We had decided to stay at home this year and enjoy a winter by the seaside, we had stocked up on firewood to keep us warm on those colder days of winter. We were to hibernate and enjoy our time at home with friends or so we thought. Then our friend at the travel agents stated "did you hear about the cheap fares on the "Spirit of Tasmania" for this year? No, was the retort. Oh well, better check this out, goodness me $200 cheaper than last year! That was it, booked and paid for. The firewood will still be there along with the winter next year as we chase the sun and warmer weather again.
The usual's was to take place change oils, filters, extra's such as new gps, new chainsaw, protective shield for our flat towed Suzuki and we were ready to go. Hang on where are we going? We just do not know! thus the name of this diary "Road to Somewhere 2010". Nothing is planned as to which roads we will take, though you can be sure that at some stage we may camp on the mighty Murray River for a while.
We are often asked why the Suzuki? Well it gives us the freedom to get off road after we park up the Motorhome and usually sight see in a 200 kilometre range though the vehicle has about a 600 kilometre range on a full tank of fuel. The Suzuki is a four wheel drive vehicle and is fitted with a 50 litre Waeco fridge freezer, 6 man tent, blow up mattresses, food containers, wood container plus converted gas bottle fire, chain saw, water containers, yabbie traps, shower/toilet tent and the provision to take a generator, TV with satellite television. All up loaded it weighs in at 2 tonne no wonder the Motorhome is aware that it is towing it. Not like our previous tow car which was Suzuki hatch weighing in at 750 kilograms
Suzuki loaded ready to go Towing frame fitted Raised for grease and oil change
Saturday the 15th of May
So again farewell to friends and family and then onto my sisters place before departing on the "Spirit of Tasmania" vehicular ferry to the mainland Australian States. My sister was to remind that I had forgotten to send her a birthday card on Anzac Day. After leaving my sisters house we moved on towards Devonport.
Awaiting to Board Ship Our Port Hole Cabin Jen and Lucas
The day was calm with no wind at all, though it was overcast and cool.When we arrived at Devonport around five pm we parked down on the foreshore by the river and watched the yachts and motor boats returning. We decided not to eat on board tonight and opted for fish and chips which were quite nice. Then it was time to go to the boat for boarding and being around 5:30pm it was growing dark very quick and then at 6:15 they called us on board and we were to park the motorhome on G deck and then up to our cabin for the night. Liz dropped into the pursers office and ordered two more pillows for our comfort, then the ship left the berth at 7:10pm bound for Melbourne.
Then onto the lounge bar for a few drinks and then phoned John & Jenny and Gary & Genevene and Mick & Kaye, we watched the football on television before Liz went off to bed around 11pm and I went onto the picture theatre to watch the movie, which was excellent. It was a very calm trip and before we knew it they were calling us to remind us that the ship would be berthing an unloading at 6:30am. Showered and then down to G deck to drive off the ship.
Liz, Ollie and Andrea St Kilda & Essendon Crowd of 39,000

Sunday the 16th of May
We were on our way to our daughters home at Thorton and trust me I took the wrong turn and and thus we took some time to arrive at Jen's place having to back track etc.
On arrival we reacquainted ourselves with our daughter, son in law and our two grandchildren, later in the morning our other grand daughter Andrea, who is currently studying at University in Melbourne. We went out for lunch and it was pleasant to catch up with all the news from this side of our family. After our meal we wandered along looking in the shops and then off home. While the woman spent the afternoon chatting Rob and I went to the twilight game at Ethihad Stadium between St Kilda and Essendon. It was not a bad game with thirty nine thousand two hundred people in attendance.
Unfortunately my team St Kilda were well beaten and are only shadow of their past performances so I went home very dejected especially given that the entrance fee was $48 with a concession of $8. Did I wait until the game finished? No I was so disappointed.
On arrival at home we had served up roast chicken and salad very nice indeed and then settled in to watch a bit of television, Then off to bed.
Monday the 17th of May
As we intend to get on the road today we arose at 7am and said our farewells to Jen and Rob who then went off to work whilst we had another cup of tea and showered.
Bed made all packed away and we were ready to leave at 9am thus avoiding the rush hour traffic. It was a cold night so the motorhome required the engine heater to get the diesel engine to start and then click, click, click and being on the accessory I felt it was more that the starter motor being jammed. We rocked the van in gear in case the starter motor had jammed with the Suzuki to no avail. Then unhooked the Suzuki and then drove to the nearest auto electrician some ten kilometre away. When I explained the symptoms and after assuring him that I had checked the battery leads on to the battery he stated that it would appear that the battery was had expired.
