Escape 2 The Grampians 2011

We left home in Adelaide at about 9 am.  We had planned to get up early but it was a very cold morning and we just couldn't get out of our warm bed, but we're on holidays and we have all day to get to Halls Gap. We drove up through Chain of Ponds which is always a great drive and we kept a lookout for kangaroos which we often see along this road, but this morning must have been too cold for them too.  What a beautiful morning to be on the road, the sun glistening on the grass, and the rolling hills, through Gumeracha and Birdwood and then Coonalpyn where we stopped for a break.  From Coonalpyn we kept going only stopping for a quick bite to eat until Horsham where we refuelled and then on to Halls Gap.  We arrived late in the afternoon and after reorganising our booking we set ourselves up on a site near the cabins.  Kirsten and Michael and their children had arrived earlier and they had gone back into Halls Gap for some pizza.  By the time they got back we had our tea organised and we spent some time with them before Jeannie & David arrived. 

 They surprised us with their new van and tow vehicle so we had to have an inspection and we all agreed it was a great van and Ron was very keen to see David's Lexus with all the upmarket accessories.



We had booked in to Takaru Caravan Park near Lake Bellfield. 

This is a beautiful park where the kangaroos roam freely about the park and parrots and sulphur crested cockatoos  come down to visit and to be fed. 

 We all had a good night's sleep and woke to the early morning shrieking of the cockatoos and soon the children were all up and running around so we reluctantly got showered and dressed and we all decided to do our own thing for breakfast.  It was a beautiful morning and looking towards the rocky cliffs behind the park was a really wonderful view.  After breakfast we were all keen to chat as it had been 12 months since we were all together on the houseboat and the morning was spent catching up.  The next ones to arrive were Donna and David and their children and it was great to see them all again as it has been a few years since we saw them at our reunion at Pichi Richi, Quorn.  Not long after Luke & Simone and their children arrived and it was introductions all around as Simone had not met the others before and it had been a long time since Jeannie & David had seen Luke and their children.  By the time they all got settled into their cabins, Kylie & David and their children arrived and we again were all pleased to see them again. 

We now had everyone there, 12 adults in all and 10 children.  The children had their scooters so they were all playing on them and were getting used to each other which was great to see them interacting.  We went for a walk with them to see the kangaroos which were resting at the back of the park.  There were quite a number of them just sitting and lying around and Noah was particularly interested in them and we had to remind him not to scare them and to let him know they sometimes could be aggressive but he seemed to be very careful and just wanted to stand and look at them.



Takaru bush camp,Grampians

The children loved running around and visiting the kangaroos who mainly kept to the back of the park during the day. 

 We arranged to hire a half drum camp fire and wood so we soon had our campfire blazing away and we certainly needed it as the days were sunny but cold and the nights were extremely cold.



Around the campfire

Sunday morning was another cold morning but we soon discovered the camp kitchen and headed there with our breakfast supplies.  Ron got the fire going and the children were keen to help but we managed to get more smoke than flames at first.  The children had so much fun toasting marshmallows and enjoyed finding some wood to put on the fire but it was a challenge keeping them safe near the fire but luckily there were no accidents.   Back in the kitchen Michael was cooking bacon and eggs for the kids so Ron got the pancakes going and we soon had everyone fed.

After breakfast we (the girls) decided to go to the Market in Halls Gap, and amazingly the boys also decided to come and have a look too, so we headed off for Halls Gap and the market. After wandering around Jeannie came back with a dozen farm eggs, Kirsten & Simone had found some nice hand made hair accessories for Amelie & Taleah.   We went back to camp and put the kettle on and organised some lunch as well. 

Everyone was keen to do a walk but we had trouble deciding which walk to go on, so the boys got out their maps  and after some discussion decided to drive to Mackenzie Falls. 

 We all hopped in the cars and set off, a little uneasy about seeing a police car ahead pulling over the unsuspecting, but by the time we got there they decided to wave us on so we breathed a sigh of relief, and headed on towards Mackenzie Falls. 

There has been a lot of flooding in the area around Halls Gap and some roads have been closed, so we had a long drive out to Mackenzie Falls, through Zumsteins which has closed because of the damage.  Apparently Zumsteins was flooded because too much water was let out of Lake Wartook dam.

 The walk down the steps to the bottom of Mackenzie Falls was closed but we were able to walk to the lookout and to Broken Falls.

As our time in Halls Gap was only for the weekend we sadly had to leave on Monday morning and all agreed that we could have easily spent another week there as we only did the one walk, but of course there is always next time.

Noah loved watching the Kangaroos

All the grandchildren having some fun

Escape 2 Temora, New South Wales 2011

13th June 2011

We left Halls Gap after saying goodbye to our friends having had a great weekend with them;  we now headed to Bendigo to have a look around as it had been quite a few years since we were there.  We booked into the first caravan park we came to which proved to be very good so we set up  and then headed back to the Aldi store which we had been told was worth going to especially as we don't have them in Adelaide.  We did a bit of shopping there and found some of the prices were the same as in SA and also found a few different brands.  We then drove around the town and then back to the caravan park. 


