Looping Round Melbourne

14/10/2018 Sunday R & R woke to another lovely morning despite the persistent strong breeze from the north north-east.  After breakfast, because Mass was not far away and not until 11:00am, RA wrote diary while RL adjusted the mirrors again and did some reading.  Shortly before 10:00am, they were packing down and heading back to Euston 12 kms then south 3kms to Robinvale again, but not before taking a photo of some trees with many burls on them.  Most of the way back into town there was cereal cropping, some so bare that the wind blew dust from their dry ploughed top soil, but the last few kms were vineyards and orchards, heralding the proximity to the river.  As RL approached Robinvale, RA noticed that the bridges spanning the Murray were extensive with Approach 1 and Approach 2, spanning the flood prone areas, proceeding the bridge which was actually over the Murray River itself.  R & R enjoyed Mass with a very wide range of ethnic backgrounds, speaking to members from the Tongan community and a woman from Fiji who was visiting relatives.  At noon, R & R were having coffee and chatting with RL’s brother, S.  It was almost 1:00pm when R & R set off for Manangatang 54kms south.  The first 20kms or so was vines and orchards being near to the river and water supply but after that R & R were seeing Mallee country that supported cereal growing and sheep.  What R & R did not know was that they were entering what is known as the MALLEE.  Mallee vegetation with sheep and cereal would dominate the vegetation and countryside for the entire 200kms drive in the afternoon.  Mallee was written on the Navigator and featured on the information bays at the Manangatang rest area.  Not that either RL or RA were concerned as, like being near lakes and rivers, being in Mallee country had a certain appeal, possibly because it was familiar.  When R & R stopped at Manangatang about 1:30pm, they had lunch before walking up and down the main street.  RA was thrilled to find that the community had created a monument to the humble Mallee.  They had built a garden which featured a beautifully stacked circular arrangement of Mallee roots surrounded by grasses and native plants.  There was also a panel on which there was information about the Mallee fowl.  They had also, after much deliberation, created two sculptures that they called Memory Shapes, containing trinkets about their past.  The objects included broken china, club badges, bits and bridles, horseshoes, taps, chain, springs.  It was delightful!  Nearby a map on a panel showed that there were lakes near the road on the way south toward Sea Lake (57kms) where R & R were headed.  After a most enjoyable hour, R & R were passing again through Mallee country supporting cereal growing.  The rail line and road followed each other closely and passed by several places that had old concrete silos, which were probably not in use any more, as well as small communities with new silos and the larger towns, like Sea Lake, which provided essential services like machinery sales and service for the cereal growing industry.  Some of the crops were faring better than others.  Some had even been harvested or baled already.  Some had sheep on them before harvesting.  It occurred to RL that although some crops looked short and not tall, like the ones he was familiar with, it could be the strain or their habit, particularly in an area where it is persistently windy.  It was 3:00pm when R & R stopped at Sea Lake and read all the information panels at the rest area where they had showers.  It was there that they learned more about Mallee.  Mallee comes from the Aboriginal word mali which means water.  The local people are Maligundidj meaning “people of the mali (Mallee)’.  Mallee have a root system that is able to store fresh water and the Aboriginals were able to “milk” the roots of Mallee when required.  Sea Lake was interesting in that being so close to Lake Tyrell, it holds an annual 4WD race around the lake called the Mallee Rally.  The lake has long had a connection with salt farming and the industry still employs 21 people.  R & R had noticed along the drive that Lake Wahpool had a pink tinge and the crystals of salt sparkled in the sunlight mid-afternoon.  RL drove a further 76kms to Wycheproof which boasts having the smallest mountain (Mt Wycheproof) in the world, only 43m above the height of the plains it sits on at just under 100m.  Further, it claims to have its own mineral, Wycheproofite, found in 1995 by Bill Burch; the only site in the world where this mineral is found.  Just before Wycheproof there was a sign with a car and caravan which read “High Wind Area Next 2km” which was interesting.  It was a short distance of 22kms further south to a suitable rest area.  R & R arrived at Teddywaddy picnic area shortly before 5:30pm and were set up within half an hour, thinking about dinner and looking at maps.  After dinner RL read and RA wrote her diary.  Though they had phone reception … nobody rang.