Given that the reasons given were plausible I decided to buy a new battery and he informed me that it would not arrive until tomorrow for they did not carry the larger truck batteries. Cost $312, golly goodness me I didn't order for I thought this was bit dear so I decided to go back and recharge the battery. On checking the battery with my multi meter the battery appeared to be ok, so I had Liz try to start the truck whilst I watched the voltage meter. Aha! no drain on the battery which meant a poor connection somewhere. Took the leads of the battery terminals and cleaned them and put them back on. Problem solved nothing wrong with the battery it was poor connection and luckily it did not happen on departure from the boat.
We left Thorton at 11:30am and headed to Tocumwal we did not stop for lunch and arrived at Shepparton at 2pm and straight into Aldies and bought heaps of groceries three carton so wine and a carton of Beer at very cheap rates which included the groceries.
Back on the road and it was still overcast with no wind and around 17 degrees celsius there were plenty of trucks on the road wanting to arrive at their destination yesterday. We topped up with diesel at $1.32.9 litre at Yarroweyan taking on 57.56 litre's
We finally arrived at Findlay Beach at 5pm and were surprised at the amount of people camping though a couple obviously had been there for a considerable time judging by the amount of junk and materials around them.
Lit the fire and cooked chicken kebabs and potatoes in foil cooked in the fire and whilst they were cooking we set up the satellite dish and then drank a few stubbies of Cider and Beer before our meal.
Then inside as it cooled down, we were surprised that the Murray River is lower than last year at least 2 metres lower. A terrible sight to see, no doubt we will explore this more tomorrow.
Kilometre's travelled 295

Our camp at Finley Beach Sad looking Murray River Our mate the Koala
Tuesday the 18th of May
We slept extremely well last night and didn't arise until 8am to the chorus of Kookaburra's very nice indeed, lit the fire and cooked our breakfast in the early morning sun. The temperature was 11degrees and would warm to a comfortable 21degrees later in the day. As the caravans and motorhome's left this morning we were to move up to where the solar panels would benefit from the sun later in the day. We were to gather wood leftover from a camp of a motorhome couple who had been on the same ship as us and had been here for a couple of days; they live on Bruny Island.
After setting up again we gathered water from the Murray for Liz do a bit of washing, It is terrible to see the Murray River in the state it is in and Liz didn't want me to take water from it until I explained that for us to get water in the town would be the same for they draw their town water from the Murray. It would be true to say that we have never seen the river so low, last year we were concerned at the level and nothing prepared us for the river being down more than two metres than its normal level. There was no river traffic during the day by fishing boats or house boats the river was so low you could cross the river with the water not going above your knee, so sad.
After lunch we walked over the border into New South Wales and Tocumwal bought the paper and checked the supermarkets and bought biscuits and vegetables and then onto the op shops where we only bought an old saucepan to boil our handkerchiefs etc in. The walk was three kilometers plus the same to get back to our camp.
On the way back we were to reacquaint ourselves with our old mates the Koala's and then we lit our fire and before we knew it happy hour had arrived. A few stubbies and then we cooked our meal by the fire and as it was getting dark we ate inside and watched television and then read until we were ready for bed. The day seemed to go so quick and the weather was great, right on dark the Wood Ducks came up from the river to feed on the green grass around the Murray Gums.
Wednesday the 19th of May
The birdlife was to welcome the new day once again though there were many interstate trucks passing by in a seemingly non stop manner. I didn't light the fire this morning and after breakfast we gathered more wood for our fire, cleaned up around the camp and then read our books in the early morning sunshine.
We drove into Tocumwal at around 10am and bought the paper and bought two cartons of Boags draught for $68 which is a lot cheaper than back home, and then onto the op shop and Liz bought a little craft materials and cottons, bought the paper and obtained water then back to camp for lunch.
Lit the fire and boiled eggs for lunch in our sandwich's and then boiled more water for our showers and spent the rest of the day reading and taking in the wonderful sounds of the many birds frequenting the area. Later we went walkabout to check out the Koala's though we were to not even spot one. We lose the sun from the solar panels around four pm so we stoke the fire up to ward off the evening chill. We cooked our evening meal on the fire though we went inside to eat for the cold of the evening was closing in.
After our meal we settled in to watch satellite TV before going off to bed to read. A totally lazy day.
