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Published: November 14th 2011
Monday 7th November was a warm bright morning - there had been a bit of a down-pour during our party celebrations of the previous evening so everything had a nice, fresh feel to it this morning. When we eventually stirred we could hear a couple of children’s voices! Why weren’t they at school? Obviously the combination of the yoga weekend and last night’s party had proved too much for Beth and Ken and they clearly weren’t up for school. We had a relaxed couple of hours in the garden before we decided to see a bit of the Mansfield countryside. Although we’ve been to Mansfield twice before we have not had a chance to explore the area, apart from a quick drive into the Mount Samaria State Park just along the road. Today we hoped to go further afield and several people had given us tips as to good places to go. Having recently got a feel for mountain air, we wanted to get to the top of Mount Buller but first we were going to drive to Jamieson and have a picnic lunch down by the river - so that’s exactly what we did. Jamieson is about 40 kilometers away
through lovely rolling countryside and the picnic area we found in the heart of the village was a picture. We walked briefly along the river bank but we knew precisely where we would have our picnic. A few other people came and went, including three girls who braved it into the water for a dip but mainly we had the area to ourselves and the picnic was perfect. We spent time watching the many birds there and also some large fish idling near the river bank. Mark had told us about a short walk from there so after we’d cleared everything away we found the path towards where two rivers, The Goulburn and The Jamieson, meet. They flow into Lake Eildon at virtually the same spot and as Eildon is pretty full at the moment the rivers have flooded a bit and at one point the water had covered the path we were following. We managed to navigate around it and completed the delightful circular walk back to the car.
On our way back out of Jamieson we spotted a sign for Lake Eildon Lookout and decided to investigate. We’re pleased we did because after a climb of about
8 kilometers we came across a parking area with a magnificent view looking along the length of Lake Eildon. The lake is generally long and thin but with a number of “arms” stretching in all directions. Because of the high water level, the outline was especially clear and the overall affect was brilliant. On our way back down from the lookout we saw a sign to Paradise Point. We tend to be tempted by anywhere that has the word ‘paradise’ in its title and so far we haven’t been disappointed. But this trip was along a dusty gravel road which, eventually, we realised had no direct access to the lakeside. Some of the properties along there looked idyllic but the “paradise” bit must relate to the location of the homes and not to the views available to the passing tourists. We decided to head for Mount Buller which actually required us to drive much of the way back towards Mansfield before picking up the road direct to Buller. On the way we passed through the delightfully named Merrijig and also saw the sign for Sheepyard Flat – a very popular camping area which even nephew Bertie in Melbourne has visited.
We felt we wouldn’t have time to visit there today so we continued on our way to Buller along a good road but one which began to climb and twist sharply the nearer to Buller we got. We passed through what appeared to be a ticket station but there was nobody at home. We presume that at the height of the skiing season there is a charge to enter the park but, unlike Thredbo and the Kosciuszko Park a few days ago, there are no charges during the off-season. The weather was glorious and on arrival at Buller we were really impressed by the obvious skiing facilities there. There were ski lifts and ski runs everywhere and plenty of accommodation and eating places in the small mountain resort of Buller. We drove up through the resort and kept driving until we reached the highest point that vehicles could go. We sat and admired the views both in front and behind us but to get the full 360 degree views we would have to climb about 500 meters to the summit. After a short break with a cuppa and some cake we decided to do the walk. It was quite steep
and testing but, with Graham’s new steady approach to tough walks, we both managed it comfortably. The views were excellent and had much more of a mountain range feel to them than the ones at Kosciuszko. The journey back down the mountain was good although the tyres squealed loudly on the bends even though we weren’t travelling fast. We paused briefly at a water-fall and then continued the journey back to Blue Range which was easy - we arrived back at about 6:00pm after a really enjoyable day out.
The Reeves household was thrown into a bit of confusion for the evening as Ken was included on a school camp trip at the very last moment when someone else dropped out. The trip leaves at 7:45am tomorrow and the list of requirements is considerable. We helped out with some envelopes and stamps while others produced all sorts to add to the things required. A “family” meal of lasagne and veggies which I helped prepare went down well and Graham and I did the washing and wiping up with the help of Simone’s sister Karen. We retreated from the chaos to try to catch up on some blogging and to
think about what needs to be done for our trip without the caravan to Melbourne. We rely heavily on being close to the caravan for all our needs so this will be a bit of a test for our planning – we must make sure we take everything we need with us.
