Friday the 16th of May
The usual packing and farewells before heading off to the Ferry to head for mainland Australia and the commencement of our travels. The price of fuel will rise with the introduction of an increase in the excise duty on fuel. No doubt we will deal with this in the usual way just refuel, pay up and grumble and then get on with enjoying our trip. The annual visit to see my sister has taken place and then on though the sunny autumn weather along with the colourful colours of the leaves drifting to the ground.
We arrived in Devonport and dropped in to see John & Jenny who are on the ferry with us tonight, no doubt we will have a few coldies in the lounge tonight. The usual fish and chips with Debbie and Sophie before sailing took place. It was a pleasant surprise to have Gary and Genevene from Irishtown join us as well so the next hour or so was a pleasant time then onto the Ferry.

The wind had dropped and the chop had gone off the water as we boarded the Ferry, we were to meet up with John & Jenny in the lounge of the Spirit of Tasmania where we swapped information and then watched the football on the Television which was Sydney V Essendon then onto play the pokies before going off to bed.
The trip was uneventful for there was no movement at all which meant it was a pleasant trip. We had our showers at 5.30 am and disembarked at 6.30 am.

Saturday the 17th of May
The traffic was not heavy when we disembarked and headed for Jen's and Robs place for the weekend. It was good to see the family again and we gave the boys their gifts and then had breakfast and went out and topped up with fuel. What a shock unleaded petrol cost $1.39.9 cents a litre and diesel for $1.50.3 a litre and the gas refill from Ray's was only 13.50 for 4kgs and a 9kg bottle for 22.50. Boy what a difference to our home state.
Then onto Preston for our annual Vietnamese Lunch which again was very good. Then onto the Preston Market for veggies and some meat which we cryovaced for our journey ahead.
Back home and relaxed with us watching football later in the day. A good day with family including our grand daughter Andrea.

Sunday the 18th of May
A peaceful night sleep and after breakfast and cleaning up we went off to the Doncaster shopping centre and Big W. The shopping centre is enormous and you could take all day just looking at the many shops over the five floors. Liz and Jen went off to the woman's section and I went and purchased gas canisters etc. We then relaxed and had a cappuccino and the girls had hot chocolate. You could see the high rise building in the distance and the weather again today is overcast though quite warm only requiring t/shirts and still worked a sweat up in the shopping centre.
We then went back to Northcote and Aldies to complete our grocery and meat requirements for the early weeks of our travels. The shopping centre is not as large as the one at Doncaster. Repacked the motorhome and then up to Ray's for a few camping items.
Home for a late lunch and then a poppy nap and then watched the St Kilda football game and that was enough excitement for the day. Oh my poor old St Kilda!

Monday 19th of May
A good nights sleep and then into the house to have breakfast for the last time this trip with Jen and Rob and the boys. We were to say goodbye to the boys who were going off to school and Rob off to work. We had our showers and then it was time to prepare the motorhome for our journey north, we hooked up Digger and then said our farewells to Jen and then out into the Melbourne traffic. Though not peak hour it was still hectic making our way to the Western Ringroad and onto the Western Highway heading north.
It was good to be on a double lane highway and we were pushing a hard nor- wester which was slowing us a little on the hills. A hundred kilometres out of Melbourne we pulled into a service centre and topped up the diesel tank at $1.55.9 cents a litre bought a paper and two cappacino's and then we were back on the highway.
The traffic was still as heavy though two lanes meant for easy going and were to see two different wind farms along the way and noted one farm was named Windy Ridge. The sun was disappearing behind what looked like rain clouds and later in the day we were to get a little rain. The Highway now bypasses Ballarat and many small towns with plenty of roadwork's being carried out it wont be long before you have double lane highways from Melbourne to Horsham.
The only town we travelled through was Beaufort which was very pretty even more so with the autumn leaves of all colours littering the ground around the trees and some had not shed their leaves as yet and looked great.
We arrived at Green Hill Lake at 1.30 pm and set up. There was plenty of space for there were only three happy campers. We had our lunch and then strolled down to the lake and was amazed at the lack of water compared to last year, even though the birdlife was prolific mostly ducks and swans.
The boat ramp and pontoon are well clear of the water and given the level of the water it would not be suitable to even launch a boat of any description.
We have a good view over the lake from the motorhome so it was entertaining to watch the birdlife go about their business. We read the newspaper and then our books for the rest of the afternoon for we have intermittent rain and it is starting to get cold in the wind outside. Later tonight we will watch a bit of television before going off to bed.
Kilometres travelled 216