Trolling for Murray Cod on Lake Mulwala Mulwala R.S.L. Club
Thursday the 20th of May
We arose this morning to a slightly overcast day with the sun trying its best to break through, the temperature was a cool 7 degrees rising to 18 degrees later in the day.
Today is our 47th wedding anniversary so we cleaned up around the camp and tidied up inside the motorhome and then into the Suzuki and we were on the road to Yarrawonga at ten thirty am.
We turned off the highway for we decided to travel through Cobram for a look see. Along the way we were to see citrus farms both sides of the highway as well as many Olive groves. One Olive grove was offering to sell olives to you if you picked your own for two dollars a kilo. We arrived at Cobram and just drove around for it was obvious that the town is the supply centre for the citrus and olive industry.
We finally arrived at Yarrawonga and parked up. The town shopping centre is located on the main street therefore it made it easy to get a snapshot of the town.
Could we pass the op-shops? no though we only went to browse and made no purchases and then down to the cheapo's where liz purchased more craft work for her to do further up the road. We went into a pub for lunch and they told us that we were ten minutes to early and not wanting to drink due to driving we went down and had a look at Lake Mulwala.
Though overcast there were many dinghies trolling for the elusive Murray Cod. This section of the Murray River has a barrier across to form the lake and you can still many trees sticking above water rotting away in the distance.
We could see the R.S.L. Club across the lake on the N.S.W. side so went there for our anniversary dinner, Liz was to have the Fish and Salad and I opted for Lambs fry and bacon. Both meals were well presented and tasted a treat washed down with wine and beer. We then had a go on the Poker Machines with no luck.
Back to Cobram and into GO-LO a cheap goods shop and made a few purchases and then back on the road back to our camp, we arrived back at camp at three thirty pm.
Birds joining us for our happy hour
We unpacked and noted that there were a few more caravans settled in though not near us, lit the fire and it was time for happy hour and as usual we had plenty of birdlife visit us. Liz was to throw them some chips and it wasn't long before they were down at the river drinking due to the salt. They were to come back for more and then the wood ducks arrived and waddled there way up to where the grass is green, you do not go near the area for the dropping are really thick.
It was getting cold and as the fire could not warm your back we came inside and had our meal and then watched the Marngrook football show and then headed off to bed after a very good day out celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary.
Friday the 21st of May
Another wonderful sunny morning after a cool night and no wind what a bonus. We cooked and ate our breakfast outside in the sun and then did our usual camp tidy plus motorhome clean.
After breakfast we strolled into Tocumwal to buy the paper and then had a look at the supermarket specials though no purchases were made. (I have run out of Tams and am awaiting for them to come on special not $3.42 a packet) we are surprised what the locals have to pay for lamb and beef as well as chicken, well above Tassie prices. On the other hand groceries and vegetables are cheaper not to mention Boags beer by the carton though they are asking $49.99 a carton of Cascade draught cider.
We have to come to grips with the supermarkets also having liquor outlets so we do a bit of browsing. We then strolled around the streets of Tocumwal admiring the buildings and noting the cleanliness of the town and then bought the paper and strolled home
Going across the bridge which marks the border between Victoria and N.S.W. we noted the amount of caravans heading north there seems to be one continual stream of them.
After lunch we re-lit the fire and boiled water for our shower in the tent and then generally relaxed until we decided to stroll south along the river enjoying the tranquility of the area looking for Koala's and listening to the different bird sounds. One thing we noted was the dreaded Corella has not appeared as yet though we still hear the cannon boom in the distance at the wheat storage areas frightening the birds away. We had two camper trailers come in just on dusk and set up under the Murray Gums a big no, no. Not knowing from whence they came we assumed they knew the dangers of limbs and large branches dropping even without a wind present.
We stoked the fire up and boiled the saveloys for tea and had them in fresh bread rolls getting ready for the Collingwood V Geelong game which starts at 7:30 pm. We had a longer than normal happy hour which extended into the game on television.
At the end of the night Liz was very disappointed to have her team defeated by Geelong though I would be the first to admit that Collingwood were not disgraced and are still premiership material I believe.
So a few more stubbies and off to bed after another enjoyable day, we were to read for awhile and discuss the game and who did and who didn't perform.