15/10/2018 Monday R & R woke to another lovely morning despite a good breeze of 21km/hr from the north.  Some of the crops in the paddock outside were green still but some shone golden in the early morning light.  Around the camping area and along the road verge, there were beautiful gum trees other than Mallee.  After breakfast, RA helped RL check and pump up the tires as they felt a little light.  It was 8:15am when R & R set off south on Calder Highway bound for Charlton less than 20kms away.  RL had commented as they left about the mess that travellers and campers leave behind at rest areas and said he understood why some would want a complete ban on free camping.  So, it was no surprise when RA noticed on the entry to Charlton a sign Adopt a Highway Litter Removal Next 2kms with a service club taking the honours.  All credit to the service club – shame on the public!  RL drove through Charlton on the Avoca River which had water in it.  It was a big centre for grain receival and had a weir and many businesses that supplied and serviced the agricultural industry.  R & R headed for Bendigo 104kms south east on the Calder Highway.  RL stopped when he saw a huge monument.  Turned out it was another of those “So and So” passed by here with a date.  For the most part, it was flat open sheep and crop country on light orange soil with some Mallee huge, though the farms were smaller or closer together, with only one section before Wedderburn which could have been considered more hilly.  R & R passed through Wedderburn, which had a history founded in gold and tourism based on fossicking, but stopped in Inglewood, another town with gold in its past, to pop into an op shop on its main street.  It had many lovely old buildings, one traffic light, vintage and collectables shops and a eucalyptus distillery.  They stopped again in Bridgewater on Loddon (the river and Shire’s name was Loddon).  Here again, they stopped when they saw an op shop on the main street.  It was a food bank as well as an op shop, run by one of the local churches.  Food was free for everyone, so R & R took some fruit and made a donation.  As they were driving out, they noticed several silver installations, something like the heads of windmills but could only hazard a guess at what they may have been for: astronomy, communications, weather observation?  In the area there was signs for vineyards and pea hay. Dust blew where machinery worked the dry surface of paddocks.  The last 15kms into Bendigo from Marong was building up as it passed by Maiden Gully and Kangaroo Flats and was hilly again to about 200m.  It was 10:45am when R & R parked on High Street just a block up from the information centre.  R & R delighted in walking round the CBD taking in all the lovely old building, statues, fountains (Alexandra & Vahland), quaint trams, magnificent gardens, public art and the Dai Gum San Chinese temple and precinct which they had not seen before.  R & R popped into a couple of op shops on their way to the bank for cash and change.  After a coffee they refuelled before setting a course on the Midland Hwy for Kyabram where they hoped to sleep the night.  They passed Lake Weeroona which looked like a lovely place for lunch had they realized, but they were keeping an eye out for Jayco to buy a saddle for the awning arm.  That done, RL stopped again at Huntly travellers rest to have lunch as it was about 1:30pm.  Again R & R noticed that business and suburbia extended in a radius of about 15kms from the city CBD.  While they were having lunch R & R saw two fire engines heading north and when they veered east at Elmore for the 16kms to Rochester, they could smell smoke but could not see anything.  Probably, just as well!  There was a big concern with huge hay sheds with many trucks and also a large horse stud or adjustment facility before Elmore, which was a neat small township.  Then, as R & R drove nearer to Rochester, the Navigator indicated canals and the Campaspe River running near the road and rail.  R & R stopped again, about 3:00pm, at an op shop on Rochester’s main street before continuing.  The paddocks were smaller again, water could be seen in canals and there were beef cattle as well as dairy farms.  R & R saw a sign for OvaSem which could only have been a company dealing in livestock reproduction and they were fascinated when they saw a farm with camels; not just a few, probably a hundred or more.  RA had set the Navigator and checked Wikicamps for the rest area but, when they arrived at the Fauna Park in Kyabram, things did not look promising.  R & R went into the kiosk to enquire and the guy indicated the spot where they could set up.  By 4:30pm they were having coffee.  RL read while RA wrote the diary for the day to leave the evening free for chatting and reading.  About 5:30ppm, while R & R were chatting with their daughter, S, a few drops of rain could be heard on the roof of the camper.  RA cut her short when the phone rang with a call from J, RL’s brother-in-law.  RA prepared patties for hamburgers for dinner and a batch of meatballs for the next night.  RL cooked the meat while RA prepared the salad.  After dinner, R & R looked at the maps and tried to come up with the best plan for getting to Dandenong.  S, rang back.  It began to rain so R & R went to the loo in a break before quitting.  They did not mind if it rained most of the night … as long as it was fine enough in the morning to packed the camper down.

