Yackandandah, Victoria

Monday March 13th saw us pack up at Mulwala and move South East to Yackandandah. We drove along the North side of the lake before heading South at Corowa. We took a rural route that was quite peaceful and direct, crossing the Hume Highway at Barnawartha. We checked into the Yackandandah Caravan Park as most of the long weekend guests were leaving. This was a lovely little park set down in a gully between two creeks. Lovely and green with lots of shade trees. The owners were very friendly and welcoming. The amenities were oldish but kept nice and clean. I'll give them 3.5 stars.

Once we got settled in we did a short walk around town. A lovely old town with lots of history from the gold days. Nicely kept with lots of unique businesses.

Tuesday saw us head into Wodonga as I had a cyst on my back that was infected and needed attention. I got it treated at the Wodonga hospital but would have to make a few more trips back over the next week to get it checked and the dressings changed. Unfortunate but the medical attention was good. We did a bit of shopping in Wodonga before returning to the caravan park where we had a relaxing afternoon.

Wednesday we took a drive to Beechworth which is another lovely historic gold town about 20Km from Yackandandah. They have a beautiful downtown with a historic precinct and lots of unique shops. We toured a number of the historic buildings including the original courthouse and Ned Kelly's Vault.

We had lunch at Tanswell's Commercial Hotel. Wasn't a very good experience as we both went away hungry. We each ordered a scallop dish for lunch which when it arrived entailed 3 scallops each and nothing else. Cost about $40 with a single watery soft drink from the Tap. Ripoff and definitely wouldn't return! We ended up buying a couple of spring rolls and two rice rolls for a quarter of the price down the street to fill up. We did a Ned Kelly tour after lunch which was very interesting before returning to the caravan park.

Thursday morning saw us return to the hospital for my first follow up. Had quite a wait this time but got my dressing changed. Back to Yackandandah for a meat pie for lunch. The Pie Shop there was excellent and I enjoyed lunch there 3 times. Sandra couldn't eat the pies but got some lovely baking there each time including a gluten free caramel slice which was great. We did a historic gorge walk in the afternoon. A nice short walk through a sports/horse ground before winding up a small gorge. It wasn't the most spectacular walk but was good exercise. We extended our stay for another 4 days as I had to keep touch with the hospital and we wanted to do some additional exploration of the area. The caravan park gave us a day free as they had a stay 7 pay 6 special running. Great service and a wonderful little park.

Friday we headed off to Beechworth again. We took in the Burke Museum and another tour featuring the gold history of the region. We had purchased a gold pass the previous trip which got us access to both the tours and all the historic buildings/museums over a 4 day period. Good value at $25 and would recommend to people spending some time in the region. The town is lovely and green with a large amount of North American type vegetation (oaks, maples, etc.)

We enjoyed a nice lunch this time at a small takeaway café. Good gluten free options and very reasonably priced! Much better than our previous experience. We did a bit of shopping after lunch before doing a bit of scenic driving around the town. We drove out to Lake Sambell first to have a look at the caravan park and a nice day use area. Might give it a try next time we are in the area.

We did the Gorge Road and scenic drive next. This is a one way road that winds up and through Beechworth Historic park and along Spring Creek. Got some lovely views from the top with lots of walks located along the drive. Near the end we pulled over at a nice viewpoint of the Newtown Bridge and Falls. Lovely coloured rock banks with a granite bridge built in 1875.

Back through town one final time before taking the short drive out to Woolshed Falls. A nice little day use area there with lookouts at the top and bottom of the falls. Not a huge amount of water but still impressive.

Our last stop on our return journey was a Berry farm where we picked up some beautiful Strawberries. We could have picked our own there but was fairly warm so we took the lazy way out and purchased a prepacked package. They were great with so much more flavour than what you buy at the supermarket. We got a few nice meals out of them over the remainder of our stay.

Saturday saw us back in Wodonga for a final check-up at the hospital. All good until I get back home to see a doctor. Topped up on diesel while there and had a quick drive around to plan our route through the area when we leave on Monday. We had a relaxing afternoon and another walk around Yackandandah.

Sunday saw us head South towards Myrtleford and Mount Buffalo National Park. Given it was Sunday not much was open in Myrtleford so we didn't stop to visit. Just before we got to Bright we turned onto the Mount Buffalo Road near Porepunkah. This road was a steady winding climb for some 25Km. Lots of cyclists on the road but thankfully not to many vehicles coming back down. We stopped at a couple of lookout points and the park office on our way to The Horn which is the highest peak in the park. We enjoyed the steep 1.5Km walk to the lookout here. You get a great 360 degree view of the park and surrounding mountains. Sandra was bothered a bit by the heights but we both made it to the top for picture taking.