Tuesday the 20th of May
We had an excellent sunset over Greenhill last night given the wind and occasional bit of rain. We had local caretakers come around collecting $5 for the night which is good given the location with hot showers and toilets all very clean with garbage bins. There were a few happy campers arrive late and set up mainly tents and in one they were hard at it given the amount of noise coming from within the tent. We were to watch television up until 10 pm and then off to sleep.
Awoke this morning to the chirping of the birds and the sun attempting to break through the clouds with just a slight breeze. We had breakfast and back on the highway, we were still pushing a head wind and as we drove through Ararat we came across fog which was to last for around 70 kilometres. There were plenty of trucks on the highway and there were plenty of overtaking lanes so they were not held up for long. Wide loads and fog made the drive pretty eerie and as we passed the Grampians they were shrouded in fog though you could see the lowest part of the mountains.
We were to drive through many small towns including Dadswell Bridge which is renowned for the very large Koala which they the call the Big Koala. The area is renowned for the large quantity of Koala that roam through the national park. There was plenty of fog around the Seppelts vine yard and winery. The fog hanging around the vines made for an interesting view.
We finally arrived at Horsham and as we needed bread we stopped in at Aldies and made that purchase along with a few other items. I couldn't believe it when the bill came to only $22.50. Then around to Safeway to top up with diesel fuel for $1.55.9 per litre with the four cents discount.
Back on the road and in no time at all we arrived at Dimboola in overcast weather and set up at Eddie's place for few days. We had a coffee and then spent the next hour talking about all and sundry. I assisted him to place a gateway across the paddock for he has sheep coming shortly to aggist on his 11 acres of land.
We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and then it was happy hour and Liz and I celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary which is today. There are no local restaurants and the pub does not sell food today at all. So we will just have a barbecue and refreshments tonight and have a decent meal probably when we arrive in Mildura.
I have to say that Ed's shed is huge with plenty of room and plenty of shelf space. The centre piece is the fire made up of old truck rims and it certainly warmed the shed up whilst we had an extended happy hour. Their is plenty of room to place a fry pan or camp oven on top. We watched television and then went off to bed.
Kilometres travelled 145

Wednesday the 21st of May
A good nights sleep though we were to hear the trains on there way to Adelaide. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sun was rising when we hopped out of bed at 8 am. The window shades we bought for the front windows of the motorhome are working a treat they keep the cold out and stop the early morning daylight from waking us.
Before breakfast I walked down to the newsagents which is about three kilometres from the motorhome, it was such a pleasant morning with little traffic about and the school children awaiting there bus.
The old Dimboola Hotel which was burnt out some years ago looks all forlorn though still standing for it was built of brick and only the internal wood work and the roof suffered. There are few shops that are closed and others for sale, I stopped and looked at the real estate prices and it does not cost much to buy property with acres in this area. The town itself only boasts a population of 1600 and only a small medical centre. Liz was to attend the medical centre for her tests and they were all right which is a bonus.
Eddie wanted to see the satellite dish in action so out came the gear and as usual the trees were putting a damper on receiving the signal. So moved it in between some bushes and that fixed the problem. Eddie was happy about how easy it was to set up and to operate and is talking now of buying a dish etc. himself
I have had trouble getting this web site to upload and accept our travels to date so I took the computer to the local online centre and after two hours of sorting out, cleansing the computer everything loaded thankfully. I walked back home in the lovely afternoon sun and noted the beautiful white rose display outside one older style house. We will again have our happy hour in the shed with the fire going and as well we are cooking our evening meal in camp oven on the firepot. so it should be another good night. The day has gone quickly and we haven't been out and about to do the touristy things.

Thursday the 22nd of May
Before breakfast we went for a walk to the newsagents in the town centre, Liz was to drop back due to the problems she is having to her hip, leg and shoulder. After getting the newspaper we had a look at the many gardens that people were tending with some poisoning the weeds. Of course we had to stop to have a chat. Some have used the front of their house to grow pumpkins and others for ornamental purposes. Some of the displays were wonderful and few a bit junked up.
We had showers and then breakfast and as the day is tipped to have rain Liz was to use the washing machine for we are moving on in the morning. It is a strange day sometimes sunny and then overcast with high winds, the temperature was to run around 24 degrees very nice indeed.