16/10/2018 Tuesday It did rain on and off most of the night.  R & R took a while to settle as it was quite humid.  Not that R & R were restless, just that they were aware of the rain.  They woke at 6:30am and the canvas was mostly dry, and the forecast was for a break of a couple of hours, so they set about breakfast and packing down as soon as possible.  Shortly after 8:00am, R & R were parked on Kyabram’s main street Allan outside Jeff’s Shed 4x4 accessories and service.  They were early so they had coffee after which RL read and RA did a manicure and pedicure.  Shortly after 9:00am, they were inside Jeff’s Shed to take a look at the NorthStar slide on camper.  It certainly was well built and looked like good value for money.  It gave R & R lots to think about!  The guys were great and entertained R & R for about an hour and a half by which time the weather had set in again.  About 11:00am, RL set a course for Shepparton 42kms away.  It was hard to focus on the scenery with so much rain and a grey day, but it was similar to what R & R had seen the day before.  There were orchards with cold stores and packing sheds, cattle feed by crops which were being watered by overhead sprinkles or flooding from water in canals where solar panels and pumps to regulate flow.  R & R were just out of Mooroopna (5kms west of Shepparton) when their son, Z, facetimed from Mongolia.  It was fabulous to hear from him so RL parked the Ute (no need to look for a shady tree) and they had coffee and caught up on all his news.  He and his wife, B, had had an interesting weekend away with friends at the Eagle Festival, an annual event held near the border of Kazistan.  RA set the Navigator for SPC factory sales.  It was not long before the Ute was parked in the Shepparton CBD.  R & R took ages to check out the best specials in canned, bottled and dried fruit and vegetables and to settle on what to buy.  The specials were quite different from the last time they were there but, in the end, they were happy with their $43.40 of groceries.  After packing them in the Ute, they walked up and down the main streets and managed to find three op shops before returning to have lunch.  Fortified, R & R set a course, with the Navigator’s help, south on the Goulburn Valley Highway for Nagambie North rest area 41kms.  They passed the airport, oval, primary school and a delightful Dutch cottage and windmill café at Kialia, a suburb on the way out.  RA would have like to stop but it was not the right time.  Like Bendigo, RA noticed that the lights, business and suburbia extended at least 10kms before returning to farming land.  There were signs for strawberries and olives and again R & R saw cattle, canals and crops including canola.  The Freeway to Melbourne became dual carriage way with two lanes both sides.  Thereafter, the country was more open with crops and sheep.  R & R saw horse stables and poultry sheds and recently cut hay that lay sadly on the damp soil.  “Cut hay.  The last thing they want is rain!“ RL commented.  RL pulled into the rest area and decided that there was just enough time to continue to the next one, Taungurung a further 30kms.  The Goulburn Valley Railway crisscrossed under the freeway a couple of times and there were some vines and orchards again.  It was after 4:00pm when R & R stopped at the rest area.  It was on a bit of a slope so R & R were careful to search for a couple of good rocks to put in front of the wheels.  Luckily the rain held off until RA was bringing the last bits in from the Ute.  R & R had a quiet afternoon and evening, ringing E, RL’s sister, looking at maps, reading and writing and enjoying meatballs in bolognaise sauce.  It rained heavily several times with some thunder.  The quilt cover became wet where it touched the canvas but again R & R were hopeful … that the wet would abate long enough for the canvas to be dry enough to pack down in the morning.

