18^th News Letter.

Melbourne to Jindabyne.

To begin this newsletter I want to thank our friend Sue who lives on the Mornington Penincular for her wonderful hospitality and friendship. We arrived on her doorstep on the 22^nd January and stayed almost a week at her lovely property in Bitten. In that week we experienced much of what the Penincular has to offer, with its wineries, eateries and its beautiful coastline. We also managed a day trip to Philip Island, which is something that Ken has wanted to do for ages and of course an obligatory visit to the Motor Bike Racing Circuit. On to Point Grant to view the birds and then Cowes a very pretty coastal town, unfortunately we chose Australia Day to visit so it was very crowded indeed.

We have been to Melbourne on a couple of previous visits and we both really love the city. The shops and restaurants are fantastic and its fun to get caught up in the bustle along with everyone else. We had our car serviced in one of the outer suburb so caught the train into the city and back. Riding on the trains in cities makes you very aware of how multi cultural our country is, particularly Melbourne and Sydney.

Thursday 28^th January. After leaving Bitten we drove southeast on the Bass Highway and arrived in Wonthaggi at about lunchtime. We stopped into the Information centre in town to pick up some brochures on Wilson’s Promontory, as it is where we hoped to spend a few days. The drive into the Prom is spectacular with beautiful mountains and lush green growth; you really get the feeling you are in Tasmania or even parts of New Zealand. The campground at the Prom is called Tidal River Camp ground; and it’s a 46klm drive in from the entrance to the park. It’s a huge area with some 450 sites catering to all types of accommodation, however we were very surprised at how expensive the sights were, un powered was $24 a night and powered was $48, needless to say we went for the un powered site.

Saturday 29^th. Today we trekked some 6 klm of fairly steep terrain, but it was worth it as the views were wonderful and the weather was very kind. We are amazed at the growth of the bush considering the huge fire that went through this area two years ago. We have decided to stay for another day in this lovely place, just to enjoy being here and besides Ken has his heart set on climbing Mt Oberon but we will see what tomorrow brings.

Sunday 31^st. We left the Prom without climbing Mt Oberon because of yesterday’s inclement weather, heavy fog throughout the day. We drove to Foster which we found to be a lovely small country town and fortunately for us it just happened to have an art exhibition opening in the main street at lunch time, offering wine tasting and free sausage sizzle. Well what can you say we were in like Flynn! The park opposite the festivities has large flowerbeds but instead of growing flowers grows vegetables, lovely corn, celery, spinach, beetroot, cabbage and parsley and other assorted goodies. Apparently it’s a project designed for school children by Stephanie Alexander. What a great idea! Moving on to Port Albert, a lovely seaside village reported to be Victoria’s first established port in the mid-1800, it was a supply port for Gippsland pioneers. We were able to score a free camp right on the waters edge in the middle of town. Other grey Nomads joined us and it proved to be a popular spot.

Monday 1^st February. Stopped into Yarram for a few more supplies, just in case we might run out of something, as if. We turned east off the Gippsland Hwy to the small town of Seaspray, which was disappointing despite a colorful write up in the guidebooks. Moving on we followed the coast road that runs parallel to ninety-mile beach and ended up at Paradise Point which had come recommended as a great spot. At the end of Paradise Point there is a free camp area, which was able to accommodate us for the night. We arrived early enough to take a long walk on Ninety Mile Beach, which stretches from Lakes Entrance in the north to McLoughlins Beach in the south.

Tuesday 2^nd. Longford was the first place of interest for the day, as it lies at the junction of the Thompson and Latrobe Rivers. Here is located a spectacular nineteenth century unique Swing Bridge, designed to swing open for shipping to and from the Port of Sale. The bridge is built of steel construction with one long span mounted on cylindrical columns. The council has created some lovely park area around the bridge for families to come and enjoy. On to the city of Sale and it wasn’t too difficult to pick our Caravan Park out of a choice of two, or our other choice was the show grounds. Sale Motor Village is a lovely park with lots of space for vans amongst the trees. It’s also within walking distance to the shopping area and the movie theatre, so we decided to catch an evening movie with Bran Nue Dae. Its great to go to the movies and laugh from start to finish, however I must admit I didn’t realize before hand that it was a musical, so was a little confused at first.