Saturday the 22nd of May
Yes, we are still here at Finley Beach, after breakfast I went looking for Koala's and couldn't find one. Talking to people who are camped close to us indicated that I had walked past a lone Koala. I noted that the people who had come in on dusk last night were packing up to leave the area, the number plates were Tassie so I went over and had a bit of chat and discovered they came off the boat yesterday and were on their way to West Wyalong. The all originated from Wynyard and were expecting other friends off the Spirit this morning and they stated they would be moving slowly to allow them to catch up. The parents and the children were to come over and look at the Koala and they took photo's and then were on their way.
Liz decided to do the washing and I walked over to Tocumwal to buy the paper and give Dad a ring, for some reason they answered and couldn't hear me so $1.50 later I gave up and will try again tomorrow. It was another pleasant sunny day and there were plenty of people about in the town and many caravans about, I noted the lack of motorhome's.
Returning to camp it was time for lunch and after that I caught up with a few repairs to kettles etc that needed attention and then spent most of the afternoon talking to fellow campers and visitors who came to walk their dogs on the beach.
We lit the fire and Liz cooked a beautiful chicken casserole in the camp oven on the fire and then we enjoyed another happy hour with a few people coming over to discuss the A frame towing system that we have. We missed our canoe motoring up the river today and then coming back on oars assisted with the run of the river as it heads for South Australia.
It is getting cold even by the fire so we came inside to have our evening meal and watch the Essendon V Richmond game this evening and then had a cuppa and headed off to bed and the warmth it offered.
Sunday the 23rd of May
We continue to be blessed with the weather windless sunny morning and we had our breakfast by the fire surrounded by birds who wished up to feed them. Cleaned up and then into Tocumwal to buy the paper and ring Dad, again in went my money and I could hear them and they could not hear me, so rang the Telstra service fault and the woman agreed that there was a problem and was able to establish the three calls that I had made that had cost $2 for no result. The operator thanked me for the call and indicated that would fix it soon, good day. Then the line went dead
We decided to go for a drive in the countryside which is very flat and every paddock has water channels for irrigation purposes some paddocks were very green others suffering from drought. I turned on the GPS and dialed in Finley and it guided us there and to the post office where I was able to use the phone to ring dad.
We had a good look around Finley and then headed down the Newell Highway to Tocumwal which is some 20 Kilometre's away. There was still a procession of caravans and trucks heading north, As we were arriving at Tocumwal I noted that the service station on the highway was some 6 cents a litre cheaper than we paid at Yarroweyan and the same as charged at Finley as we do not need to take on diesel we will re-fill the Suzuki and the generator container in the morning.
We settled in for a late lunch and then we started packing our gear away after our showers and then spent the couple of hours talking to our neighbors before cooking our evening meal on the fire before coming inside to watch the St Kilda V West Coast Eagles game and what a disappointment to watch my team playing so poorly and did they win Yes! They picked up in the last half and won by 35 points and thankfully the blood pressure dropped again. Then watched the last half of Dr Who and onto Golden Mile then off to bed another fine day speaking to good people and enjoying the weather.
Flat plains of Riverina Ageing house Deniliquin Deniliquin Corella
Monday the 24th of May
We awoke to a gloomy, cloudy day with a few spits of rain, luckily we packed away yesterday in the sunny conditions. Final packing saying goodbye to our friends the Koala's and the last of the campers and we were on our way. First stop at Tocumwal to top up with fuel for our generator and the Suzuki given the price of fuel.
The rain was now just sprinkly as we arrived at Finley and turned onto the highway bound for Hay. Its not our intention to arrive at Hay today, tomorrow is our wish. We were to go through Blighty a small rural town consisting to two houses, a hotel and large grain storage sheds.
The land was as flat as can be and you could see for kilometre's and it was obvious that the land was being cultivated for wheat and production of beef. The cattle appeared to be mostly black Angus. There were plenty of water channels and dams though we could not determine which river the water was drawn from. There was little traffic on the road and we passed through a few small villages and arrived at the roundabout and instead of turning onto the Cobb Highway we elected to go into Deniliquin to have a look see.We parked in the rest area for the sign on arriving indicated the the township had 8000 inhabitants, first mistake we started walking not knowing that we were in the industrial area and after two kilometre's looking at the old houses and farming equipment which was huge we sauntered back to the motorhome. We noted that the Mobil service station did gas bottle refills so we re-filled our empty 9 kg bottle and surprisingly the price was $30 some $15 cheaper than St Helens.