17/10/2018 Wednesday R & R were disturbed by a shower of rain shortly before 7:00am.  The forecast was for cloudy but sunny so after breakfast they read a while in the hope that the canvasing would dry somewhat.  About 9:00am they began packing down before heading south to Seymour 5-6kms.  It was 9:45am, with a dash of sunshine, when R & R asked for information, at the tourist bureau, about a best route to Melbourne/Dandenong which did not involve coming in at the top end and having to drive virtually through the city.  The guy was really very helpful and printed maps for them before proceeding to mark a path with a highlighter.  R & R set a course for Lilydale beginning with 39kms to Yea.  As the countryside was so rocky, there was no more cropping, only sheep, cattle and horses grazing.  At first the hills were at a distance and shrouded in mist but then R & R began driving through hilly country of the Cheery Tree Range with Mt Eaglehawk at 528m and the creek lines at 150m.  Everywhere there was green pasture, water in the creeks and dams (RL spotted one that had stone walls) and puddles on the sides of the road; a far cry from some of the dry barren lands that R & R had recently driven through.  By 11:00am they were driving through Yea bound for Yarra Glen 55kms south.  The road was winding and hilly with the Navigator indicating the beginning, south western extremity, of the Great Dividing Range.  RL drove over the Yea River, where rapids splashed over the rocks below, and RA noticed that the trees were bigger and there were lots of introduced plants and trees like poplar, oak and pines growing along the road verge.  Rain fell heavily as RL drove through the Kinglake National Park with its huge forest trees on deep rich red soils and RA was not feeling comfortable at the sight of signs which indicated that the road was slippery when wet.  From the top near Mt Slide 470m, there was a section of vey bendy road with suggested speeds of 75km/hr for about 10kms as it ran towards Yarra Glen.  About half way down at Dixon’s Creek, over the road from a kennels and cattery and next to a horse agistment farm, shed and yards, R & R stopped for a cup and a break.  From there, as far as the eye could see up and down hills were vineyards, wineries and estates into Yarra Glen, where the road went over the Yarra River, and beyond to Lilydale 12kms further.  Besides the vinicultural activities, R & R saw strawberry farms, baled silage, a sign for Yarra Valley Diary, Stringy Bark Creek and undulating ploughed ground.  As R & R were arriving into Lilydale J, RL’s brother-in-law rang so they stopped and chatted long enough to find out that he would not be at home in Dandenong for a least a few days.  That meant that R & R had to rethink their plans and tour a little while, possibly along the Gippsland coast near Lakes Entrance, before going to Melbourne.  RL parked in some parklands near a river.  R & R walked up and down the main street, taking in no less than five op shops and some public art.  On returning to the Ute, they ate a late lunch and by 2:00pm they set a course for Willow Park rest area at Rosedale 184kms from Melbourne.  The path would take them on the steep and winding Warburton Highway, east, with its tall forested trees and palms, through Seville, where there were orchards under netting, hydro strawberries and lots of horses, and Woori Yallock, Launching Place, Yarra Junction, Powelltown to Noojee.  The forested winding sections, where it was cool and damp, were interspersed with agricultural communities; the drive punctuated by 40hr speed zones past schools.  Everywhere there was blossom on fruit trees, wisteria and rhododendron, a far cry from the deciduous state they were in when R & R drove through, in the opposite direction, six months ago.  At Noojee there was a switch back at the bottom of an immensely long steep hill which had the best of trucks struggling to maintain momentum.  Just short from the top, RL stopped for a cup and rang his daughter, H.  Once over the top, the country side opened up a little to cattle and sheep high in the hills and paddocks where their boundaries were marked by rows of tall trees.  RL drove south through Neerim, Neerim South to Warragul and the Princes Freeway.  Once on the freeway, the clouds of smoke from the Morwell Power Stations could be seen to the east, some 40kms ahead.  After Morwell the freeway became the Princes Highway with its minor interruptions as works progressed toward final duplication of carriage ways.  RL stopped at Traralgon for fuel as it was only 149.9c/lt before the last 24kms to Rosedale.  The country side was flat and opened up into cattle grazing on green grasses that were being supported by irrigation: overhead, sprinkler and motor driven circular sprinklers.  It was shortly after 6:00pm, when R & R arrived at Willow Park.  They had travelled just under 300kms, in challenging conditions with rain and mist most of the day, having made a quick change of plans, and it had been quite exhausting.  R & R set up under the bridge below the highway near the La Trobe River.  They knew it would be road noisy but did no calculate of setting up near a coaster that intended playing music all night.  R & R enjoyed fried rice for dinner after which they chatted with their daughter, S, before retiring.  It was damp but not too cool with a forecast of rain the next day but it did not matter … R & R intended staying a second night.