We went for a drive around the town and looked at some of the houses and the railway station. There were many wheat carrying carriages parked up for the area is renowned for wheat both for grown and distribution depot. Then we drove into the Sandy Desert National Park and noted the many camping areas along the river and as there were no signs indicating No Camping we assumed you could camp there.
We drove out to the Weir on the Wimmera River which was destroyed in the floods two years ago. The old Weir was over a hundred years old and built of river red gum, they are just in throes of completing a concrete Weir and doing the final touches. The bridge into the national park made also of timber was washed away and has now been replaced with a concrete structure.
We drove out along the river and noted small houseboats and many other small craft moored along the banks. Then back to the Chemist to get our prescriptions and then onto the Supermarket for a fresh chicken to cook for our evening meal tonight. Would you believe that the only chicken they had was used for cooked chickens for sale and nothing available to the public. We persevered and they were going to sell us one they had for barbecuing and found they had run out. They stated there would be a delivery later this afternoon so we put in an order.
Tonight we will eat and cook in the camp oven in the shed again and really it is that warm it is just like camping. Ed has indicated that he will use the shed more now and only go into the house to sleep. The shed is very large and even after parking a ute and his motorhome and other units there is still oodles of room. This what I call a real man's shed.
We had our lunch and then relaxed for the rest of the afternoon and chatted away until we lit the fire and cooked our chicken in the camp oven with all the baked spuds etc.
We had our last happy hour together and watched television and the football shows until we drifted off to bed.

Friday the 23rd of May
We awoke during the early hours of the morning to heavy rain that persisted for some hours. All told it amounted to 13 mills. Due to Ed's yard being bluestone it did not cause a problem for us when we came out of the motorhome. As there was more rain forecast we were contemplating staying another day. We thought we would wait until after breakfast to make that decision. I wasn't going to walk to the newsagents this morning given the threat of rain so I took Digger, our Suzuki. and on the way back I saw a bloke holding what looked like our stone guard. When I pulled up he indicated that he saw it blow of the roof racks when I was going down town. Well I did not tie it on the racks did I. I will need to be more careful for we lost a stone guard a few years ago for the same reason and our mate John made us a new one.
Eddie was going off to Ballarat for a doctors appointment so we bid him farewell just in case we decided to go. We had our showers and then I looked on the web for the weather forecast and it looked reasonable. The sky was still heavy with rain cloud when we decided to go. At 11.30 am we hooked up Digger and we were on the road again headed towards Brim and our next camping spot.

Along the way we noted kilometre after kilometre of flat land sown to wheat for as far as you could see, the farmers would have really enjoyed these rains on their crops. There were many small towns with huge concrete wheat silo's and at some there was extra wheat alongside covered in tarps. We were to see one train with plenty of grain carriages attached trundling along though there were only two engines. Given the flatness of the country they would have found the going easy.
We arrived at Warracknabeal and pulled up and went walkabout. Another small town that looks like they reply on the farming industry for their survival. We strolled down the main street and noted the sheep being rounded up by the dog dedicated to Federation Place and down the other end of the street was a Dog sitting on a bag of wheat. There were plenty of shops and we went into the secondhand shop and had a look about and into the bakery where we purchased bread rolls for our lunch.
Back onto the highway towards Brim which was only 35 kilometres away so it did not take long to arrive there. We went down to the camp area and found that there was a charge and given that we didn't need power the charges were on the high side and not being happy with the area we moved and said farewell to Brim.
We were now heading towards Hopetoun and along the way the same wheat paddocks for as far as you could see, this must be the main industry in the Wimmera/Mallee district.
We were to see many B/Doubles carting wheat and the highway was quite bumpy which made it a bit uncomfortable. We finally arrived at Hopetoun and headed down to the camp grounds down on Lake Lascelles. In the first section is like a caravan park where it is $20 per night with power or on the other side of the lake is the free camping with toilets and hot showers all they ask for is a donation towards its upkeep. We have decided to stay the weekend it is such a nice spot and we get television so we will be able to watch the football tonight and other games over the weekend.
Kilometres travelled 114

