Dromana Bound

31/10/2018 Wednesday R & R slept so well they did not want to get out straight away.  It was cloudy but not too cool at 10*C when they did and they set about breakfast and packing up.  By 8:40am, R & R were headed 16kms west to Orbost on Princes Highway.  They passed a large timber mill at the edge of the forests and for a while the countryside opened up into cattle farming, some cattle still lying in the cool grey morning while others grazed high on the hillsides.  The road was not quite so steep.  Shortly after 9:00am, R & R stopped for a coffee in the main street of Orbost before heading west again 60kms for Lakes Entrance.  After passing the water pumping station there were only a few farms before state forest returned to the north of the road.  To the south, there was the Ewing Morass Game reserve in a strip, along the 90 Mile Beach, with less than 10kms to the Southern Ocean at that point.  It was hilly and even more so after Nowa Nowa, about half way to Lakes Entrance, where state forest continued to flank both sides of the road.  RA came to the conclusion that the yellow blossoms were wattle and the creamy coloured ones were paperbark, preferring the swampy conditions in the creek lines.  She saw a sign about Adopting a Highway for litter removal but it also included text about weed control.  She had not noticed that before.  The last 5kms to Lakes Entrance, and sea level, was mostly a long downhill.  Parked on The Esplanade, the main street of Lakes Entrance, R & R had coffee before walking around all the op shops again.  While they were doing the rounds, their son, Z, rang from Mongolia with the news that he and his wife would be returning to Fremantle by November 2019, which was good news for R & R.  R & R went to the skate park and boat ramp area at the northern end of town and had a hot shower!  It was 12:30pm when RL headed up the steep hill with the lookouts west towards Bairnsdale 33kms away.  It was still cloudy but not cold at 17*C with a moderate breeze of 18km/hr.  The country side was undulating and not too hilly with farming land where cattle grazed on green paddocks.  R & R passed through Swan Reach and Johnsonville and Nicholson with their delightful rivers, the Tambo and the Nicholson (which flows into Lake King less than five kilometres to the south), in what is called the Twin Rivers District.  RA noted it was precisely 1:00pm when RL parked the Ute in the main street in Bairnsdale and they had lunch before checking out a couple of op and camping shops. R & R refuelled including a jerry can and went in search of water to top up the tank.  They had been instructed to got to the boat ramp but RL was not keen to use the water at the fish cleaning sink and they could see no other tap.  Since they were back at the eastern end of town, RL drove a little further to the ADRA op shop where they had not been before.  It was huge and they picked up a couple of items.  As R & R were leaving Bairnsdale for Stratford 45kms away, they both commented on a sign which informed drivers that there were five overtaking lanes between the two towns.  They both though it was a good safety device – not that anyone needed to worry about that at the current time. as there were road works most of the way, reducing speed to 40km/hr and limiting overtaking.  The country side was flat to undulating with farming land where sheep grazed, raising dust as they walked, on paddocks, some still with reeds.  The highlight of the drive was seeing one very handsome, very lucky, echidna waddle off the bitumen and into the bush having survived his four-lane highway crossing.  R & R stopped on the main street in Stratford for a cup of coffee before continuing west two kilometres and taking a right hand turn northwards towards Maffra 8kms.  Immediately, R & R witnessed irrigation by overhead boom sprays from channels full of water and cattle and cropping.  There was a winery and horse stables.  Following the Navigators instructions, RL drove through Maffra a further 9kms, past a dairy which bore the brand name Devondale, to the Newry RV rest area which was in the Newry sporting reserve.  It was 5:00pm and both R & R were tired, but pleased to have stopped and be setting the camper up.  They had travelled about 200kms for the day.  No sooner were R & R seated with a cup than their daughter, S, rang.  After that, R & R had dinner of fried rice and read and wrote until bed time.  RA was amused and thrilled … the spikey little creature was safe to live another day!