18/10/2018 Thursday RL did not sleep well, possibly the neighbour’s music.  It was 7am when they got out of bed and everything was shrouded in mist, R & R had breakfast after which RL read and RA caught up on the diary from the day before.  It was 10:00am when RL rang his brother, G, before they considered heading into Rosedale for a shower and to look around.  Rosedale was a staging post for Cobb & Co on its route from Port Albert to Sale and Walhalla and has a history steeped in pastoral and agricultural endeavours, and while that remains, there is a big focus on tourism to support its local antique and collectables industry.  R & R drove into Rosedale, went to its Community House to look at the book exchange and have a shower.  The receptionist there accepted their donation and printed an information sheet on Sherbrooke Falls which she recommended as a great place to stay closer to Melbourne if R & R returned that way.  R & R looked into the op shop near the centre before walking up and down the main street checking out the other op shop and all the antique and collectable shops.  They had no intention of buying anything but it was a great way to see the town and spend the morning.  R & R were quite interested in one shop which was actually a collaboration including 17 different stall holders, all under the one roof.  Sales were run on a volunteer basis being staffed by one of the stall holders themselves and managed to be open regularly six days per week.  Rusty’s Collectables Gallery was a standout!  It was more like a museum that had everything for sale.  R & R had never seen so many antique toys, coins, stamps, medals, books, china and tins together all in the same building.  R & R returned to the camper for a late lunch about 1:30pm and rang RL’s sister, K, before having a cat nap.  The noise from the road overhear was one thing.  The crunching and screeching of the bob cat as it worked the path in the rest area was quite another.  The Rosedale council was in the process of doing a major upgrade on the surfacing and workers were digging to lay the foundations for a new toilet block.  One of the workers actually stopped and chatted to apologise about the inconvenience.  R & R surfaced about 3:30pm, had a cup and walked downtown along the specially sealed path with its information panels.  After the floods in 1934 the bridge, under which Willow Park sits, and it approach bridges over the floodway was replaced by a new concrete and iron structure.  It proved so satisfactory that it was duplicated in 1996 when the roads were duplicated.  The path leads under the giant structure and shows a never-ending repetition of arches.  R & R stopped to look at an old hotel and the even older building just near it, just at its caretaker was coming out.  He explained that it had originally be an inn where coaches had stopped.  They all ended up chatting quite a while, so although it was only a distance of 1.2kms, R & R took well over an hour to get into town and back.  After a cup, RA did some domestic tasks while RL read.  About 5:30pm they checked a draft post before RA prepared beans to preserve some.  RL rang his sister, E, before dinner and after he read his lovely hard copy of Louis L’Amour’s “The Rustlers of West Fork” while RA published a post and wrote her diary.  It had been a lovely quiet and relaxing day … after a very hectic one.