Albury, Greens Lake

Drove to Albury. Thought I needed a new left indicator on ute – but in fact it does work. Stopped at aCaravan Park. Drove out to find Ettamogah pub – ended up on Hume highway going north again so managed to turn around and try again. Can't find it! Did go in to a caravan place – too dear. Mall for  late lunch and asked re pub. It is closed – went bankrupt and new owners so….

Saturday

Left Albury with the intention of travelling towards Cobram and staying at a rest area for a night then on to Greens Lake. Really nice roads, flat and with a sealed verge which made moving over to allow people to pass so much easier – and safer! Then realised that all the free camp areas are not marked as rest areas, and there are no road signs before you get to a road so you are prepared to turn off! Oh for some consistency in this vast country.

Found Lake Mulwala – yuk. Full of dead trees. Houses all along the foreshore, and I think this is where the camps are – somewhere.  Drove to Cobram – market day so hard to get parking. Decided navman was sending me in the wrong direction to get to Shepparton and ended up at the Koonoomoo junction at the Big Strawberry. Stopped there for lunch then on to Shepparton. IGA open and easy to park so got groceries.

Car washes everywhere – must be plenty of water in VIC! Greens Lake easy to find but pretty full with weekenders, jet-skis, boats etc. Found all the "Grey Nomads' from the website that are here. Parking area saved for me with them so that was nice. Had drinks, then back for dinner, and then campfire chat in the evening. Lovely to have company.

Quite noisy – music, boats until after dark, firecrackers really late and a bit of a fight down the beach – but all ok otherwise

Sun.

Slept until around 8.30. Boats started firing up around 9.30 and have been coming in all day. Lots of families. Have been reading and trying to stay cool. Finally turned the gen on so I could run the fans and charge the computer.

Mon

Drips of rain at 6.30 so shut windows. Quite cool also. Had shower, breakfast, read a bit then down to Kiwis until nearly 2pm. Others turned up with sausages for lunch, Kiwi cooked narn bread on the camp oven.ke

What lovely people. Spent most of the day with the group. Another nomad arrived - Polish guy who teaches Esperanto. Thought that was a dead language! Also a couple who live near here –  and a lady in a van. Then the couple further down joined us – German and his wife – they will join the web as well. Lots of laughter – so good!!!!!!
Dropped the front bed down to air it.

Tues.

Lots of thunder and lightning first thing. Put the front back up about 7.30 before it rained.  

Took Kiwi friend and went to Shepparton for the day.  Went to SPC factory and bought a bit of stuff, and a camera.  Had lunch and did our laundry. Home about 4.30. Lovely day and good company . Tried the camera/lenses with moon shots and Doug’s tuition! A couple more nomads turned up. Generator does not like the turbo-cooker – hard work!

Wed.

Downloaded photos, made business cards, uploaded utilities.

 Having a shared dinner so making Quinoa salad. Pretty hot today - have dropped the back bed down just for some more air. Good day for a sort-out and tidy up.
More moon photos - quite lovely this evening.
Saw a brown snake - came out of the lake. Much excitement - one of the blokes got a stick and beat it to death - we didnt really want it running around.  Has put us off swimming though!

Have decided to stay longer. Having a lovely time with the other Kiwis and Grey nomads. Divine camp oven stew, shared meals and entertainment provided by young campers.

The kids down the beach set up their tent beside the lake then lit their fire with petrol. Big fire ball and the next thing the can is thrown to the water with a great line of fire following. It burnt there for ages, and getting close to the boat. One finally decided to shift the boat!!!! No-one burnt thank goodness.

Then this morning I see they had backed the ute up to moor the boat – but forgot and all hopped in the ute to go to the toilet. Dragged the boat up on to the mud until the ski pole bent and the rope fired off the ute!!!! Took ages to dig it off the mud. No skiing today unless they can repair the pole.

Several Nomads leaving today, the rest of us later in the week,

Blaney, Gooloogong, Junee

Decided to stay 2 nights in Blaney so had a big sleep in. Nice day – cool and windy. Would love to go roll down the lawns here – lush soft green grass!!!! Have corn beef in thermal cooker. Quiet catch-up sort of day.  Am enjoying having so many books to read on the Kindle. Beats trying to download the Amazon 'free' books - they are not very good ones.

Off to Gooloogong – free camp behind park in town for 2 nights (gold coin for power). 4 other campers here. Pub, shop/fuel, town hall, farm supply, country club, playground  and 3 chruches – that’s it. A town of 400 - or 800 if you include the nearby farming people.