We drove around over the bridge into the town centre and admired the old buildings and the beautiful parks and due to the rain arriving we did not feel like getting out to walking around to explore the town. We found a new shopping centre that had a Reject Shop so we had a look and bought several items for later in the trip and went into Coles and did a stock up for the price of groceries etc in the outback is expensive and we also bought some smoked cod for our evening meal tonight.
Park Deniliquin Desolate land along way Rest Area for the night
We had our lunch in the rest area which consisted of frankfurt's in bread rolls washed down with tea and we were on our way making the turn onto the Cobb Highway heading for Hay.
The land was not changing still flat as could be and the same land use as seen previously.The rain started to get heavier and so we looked for a suitable place to settle for the night and at 3pm we pulled into a disused road metal dump and set up camp, As we did not wish to watch television this evening I set up the generator under cover for we are going to watch dvd's tonight and then have an early night at the moment the rain is teeming down and the motorhome and Suzuki both show the signs of un cleanliness from road grime.
Other than the rain it is very quiet with not much traffic on the highway as we have our evening meal. We then settled in to watch the movie "Zulu" which was excellent then off to bed to read our books,
Kilometre's travelled 132
Flooded rest area next morning Perrin Merino Monument Terrible road conditions

Tuesday the 25th of May
We went to bed last night and when we switched off the lights the rain started to bucket down and that was the way it was to be all night. I was so worried that we may not be able to get out onto the highway this morning. Luckily there was good layer of road metal though the water was ankle deep in some areas, started up and other than one small slip we were on the highway and on our way.
We hadn't had breakfast so we decided to stop at the Perrin Monument Rest Area for breakfast, the rain was still falling and it was absolutely a dismal day and unbeknown to us at the time it was to get worse.
We pulled into the Perrin Monument at Wanganella for breakfast and on finishing we had a look around the small park and if it had been a sunny day then it may have looked great, it was well set out a very relaxing area.
The Perrin family bought the large farm in the 1850's and set about building up a Merino sheep stud known as the Perrin Line, today most of the Merino sheep owe their ancestral being to the this breeding programme and today it is still well known breed. They have a large monument of a Merino sheep and the full history of the breed and the different families of Perrin's who have operated the farm since its inception up until its point of sale, all very interesting. We noted that on the next block was the Cobb and Co way station where changes of horsed were kept to ensure the coaches were delayed for as little time as possible.
When we left the area we noted the weather had not improved and thunder was about with lightening in the distance, there was no doubt we were heading into worse weather than we had encountered to date. There was plenty of traffic on the road and the trucks were really sending up the spray, so much so you could not see ahead of you until they had passed, not nice!
We decided that at the rest area 29 kilometre's short of Hay we would stop and have cup of tea, time for the disasters to begin.

All equipment working Bogged 2 metres off highway
As we arrived at the rest area I noted the hard metal base, though the first two metres was only dirt. Not a problem so in I turned and in no time at all the wheels started to spin and understanding this vehicle the wisest thing to do is to stop or you will dig in to the diff making it more difficult for yourself. At least the rain had stopped and we were in the throws of taking the Suzuki off the back when the cavalry arrived, so to speak. Three motorhome's pulled up to lend assistance plus a farmer in his 4x4. Before we knew it the chain was attached and the motorhome was pulled the two metres back onto the bitumen highway.
Needless to say no cup of tea, we thanked all for their assistance and listened the farmer with the local knowledge when he said "Do not venture off the road anywhere today or you will get bogged"
Being pulled from bog Large wheat storage sheds Refurbished Hay Railway Station
The land beside the highway was flat for kilometre's and the Hereford cattle where feeding on salt bush for there was no grass visible and then we came across very large wheat sheds which was some 20 kilometre's before Hay and it certainly wasn't wheat growing land.
Then as we approached Hay it started raining again and we decided to head towards Sandy Point and select a camp spot, we thought we would stop and study the maps and camp spots in this area and as we went to move off, disaster again the motorhome battery did the same as it did back in Thorton last week. I was not going to get under the body in this weather with the ground so wet.
We gave it push with the Suzuki and started and then took car off and stopped the truck for we thought it would be wise to check out the area rather than get bogged again.
There is only one other motorhome here and he indicated that he wanted to leave today though if he moves he will bog so he is going to sit out the wet weather over the next couple of days. Hooked up the Suzuki and the next problem the car would not go into towing mode so we had to go into Hay to get fuses to rectify the problem the same as some months ago.
We drove around the town and noted there was 4 cents a litre difference for diesel in the town centre than the service stations on the roundabout into town, back to the Motorhome for lunch at 1pm and then the next disaster!
