Yep, I know …. take your time, smell the roses etc etc.
We have enjoyed our time since my last post, but nevertheless have put in some longer driving days & 1 night stays. Although we won’t be back at our homebase for another week it feels like we are home already. Our journey has brought us to the home of old friends & neighbours, next door to where we lived for 20 years in the Strzelecki Ranges, Gippsland. Here we are enjoying the comforts & conveniences of temporarily living in a house again, surrounded by familiarity & remembered by our favourite four legged friend Nellie, a Kelpie we have known & loved since she was a tiny pup. The horses, goats, sheep chooks & ducks don’t remember us, but nevertheless it feels good to step back into our old lifestyle for a little while.
Leaving Kandos, we briefly backtracked to Rhylstone, visiting the local market to buy some home made marmalade before again moving south toward Bathurst, stopping for a while in the tiny gold town of Sofala. It’s a town with character even if much of it is sorely in need of maintenance. A town now soley dependent upon the tourist dollar, but, it appeared (to us) not enough tourist dollars to keep what attracts tourists from slowly being lost. Nevertheless it was a pretty & quirky little place which I had driven past on a previous trip & later regretted doing so. As is always the way when talking to other travellers & recounting one’s travels someone asks “Did you go to so & so when you were there?” followed by “Well you should have done, you missed a gem” (or similar). On this occasion the ‘gem’ we apparently missed near to Sofala was Hill End. I mention this, not because we actually know what we missed, but to inform those of you who may travel in the area that both Sofala & Hill End are probably worth a look.
From Sofala, on to Bathurst where we didn’t stop, but saw Mt Panorama in the distance – home of Australia’s iconic annual car race , the Bathurst 1000, (& past location of annual pitched battles between Police & motorcyclists). We continued up & down via Goulburn to a camp spot a little north of Braidwood named Warri Reserve, on the banks of a river. Foolishly we expected it to be deserted, or at least few other campers there, but found ‘caravan city’. Nevertheless we had a pleasant sociable evening having been invited to join several others around their camp fire for the evening. A more different mix of folk with different backgrounds would be hard to imagine, but all were very accomodating of each others views & ways. Camping is a great leveller of people. Some were seasoned travellers, some weekenders.
Morning rolled around & over coffee we made our decisions about ‘over the mountains or around the coast’ to Gippsland, and ‘the road more travelled, or the road less travelled’. The lure of milder weather along the coast saw us favour beach over mountain tops & high passes & I’m sure few will be surprised that the road less travelled won the day.
We passed through Braidwood, which during a previous visit (our maiden voyage in the newly fitted out Nissan Civilian bus – ’Nonny’, back in 2007) had presented as a dying town with many businesses closed or closing. It was heartening to witness an apparent change of fortunes with the town busy & looking like many more shops open. From Braidwood to Moruya on the coast, our maps showed a dirt road via Araluen, & the Deua National Park. Prior to this we had never heard of the Deua NP, let alone the Deua River, & had little idea what to expect.
At the top of the hill which was to take us down into the Araluen Valley a sign stated that the road beyond Araluen & onto Moruya was unsuitable for trucks or caravans.
The long, slow tight & twisty (but sealed) descent into the Araluen Valley was accomplished mostly in 1st gear, without the throttle being touched once, although the brake pedal had more than a few controlling stabs. The small valley we reached seemed like a ‘lost world’ by virtue of it’s intimidating entrance. Most cars in the valley seemed to be small lightweight affairs which wasn’t surprising. We wondered if residents kept larger/heavier vehicles garaged up in the higher country!
Leaving the Araluen township we were again regaled with not one, but several, signpost warnings about the unsuitability of the road ahead for trucks & caravans, but pushed on, albeit with a sense of trepidation, semi confident that our small caravan would be ok. Our expectation was a similarly steep climb back out of the valley, over the mountains to the coast, but via an unsealed dirt road. As it turned out the road was nowhere near as steep, but it was very narrow, cut into the sides of steep tree covered mountain sides with very long drops (on the drivers side, which made judging the constant hairpin bends easier), but constant care was required to avoid dropping a wheel off the edge on many corners. There were occasional potential passing places on the inside edge of the road, but they were few & far between, & the constant hope was that they wouldn’t be needed, particularly if it were us that ended up having to do the passing whilst the other vehicle ‘parked’ in the narrow passing spot! Thankfully the need to pass another vehicle did not transpire.
It was clear that it was the risk of dropping a wheel over the edge on a road where turning around was not possible was the reasoning behind the warning signs. We, at a total of almost 10 metres long (with a bend in the middle) would in my estimation have been about the safe limit for the road.
We were enjoying the slow pace through scenic country looking forward to reaching a beachside camp spot for the evening, but our lunch spot at the very green Baker’s Flat, a picnic area right on the river, (& named after a past local family) was so attractive that we looked at each other, smiled, & simultaneously said “We have to stay here”.
