Blogs from Victoria, Australia, Oceania - page 15

Day 12 (4/12/2019) Recovery day today to rest up. Took a leisurely walk around Mansfield, enjoying the cooler weather before the heat arrives next week. Had the trout we caught for lunch which was absolutely delicious. Nothing beats fresh fish that just falls apart & has that nice clean taste. Had an afternoon siesta which means I must have needed the rest. Done a lot of walking on this trip. Dinner tonight was satay sticks & mashed potatoes. Day 13 (5/12/2019) Got up at 5.30am for the drive to Big River. Wanted to fish this area earlier in the day before the sun got up. On the way drove around a bend to find a kangaroo in the middle of the road, but it quickly moved out of the way. Arrived at Big River just after ... read more

Day 1 (23/11/2019) Departed Cranbourne at 8.35am. After tediously making our way through traffic, we finally got onto the Hume Highway. Taking our time & with a good tail wind, we stopped at Avenel Roadhouse at 11.10am for a cuppa & toilet stop. Back on the road at 11.35am, traffic became more prolific for a Saturday. The BP at Glenrowan North loomed, so decided to top up with fuel as no way of knowing how much fuel would be where we were going. Negotiating roadworks on the way to Myrtleford, we took the turnoff & arrived at the Dederang Hotel at 3.20pm & parked in our spot at the rear of the hotel. Took our time setting up the van as we would be running on battery. Popped into the hotel for a drink & booked ... read more

The weather finally turned on Monday...it was glorious! Melbourne has the largest and longest tram network in the world. The network is comprehensive but slow. Nevertheless we used the good weather and the trams to explore the wider environs .. places like Fitzroy, North Melbourne and the like. You never know what you find and we found all sorts of quirky shops. E.g a great lighting store that had me thinking about my lounge lighting again... also a fine fabrics shop which enticed Cathy into buying ..... ooh err that luggage is looking a bit stuffed. In the evening we explored Chinatown. There are times in Melbourne when it feels like an Asian city. At least 50% of the guests in our hotel are Chinese and there are masses of tourists from China, Korea, Japan everywhere. ... read more

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

Today was Moyra's actual birthday, so she had more presents from Pete at breakfast plus phone calls. Moyra and Alan went off to a lovely little church hall in Drysdale to a life drawing class for a couple of hours. Winks and Pete did some gardening and chores. Good to have time together Later in the afternoon Pete took Winks and Al to the 'Men's Shed' where Pete joins other retired blokes to do 'things'. The shed is well equipped for producing many repurposed items in wood, metal and other materials. It is a great place fo men to get together and chat, work on projects, garden or just hang out. On the way home we went to Bunnings Hardwear superstore in Leopold, which is huge and holds a massive variety of stock. We ought the ... read more