Saturday the 24th of May
A pleasant evening last night with the birdlife on the lake and the beautiful sunset especially when the sun had fully set. This morning we had a slight fog on the lake and I decided to go for a stroll around the foreshore prior to breakfast. Liz was to link up with me and we then strolled further down the lake and watched the birdlife going about their business. Had breakfast and after cleaning up we unhooked Digger and drove into Hopetoun proper and noted the very large concrete wheat silo's and the steel holding shed which I along with other constructed some 45 years ago. It bought back memories which included having a young family I left them behind in Tasmania to gain work in construction in Victoria to ensure that there was bread on the table, so to speak. I recall constructing many of these wheat holding sheds in the many towns in the wimmera/ mallee district in all I was away from my family for three months. When I saw the hotel it also bought back many memories. We had a walk around the town and like so many it appears to be dying with many shops and service stations closed, what is left of the town is very clean and the locals very friendly. We headed back to our campsite and on the way we stopped to have a look at the Mallee Bush Camp which is on the opposite side of the lake to us.

It is very well laid out with many different types of accommodation there were two units built from grain silo's that looked different and some built of stone at ground level and others out of timber.
We spent a good hour just relaxing and reading all the signs and taking note of the many aboriginal drawings and paintings of the area and their culture also. Back in camp we grabbed our books and a cappacino and went down to the foreshore facilities and read whilst watching the birdlife. We were to see two boats one powered by battery operated electrics and another with a small four stroke motor. You could not hear either as the they went past trolling for fish, we did not see them catching any. The signs say that all boats must go in an anti clockwise manner and only four circuits of the lake, which really is small though not as small as the lake at Brim.
We decided to have lunch around 1.30 pm so we used the barbecues to heat our bread rolls and barbecued our savaloys for a change all very nice washed down with a cuppa. The barbecue facilities are excellent with a sink each end to wash dishes etc. They also supply the cleaning fluid, cloths and steel wool to clean the barbie after use. We certainly will be leaving a donation for the area before we leave on monday morning.
The sun was shining brightly so we pulled out the radio soaking up the sunlight and listening to the Richmond V GWS game boy didn't the Tigers have a turnaround after last week.
Tonight we will watch the Hawthorn V Port Adelaide game before going off to bed. For happy hour we only had a coffee each and then went for another stroll along the foreshore. Then we cooked our evening meal and settled in for the night after a very relaxing quiet day.

Sunday the 25th of May
Another nice sunset last night as we enjoyed our coffee happy hour by the lake. The Port Adelaide V Hawthorn football game last night was a good game to watch I think one of the better games we have experienced this year with Port running out eventual winners.
I strolled over to the Bush Centre this morning and looked at the aboriginal paintings especially the Totem Poles, I wasn't aware that they had totem poles. Back and had breakfast still inside as the mornings are a bit chilly and then we had our showers and cleaned up the camp. There were still plenty of people walking around the lake from the township and they are all friendly and do not mind having a chat. They are intrigued with Digger's towing apparatus and like to be informed of its function.
We read our books for awhile and then drove up town and purchased the sunday paper, then we decided we would go for a sunday drive. Liz enquired at the local shop on how many kilometres to the township of Rainbow and was informed "about one hour". That's about what country people say when you ask the distance to somewhere they all reply on the time it takes to get there or back.
So we took the road to Rainbow which turned out to be 59 kilometres and 48 of those where wheat fields as far as the eye could see. It was noticeable how large on site grain silo's were and there are huge hay sheds made of steel and corrugated iron. The machinery was very big especially the tractors, the photo I took of the tractor was only a medium sized one.

