After taking possession of our new 5th wheeler on March 22nd this year, we travelled back home on a ‘Temporary Permit’. Prior to us being able to register the 5’ver, it was necessary for us to have it inspected by the local Caravan & Camping store owner who completed the necessary paperwork so we could have it registered.
Once all the formalities had been attended to, it was now time to move our belongings over into our new home. At times it was a challenge finding a new home for some items, while others just fitted perfectly into their designated places.
Our next task was to order the ‘Do Not Overtake Turning Vehicle’ sign to go on the back of the 5’ver. Which size & or design sign do we order. It did get confusing at times, but a visit on the Internet we thought, would help to clarify any questions we might have had. Wrong, it just made things more confusing & after several visits to the local truck shop we were able to make an informed decision. These signs were eventually put on to the rear of the 5’ver.
The rest of the month was filled with days of helping Sharon Guy, around their block and at school; getting our 5’ver ready to return back to Melbourne for its first service & of course attending my sister’s milestone 50th birthday. Easter came & before we knew it, it was our turn to get ourselves ready for our next adventure to follow once we have had the 5’ver serviced.
29th April
We decided this time to go back via the Riverland where our first stop for a few days was with Lyn, Mick & Nick. It was good to be able to catch up with them & spend a few days with Nick, Col’s youngest grandson. Our walk along the river was a daily ritual & one which Nick enjoyed. Those few days went by very quickly & before we knew it, it was time to move on.
Our first stop was a Lake Cullulleraine where we had lunch & time for a rest before continuing on. The weather for a change was in our favour. The winds were light & at times giving us a gentle nudge along. By 4:40pm we came to our designated overnight rest area where we stayed for the night alongside the river. It wasn’t altogether quiet as we had hoped, but nevertheless it was alongside the river & the river is always soothing to the soul, despite what is happening around about.
5th May
One advantage to staying off-site is that you don’t have to leave your site by 10:00am the day you’re leaving. So, we got away by lunchtime for Nyah; mind you we only had to go about 15km down the road, so no need to hurry. This was another one of those ‘freebie’ sites where we were able to stay for a few days. But what made this place different from the usual ‘freebie’ sites is that it was behind the Nyah Harness Racing Club alongside the river. A lovely quiet spot where we were able to put our solar energy to the test. It was good while the sun lasted!! Not long after we had set up camp, we had a visit by one of the Lion’s Club Member who gave us local information about Nyah & close-by towns as well as a general chat. He was also a local apiary owner & honey vendor, so I couldn’t let him go without purchasing a bucket or two of his honey, Mmmmm! During the lovely sunny days we were able to amble along the river’s bank in the State Forest which is next to the Racing Club.
10th May
After spending about four days at Nyah, it was time to move on; this time to my cousin’s place at Bamawm where we were able to spend a couple of days camped on their front yard. Where’s Bamawm you might ask, well it is about 8km south of Echuca between Rochester. Thanks for having us Peter, Joanne & Kaija. We enjoyed our catch-up time with you & doing some of those odd jobs around the block. How did your ‘Sustainability’ project go Kaija? We had fun helping you with this.
Our next stop was to be Heathcote before we get back to Truelux for our service. This time the weather was good, though it was cool Brrrrrr! The 3 1/2 hour drive on Monday to Truelux took us via Seymour, Yea, Yarra Glen & Lilydale; it was a very pleasant drive & one we’d recommend.
While the 5’ver was to be at Truelux, we spent the week with Josh, Kendehl & Arthur. Though I enjoyed our time with the family, this week was to be grandad’s week. All week Colin had a shadow – Arthur. During this time in Melbourne, it was a great opportunity for us to catch up with some friends over at Werribee CP. It was good to see you again David, Liz & Sam; keep warm. Thanks for the cuppa and hints about free camping.
On the Saturday, Kendehl took us to the Eureka Skydeck88. It is known as The Southern Hemisphere’s highest viewing platform with the world’s first ‘EDGE’ experience. It is the only observation deck in the world that can stand in a glass cube which projects 3 metres out of the building, 300 metres up with you in it.
Some stats of the Skydeck88: 300metres high, the top of the tower can flex up to 600mm in high winds; two 300,000 litre water tanks on level 90 & 91 balance and control excess swaying; the lift travels at more than 9 metres per second; 3,680 stairs; 92 storeys; 52,000sq metres of windows. The glass of Eureka’s top 10 levels is 24 carat gold plated. 110,000 tonnes of concrete was used in the construction & weight 200,000 tonnes. The white horizontal lines on the building represent the linear line markings on a surveyor’s measuring staff. We enjoyed the experience of being able to go outside on the (windy) balcony to view the cities evening lights. From the viewing gallery, we were able to pinpoint some points of interest such as the National Art Gallery of Victoria, Flinders Street Station, MCG, Tennis Stadium, etc. Now we want to go back in daytime to see the views across the bay and hills beyond Melbourne.