Liz getting some food from under the couches noted that the biscuit packets had their ends chewed off, yes that's right we have a mouse in the house! we lost 2 packets of Anzac biscuits and 1 packet of Scotch Finger biscuits, clearly the mouse enjoyed the latter more than the Anzac's. After lunch down to the hardware and bought some rat killer sachets and did a bit more touring around and came across a very nicely restored old railway station that now boasts a cafe then down to the tourist information centre and back to the motorhome to spread some nice sachets for our mouse in the house, where did we pick it up and where did it get in? Will we be able to get rid of it?
The rain is still tumbling down along with lightening and thunder and we discovered that the front windows were not latched so the spray had come up from the road and onto the couch covers. Oh Well, maybe tomorrow will be better, tonight relax watch a couple of DVD'S and off to bed, at least our bed is not wet even if our clothes and footwear is, we hope we do not have to bring out the gumboots.
Kilometre's travelled 91
Ibis on local football ground Picnic tables by the river Camp at Sandy Beach
Wednesday the 26th of May
It rained during the night and the ground around us became so boggy and full of water I could not get under the motorhome to fix the battery connection problem, we attempted to pull it out with the Suzuki to no avail.
With the assistance of a Landcruiser V8 he not only pulled me out he rolled started the motorhome, after thanking him for his assistance we drove to the road and parked on bitumen which allowed me to get under the motorhome to fix the problem.
I pulled of the battery terminal and drove down to the auto store and purchased another, once fitted problem over and the motorhome started no problem at all and did so for the rest of the day, hopefully now the problem is rectified.
We had our breakfast at 10am and then down to the information centre to have hot showers and save our water. Well Murphy's Law had not deserted us, under the shower, where the soap? called to Liz, reply "I forgot my soap as well" at least we had not forgotten our shampoo which worked well as soap. I went to the library to upload the diary to date and Liz went onto the laundromat to wash the mud ridden clothes.
We bought fish and chips for lunch and went down to the picnic area at Sandy Point and while we ate we attracted the birds who attempted to get us to feed them, they certainly go through some funny antics. The picnic area is next to the Murrumbidgee River which is down 4 metres at least. In the library there are plans for building up the levee system to protect the town in time of flood, I believe they do not have to worry for awhile.
Then drove around several camp grounds that are in worse condition than where we are so we returned back to the motorhome. We noted Ibis on the local football ground couldn't believe how many there were. We went off to check the tyres on the motorhome at the local tyre service; they made no charge which was good of them. Whilst there I checked their rain gauge and it held 40 mill which they said was from Monday on. Then onto refill the diesel tank and then we moved back to the campground at Sandy Point and made sure where we parked we could get out of easily. The weather map shows that there will be rain for the next five days north and west of us so we decided to stay a few days to wait out the rain and have a good look around Hay and its surrounds.
Late in the afternoon it was good to get sunshine again and we wandered off to another camp for happy hour on our return we found happy campers around us and some only a couple of metres away.
Murrumbidgee River Walk Excellent scenery along track Typical Hay's older house
Thursday the 27th of May
It was overcast this morning with very heavy cloud and after breakfast we decided to go for a walk along the track beside the Murrumbidgee River, though a bit slippery in places it was good to see the varying colours as winter approach's and as trees shed their leaves for winter. We followed the track for about two kilometre's and it bought us back to the road. Then we were to see some very fine examples of the older housing of Hay all of which had very large air conditioners on their roof. In one garden they still had a nice bed of rose's which Liz stopped to smell.
Back at camp and we did a few chores and then drove out in the Suzuki to have a look around and found the old Hayes Goal that has had many uses over the years from Woman's maternity ward, staging place for ww2 and finally for prisoners and today it is museum depicting all these periods.
Old Hay's Goal Westpac bank 1917 Fire Station
We pulled into the main street and admired the Westpac bank that is undergoing a new paint makeover it looks great even with a cloudy sky behind. then the old Fire Station jammed in between modern shops fronts. Established in 1917 today it is utilised as secondhand bookshop. We crossed the road and entered the second hand shop and boy oh boy wasn't there some junk all we bought was a couple of old cd's and then onto Foodland store to buy a chicken for our meal sunday night cooked in the camp oven along with baked veggies. We never made the purchase for they were so dear, off to the IGA and though dearer than we are used to paying made the purchase anyway.