From there we walked back down to the car and drove back to a day use area at Lake Catani. We had our lunch in the car as there was a shortage of picnic tables and they weren't in the shade. There is also a campsite located at the Lake but would only be suitable for tents or small campers. After lunch we took a short 1.7Km walk to the Chalwell Galleries. It turned out to be quite a climb with some uneven patches. The trail ended up at a very narrow gorge area which you climbed down into and through. I made it down to the other side but we returned via the same way as we arrived. We discovered later that it was a circuit walk and we would have ended up coming out at another area near where we had parked if we had continued on. It was a good walk but not suitable for limited mobility or bad knees as involved some scrambling over and crawling under large rocks.

Once back at the car we retraced our way past the park office and headed to the Gorge Day Use area. Lots of great view points here from Bants lookout and the Gorge Heritage walk. The gorge is a sheer drop with lookouts right at the edges. A bit much for Sandra in a few spots. There is a spot for hang gliders to launch and we saw a group of future guides learning how to rappel down the cliff faces. I wouldn't mind trying it some time. We took a 2.5Km walk along the gorge and through a heritage area. We were pretty tired by the time we made it back to the car.

The drive back down the hill was a bit busier and there was traffic going in both directions. Thankfully not too many cyclists on the down route. They must be buggered by the time they finish as is a steady 25Km climb on a very narrow winding road. As I said to Sandra the downhill wouldn't be that enjoyable either as you would be on the brakes a lot because of the tight corners. We made it back down to the main road where we took a slightly different route back to Yackandandah that bypassed Myrtleford. We were ready for a bit of a rest by the time we made it back to the caravan park. We did a bit of packing up as rain was in the forecast.

All in all we really enjoyed our week in Yackandandah and will likely return some day. Might stay in Beechworth next time as a bit more to see and closer to Mount Buffalo. Lots more walks to look at in Mount Buffalo and on the Gorge drive at Beechworth itself.

Mulwala, New South Wales

Friday March 10th saw us head North East towards Yarrawonga on the Victoria/New South Wales border. We took a rural route which was quite lovely and not busy at all. Had a quick stop in Shepparton for a stretch and a snack along the way. We arrived around lunch and got settled into a caravan park on the north side of the lake at Mulwala. We had booked in at the DC on the Lake, Top Tourist for the weekend as was a long weekend in Victoria. The park was fairly modern and we got a nice large site. There was a nice new swimming pool and amenities as much of the park had been damaged in a tornado the year before. The park was nice but busy because of the long weekend. Amenity block was good but not big enough for a full caravan park. I believe they may be still re-building some more so I'll give 4 Stars.

I won't go into much detail as we basically hunkered down for the long weekend and relaxed. We were right next to a reserve where you can free camp. We avoided because of long weekend but we still could have found some spots as it turned out. No facilities but close to lake and would be good for a group. The weekend was hot though so we had our air conditioner running most of the time. Would have been uncomfortable without power I think.

Lots of kids around our campsite so wasn't the quietest weekend and we avoided the pool most of the time because of the crowds. We did some nice walks along the lake through the reserve over the weekend. The lake itself is quite different as is a dam area with lots of dead tree stumps. Interestingly it is a water ski mecca which seems fairly hazardous to my way of thinking. Boats and boat trailers were everywhere throughout the park and both Mulwala and Yarrawonga. Not a place I'd spend a lot of time unless with a group of people with boats.

Bendigo, Victoria

Tuesday March 7th, 2017 saw us heading North East towards Bendigo. We headed through Halls Gap before heading East towards Stawell. We took a meandering drive through a number of country roads and towns eventually ending up on the Southern side of Bendigo. We had a bit of excitement as our Tom Tom GPS decided that the caravan park we were headed for was actually the shopping centre. Luckily we were able to wind our way around and out of the car park without incident. My navigator may have lost a few years off her life span though! Eventually we found A-Line Holiday Park about 2.5Km South and on the other side of the road? Sometimes you need to really wonder about the value of a GPS.

A-Line Holiday Park is a Family Park and quite small. That being said it is one of the nicest we have come across. The sites are divided by native gardens and there is lots of lovely green grass in all the common areas. We got quite a large site which was a bit tight to get into but had lots of room for the caravan and car. The other huge plus for the park are the individual ensuites located behind each site. They were lovely and clean with our own individual key. I'll give 4.5 stars! Price was consistent with a normal powered site so good value especially if you are a Family Parks member. We will definitely look to stay here if we return to Bendigo some day.

Sandra did some laundry in the afternoon and we took a short drive downtown. Bendigo is quite a large rural city and was busy. We stopped at the visitor centre and a few shops before heading back to the caravan park. We enjoyed a nice meal on the electric BBQ adjacent to our site.

