Our first week will see us meander through NSW and Victoria towards the Port of Melbourne where we will catch the Spirit of Tasmania on February 18th.
We departed Harrington on Saturday February 10th stopping at the Ourimbah Rest Stop for the night. Colleen and Ernie met us there in the late afternoon for a quick visit. We enjoyed a quiet night and set the alarm for an early start.
We were up and on the road by 5:45 so we got through Sydney with very light traffic. Carried on to the Rest Stop near Picton turnoff where we had breakfast and a stretch. Carol and Stephen showed up shortly after us at our meeting spot. We carried on down the Hume, with a few stops to stretch, arriving in Jugiong just after lunch. We both filled up with diesel before checking into the free camp at the Recreation reserve. We found a couple of semi shaded sites although we avoided any large gum trees as very windy.
We had a relaxing afternoon before walking to the Sir George Hotel to celebrate my Birthday. We enjoyed a lovely meal and a couple of ice cold beer. Rans and I had a couple of Bourbon nightcaps back at the caravans but was still an early night.
We did a bit of a walk around the reserve and down to the Murrumbidgee River in the morning. There is a huge area for camping at the back along the river. We may look at as an option for the Smith Family gathering in the future. The bathroom facilities were fairly basic but clean. There is a donation box and we made sure we both contributed to keep this lovely area viable. I must say the local community probably does OK by the park being there as we think at least 20 people from the campground were having dinner at the Pub. Several would have filled up with diesel as well.
Monday morning saw us continue along the Hume highway before turning off near Rutherglen in Victoria. We travelled a somewhat winding route into the Police Paddocks recreation reserve along the Murray River. We found a flat area near the river that could easily accommodate our two vans and allow us to keep our vehicles hooked up. A beautiful peaceful location with no facilities but that is free to stay at. We enjoyed two lovely relaxing days camping along the river. The river level was quite high and really rushing so we avoided the water. We did enjoy a number of long walks along the banks of the river. Lots of beautiful old gum trees although we made sure we didn't stay directly under any of them. Lots of bird life, especially white Cockatoos which made the evenings and mornings fairly loud. We also had a few Kookaburras serenade us quite loudly in the morning. We enjoyed watching mother and baby Kangaroos drinking from the river across from our campsite. The weather was warm but there was always a bit of a breeze. We kept busy moving our chairs around trying to keep in a shady spot. A great couple of days and definitely a place we will look to return to one day.
Wednesday morning saw us hit the road again heading South. We re-joined the Hume Highway near Wangaratta which we followed to Seymour Victoria. We then headed West ending up in Heathcote. We had planned on carrying on a bit further but we were all tired by the time we stopped there at 2PM. We had some lunch and made a group decision to check into the local caravan park. The park staff was very friendly and gave us each a double site so we could drive thru and leave our vehicles hooked up. There were two toilet blocks and they were nice and clean. 4 Stars. The price was very reasonable as well at $27/night for powered sites. We did a couple of walks along the main street and enjoyed a couple of ice cold beer in the local pub to celebrate Valentines Day with the girls. We are pretty special guys to treat them so well!
Thursday morning was cool at 7 degrees so we fired up our heater to give it a test. Definitely took the chill off the inside of the van which was good. We headed South West through Mia Mia/ Redesdale before arriving at Kyneton. The road wasn't too great but at least it wasn't too busy. We did get to go across a really old bridge on route. We had a break at Kyneton which was a really nice interesting little town. We may try and stay here on our return trip. We carried on along a number of rural roads travelling through Daylesford before arriving in Ballarat in the late morning. We were booked in at the Eureka Stockade Holiday Park for 3 days for our final preparations before the Ferry to Tasmania. The park is quite tight but we both got some nice drive thru sites. Narrow though as we could barely get our awning out. The toilets were kept very clean so 4 Stars. The staff was friendly and the park wasn't very busy which was good. The girls got started on some laundry when we got setup and Rans & I did some electrical work on his Ranger.
Friday morning we piled in the Ransley's Ranger and headed into Melbourne. The main objective of the trip was to pre-scope our drive into the Ferry on Sunday. It was a good thing we did as the GPS took us through a winding, crowded, residential area originally. We found a more direct route and also a place where we could park for several hours prior to the boarding commencing. There is no staging or parking area for caravans that arrive early. Once we were happy with our plan of action Stephen took the girls into the city to Gluten Free 4 U. This is a Gluten Free only bakery and the girls were like kids in a candy shop. $200 of baking products later we headed home with two very happy ladies! Quite a few samples were enjoyed on the drive back to Ballarat. Stephen and I got a quick lunch when we returned to Ballarat at 2:30.
Later in the afternoon we took a drive to Lake Wendouree which is a large body of water located within Ballarat. A beautiful park with walking trails around the 6KM circumference of the lake. We enjoyed a lovely walk enjoying the peaceful lake with lots of waterfowl. The Lake was also the site of Olympic rowing from the Melbourne Olympics. We were lucky enough to see a number of teams training for an upcoming regatta. The whole area is very well maintained and utilized. Lots of walkers, joggers, rowers, cyclists, fishermen, birdwatchers, and nature lovers.
Saturday morning Sandra and I did a good walk around the Eureka Stockade and neighbourhood. A beautiful park area at the Stockade and some interesting art celebrating the labour uprising. The neighbourhood was filled with very old houses which were small but on huge blocks. The majority were very well kept with beautiful gardens. Ballarat in general is a very old city with some many lovely old buildings.
Later in the morning we took another drive to see a bit more of the city. First stop was Black Hill Lookout which also functions as a large mountain bike park. Again the area appeared well utilized with a number of family groups and young people setting off down runs of various difficulty. We decided even the easiest ones were probably a bit much for us oldies!
From there we returned to Lake Wendouree and parked near the Botanic Gardens. We spent a few hours walking through these lovely gardens. The gardens originated early in the 1800s so there were some very large trees. Highlights were Sequoia, Tasmanian Blue Gum, and Bunya Bunya Pines. There were a number of other wonderful trees and then there were the flowers. The girls had a great time going from one flower bed to another chatting and taking photos. The whole gardens were very well maintained and some of the nicest we have seen. It was quite a warm day but it was very comfortable wandering along the various path ways as most of them were shaded. We returned home for a late lunch at a relaxing afternoon. Saturday night we ventured into the city and enjoyed a wonderful Thai meal. So many gluten free options that we all went away very happy and full! We all really enjoyed Ballarat and each of us commented that we needed to return here in the future. We saw so many old buildings while driving through various parts but we certainly could have spent a few more days just wandering the downtown area appreciating them up close and learning more about Ballarat's rich history.
Tomorrow our Tassie adventure begins in earnest with us catching the Spirit of Tasmania Sunday evening. We will talk to you next from the other side of Bass Strait. Here's hoping the seas are kind to us!
Just a reminder! I include a few photos to go with the story but if you are really interested or want to see them in better resolution make sure to click on the current trip link for all the photos!
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