We finally arrived at the township of Rainbow and we only expected it to be a small town with wheat silo's. That was not the case is was quite large with three hotels we could see and their were plenty of business premises in the main street, the street was very wide with a median strip with many trees and palms. As it was nearly midday we decided to get a cappacino and stopped at one of the local cafe and take away.
Oh well! so much for the diet fish and chips with cappacino's were the order of the day, whilst this was being being prepared I went outside and engaged with the locals who were a wealth of information on their town and what we should look at. They indicated the town was not as populous as in past years for the farms had become more automated and larger machines meant less jobs available. I was able to talk to one of the locals who remembers the wheat sheds being built in the late sixties and when I informed him I was involved in the construction he questioned me to some extent to their structure and then finally stated yes you worked on them. I forgave him for his quizzing and doubt for he is a St Kilda supporter and has been for as long as I have.
We bid them farewell and went down to the park and had our lunch in the beautiful sunshine. We then decided we would return to camp via Yaapeet to have a look see. We first turned off the highway to have a look at Lake Albacutya which was some nine kilometres off the Hopetoun highway. When we arrived it was a national park and you could see where they had moved campers off the headland and rounded them up into a small section for camping. We drove out to the lake and found there was no lake for it was dry and the beach was non existant. The so called lake was green and very large going on the banks and beaches around the non existant lake. We walked around the banks for awhile and headed back to the highway a little disappointed.
We then headed for Yaapeet who state they are an area of national parks and water systems in the Wyperfeld National Park. Now this is a very small town with as small shopping centre all closed.
We were to see very large tractors and machinery used in the cultivation of wheat. It was all wheat country and we were nearly back to Hopetoun before we spotted cattle in the paddocks. In all we travelled around 160 kilometres in Digger for our sunday drive. We arrived back in camp around 3pm and pulled out the radio to listen to the Suns V Bulldogs in Queensland.
Had a cuppa and then hooked Digger up behind the motorhome for we are leaving in the morning travelling toward Mildura. Tonight we will watch a bit of Television before going off to bed to read our books for awhile it has been another good day for our travels.

Monday the 26th of May
Another very overcast morning, we seem to have cloud cover that effectively blocks the sun and makes for a chilly morning. We had our showers and then breakfast, cleaned up and left a donation for our lovely time spent here in this rest area and then we were away. First stop at the newsagents in Hopetoun for the paper and then onto the highway heading north.
There was a fair bit of traffic which included B-Doubles heading for Adelaide and wheat trucks. This section of bitumen was the best yet though we appeared to be climbing into a head wind. We passed many fields of wheat again and a few small towns that were not populous nor had many buildings. We came through a town called "Speed" and under the sign is a message saying "Slow Down". It looks a little odd given the name of the town.
The next town of Tempey stated that this was the heart of the Barley growing district so it was certainly a change from seeing wheat for ever and ever. We were to see many flocks of sheep grazing and many Barley crops. Before we knew it we arrived at Ouyen and we pulled up and had a chat with some happy campers who were to give us some good camp sites however they were outside of travel plans. Then we spent the next hour in Vinnies looking and gossiping with the locals which I have a tendency to do. We then drove down the main street in the shopping centre which is well off the highway. Pulled up and had a look about though made no purchases.
Back on the highway given we will not travel far for we do not wish to arrive in Mildura today. We turned onto the Sunraysia Highway and the same small towns appeared as well as the first of the dreaded fruit fly warnings and the need to dump fruit and vegetables. We finally arrived at our camp for tonight at Hattah South Rest Area which is very basic with no toilet facilities though there is plenty of toilet paper in the bush's.
We had our lunch and then set up the television though we do not get all the channels which we are not worried about. The day at 3 pm is a warm 26 degrees so I am in trakkies and singlet, we have a warm northerly blowing as well.
Relax and read our books is the order of the afternoon and not much else. There are a few happy campers arriving for the night so we wont be on our lonesome though that does not worry us being on our own.
Kilometres travelled 121

Tuesday the 27th of May
We had absolutely heaps of rain during the night though we did not worry for we were as snug as a bug in a rug in the motorhome. We had our breakfast and the rain had left us and the road was drying out. The radio indicated that we could expect storms when we arrive in Mildura later in the day.
We were to see many fruit fly signs along the highway and the small towns along the way had pulled out their Citrus trees and others and replaced them with grapes both for wine and dried sultana's etc.
We had not arrived in Mildura from this direction in the past so it was new experience where we relied on the gps to get us on the road to Merbein and then onto Horseshoe Bend.
We arrived and noted the many changes that have been made and we parked in the same area as last year on the banks of the Murray River. Later I will see if I can catch a fish or two during our stay. We had a visit from a happy camper who informed us about all the new bollards and white discs setting out camping areas. These turned out to be parking for cars for in the not to distant future this camping area will become day use only.
We were setting up our camp and noted the black sky coming towards us and we could hear the thunder in the distance. We decided to pull out the awning and double roped one end in case the wind increased, this turned out to be a good action.
We were relaxing having a cappacino and noted the boat going down river trawling, the sky was getting darker and the thunder then the lightening could be seen and heard in the distance coming towards us. It wasn't long before the same boat was speeding up the river for they could see what was coming at them.
When the storm arrived we had high winds, thunder, lightening and plenty of rain which is nearly horizontal. I placed a bucket under the awning to catch water and what a joke the rain was just being blown off the awning and the decision to double rope the awning turned out to be a good one.
We came inside and had lunch and it was dark due to the storm so we just watched the river and the affect the storm had on it.
In around an hour and half the storm had passed on and the sun was once out again though the roads out would be a bit tough on Digger for they had turned to mud. So the rest of the afternoon was spent reading and setting the camp up for we will be staying here for awhile hopefully. Later in the day I put up the antenna for television tonight.
We will go out tomorrow to do a bit of retail therapy.
Kilometres travelled 94