Wednesday morning we took a walk back to the shopping centre to get some exercise. It was about 5Km return walk along the highway. Luckily there was a sidewalk down the one side and quite a bit of shade. We had a bit of walk and explore around the shopping centre before returning to the caravan. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and catching up on cleaning/computer work. I enjoyed a swim in the park pool during the late afternoon. Lovely and clean although not quite as warm as the wood heated one at Halls Gap.

Thursday morning we did some grocery shopping in the morning. We again enjoyed a relaxing afternoon around the caravan. Caught up on a bit more cleaning and computer work but spent quite a bit of time sitting around talking/reading. There is a lot to be said for taking a couple of easy days once in a while. We had a swim in the afternoon as well although Sandra found it a bit cool and wasn't in the water for long. We utilized the Park BBQ again that night for our dinner.

All in all we really enjoyed our relaxing stay at A-Line Holiday Park in Bendigo. That being said we didn't really get out and explore any of the local attractions. Maybe another time although we both found Bendigo a bit on the busy side.

Halls Gap, Victoria

Friday March 3rd, 2017 saw us say our goodbyes to Port Fairy and the coast as we headed North towards the Grampians. We stopped in Dunkeld along the way at the Tourist Information Centre. The lady there was lovely and gave us some good local tips. Sandra found herself a nice walking stick there for a reasonable price as well.

After our quick break we headed North again through the National Park arriving at Halls Gap around lunch time. We had reserved a site a Lakeside Caravan Park near Lake Belford. This is a Top Tourist park and one of the nicest ones we have come across.  Our site was in a lovely setting near the rear of the park backing onto the mountains with nice shade trees. It is a fairly large park with two main sections and amenity blocks. They were kept fairly clean during our stay with the top block set up as ensuites. I'll give 3.5 stars. Another highlight of the park was a wood heated swimming pool. This was kept at a lovely 30 degrees Celsius. Sandra and I enjoyed it most days during our stay although it did get busy and it was best if you avoided times with too many kids. Another unique feature for a caravan park in a National Park is that they allowed fires and actually supplied fire drums and wood (at a price). Sandra and I booked a drum and some wood which was delivered to our site later in the day. All in all a great little caravan park and one we hope to return to one day.

After we got setup we took a short drive to look at the dam on Lake Belford. Our caravan park is actually located below the wall. Sandra and I walked across the wall and back for a bit of exercise and a couple of photos. We then drove into Halls Gap to visit the Tourist Information. It was fairly busy with only one staff member but we eventually got the information we wanted and picked up a few maps to aid in our next few days activities. The Park itself appears to be free but the walking maps were sold at a nominal fee. We also took in the Brambuk Cultural Centre which is located behind the Visitor Centre. Was well worth a look with quite a bit of aboriginal art and history on display. Again there was no entry fee but there was a gold coin donation box which we contributed to.

We returned to the caravan park and had a late afternoon swim before planning out our next few days.

Saturday morning we got an early start as we wanted to complete the 6Km walk to "The Pinnacle" before it got too warm. There were only about half a dozen cars in the Wonderland parking lot when we arrived. Loaded up our backpack, water, and camera for our climb. The beginning of the climb took us through the rock formation called the "Grand Canyon". It wasn't the famous American one but it was still fairly impressive.

 

After a lot more climbing and stairs we made it to "Silent Street" which is a deep narrow passage that you pass through before taking another steep set of stairs.

A bit more climbing with lots of sweating and a few breaks saw us arrive at "The Pinnacle" There were only a few other groups there so we got to spend quite a bit of time enjoying the view down towards Halls Gap and Lake Belford. We got quite a few pictures and enjoyed a snack on the top before we began our trek back to the car.

We took a slightly different route down which was somewhat flatter but longer. Saw some really neat rock formations on the way down near the top. Eventually we returned to the main path and returned down to the car park. The walk was really busy by this point and we passed at least a hundred people heading up to the peak. Amazing how many of them weren't wearing hats or carrying water bottles.
The parking lot was full and cars were lined up the road where we had come in by the time we returned to the car.

From here we headed off in the car again with our next stop at Boroka Lookout on Mount Difficult Road. The lookouts are attached to the parking lot so no big walks at this stop. Stunning views of Halls Gap and surrounding area including the Pinnacle.

Back in the car we headed further West to Reed Lookout & The Balconies. Reed Lookout is attached to the parking lot and give a view to the South West. The Balconies was a short 2Km return walk which was mostly flat. You arrive at a couple lookouts which overlook a rock formation called "The Balconies". Well worth the walk. The area is fenced off but there were still idiots climbing out and posing on the edge of the cliff.