1/11/2018 Thursday R & R slept very well and were woken to galahs screeching at 6:30am.  It was a pleasant 9*C with a mild breeze and a promise of a warm day.  After breakfast, R & R read through a draft and RL shaved while RA tidied up.  R & R gathered the washing and headed back into Maffra about 9kms to be at St Mary’s for a 9:30am Mass for All Saints Day.  It was a lovely old church with an ornate ceiling and decorative walls, featuring angels.  The readings and the sermon were around the Beatitudes which, whether or not a person believes in a God, are a beaut set of attitudes to live by.  After chatting with the locals and taking some photos of their church, R & R wandered up and down the main street via some back streets where gardens were in bloom and delightful with perfume.  The main street had lovely trees and gardens along with a rotunda and some grand old buildings.  R & R went into the two op shops before heading to SpinCity.  Once the washing was in the machine, R & R had coffee and a gingernut.  A 23-minute cycle later, they were folding it up to take back to the camper to hang out to dry.  By 12:30pm, with the washing on the line, R & R had lunch followed by a cat nap.  The day had really warmed up and it was not particularly comfortable trying to rest under the canvas with no shade over it.  About 2:00pm, R & R brought the dry washing in and, setting the Navigator as their guide, headed for Briagolong 20 kms north east via Boisdale.  Along the way, there was irrigation fed by a number of rivers, creeks and water channels.  Not far to the north west was Lake Glenmaggie with its weir, supporting irrigation to the Macalister district for dairying, agricultural, pastoral and a developing vegetable growing industry.   There were horses and stables, as well as the cattle and some sheep.  Where the land was irrigated, there was green but, in some sections, pastures appeared quite dry.  An indicator of a dry winter is when farmers clean out near empty dams or to dig new ones.  R & R saw machines working near dams.  To the north the mountains of the Great Dividing Range could be seen in different shades of grey, green and blue.  RL spotted an echidna but by the time they had turned around, it had well and truly dug itself in, leaving only a bundle of spikes in a similarly coloured bundle of leaf and twig litter.  At Boisdale, RA noticed that it had a Consolidated School where seven smaller schools had combined to make one, and she wondered about how the area would have, at one point, supported seven schools.  R & R walked around Briagolong, which was a very small settlement with a pub, café and a Post Office come General Store.  None of the art galleries or antique shops were open.  RL headed to Blue Pool about 8 kms north, driving in and out of Red Gum or Quarry Reserve on the way.  The road followed Freestone Creek very closely with a narrow seal and a drop of about 20-30m to the pebbly creek line below.  Shortly after leaving Briagolong, the road entered forested parks at the southern end of the Alpine Park.  At 3:15pm, R & R arrived at Blue Pool campground and picnic area.  They spent about half an hour wandering around and taking photos of the pool.  Though it was not blue, it was a lovely spot, suitable for even children to play and swim (under supervision).  In one direction a stream trickled southward and to the northern end of the pool, there was a tunnel created by large granite boulders covered in lichen.  The Freestone Creek was once a haven for gold fossickers in the hope that they might strike it rich.  RA noticed that the soils there were pink, very dark, in some sections.  The highlight of the return journey was when RL spotted an echidna with enough time to stop and catch him in a photo before he was able to bury himself.  It was 4:00pm as RL was driving back when he commented, “Milking’s underway!” on seeing cows exiting the nearby dairy.  Shortly after, R & R were back at the camper.  It was still 28*C with a forecast low for the night being 20*C.  The forecast also indicated another warm day coming up with the possibility of strong winds and storms in the afternoon.  After a cup and snack, R & R downloaded RL’s photos on to the laptop and looked through them, cropping one, especially, of the echidna.  RA published the post and wrote the diary while RL read.  RL rang his sister, E for an update on her husband, J.  After dinner, in the cooler time of the evening, R & R walked a few times round the oval before 8:00pm.  RA made up the new ipad charts for the coming month’s places and expenses while RL read.  They rang their Perth friend, J, to see how she was going and retired after another eventful day.  R & R had not only seen echidnas crossing the road … but they had managed to snap one before it dug itself in.

2/10/2018 Friday Despite the warmer night, R & R slept well, getting out of bed about 6:30am to a temperature of 21*C and the forecast of stronger winds, rain and possibly storms during the day.  As they were in no hurry, R & R read a while before packing down.  It was already 26*C by 8:15am and they were much too early for 10:00am Mass at Maffra, so RL parked the Ute in the shade and he read while RA checked some draft on the laptop.  R & R changed into better clothes before returning to St Mary’s in Maffra for the whole school All Soul’s Day Mass.  The aging population of about 20 parishioners all sat down the back while classes filed in and filled about two thirds of the church.  It was interesting to see such a large group of children in church and observe their behaviours.  When everyone emerged from the service, the ground outside was wet and bins had been blown over, looking like there had been quite a sharp burst though RA had heard nothing.  R & R chatted again with the friendly congregation and their very young priest before coffee and cake.  It was after 11:00am when R & R headed for Hayfield 20kms away.  They saw more dairy, green paddocks, willows, poplars and cattle.  It was very pretty in the cool grey day having just been dampened.  R & R stopped at the park in Hayfield which had a massive timber yard and changed into their “play clothes” (much more comfortable) before continuing to Traralgon.  They passed through the smaller settlements of Cowarr, Toongabbie and Glengarry with the hills always to the north in different shades of grey and green.  The wind was strong at 34kms/hr and incessant.  On and off, RL used his wipers to clear light rain from the windscreen.  Several vintage cars passed heading east to Sale for the rally on the coming weekend.  RL was lucky to find a parking spot on Princes Drive (the highway) just metres beyond the information centre where R & R sought maps on the Mornington Peninsula, where they were headed.  As there was plenty of time, R & R wandered to the four nearest op shops before having lunch and moving on to Morwell.  The power stations with their chimneys and smoke featured on the landscape and everywhere there were huge power lines spreading out, to feed power in every direction.  In Morwell, still with plenty of daylight, R & R stopped downtown and went to the nearest four op shops.  RA was amused to find, in one of them, a chair which had a sign on it. “Husbands Waiting Chair (Not For Sale) Please Take A Seat” The ladies there commented that R & R would be surprised at how often it was used, tucked there between baskets of socks and undies and a rack of children’s clothes. RL would not be one to use it, as, he usually can be found scouring the bookshelves or just looking around to see what there might be, like a set of lights for the Ute in a box marked $5.  R & R were bound for Longwarry North rest area about 34kms west again on Princes Highway/Freeway.  The wind continued to blast strongly from the north north-west and it rained heavily, as a sun shower, for a few kilometres but RL was behind a Ute and truck at a comfortable speed and keeping an eye out for the exit lane.  R & R arrived at the rest area shortly after 3:30pm and had coffee before doing anything else.  They rang their daughter, H, and then their son, J and chatted a while.  A short, but sharp, hail storm passed over followed by some more rain.  R & R sat.  When it looked like it had passed, R & R set up the camper and were seated inside about 5:30pm.  Fortunately, the bad weather had passed and it was dry and still most of the evening.  After dinner, S, their daughter rang and then R & R rang their son, S, to see how his week had gone.  R & R both read a little while before bed.  Though the forecast was for some rain around midnight … it looked like the next day would be dry if somewhat cloudy.