 More lovely countryside – rolling hills, green grass, paddocks, lovely trees. Stopped at a caravan place in Cowra – but all pretty old vans, and some very long 3 axle ones like  small houses.

Found a guy at Gooloogong to repair the red wire (brake!)on caravan plug – has been cut when the caravan was being attached – pinched I guess. I don’t remember doing it – maybe some helpful bloke. Also checked the park light – need a whole new one – rusty. Indicator still works though. Internet pretty erratic so read last night.

Very windy couple of days but did manage to put the awning out to dry for a while. Went for a walk to the shop, and read heaps.

Wednesday

 Very pleasant drive via Grenfell, Young (fuel)  Cootamundra and to Junee Caravan park. Was enjoying the drive so just kept going today.

Stopped for lunch at a rest area selling cherries and a pink van doing good hot food and disgusting coffee. Pity people don’t know how to make a short black! I need to be assertive and ask what I am going to end up with.......  do not expect a mug FULL of tasteless hot water!

Vibrant countryside – golden grain, canola being harvested,  lucerne and cherry orchards. The lucerne seems to be a much shorter variety than what I grew in NZ – maybe only 1/3 of the height when they harvest it, but in flower. They do seem to get at least 2 cuts from it though.

First time I have seen lots of docks on the verges, and wild fennel. So like home. 

Thinking of home – Tongariro blowing up again today! Then checked on the net - nothing major it seems. Just ash. According to the local paper there is a warning out about Ruapeu likely to blow again - I think the scientists might have had their backs to Tongariro!

Grenfell is a lovely old town with many large brick buildings, churches and  built on a hilly area. Very pretty.

Young - struck me as a 'young' town - new suburbs but gets older as you get further in. Another hilly place. I find it quite hard driving through the main streets of these places - then trying to find a fuel stop that I can get into easily. Give me outback roadhouses any day!
Thurs.
Went exploring the country around Junee - photos of the green and gold! Found someone to talk to re lucerne - I was right and it is only a short crop due to lck of rain.
Found the liquorice factory - YUM. Also do chocolate coated ginger - and coffee beans.
Another attractive old town but with the railway line right through the middle. The town is built on the hills on both sides of the track, and has some very old buildings and churches.

Dubbo, Mt Panorama, Blayney

Tues.

Rain in the night –woke to find the side wall leaking down inside the van – another hole in the top from the clamp I see. Lots of towels to dry it up then put the side out for the rest of the night. Quiet catch-up day at Dundedoo.

Wed.

Off to Dubbo City holiday park. Rockylizard here also from Nomad site. Drive through concrete pad to sit on – wonderful. Found caravan repair place re freezer door – booked for Friday. Found a MALL! Haircut, and a few other things needed.

Caravan Park guy brought ladder and patched the hole in the side wall for me. 

Thurs.

Wildlife park all morning. Really well set up. $32.50 pension rate! Drove around and walked in to zones. Interesting watching the elephants shake the straw on to the ground then sweep it into a heap to pick it up - clever things. Galapagos turtles are huge.

Went to see old slab house but gate shut so went to winery – gate shut there as well.  Then found a plane etc. in a paddock beside the road. 

Rain in the night but no leak!

Fri.

 Up early to hitch up before the rain came again.  Off to B&C caravans to get freezer door springs done - $122 -  springs are $33 each! Raining all the way to Wellington. Stayed at the Caves Caravan Park and did the Cathedral cave tour at 12.30. 82 kids from Tamworth in the BBQ area having lunch break – didn’t do the tour thank goodness. Interesting but I think Waitomo has more features.

Sat.

Off to Bathurst via Lake Burrendong/Stuart. Didn’t enjoy the drive – Saturday and lots of people with boats etc., narrow road with broken edges…. Got to Stuart and 13km in to the lake so just headed back to the Mitchell highway and on to Orange. They should have named that place GREEN. Hundreds of glorious old trees in the parks and down all the streets. Very attractive town. Just outside I got 1kg of cherries for $12 at a roadside stall! 

On to Bathurst through very ‘familiar country’ – reminded me of NZ with proper paddocks, green grass and lovely wide open rolling hills.

Found Mt Panorama – can hardly miss it!!!! Took the VAN around the track – darn - only allowed to do 60km! Think I went the wrong way but cool fun! I wasn’t the only one going that way either! Down to 2^nd getting up the windy hill climb.

Got fuel and groceries then off to  Blayney. Was going to stop at the Carcoar Dam but too tired to be bothered with free camping so at a very nice park.

Fairy Wren