Next morning we packed up again and drove to Echuca and had a good walk around the wharf area but as it was "under construction" we were a bit disappointed that we couldn't walk on the wharf as we had done this a few years ago and so we had to be content with viewing the few paddlesteamers from the viewing platform.  The wharf was undergoing some major renovations due to the flooding so we will have to come back again some other time.

Echuca



Paddle Steamer Canberra from Echuca wharf

  After some looking around the town and then going to Moama we then headed off into New South Wales and started to look for a camp spot. 

 Mathoura is a lovely little town which we have not been to before,  so we went into the Information Centre and were told about some great camping places by the river and headed off to Picnic Point to find a camping spot for the night.  We must have taken a wrong turn and ended up at Poverty Point and then managed to get onto a no through road.  After a 36 point turn we managed to get the van turned around and headed back towards Mathoura. We must add this to our list of things not to do  as No Through Roads will save us a lot of trouble and a few headaches.  We seem to do this quite a lot as we like to do some "exploring" but its not such a good idea with a 20 ft van on the back of the Landcruiser.
 We decided to go up the road to Millewa and found a campsite by the Edwards River regulator.  What a great spot this was and we soon had a campfire going and sat back with a wine by the fire.  This is the life for us. 

Camp spot by the Edwards River

 While enjoying the peace and quiet by the river we were entertained by some lovely little blue wrens  hopping around nearby.  As the sun set over the river we  put  some more wood on the fire as it was getting very cold.  We were both pleased that we had our thick jackets to keep warm although we still got a bit too chilly to stay outside for long. 
Next morning we reluctantly left our camp site and headed for Temora.

Edwards River

Edwards Bridge on the Edwards River

Early morning on the Edwards River

After leaving our lovely campsite at Edwards River we drove through the Riverina towns of Deniliquin, Jerilderie and Narrandera and then to Ariah Park where we decided to stay the night.  At first we were only going to have a look at this lovely little town but as it was getting late in the afternoon we thought we would stay the night as we discovered the caravan park which was great and as we drove in the sign on the gate said that it was $10 a night and if you stay 2 nights you get the 3rd free, so our minds were made up.  What a good deal and that included power, water and showers and toilets and a laundry.  By the time we finally settled in it was too late to pay at the Post Office so we didn't have power for the night but this didn't bother us.  At the site were half drums for a campfire and some chopped wood too so what more could we want.
Next morning we paid for our 3 nights at the Post Office and hooked up to the power and water.  There were only a couple of others there so we had a chat to our neighbours and then drove the 30km  into Temora.

Again we were surprised at how great this town was, with a Country Target, IGA supermarket, lots of small shops in the main street and of course I had to go into the community store where they had lovely hand made goodies and some locally grown fruit and veg.  I love these little towns as they have such a wide variety of shops, and I find them much more interesting than the big complexes in the city.

Temora has a good statue to "Paleface Adios" who won 105 harness races in the 1970's. We were given a lot of information from an interesting chap at the Information Centre which was a great place to visit but we didn't have time to visit the Rural Museum, will just have to come back again as there is so much to see here.

We drove out to Lake Centenary, a man made lake with picnic grounds and then back to Ariah Park to have another look around.  Ariah Park is a step back in time to the 1920's with many of the shops in the main street now being private homes but they have put displays in the shopfromt windows which makes a walk down the main street a history lesson.  It is a lovely well kept town and we enjoyed our 3 days here.

On Saturday we drove back into Temora for the Air Show which was our main reason for the trip.  We were again very surprised to see such a well organised event.  The car park filled up very quickly and we made our way through the main entrance to find it full of people lining up for their tickets.  There was a good tourist shop with everything to do with aviation and displays and  photos of servicemen from Temora.  From here we went into the Museum area where we were seated and enjoyed a film of the Spitfires and the ground crew that worked on them.  After the 40 minute film we had plenty of time to view the many aircraft there and then we braved the cold and windy weather and waited for the air display to begin.  They had provided a small stand for viewing and also plenty of room along the fence line to see the aircraft.  There was hot food and drinks available too and we certainly needed  some hot food to keep us warm.  The local charities are recipients of the funds made from the air show and the whole event is run by volunteers.  David Lowy, son of Frank Lowy of Westfield fortune has been the force behind the aviation museum, and he was there and was the pilot of the Spitfire and gave us a wonderful display despite the bad weather conditions.  We also saw the Tiger Moth get off the ground after much waiting while they got it going - what an exhausting way to start an engine.  The other plane that we saw flying was a Ryan, a very nice looking plane.  After all 3 planes had given their flying display we were able to go into the large hangar and view the other planes close up.
This was a great day and so much to see, more than we had expected and a real credit to the town.

Next morning we sadly left Ariah Park and headed on our homeward trip stopping at Hay overnight.