
The view was spectacular all round despite the wind blowing RA’s ipad while
trying to take photos and the grey mist shrouded everything. About 1:45pm, R & R headed north for the
little jaunt around the top of Lake Beeac and back down to Meredith Park on
Lake Colac where they had left the camper. By then the mist had cleared
somewhat but the wind was as strong as any time anywhere since they had left
home six weeks ago, blowing strongly enough for the flies to be flapping minus
their poles. They put it all back up and
had a cat nap at 2:30pm with the wind blowing and one of the poles coming out
again. At 3:30pm R & R had a cup and
read/wrote a while before doing some domestic tasks like preparing the seed
blend for breakfast and sorting the vegetables from shopping. Totally needing to be outside for a while, RA
suggested they go for a half hour walk.
At 4:45pm, they fastened the one loose pole and headed off for fifteen
minutes in one direction to then turn back for fifteen. The mist was gone and a little sun shone and,
just minutes into their walk, the wind dropped suddenly. It was absolutely the best and they could
hardly believe it would last. As they returned a black swan was exercising the
little ones before bed time on the lake.
When RA looked again about ten minutes later the adult was still on the
water but the cygnets were nowhere to be seen, tucked away somewhere in the
reeds. R & R prepared dinner when they
got back and read/wrote for a while after.
Tomorrow, they would be heading for Melbourne and all the hustle and
bustle of city life for a little while … with RA wondering how they would cope.
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