Tuesday 8th November was the birthday of our niece in Tewkesbury – Claire. Happy Birthday Claire – we hope you had a nice day although we know it was a normal working day for you. It was also the birthday of Beth, the youngest of the Reeves family with whom we are currently staying. Birthdays are a big thing in the Reeves household but because of the confusion caused by Ken’s late inclusion in a school camping trip which required a very early start this morning, all of the Reeves’ were up with the lark to celebrate. We slept through the celebrations and only stirred after the kids had gone to school and Simone had headed off to work (I was quite cross with myself for missing her). Beth was 8 years old today and was having a family party that night so I volunteered to make
a raspberry/chocolate cheesecake. Unfortunately, no sooner had we got up than the heavens opened and we suffered a severe and pro-longed thunder storm which, at one point, resulted in a power cut. When power was restored and the heavy rain had subsided a bit, we rushed into Mansfield so that I could get all the ingredients I needed. I then spent the next hour or so creating the cheesecake masterpiece while, outside, the sun began to make an appearance. Graham set about trying to dry things off that had got absolutely soaked in the downpour so that we could pack things away dry in the morning. It would take some doing as the rain was immediately heavy – there was no slow build up and it caught us unawares. Graham then spent some time with the neighbour, Willy, inspecting the pregnant cows - I’m not sure what he’d do if one of them actually went into labour as he’s squeamish at the best of times. It might make for some interesting photos for the blog though!
In the afternoon, birthday preparations got underway in earnest. Mark dashed off to do some last minute shopping while I began the “inside”
preparations for our caravan-less trip. There’s far more to do inside than outside so I just hope I don’t forget something important.
At about 4:00pm Beth got back from school and we were able to have a good look at all her birthday gifts. She had thoughtfully left ours unopened so that she could open it in our presence – how lovely of her. Her pride and joy was a lovely, fluffy, white, flopped-eared rabbit which she had known nothing about until the family presented her with it this morning. Her delight was evident as she nursed it and played with it for a long time. Soon people began to arrive for Beth’s “grown – ups” party (she’ll have a kiddies party at the weekend). It was much the same arrangement as the chaotic party at the weekend – people brought various culinary delights, Mark produced a noodle salad and a lasagne, warm party pies were suddenly produced along with nibbles and drinks. Julie, one of their great friends came with the ingredients of a Spanish Omelette, cooked it, distributed it and then went off to play tennis! More people arrived, some new to us, and then attention was
drawn to events in the make-shift paddock outside. Someone had spotted the first calf being born and everyone watched as the calf clambered to its feet while the mother cleaned it proudly. The joy suddenly turned to dismay as the calf, struggling to stand on wobbly legs, was nudged into the nearby dam by an over-attentive mother. Most people just stood spellbound by the events but three young girls, Zoe and two of her mates, ran over to the dam, one whipping off her jeans as she ran, and jumped straight into the water where the calf was now submerged. The mother cow looked on anxiously as the three girls, one a farmer’s daughter, wrestled the calf back on to the bank to the huge relief of the on-lookers. There was concern that the interference of humans may affect the bonding between mother and calf but the cleaning and preening continued again, though still precariously close to the water. Fortunately the cow and calf took up a slightly better position before Willy appeared to thank the girls profusely and to take control of the situation.
The party atmosphere then continued un-abated as a few more people arrived and food
seemed to be produced from no-where. One of the highlights was being able to talk to Sarah over Skype and there was a long line of children and adults outside the caravan all waiting to have a chat with her – she was thrilled but not half as much as the people this end who all miss her desperately. It was a fantastic mix of people and time seemed to fly by. It was a brilliant way to end our short stay in Mansfield – we seemed to have crammed so much into the last few days. After everyone had gone and the Reeves household began to settle down, we retreated to the caravan. Graham had actually gone to bed when brother David in Warwick appeared on Skype to pass on more information about his forthcoming wedding. We had a lovely, funny chat which went on for ages – he seems so happy with life and it’s wonderful to see. We managed to settle down for bed eventually but, as with the other night, it was far later than our normal bedtime.
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