We were fairly tired by this point so began heading back towards our caravan. We took the Silverband Road and stopped at the Sundial picnic area for a late lunch. Not too many tables so we found a shaded area and ate in the car. After lunch we continued on a winding one way section of the road to Silverband Falls. Another short 1.5Km return walk took us in to the Falls. They were a bit unique as the water coming down the falls appeared to disappear into the ground at the bottom. We made our way back to the caravan park and enjoyed a nice warm swim to relax our aching muscles. The fitbit showed our daily effort at about 14Km with a fair degree of climbing up or down. We had planned a campfire but chose an early night instead.

Sunday morning we had a bit more relaxed start before we headed back West towards Mackenzie Falls. We did the more difficult walk first which went to the base of the falls. Was about 2Km return but involved a number of stairs. We didn't find it nearly as challenging as "The Pinnacle" walk. There were a number of different view points to see different portions of the falls. They were very impressive and the water was pouring over all stages. We got some nice pictures with the sun shining through the mist they generated. We enjoyed a good 15 minutes relaxing and enjoying the view at the bottom.

We returned to the carpark via a lookout for Broken Falls. These are much smaller than Mackenzie Falls but beautiful in their own way. They are on the same river just above where Mackenzie Falls begin.

We finished off our trip to the falls by taking the 2Km return walk around the rim where you can view the falls from above. A lovely view but we would definitely recommend the walk to the base to really appreciate their power. That being said the base walk may not be suitable if you aren't in reasonable shape or have knee problems.

We took a short drive out to Lake Wartook which is another huge dam area. Lovely looking and accessible to boats it would appear.

We decided to a different path home which followed the Old Mill Road. The road is unsealed and described as 4WD. The Smith Mill Campground is near the beginning of the road and is suitable for small or larger caravans (special area). There appears to be toilets and showers and could be a nice area to camp. That being said I wouldn't take our caravan from the Halls Gap end as the main road was very winding and hilly. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if you came from Horsham?? The 4WD track was narrow but was dry and there were no overly difficult sections. Other than meeting a few vehicles the route was almost as quick as the main road. Once we came out the end of the road we returned to the campground via Mount Difficult Road and Mount Victory Road.

We enjoyed another swim at the pool and a relaxing afternoon. The pool was pretty busy with young children so we had to huddle in a corner. They were well behaved but exuberant! We enjoyed a BBQ and a nice campfire to finish off the day. Very nice!

Monday morning we set out to explore the Southern end of the Grampians. We returned to Dunkeld but took the Victoria Valley Road this time for part of the journey. This road involved a bit of climbing to begin with but eventually ended up taking a more rural route back to Dunkeld. We topped up the diesel there and checked out a few of the local stores. A very nice looking small town. There is a nice walk there called the Dunkeld Arboretum. Is supposed to be nice early in the morning or evening when a lot of wildlife is around.

We headed a few kilometres North of town where we did the Piccaninny walk. The carpark is not well marked and the short road in is rough and narrow. There was one other couple just finishing the walk when we arrived. The walk was about 2.5Km return with a fairly gradual climb to the peak. The path isn't very even so you needed to keep your eyes open for logs, rocks, etc. There were a lot of grass trees along the walk but most had been damaged in a fire. Most were recovering but some were all black. From the peak you got a good view of Dunkeld, the surrounding pastoral area, and Mount Abrupt. Very nice and we had it all to ourselves. Nice sunny day with a bit of wind as you can see from Sandra's hair.

We headed back North stopping at Jimmy Creek campground for our picnic lunch. Not really suitable for larger caravans but did have a number of bush setting sites and toilets. We continued North again after lunch before turning on the Mount William Road. This winds and climbs some 10Km up towards the summit of Mount William which is the highest peak in the Grampians. There is a carpark located about 2Km from the summit where hikers need to stop. A road continues on to the top for access to the communication towers but is gated and locked. This walk particularly the start would be one of the steepest walks we have done without stairs. There were several stops to rest the legs and grab some extra breaths along the way. That being said it was a great walk with some incredible views. It is amazing how the view changes as you rise the 250M elevation along the walk. From the top you truly felt like the king of the world looking out over the park and other mountains.

We enjoyed a good 20 minutes at the top taking in the views from different aspects. We had a drink and a bit of a snack as well before heading back to the car. The walk back down was a bit easier on the bodies although the legs were still feeling the burn. Got lots more photos on the way down from different viewpoints as well.

Back at the caravan we enjoyed another swim with the pool being much less crowded. We had drinks with our neighbours before another easy BBQ meal. We planned on another fire but struggled to get it started as the wind had come up. We gave up and enjoyed a shower and a quiet night in the caravan. I realized I didn't mention that there are numerous birds and wildlife that call the park home as well. Lots of cockatoos, parrots, kookaburras, kangaroos, and emus to name a few. Really fun to see all the foreign tourists enjoying meeting Australian wildlife up close.