Day 4 Gunbower State Forest to Nyah-Vinifera State Forest

We got up at the crack of dawn. It was a beautiful morning. Unfortunately the serenity got spoiled slightly by hunters shooting ducks nearby.

Via Kerang we drove to Swan Hill this morning. Just out of Kerang was a bird watch area which we decided to check out. From the parking spot it was only a 700 metres walk to the lookout tower which offered a lovely view over the Kerang Wetlands. Although we’d got up early, so did the birds and many of them were away doing things that birds do during the day. Nevertheless there were still a few birds around including some pelicans. We took some pictures and continued our journey.

At Lake Boga we decided to take a coffee break. With our instant coffee and some cookies we strolled along the lake. It was just so relaxing.

When we arrived in Swan Hill half way in the morning we followed the signs that directed us to the Pioneer Settlement. A must see if we should believe all the tourist brochures and the lonely planet.

Entrance costed a steep $27 pp.  As we didn't know what to expect we thought it was a bit much but after entering the museum we were pleasantly surprised. It was beautiful and really felt like stepping back in time. There was so much to see. Old buildings and tools from the past, old tractors in all sizes and shapes, farm animals, locomotives and a paddle steamer, and all of this in a beautiful setting! It was worth every single penny!

We walked around the settlement for a few hours before driving into Swan Hill town center to do some grocery shopping, get some fuel and refill our water tank.

Then we made our way to our next camp spot at Nyah-Vinifera State Forest. Again a peaceful spot next to the Murray River. 

Day 3 Echuca to Gunbower State Forest

It was so peaceful, waking up next to the Murray River. The holiday feeling is slowly sinking in!

After breakfast we drove back to Echuca and visited the tourist information centre and made our way to the Historical Port of Echuca. It’s a heritage site going back to the time when paddle steamers roamed the Murray River. It really is like stepping back in time and although we had been here before we enjoyed visiting it for the second time.

We left the car at the port and walked to the city centre which only is a short stroll away. After doing some grocery shopping we hit the road again towards Swan Hill.

We decided to take a turn to the Torrumbarry Weir Interpretation Centre. We had lunch in the park next to the weir. After visiting the Interpretation Centre we continued our journey to Swan Hill.

On the way we passed a sign for Kow Swamp. We read in a brochure that it is home to more than 200 bird species and decided to check it out. We managed to find the swamp, but finding a spot where you could actually see the water (and the birds) wasn’t that easy. Using the zoom lens we at least could ‘shoot’ some birds and drove on to Mt Hope.

Mt Hope is a large granite boulder and to get some exercise we decided that we should try to climb it. There was no clear path so we had to make our own way up. The views were a bit disappointing, but at least we did get some exercise!

As today was all about wanting to go places that were hard to find it was obvious that included getting to the campsite we picked for the night. At the end we found it, only to discover we had been here before years ago! Too funny! Again a beautiful spot next to the river to spend the night.

After setting up our camp we had a well-deserved shower. Not that there was a shower available but we brought a tiny portable shower bag that does the job if you feel desperate and sweaty ;)

Day 2 - Laanecoorie to Echuca

After breakfast we rearranged the car slightly. It will take some days to get things organised efficiently.

We then headed to Bendigo where we had a coffee at Quarry Hill Café and Larder.

As we had been to Bendigo before on several occasions we didn’t spend too much time exploring. After we visited the Tourist Information Centre we walked around the town centre for a bit before we drove on to Lake Weeroona where we had sandwiches for lunch.

On our way out of the city we passed the Botanical Gardens and we decided to have a look. It’s a lovely little park with a spacious bird cage with coloured lorikeets and parrots.

The lady at the information centre suggested visiting the pottery on the way to Echuca so that’s where we stopped next. It was impressive to see the massive old pottery kilns.

In the late afternoon we arrived at our basic campsite next to the Murray River near Echuca. There are lots of secluded camp sites on the river banks. The steep cliffs offer a lovely view over the river. Great spot!

Day 1 - Melbourne to Laanecoorie

After a week of fitting the car out for our trip, today the day had come to hit the road. 

The morning was spent packing the last bits and bobs and then we said  goodbye to our lovely cat Fidget.

We needed to make a few pit stops on our way out of the city before finally around 4 pm we left Melbourne behind us. It’s such an unreal feeling to know you have a whole year of holiday and camping ahead of you. I don’t think that feeling of freedom and adventure has sunk in yet with either of us.

From Melbourne we drove towards Bendigo but halfway we decided to head for Castlemaine to do some grocery shopping. After that we went for dinner at ‘The Good Table’. It’s a lovely little restaurant where you can choose from a set menu (2 or 3 course) with 3 options for each course. The food was absolutely amazing! We both absolutely loved our choices; Sander had rabbit pate as a starter followed by roast lamb as a mains and Monique started with tomato/crab soup followed by the most delicious roasted pumpkin, goats cheese/yoghurt and quinoa salad. Yummy!

Around 7.15 pm we drove to Laanecoorie, via Maldon, where we set up camp next to the river. Unfortunately we had to share the place with heaps of grey nomads and their annoying power generators. Oh well, you can’t have it all I guess J

Our car: Part 2

In the week before departure, the car got a makeover. The suspension was upgraded (including a 2” lift, which makes getting into the car feel like mounting a full grown horse), the radiator was replaced and on the inside we have created some well needed extra storage space.

We now have a little wardrobe for clothes.  A shoe box with lid for storing books. We took out the chairs at the back of the car previously and now we also took the middle seats out which created space for 8 storage boxes.

Between the front seats we build a console which contains or second battery (securely mounted and fused) so we can charge all our devices and run or little fridge.  It also provides some extra storage space.

As a finishing touch we added a roof rack.

Homeless

After a stressful week all our stuff is finally in storage and we have closed the door of our rental house for the last time. Thanks a lot to our friends who look after the the last few bits and pieces that wouldn't fit in the storage space. It's much appreciated!

   

As our 8 year old niece mentioned; 'Auntie Mono and uncle Sander are now homeless, aren't they?'

Yep, for the second time in our lives, we are officially homeless!

Meanwhile our cat Fidget is settling in in her new temporary home. We'll mis her heaps! Luckily she's in good hands with friends of ours! 

Our Plans

We have two days left before we have to move out of our rental property. The last few weeks involved lots of packing and currently we are trying to fit all our belongings in a 3x3 meter storage space. As we are almost ready it looks like it's going to fit, which is a wonder really!

On Monday we are going to move in with friends of us. Not only have they offered us a place to stay for a couple of nights but they are also taking care of our cat Fidget during our year away. That actually means the world to us and we can't thank them enough!!!

Then next week will be all about getting the car ready for our trip and then by the end of next week we will hit the road. How exciting!

The plan is to go to the middle first, so via Broken Hill and the Oodnadatta Track towards Alice Springs. From there we're heading to Darwin and Kakadu.

We will be back in Melbourne for a few weeks in July and then in August we'll fly to the Netherlands to visit the family and to see the new member as Monique's sister is pregnant.

After that it's back to Australia to continue our Ozzie road trip!