3/11/2018 Saturday Being disturbed by trucks pulling in and out, rain and several episodes of wind buffeting the camper had no ill effects on R & R’s sleep.  They were out of bed about 6:30am again to 10*C and a 19km/hr wind.  They breakfasted and RL encouraged RA to write the diary from the day before that she had not been able to do it.  It was 8:30am before R & R were having a coffee and thinking about getting going.  Thank goodness for a massive semi that had parked next to them in the night, as it protected the dwarfed camper from the wind.  R & R had no trouble with the canvas blowing inside out while packing down, which often happens when it is windy.  It was 9:15am as RL pulled west out onto Princes Highway for a couple of kilometres before taking the first exit south to Longwarry.  The plan was to head south west to Tooradin and then across the peninsula to Mornington and then down to Dromana.  CT, RA’s brother and his wife, CA, and possibly CA’s son D, and his family, were spending the long weekend at Dromana on the west coast of the Mornington Peninsula.  CT & CA had a beach house down there and had agreed that R & R would be welcome to join them.  R & R saw dairies, green pastures, vineyards, sheep and irrigation.  Alongside the good sealed road an irrigation channel ran for quite a long way with the Navigator indicating numerous canals.  The road ran through a couple of small communities Modela and Bayles and on the outskirts of both there were many small properties with horses and ponies.  RL spotted a second-hand store at Bayles and thought it was a good time for a break.  It was only a total of 36kms to Koo-Wee-Rup so R & R arrived there at 10:00am ready to pop into an op shop and a second-hand yard.  They took a comfort stop and had coffee and a biscuit.  About three quarters of an hour later, R & R set off for Tooradin where they hoped to buy RA a solar power torch like RL’s.  He bought his there when they passed through months earlier and it worked a treat so RA thought she needed one.  Tooradin sits on the coast so the landscape became more swampy the closer they got to Tooradin’s inlet and the delightful little mangrove islands in its river.  RA was lucky and got her torch.  R & R set the Navigator for Mornington as they wanted to shop there at Coles.  They did not wat to arrive for a weekend, at CT & CA’s, empty handed.  The 12km route took them through Pearcedale and then Baxter and along the way they saw market gardens, acres and acres of sprinkler irrigation, horse stables, cold stores, a plant nursery and covered domes for growing seedlings.  The wind blew incessantly, though the day had cleared and warmed somewhat.  There were roundabouts, too many to count!  Just on noon, R & R arrived in Mornington and it being lunchtime on a Saturday in a coastal tourist centre, it was extremely busy and quite difficult to find a parking spot.  When they did, they rushed to Coles to shop and return to the Ute and have a quick cup of coffee within the hour of the bay limit.  They rang and chatted with RL’s brother, G.  RL was just about to pull out when an Ambulance pulled into the bay in front, which was marked Police, and the two officers headed into the café for a cup of coffee.  They were gone so long RL rang his brother, S, as well.  Again, RA set the Navigator, but this time for Dromana about 15kms south, arriving, eventually at CT & CA’s place about 2:00pm.  Everyone chatted for quite a while over a cup before driving to the Church fete to find it had just finish.  A little disappointed, they decided to take a walk downtown and pick up a few groceries.  They walked up and down the foreshore and main shopping strip before popping in to shop.  Back at the house by 4:00pm, R & R set the camper up in the drive way.  Everyone was hungry early so CA prepared a delicious vegetable soup served with garlic bread followed by apple pie.  They all watched 6:00pm news.  While C & C watched Back Roads, R & R had showers.  After that CT showed his photos of their Canada holiday.  D, CA’s son and his family arrived about 8:30pm.  It was lovely to see them all again, especially the children … since R & R had been missing their own grandchildren.