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.
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