Roger and Denise – traveling Victoria. Report 1.

Hi there – the holiday we originally planned to start back in March this year is finally underway! We are currently at Echuca after 6 wonderful days and nights at Mildura – the Burong Riverside Caravan Park is rated by travelers as the best in Australia and it deserves the accolade. We will find it hard to match at future stop overs.
What follows is a brief summary of  our journey to date.

Warrnambool to Wartook (Grampians) – 14 October 2009

Do we need this? Do we need that? Where do I put this?  Have we got everything? Loading the van took much longer than expected. Eventually we took off and headed north-west to Dunkeld via Woolsthorpe, Caramut and Penshurst. Lush green pastures here, no signs of drought, great dairy country. Good roads. Easy driving with the van running comfortably behind us.

Mt Sterling and Mt Abrupt, Grampians. (c) D Neal 2009

The run uphill through the Grampians to Halls Gap was quite easy going. Having been warned that everything in Halls Gap is more expensive than else where we chose to continue on down the mountains to Wartook in the foothills.

Bellfield Lake provides much of the water supply for Halls Gap and surrounding area. As with most water storages in Victoria it is now at dangerously low levels, due to the on-going drought. To give readers a sense of the effect of this drought, consider that all grass and rocks in foreground area of this picture would normally be under water.

Bellfield Lake. (c) R Neal 2009

The road from Halls gap to Wartook twists and turns constantly. Drivers need to be constantly on alert for on-coming traffic, particularly motor cycle riders pretending they are practicing for a hill-climb rally.

Roadside signs warn road is not suitable for caravans but as our unit is just 15 feet long we made the tight turns without any problems. Vans over 17 or 18 feet long might have difficulties.

We checked into Happy Wanderer Resort at Wartook and set up for our first overnight stay. What a shock this turned out to be! This ‘resort’ is at least 5 years overdue for routine maintenance. Toilet and shower blocks in poorly converted workmen’s cabins. BBQs rusted up, no gas supplied. No working hot water to shower in. We were relieved to be on our way again early in the morning. Lets hope our next stop is better!

Wartook to Wedderburn – 15 October 2009

Our original plan was to head north to Hopetoun for an overnight stop. Not wanting to repeat our Wartook experience, and after much consultation of the RACV Guide, we decided to go via Horsham then east through St Arnaud and on to Wedderburn on the Calder Highway.

Wide open plains with pastures stretching all the way to the horizon, flowing with wind swept fields of wheat and other crops. For us city-slickers an awesome sight. For farmers of this area recent rains have bought welcome relief from years of drought. Hopefully, this years crop will keep the bank manager away for another year or two?

Wheat fields near St Arnaud. (c) R Neal 2009

Residents of St Arnaud are obviously proud of their town. Carefully restored and maintained historical buildings, manicured parklands and clean, tidy streets. The Botanical pub serves delicious meals too.

Entrance to Botanical Gardens, St Arnaud. (c) D Neal 2009

Shire Hall, St Arnaud. (c) D Neal 2009

The road to Wedderburn detours through the one-pub town of Logan. We just had to photograph the pub here as our youngest grandson is named Logan too. You have to wonder why anyone would have a pub by itself in the wide open spaces but it must be doing something right judging from the many cars that stopped there in the few minutes we were making photos.

The Pub in the Scrub. (c) R Neal 2009

Wedderburn Pioneer Caravan Park proved to be everything that Happy Wanderer was not! Clean facilities, hot showers, and electric bbqs that worked – all in an attractive setting.

Right at the park entrance is Nancy Stokes house. Mr and Mrs Stokes arrived in Wedderburn in 1933 and early the next year Mr Stokes died leaving Nancy to live in a home made tent beside the reservoir drain. A bag tent, hand sewn, plastered with flour and pipe clay to run off the water. When it rained, there were equal amounts of water inside and out.

11 year old Bruce Robinson suggested to Nancy that they build her a mud brick cottage. She agreed, so they set about making bricks by hand. Young Bruce worked after school and when ever he had some free time. For brick laying, Mrs Stokes mixed the mortar and Bruce laid them. The house had a double fire place for cooking and heating, a dirt floor and windows and a door made from any timber they found lying around.

Mrs Stokes lived in the house until 1979. She died aged 93 in 1982. In 1983 the house was moved from its crown land site and re-erected by the Shire at its present location.

Nancy Stokes House, Wedderburn. (c) R Neal 2009

Wedderburn to Mildura – 16 October 2009

Lots more wide open spaces, parched fields and scrub country. Not much visual interest for this part of our journey.

Mildura is surrounded by the Fruit Fly Exclusion Zone to protect local grape, olive and orange producers. No fresh fruits what so ever can be taken into this area. $300 on the spot fine if caught bringing fruit in, so we stood at a collection bin in the middle of nowhere eating four bananas – the last of our fresh fruit supply.

We spent six nights in Mildura, resting, playing tourists and visiting Mungo Lakes National Park.

More of this period in our next report!

We plan to spend next two to three days and nights getting to Canberra, where we should stay for 4 to 5 nights?

Anyway, it will probably be there that our next report gets uploaded.

Do not forget to leave a comment whilst you’re here.