Blogs from Echuca, Victoria, Australia, Oceania

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Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca May 5th 2021

COVID has destroyed countless lives and many more livelihoods, so it seems a bit trivial to be also cursing it as a wrecker of travel plans. But as a depositor of flies in the ointments of potential travel itineraries it has had few equals. We'd planned to go to South America in 2020 and then on to visit Emma in Canada. That didn't happen. We'd also assembled a crew of thirty odd family and friends to celebrate Issy's 60th birthday in Bali, but that too came to nothing. Our homeland has fared better than most in its fight against COVID's ravages, but that doesn't mean we've escaped totally unscathed. Our home state of Victoria has had many more COVID deaths than any other of Oz's jurisdictions, due almost entirely to the total ineptness of our authorities' ... read more
Reconstruction of the Echuca Old Port
The Murray River at Echuca
The "Thong Tree", Echuca waterfront

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca December 12th 2020

The definition of "puncture" commonly has two varitions. (1) to puncture via a piercing of the skin and (2) the cause of a sudden collapse of air. Technically I didn't get a puncture, a patch applied 12 months earlier had given way overnight and in the morning my rear tyre was deflated. Jeff on the other hand was admant in the Puncture Count score happily singing (yes singing) one - nil while I changed my tyre. Needless to say we got away later than expected this morning, but I was greatful for my bottled air which meant no hand pump was required. Only a shortish day today of 60+ kms. We started north from Nathalia and into a North Easterly wind. Slow going for the first 5kms but the wind was our friend for the rest ... read more
Picola
Silo Art #1
Silo Art #2

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca October 9th 2019

Wednesday 9 Oct After a sustaining breakfast of Pete's cheese omelette, we were all packed ready to set off for Romsey. We will not be back to Pete and Moyra's in Leopold again. We took two cars as we were leaving the small vehicle with Julie and Mike and taking their big Toyota Prado, with a tow hitch for a caravan. They have lent us their 6 berth caravan for our 4 days camping at the artist's 'muster' in Echuca. Julie and Mike made us lunch again of rolls, chicken and salad followed by fruit. The two older girls were back at school but the boys made us little glasses of water each, as we arrived for a toast. It was our 48th wedding anniversary and one we will remember very clearly, as it was so ... read more
Another view of our camp site
The two painters
Campaspe river

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca August 28th 2019

Where do you go for a holiday to escape a 4-day 40-plus deg January heatwave in Sydney? Why, you go south-west about 800k’s and further inland to where it is 46deg, of course! This year marks Ted’s and my 50 years of wedded bliss! 25th January 1969 is where it all began. Of course, we have been together for longer than that and, are what is commonly known as, “childhood sweethearts.” Do they still use that term these days? We both grew up in a small country community of about 600 people where everybody knew everybody else and, if you weren’t related to Ted’s family, then you were probably related to mine somewhere along the line. ? We have come a long way since those days – nearing 60-odd years ago, now - and have ... read more
Our wedding day - 1969
Our houseboat home for the week
Tying up for the night

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca May 8th 2017

Day 1 (2/5/2017) Left Cranbourne at 4.15PM. Stopped at Wangaratta at 8.25PM to fill up with diesel & have dinner. Arrived at Indi Bridge at midnight. Day 2 (3/5/2017) Woke up to a chilly morning of -6C, but a beautiful view right on the Upper Murray River. It was a cold night but slept really soundly. Set up the generator while having a 10AM breakfast. Went fishing & caught a nice Brown Trout first cast. Spent the rest of the day relaxing in the sun & enjoying several drinks. The generator did a fantastic job keeping everything running. Before it started to get cold, gathered lots of firewood to set up a large bonfire to keep us warm. Took a while to get the fire started, but a few toilet tissues soaked in petrol fixed all ... read more
Indi Bridge 002
Indi Bridge 003
Indi Bridge 004

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca September 28th 2015

First job of the morning was to check out the tyre repair place. Yes, they could help but they might be a while. So we went up to the bakery for a coffee. We were sitting down reading the Melbourne papers and having coffee when the tyre repair guy walked in. Bad news I'm afraid, the tyre can't be repaired. They didn't have the same tyre that we already had installed but they could fit something comparable. At $275 each, we weren't rushing to change all six tyres but we eventually decided to change two. The tyre replacement would take more time so Georgi went window shopping and Lenny had a haircut. When we got back to the bus, the story had changed again! It seems one of the wheels (the one with the flat tyre) ... read more
Torrumbarry Weir
Torrumbarry Weir
Murray River campsite

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca March 16th 2015

Day 24 – 16/03/2015 Went to Bandicoot Brewery down on the Midland Highway in Echuca South. Only a small brewery just kicking off, but already having their beer sold in pubs in Echuca & Bendigo. Their bottled beer (in aluminium stubbies) are soon to be available in Melbourne. Drinking from a glass straight from the vat tap, I could not resist the Barbed Wire Blonde, available in 330ml stubbies at 5.4% alcohol volume, investing in some to take home. That is of course if they don’t disappear beforehand! Then it was off to the Echuca Workers & Services Club for their Monday lunch/dinner special: T-bone steak with either chips & salad or veggies, also including a choice of sauces & a drink for a measly $11. Makes you wonder how they can make any money on ... read more
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DSC_1761

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca March 15th 2015

Day 23 – 15/3/2015 Hooray! Violin lady left today! Peace & tranquillity is back! Went to the Rich River Golf Club, just across the border into NSW a few kilometres out of Moama. A very nice place with good priced food & drinks. Returned to the Holden Museum just around the corner from the caravan park. Not over large like some museums, but the disappointing thing for me was the lack of Commodore vehicles. I had expected to see the entire range of Holden vehicles, but this was an obvious huge hole in the lineage of cars put out by Holden. Afterwards we went for a walk down the main street, visiting the chocolate shop. Deb tried the Chocolate Liqueur while I sampled the chocolates. Deb purchased a champagne truffle while I had a solid chocolate ... read more
Hol02
Hol03
Hol04

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca January 8th 2015

Words and Pictures When we sold Gypsy we asked the new owners if they would keep us in touch with what was happening as far as Gypsy went and as far as the trip and travels where gypsy was used, I appreciate that she no longer belonged to us, but she was really a part of “Our Family” and part of some of the biggest adventures we had had in Australia. I do appreciate that on our first trip new travelled 66,000 kilometres around Australia in an entry level soft floor camper trailer for 16 months, yet our second trip when we covered about 8,000 Kilometres’ and 4 months from our spiritual home on the farm in Nangus New South Wales to Western Australia it seemed so much more of a bigger trip and, possibly due ... read more
Words and Pictures
Wordsand Pictures
Words and Pictures

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca December 1st 2014

Hi travel followers. Another week has passed and we have moved yet again to Rochester, Victoria (north of Bendigo), but not before spending a week chilling out at Echuca/Moama. What a lovely place it was on the Murray River bordering Victoria and NSW and watching the many Paddle Steamers travelling up and down the river. You may also be surprised “as were we” that we have officially been retired and on our “Australian Adventure” for our first “YEAR” OR 12 months OR 365 Days, depending on how you look at it. We had to ask ourselves where the time went, until we looked back at where we have been, stayed and the things we have seen. Not a boring day amongst them. For those who may be contemplating a similar trip, I thought I would take ... read more
Murray Cod at Swan Hill
Swan Hill Paddle Steamer/restaurant
Our visiting family of ducks




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