Wednesday 3^rd. Ken’s resolve was to go boating on the Thompson River and as tempting as it is for me to ride in the tiny dingy on an uncomfortable seat with my head twisted around so I am not always looking backward, I resisted and stayed behind; yes I know I am strange. I actually had a great day by myself cooking, relaxing and watching T.V.

Thursday 4^th. Heading out of Sale we took the Princes Highway north to Strathford then turned east and headed to Hollands Landing, not a place I would recommend, a wee bit like the end of beyond. On our way back to the Princes Highway we came upon a roadside stall selling fresh vegetables so purchased spinach, beetroots, red onions and zucchinis, all very yummy. We noticed that the farmer had about 2-3 acres of fresh produce under cultivation, lucky neighbors. As we headed to Lakes Entrance I looked at suitable caravan parks for us to stay and found two pages of parks in the area. We did a few drive buys and were very disappointed with what we found then eventually we had to make a decision so we chose Echo Beach Tourist Park. We had great difficulty maneuvering our van around the small park, then we found the site we were allocated did not come near to fitting our van. Fortunately they were not busy so we took another site and moved on the next day.

Friday 5^th. It’s raining again which is not great for sight seeing however we have found another park on the outskirts of town, which suits the larger van. Eastern Beach Tourist Park offers much larger sites and is a newer and bigger park. Went into town and walked along the jetties looking at the boats discussing what type of boat we might buy when we get home, (would be nice).

Saturday 6^th. Have discovered that we have a tyre problem so will probably have to stay until Monday or Tuesday which is not all bad as the weather is awful. The weather eased enough for us to go for a walk over the footbridge that leads to the foreshore, then a 4klm hike to the ocean entrance of the lakes. I would imagine crossing the entrance would be very scary in bad conditions.

Sunday 7^th. Decided we had to get out of the caravan as cabin fever was setting in, so took a drive through the countryside. We arrived at a town called Metung nestled on a crescent peninsula reaching into Lake King, this town truly is a piece of heaven. The lakes and waterways that surround this town are crystal clear and very beautiful plus the town itself is stunningly picturesque. There are many beautiful craft galleries, cafés, restaurants etc unfortunately the town was very busy when we were there as it was Sunday and lunchtime. After a drive around the foreshore we have decided to come back tomorrow for a further look at this beautiful place. Next we moved on to Nicholson River Winery, which is a small picturesque boutique winery just outside the town of Nicholson. I have never tasted such beautiful Chardonnay in all of our travels, needless to say we bought a few bottles, in fact every wine we tried at this winery was delicious including a lovely Merlot. Because of the mild marine climate the Chardonnay has the longest ripening period in the world, I have to say it works for me.

Monday 8^th. Unfortunately last night I became quite ill again, so it was off to the doctor today for another opinion. We also ordered two new tyres for the car as the front tyres are becoming a problem.

Tuesday 9^th. The sun is shining “Hurray” at last. A drive into Bairnsdale to have the new tyres fitted was our first call, meanwhile I took the opportunity of visiting the local hospital to have blood tests. We ended up back at Metung for a late lunch and found a lovely small restaurant in the main street, which served a fantastic BLT sandwich, yum. We both think Metung is one of the most beautiful places we have seen on our trip so far, a fantastic place to retire to.

Wednesday 10^th. We are hoping to leave Lakes Entrance today but first I would like my blood test results. They should have been emailed to my Lakes Entrance doctor. Good results! We turned off the highway at Orbost and pulled into one of the many beautiful parks this town offers to have lunch. Orbost’s information centre is housed in the historic Slab Hut, a living museum, highlighting the region’s pioneer lifestyle.