Bought some vegetables and small items and then we went down to the GO-L0 store and had a good look around and only purchased some items for our lunches. Back to camp and had our lunch and then during the afternoon we visited other happy campers and had a good chinwag. We had a car pull up when he saw our Tassie plates and he indicated that he had been over here at Hay for twelve months and is looking forward to going home at christmas.
We had a few more come into the area and I helped one bloke set up his satellite dish that he was having problems with and then for happy hour today we only had a cup of tea and for our meal tonight Liz has made a big pot of soup that smells delicious and tonight we will watch the Marngrook Football Show on the dish. Another good day though a little on the cold side. We are happy with the area especially the encouragement to camp by the shire council due to this we can tolerate the chilly day due to lack of sun and tonight I am also running the battery charger to top up the house batteries that have not had a full charge for a couple of days.
Processing iceberg lettuces for the Supermarkets

Friday the 28th of May
Rain and more rain was to greet us this morning, after breakfast we cleaned out the under seat storage to find the mouse that was worrying us. The sachet of rat killer had been eaten and given that we emptied every item we could not find the problem, hopefully the mouse left us to die. We checked to find the way that the mouse came in and we could not find anything.
Then we went for a drive firstly to top up with water and then to buy the paper. We were driving up the main street of Hay and there was Eddie and Audrey filling their motorhome with water and after a chat we found they were on their way to Cobar. We then decided to drive out on the road to Maude and came across a team collecting lettuces in the damp conditions. We drove along the fence line to get photo's and was somewhat amazed to find the tractors were just moving without an operator it looked strange.
A bloke came over and he was to explain that the tractors were operated by computer and thus the first tractor with its rotating rings were keeping time with the pickers, then lettuces were placed in cartons with woolworths brand and coles brand. We were given a lettuce and we were surprised by its weight very big indeed. We would have spent close to an hour watching the operation it was interesting even more so when the machine were close when I said " I am from immigration" a woman yelled out don't say that for I will be the only one left to do the work. The manager indicated that most of the workers had breached their visa's by over staying or were illegal immigrants who were prepared to work for $16 dollars per hour.

Murrumbidgee weir on the road to Maude
We then went and checked out many camping areas on the river which showed us that they are dry weather areas even though they were very good camping area that the council promotes. We came across the Johnson conservation area and the weir that explained why the river was so low. No doubt during the summer months they would close the weir thus the river back at Hay would be high and suitable for campers and locals to use.
We drove back to camp and after lunch we had a poppy and nanny nap before we went over to happy hour with our neighbors and then back for our evening meal and to watch the football tonight before we retire.
Saturday morning market at Hay Camping area at 9 mile bend
Saturday the 29th of May
It absolutely teemed down with rain during the night so much so that we lost the satellite signal twice during the evening, thankfully it restored to see the last quarter of the Essendon V Bulldogs game; which Essendon won by 9 points.
When we climbed out of bed this morning the outside was just like a lake around us though when the rain ceased within about an hour the ground absorbed the water. I was to top up the motorhome water tanks from water collected from the rain. Liz was to discover that we still hadn't rid ourselves of our "mouse in the house" so we decided we had to purchase a mouse trap and try that. We decided to go to the local markets this morning and use the information centre shower rather than our own.
The markets were comprehensive though they had moved from the Lions Park to the showground under cover due to the weather. The only thing they didn't have was fruit and vegetables, Liz was to purchase craft work and I a bell to alert me when a fish bites, though I haven't had the rods out yet. The rain had cleared and the sun made its presence during movement of the clouds, so after our showers we drove out along the highway to Euston to have a look at the campsites available. There was no way you could have driven into them with anything less than a 4X4 the campsites were great though definitely dry weather area's for camping.
Back to camp and the rain was intermittent and we lit a fire even though the wood was wet we achieved the flame we wanted and the only thing was that the fire was a little smoky. Come happy hour we gathered around the fire with Kevin and Jenny and before we finished the rain started so we grabbed our umbrella's and stayed by the fire until the rain became heavy. The rain is very heavy at the moment though we haven't lost the satellite signal yet and hopefully we won't so as we can watch the Collingwood V Brisbane game. Another relaxing day though the rain is becoming a bit of a pain and as the locals were to tell us, most abnormal for this area this time of the year. Not to worry we are dry and and warm what more could we want.