Wednesday 28th of May
We awoke to workmen moving about outside and on investigation it was Parks and Wildlife with contractors. They indicated that they were here to fix the parking bays and renew the picnic tables. By the size of the parking bays they are for cars, though they would not admit it. One of the workers was to remark that he doubted if the markers would be in the ground this time next year when the summer happy campers arrived.
On speaking to the Parks bloke he indicated that I could collect wood from off the ground in the area to burn though not allowed to cut trees down. I found this surprising so I gathered wood for our fires over the coming days. We relaxed with a cuppa for smoko and watched the Pelicans and noted the wood ducks near our camp. There must have been hundreds of Cormorants swimming and diving for fish and to date I have only seen carp jumping though when the work is finished here I will test that theory. On dusk last night we were to see our first houseboat heading towards Mildura. it had no top deck and there were no outside decks.

We do not want to spend to much time away from camp today due to the works so we went up to Merbein to get water for the washing machine tomorrow and then onto buy the paper and back to camp. On the way back we spotted a nice tree down so after unloading the water drums back and cut a section off and then back to camp.
Had our lunch out in the sun and watched two houseboats heading towards Mildura one had their washing hanging on the top deck and the other heading in the same direction towing to small boats. We are starting to get the itch to hire a houseboat and go cruising for a week on the Murray!
We sat outside reading and watching the birdlife both on the land and water and just relaxing. We have put our retail therapy off until tomorrow afternoon when hopefully the workmen have finished. What a relaxing day to read our books, we will have our first fire tonight on this trip which should be great so long as it doesn't rain.

Thursday the 29th of May
Late in the afternoon yesterday there were four more happy campers come into the area and we all came together at happy hour. In all with current campers it made for twelve at happy hour. We were to note the pelicans and cormorants working the fish together. If a cormorant caught a fish and came to the surface the pelicans would mob it and grab its neck until it released the fish to them. It shaw was a sight to behold, there were 18 pelicans and over a hundred cormorants. There must have been a school of fish for the birds would go down river so far and then come back again, all this was taking place in front of us.
Two of the late comers tried their luck fishing to no avail and I was able to capture their silhouette before the sun sunk fully.
It is another overcast day at the moment so lit the fire to cook the toast and boil the kettle for breakfast and then set up the washing machine along with the generator. This is the first time so far on the trip that we have used the generator for there has been enough sun to to fill the house batteries by solar power.

By 12.30 pm we had our showers and finished the washing and cleaning up the camp. We hopped into Digger and drove back into Mildura to do bit of retail therapy. We headed out to the Centro shopping centre which is located around five kilometres out from the actual central city shopping centre. Most of the large national retail stores are located in this area on the Calder Highway.
We were getting a little hungry so we popped into Hungry Jacks and pigged out then onto BCF and obtained a 4 kilo gas refill for $11.10 the cheapest this year. We then went onto Ray's, Big W, Cheap as chips and then onto Cheap as Chips for a few products and then Bunnings. By the time we did all this it was nearly 5pm so we returned to the camp.
Happy Hour arrived and we all came together around the fire and chatted on with Liz taking a Chiacking over her support for Collingwood. The sunset tonight was great once again an the fishermen have yet to catch a fish. Back to the motorhome and had pumpkin and potato soup which was enough given the amount we ate for lunch today. Tonight is football so that will occupy our night. Another good night and tomorrow we will go into Mildura and down to the river and the loch,s doing the touristy thing.