After lunch we moved on to Marlo, a laid-back coastal village where the Snowy River ends its journey into the Tasman Sea. Twelve klm north we discovered Cape Conran and its surrounding national park, very beautiful coastal beaches and forested areas. We decided to move on to Mallacotta which is 24 klms off the Princes Highway and described as a picturesque lakeside village, endowed with beaches, blessed with navigable calm waterways and surrounded by bush. Quite a few caravan parks are scattered through-out the town however we decided on the council park, Mallacoota Foreshore Camp Park. Unfortunately the park was very crowded and I felt very restricted, no privacy what so ever, you might as well have been in a fish bowl. Not happy Reg.

Thursday 11^th. We decided on a late departure from the park so we could walk around the foreshore and it was lovely, but too short. We then took a drive to the southern most part of Mallacoota Inlet which is boarded by Croajingolong National Parkand and quickly decided that this was indeed a piece of heaven. There are lots of natural attractions here as well as a number of nature walks such as the Wilderness Coast Walk that extends over 100 klms, something to do before breakfast. What a shame its so cold here in the winter other wise it’s a place we both could see ourselves living. A quick stop for a look see at Gipsy Point which is the western most point of Mallacoota Inlet and a wonderful opportunity for a fishing or small boating enthusiast.

Heading back to the Princes Highway we turned north and quickly crossed the boarded into N.S.W. Actually I feel a wee bit sad, as I have really loved this part of Victoria with its beautiful waterways and lush green forests and parks. It surprises me to see green lawns and we are constantly commenting on it to each other because what we have experienced up to now, is an Australia which is very dry, with brown being the dominant color, not lush green. Eventually we rested our weary bones in Eden, a place that is bound with the traditions of the sea and the N.S.W. whaling industry. A lovely park called the Garden of Eden took our eye and the mighty Traveller came to rest for the evening along with her friend the Disco 3.

Friday 12^th. Unfortunately it is raining again today so we are taking it easy and checking our emails and doing washing, etc. A break in the weather and we are off with raincoats and umbrella at the ready, for a long awaited walk. Eden proves to be a beautiful hilly place with lots of great walking and cycling tracks, along with fantastic scenery over looking the Tasman Sea. Humpback and Southern Right whales during migration can easily be viewed from these hilly tracks. Eden Harbour is renowned for its deep water and we saw some large tugboats from both Sydney and Brisbane moored there. I presume they are used to help berth the large ships arriving at the timber Pulp Mill. By the time we got back to the van we had been walking for two hours so I for one was happy to sit down and rest.

Saturday 13^th. It’s gone from raining to pouring however it was time to leave this garden of Eden and move north to the beautiful town of Merimbula. I was so annoyed that the weather is so foul because the wee bit of scenery that we did see was stunning. On arriving in Merimbula we chose the largest caravan park in town probably because of its location, which is high on the northern headland. Merimbula Beach Holiday Park proved to be very busy with relatively small sites which means that to fit our van in we had to park at a 45deg angle, which is not always that comfortable. We had the awning out but for how long we ask, as the wind was howling and the rain torrential, fortunately the mighty Traveller was toasty and warm with no leaks; well none we know of anyway.

Sunday 14^th. Valentines day and there is no let up in the rain, however we made a decision to get out of the van and visit some attractions. The Merimbula Aquarium was our first stop and I was pleasantly surprised at the variety of fish and other sea life on display. Some 27 tanks in all, including one very large tank where you can experience being up close and personal with large Bream, Leatherjackets, Salmon, etc. I had spotted an artist’s work in one of the guidebooks for the area, so headed for the Boardwalk art gallery to look at her work. Tracy Creighton’s paintings are as colorful and vibrant as the person herself. Her gallery is underneath her home and was a delightful place to visit and experience the diversity of her work. She introduced us to her very handsome cat who’s breed is know as a Rag Doll, so named because of their ability to go limp when picked up. Yes I am very tempted to have one in my life, but not right now.