"Mouse in the house" captured Wood Ducks with plenty of water to play
Sunday the 30th of May
Plenty of rain again last night with the satellite signal only dropping out once, this morning it was showers with little wind. We were to hear on the radio that the east coast of N.S.W. had high winds that caused havoc with trees falling on houses and plenty of flooding rivers causing problems to the populace, we were to hear the same was happening on the East coast of Tassie.
At last we finally captured our "Mouse in the house" with a strange looking plastic trap that the locals indicated we should load it with peanut butter and it worked, we have re-set it again just in case we have more. So much for the rat sack the mouse ate all the bags we placed though we are not sure if there was more than one mouse.
After our clean up and wearing our coats and beanies for the temperature was now 11 degrees with intermittent sprinkles we carried umbrella's as we walked into the town centre to buy the Sunday paper etc. Along the way we were to see Wood Ducks frolicking in the large pools of water laying near the camp area , they were not worried by our presence.
Colourful trees and gardens on the way into the Town Centre
Along the way many trees were losing their leaves and the colours were wonderful and the gardens we passed still had flowers and roses in bloom very nice indeed on such an overcast cold morning.
After purchasing the paper we strolled down to GO-LO and made a few purchases for the trip ahead and were pleasantly surprised to be given a 15% discount on our purchases. We were lucky it did not rain heavily until we arrived back at the motorhome. I was hoping to pull in the awning in for our departure tomorrow and at the moment this is not possible. We had our lunch and then had a poppy nap when Liz woke me and indicated a motorhome had come into the area with Tassie Plates and was named "Our Castle" I remembered that it was the motorhome that we had seen in Norwood on the way down to the Punchbowl reserve. We met a little later and sure enough it was those people and it was the motorhome that was previously owned by Brian and Christine which they confirmed.
We invited them over to happy hour with Kevin and Jenny and ourselves, prior to happy hour the sky had cleared and the sun was shining and in no time at all the awning dried off so we pulled it in and started packing for our departure tomorrow. Then lit the firepot and cooked a chicken for our evening meal complete with baked veggies.
Our happy hour was enlightening Jen & Geoff indicating this was their first time away in the motorhome an they stated that they were on the way to the Birdsville Races in September then home to Tassie.
Our evening meal was great and really to much though we pigged out and watched the Fremantle V North Melbourne on the dish from Western Australia, we have enough chicken left for our meal tomorrow night wherever that may be.
We watched television until 9:30 pm and went to bed and read our books for awhile, another good day given the coldness and rain, at the moment we have a starry sky which we hope signals the end of the rain.

Monday the 31st of May
We are in absolute heaven this morning the sun is shining and there is not a cloud in the sky, this made it easier to pack up our camp having to wipe cables and bottoms of chairs to get the mud off and yes we caught our second "Mouse in the House" so we reset the trap. We said our farewells to Kevin & Jen and Geoff & Jan and then we were on our way, first to the Information Centre to use their showers for the last time. Whilst I went up to the library to upload the diary Liz refueled the car and generator drum and purchased bread.
Finally, we were on our way most happy with our stay in Hay even given the rain and wind, there is no doubt they have some beautiful camping area's along the Murrumbidgee though they are definitely dry weather camps. We turned onto highway 24 heading for Hillston which are not going to make today as is our wish. The road though flat gave you the impression that we were always climbing and with the sun streaming through the front window screen it was wonderfully warm.
The land is laid out in some sections for wheat and others for cattle and sheep the latter being predominant, traffic was light and alongside the road you could see the water lying which gave you the warning not to leave the bitumen. Some tracks had put their trailers off the bitumen and you could see the problem they had dragging them back onto the road. We stopped for lunch in a road gravel pit and were joined by a caravan couple who we had chat to.
We moved on with no wind and the road appeared to go in a semi circle for the sun was now on our side with no changes to the land at all and when we arrived at Goolgowi we turned onto the Kidman Way towards Hillston. Strange how the road has such a high crown no doubt to cope with the deluge of rain that must occur from time to time. We travelled a further 30 kilometre's and at 2:30 pm pulled into a nice big area where the tanks are at bore 1155 and set up the satellite dish and hung a few clothes to dry and then at 3:30 we commenced our happy hour. Being beside the highway the car drivers all waved including caravans and the trucks were to blow their horns. As usual when you lose the sun the cold of the evening falls upon you so at around 5:30 pm we went inside for we did not want to light a fire for we are stopping overnight only, so a bit of television and then reading and we will be on our way tomorrow bound for Cobar.
Kilometres travelled 137

June
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