Melbourne to Cobar
1st June
The van had been serviced, additions done and the few warranty issues all fixed without complaint. We left their yard to head north and by the end of the day we were back at Heathcote Caravan Park. As we had been there before, it was easy to just park in “our” old spot and look forward to a few days away from the bright lights. Then somehow or another, “Murphy” found us again, and we had problems with the mains electrical system. After a discussion with Truelux, agreed to go back to Melbourne and have some modifications carried out to the power circuits to resolve our problem. After a night in their yard, all seems well and we took off again.
Late afternoon, and an overnight stop near Yea; a visit to Yea cannot pass without a visit to the bakery, Yea would be worth a longer stop-over one day. On next morning to Euroa for a brief stop. A walk around the town to find the obligatory post-cards and through a lovely park where we found that the State Emergency Service (SES) had put on a morning tea; a free cuppa and cake and a chat to a lovely local couple who invited us to call them when next in town, country hospitality at its best.
By early afternoon, we were at Cobram, on the Victorian side of the River Murray and the border of NSW, at last we were to get away from Victoria. Not to put too fine a point on it but the weather in Victoria had been horrible and we were looking forward to warmer weather which we expected as we drove north. Boy, were we to be disappointed!
Spent the night of June 2nd at a free camp at Jerilderie; a town that celebrates the Kelly Gang and the bank robbery of 1879. (Ned Kelly is a part of Australian Folk-Lore, famous for his suit of iron made from plough-shares, hanged in Melbourne for his crimes.)
2nd June
Griffiths was next stop along the Kidman Way, a large town central to the vast Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, one of the “gardens of Australia”. We saw areas of cotton, rice, olives and of course, wineries supplied by hundreds of kilometres of irrigation channels for the vital water. The area has plenty of sunshine, good soils but the mighty Murrumbidgee waters had to be re-engineered and thus opened up the land for farming. A bit incongruous I think, of rice being grown as a major produce, here in the middle of the driest continent. Many surrounding areas were developed after the two great wars by the introduction of Soldier Settlements. A hard life for men who had been displaced by the wars; there are several tributes to the settlers around the region. At Coleambally is a dedication to these men alongside the old dragline that was in 1935 “driven” from Deniliquin to dig hundreds of miles of irrigation canals. The machine is apparently still a goer and is started up on the field days every second year. See photos in the albums attached.
Another intriguing local story is that of an Italian man, Valerio Recitti, who chose to live above the town of Griffith in caves as a hermit, he had lovely views of the township and land beyond but would now be disappointed to see the creep of housing estates right below his front door.
At Griffiths, we camped at Lake Wyangan, three days, two of them rainy which made the red soil turn to mud, and this proved interesting when we came to leave, the Ute kept sliding and the ball hitch was difficult to line up.
At the Sunday produce market, in Griffiths, we debated as to how many tomatoes we could use before we were to cross boarders again, when we selected just three, the farmer must have thought that we looked poor and refused the money for them, again, country hospitality.
6th June
From Lake Wyangan, we travelled further north, a pit-stop at Merriwagga and a look in the pub at the “highest bar” in the southern hemisphere. Most country pubs have something to set them apart, this one had the bar with solid bush timber stools that take two men to move; they won’t get pinched easily. Across the road from the pub is the memorial to the legend of the Black Stump. Many towns claim to be the site of the “beyond the black stump” when referencing the difference between early settled areas and the vast out-back. This story is different and tells of a poor lady who was burnt to death and was described by her husband, a bullocky, (Bullock-Train driver) that he found her “looking just like a black stump....” (photo in the gallery).
A stop at Hillston for lunch and fuel, on to Mount Hope, an abandoned mining area where copper once drew many to the area until the price of copper made the mines unviable. Now just a couple of houses and of course the Hotel Royal Hotel, (that’s what it is called). A young couple run the place and the quality of the meals make it a popular stop for the truckies and caravanners alike. We had a good meal there to give Vicki a night off and camped alongside cattle trucks for the night. The Royal has the only concrete bar of any pub in the southern hemisphere; timber must have been short when that was built.
7th June
160 k onwards north again and into Cobar, this is a familiar road as we had travelled this way in 2010. Here we seven days later, after having pulled into the Cobar Caravan Park, initially for three days but weather forecasts for the areas ahead were for heavy rain. If it is going to rain, we are better off staying where we are. And the cold? Well, we are still feeling it; even Tasmanians are complaining that it is cold at Cobar. To move on soon was the plan, 4 more days and then head off to Bourke, Walget and on to Lightning Ridge, our first definite destination in far north NSW. However, Murphy found us again and today we await a resolution to the return of the electrical problems that sent us back to Melbourne from Heathcote. Go back again? Not bloody likely!
Click on the link below to view our photo album.
https://picasaweb.google.com/108879761974384702036/NapperbyToCobar?authkey=Gv1sRgCPqek9KyruDtcA&feat=directlink