Monday 15^th. Pouring with rain again so we decided to stay put for the day and watch the winter Olympics, with the hope that tomorrow the rain will stop.

Tuesday 16^th. The sun is trying to shine and we are getting ready to leave this beautiful place unfortunately not having seen its many natural wonders. We were told that all the roads were open so we headed for Tathra via the coast road. Unfortunately the road from Tathra to Bega was not open due to a huge amount of water over the road so we had no option but to turn back to Merimbula. Before we did so we spotted a Swiss Bakery opposite Tathre beach and on entering the shop I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Sour Dough Bread in all shapes and sizes along with Rye Bread and other European delicacies. A far cry from the Australian version of bread that we have encountered in our travels which has been white, white and more white all tasting the same. Pastries adorned the showcases as my eyes wondered amongst such delights as Almond Cookies, Pecan Pies, and mouth-watering puff pastry, custard and fruit, (I just had to leave it alone).

We headed north to Bega via the Princes Highway and suddenly we were in what must be god’s own country. Green grassy hills with contented cows were everywhere; I could almost hear their satisfied mooing as we passed them by. We stopped in at the Bega Cheese factory to sample some of the contented cows cheese and came away with a couple examples of what Bega is famous fore. A few detours through town were necessary, because of the flooding, and then finally we were up in the hills heading for Cooma. The Bega Valley is such a beautiful place we stopped and took some photos hopefully we can include at least one with this text. Driving over the mountain range was a wonderful experience, with Brown Mountain offering spectacular views almost to the ocean. We decided to head straight for Jindabyne as it was getting late in the day so at about 6pm we arrived in a delightful park called Lake Jindabyne Holiday Park right on the lake.

Wednesday 17^th. The sun is shining and we are both in good spirits and love being in this place. Today is our day for sight seeing so a drive into Kosciuszko National Park was a must do. We headed up Kosciuszko Road through Wilsons Valley via Sponars Inn over Charlotte Pass then on to Perisher Valley. We were so lucky to have breathtaking views from a number of vantage points along the way, with beautiful blue skies overhead. Next we headed to Thredbo and a look-see around this almost deserted town. We found a small out of the way café and bought some lunch, which was yummy and also did some homework on chairlifts etc for our next days intended climb up Mt Kosciuszko.

Thursday 18^th. As we headed out I was feeling nervous as we planned on getting the chair lift from Threadbo up the mountain to Eagles Nest Mountain Hut and I am terrified of heights so did not know how I was going to react. The good news is I loved it and was not nervous in the slightest, (wonders will never cease). After reaching the Eagles Nest we embarked on the long trek up to the top of Mt. Kosciuszko on foot some 6.5 klms one way up hill. It was a challenge but worth the effort once at the top, providing magnificent 360 deg. views. Fortunately we bought some lunch with us because we needed some fuel for the 6.5 klms trip back down the mountain.

The chairlift down from Eagles Nest Mountain Hut was wonderful as it afforded us a brilliant view of the valley below. On our arrival back at Threadbo I could hardly put one foot in front of another with stiffness in every joint however after a coffee and a sit down I was almost back to normal. Today I have truly had one of the best days of my life. Tomorrow is a rest day so I am going to enjoy doing as little as possible.

This newsletter has to end somewhere as it’s becoming painfully long, so this would be a good place to stop. I have enjoyed this last part of our journey immensely and I am sure there are many reasons why, not least of all that we will be back in our house in a couple of months. I also so love a green Australia; dry brown earth reminds me of my childhood in western N.S.W. with the flies and the heat, what you would call a sunburnt country. I think by now there are not too many readers of my blog left, as its been a long 12 months and you all have your own interesting lives. To those of you who are still reading I hope you are well and happy and life is being kind. Hugs to you all. Elizabeth.