Friday the 30th of May
What a gorgeous morning with the sun shining brightly over the Murray and the parrots etc chirping away. Lit the fire and cooked our breakfast and consumed it in the warm sunlight, went and visited the happy campers who were leaving this morning. The Parks and Wildlife installed the new tables and seats and were finished by 3pm, they are pretty fancy all made from recycled plastic bottles with galvanised fittings.
Cleaned up and headed into Mildura city centre around 11am. First to K-Mart and then across the road to Sam's discount store and then into Coles. We never purchased much in either store. Then bought a bag of hot chips and headed down to the Mildura common on the river for lunch. We placed the hot chips in rolls purchased from Coles and they were beautiful though to many carb's.
A stroll by the Murray and we found two nesting ducks and you could see the egg's that he/she was sitting on. Then a hired houseboat passed by and it had a back drop of many moored houseboats.

We then drove further along toward the weir and Loch and stopped to have a look at the old paddle steamer the Coonawarra which was built in the late 1880's Then we notice the sunken paddle steamer along further. It was the paddle steamer Avoca built in 1877. We recalled seeing this on the television news last night with Parks and Wildlife issuing an ultimatum to the owners to raise the paddle steamer or they would and send them the bill. They stated it sank last easter. We were speaking with locals who informed us that the paddle steamer had been sold to new owners prior to it sinking and now there is an argument as to whether the sale was completed prior to the sinking or after. it is alleged that the owner is the famous television chef who operated it as a show boat and restaurant.
We then went onto to Loch 11 and just missed seeing the paddle steamer coming through the loch which was a pity. It is interesting to watch the boats come and the loch close to bring them up to the next level of the Murray River or indeed lower them.
We then walked over the loch and onto the tracks that lead to the Mildura Weir, when you see this you can understand why the water is constantly high along the Mildura waterfront. It was around three pm when we returned to camp and there had been no additional happy campers arrive.
There were two couples who were driving golf balls across the river to see if they could hit the bank on the NSW side. They succeeded on two occasions with all others falling in the river. We will again have happy hour with the happy campers before coming inside to watch the Collingwood V St Kilda, so it will be an interesting time in the old motorhome tonight.

Saturday the 31st of May
I am not a happy chappy this morning for several reasons. The first is that my beloved St Kilda received a flogging from Collingwood last night by 86 points. Needless to say that I am not talking to Liz today, though I am happy to let her cook my meals. Around 9pm last night I heard the buzzer go off on my rod which signifies that a fish is on the line. I pulled it in and near the shore I could see it was a nice sized Murray Cod, unfortuneately as I was lifting it ashore it came of the hook and even stayed by the shore for while. When I hopped into bed at 10.45pm the buzzer went off again though on this occasion I wore my head light and when pulling in it was another Murray Cod though smaller than the first and again lifting from the water off it came again though I jumped in the shallow water to scoop it onto the bank. I was not quick enough and all I ended up with was wet feet. Lit the fire this morning and cooked eggs and bacon on a large roll something much better than a Mcmuffin washed down with a cuppa. Sitting under the awning due to light rain I watched a boat going down the river pretty loaded up and towing another dinghy behind and it was loaded up as well. He no doubt was going down river to set up camp for a fishing expedition which the locals are renowned for.

We drove in Digger up to the Merbein shopping centre and purchased a paper and then back to camp for we do not intend going anywhere today. Liz was to cook a large boiler three parts full of chicken soup on the fire for our meal later tonight. Around 2pm the buzzer alerted me to a fish on the line and this time I took down the Barra net to ensure I wouldn't lose this fish. The way it fought I could tell it wasn't a Murray Cod and sure enough it was a very large Carp which I hit on the head and left it on the bank.
The houseboats were on the Murray again today one going down river and the other of a rather old vintage going towards Mildura. Even though it had paddle wheels the wash coming from the stern made it clear it had a propeller.
We had happy hour with a couple of happy campers we have befriended with the rain again being light, we all gathered under the awning and had a good chat for they had been out doing the touristy things for most of the day.
Soup for our evening meal and I had returns for it was that nice. It was cold so we turned on the diesel heater for awhile to warm up inside and then settled in to watch the Essendon V Richmond which should be a good game and then we go off to bed to read our books. I have left the line in so we may get another Murray Cod tonight and the landing net is by the rod.

June