It was a great decision. Lounging under the shade of huge trees, on soft ant-free, kangaroo mown grass, by a crystal clear rock strewn mountain creek & on a warm sunny day … it was just bliss! We watched water dragons on the far bank, whilst largish goannas rustled the undergrowth & climbed trees just behind us. Stunningly blue & orange Azure Kingfishers flitted in & out of the water catching little fish with ease. Trying to get a photo of the kingfishers was infuriatingly difficult, they are as fast as they are photogenic! My best efforts were all blurred. I missed the red beaked Firetail Finches MrsTea was excited to see. Early in the morning we were awoken by the a rousing but tuneful dawn chorus , noticeably different to most because of the absence of both the Raven’s “caw caw caw cawwwwww & the Kookaburra’s laugh. The Whip birds echo-y calls told us we were in the forest before our eyes were open. A short time later the sound of footsteps. Fergus the ranger, actually not a ranger, but a local landholder who collects camping fees for the National park, introduced himself & gave us a receipt for the $6 each camping fee. Couldn’t have met a nicer chap, we had a great deal in common, sharing many similar passions & histories which made for a enjoyable hour+ conversation during which we also learned a lot more about the locality, & together spied several Whip Birds, Yellow Robins & King Parrots. In hindsight it was a place we should have spent at least a second night, & is another ’to revisit’ location.
The coast at Moruya was hot & sunny, & even though out of season everywhere screamed tourism/holidaymaking at us. We had reached the ‘exploitation coast’ which was to continue all the way down the NSW coast & into Victoria. Impressive coastlines & sea views dominated by holiday parks & resorts where it’s easy to pay more to camp on a small rectangle of ground with your family for the annual summer or easter break than it would cost to pay rent on a city McMansion in the suburbs.
A bit further down the coast, just a little south of the town of Narooma is Mystery Bay. Friends had described enjoying what it had to offer & so that was the destination we aimed for. We found a beach & cliffside caravan park which provided unregimented bush camping at a cost equal to the most we have paid anywhere, but a cost which was a comparative pittance to any other options along the coast. $24 a night got us shady camping on a 50 acre site endowed with a total of two water taps, 5 or 6 long drop toilets & two cold water showers. Initially we grumbled & cursed, particularly as we were in need of, & looking forward to a shower. Not a cold one though, & not with a 500 metre walk through the bush. The cost & dearth of facilities were almost forgotten however when just a few metres from our camp, along a short path through the thick scrub which sheltered us from ocean winds, we emerged onto a cliff top & within a couple of minutes saw two large whales breaching …. almost their entire bodies out of the water! The rocky coastline with pillars & arches, dark blue & turquoise waters & white crashing waves provided us with a contrast to the deserts & mountains we have been travelling through. After whale watching for a while we walked to an unspoiled & empty (of people) beach close by. As an ex pom, even after 30 years an Aussie, I still have a sense of wonder that it is so easy to find & enjoy entire beaches & bays to onseself. Actually we shared this beach with a few cute & fluffy wallabies …… far preferable to noisy holiday makers!
The following morning we re-visited the beach, but this time walked further, around a small promontary, following grassy trails under a bird infested Banksia forest, where we saw for the first time on this trip a flock of brightly coloured Rainbow Lorrikeets. More fluffy wallabies were out & about on the trails where the shorter grass was no doubt sweeter. On the far side of the promontory was of course another beach, a far bigger & more impressive one separating the ocean from a lake of still crystal clear, presumably salty, water. This was Corunna beach & Corunna lake. The views were exceptional & the extensive hermit crab colonies were entertaining as they went about their daily activities. Our half hour stroll before packing to move on extended to well over a couple of hours & when we did leave we both felt that despite our initial feelings on arrival that we were leaving having had good value.
Another beach at the estuary of the Nullica River provided a pleasant spot to stop for lunch & a paddle before continuing on to a nicely provided camp a little inland, just over the Victorian border at Genoa.
Those responsible for providing & maintaining the camp site have done so thoughtfully. We were more than happy to leave a token of our appreciation in the donation box before we left the following morning.
Now on roads we have travelled many times in east Gippsland it was good to stop to see something we have passed many times. A 5km drive along a forest track at Cabbage Tree Creek brought us to a short but serene walking trail through a 100 acres or so of forest which has been established as a reserve to protect a rare pocket of Cabbage Fan Palm trees, growing at their most southerly Australian location. Apparently these are palms with prehistoric lineage. The stillness among the trees with no sound but birdsong & a water trickling through the creek made for a sense of peace. The mosquitoes whilst present seemed content to go about their business without bothering us.
Back on the road & into Bairnsdale where it was good to meet up with an old friend, a chap we’ve known for many years but have only met once or twice before, but wish this were otherwise. One of those folk that were life circumstances different I believe we could have enjoyed a far closer friendship. Ian, you are a lovely warm gentle man who I am grateful to know. Thanks for your hospitality, it was great to see you again. We both forgive you for failing to provide us with a temporary canine companion! 😉
And so on to what proved to be the last & worst camp of this trip. We’ve stopped in one or two places which have been a bit ordinary or lacklustre, it’s par for the course, but this camp on 90 mile beach, a free camp behind the dunes, just a short distance from the crashing surf was truly horrible. We arrived shortly before dark, & feeling pressured to get set up whilst there was still light, plumped for essentially the first vacant spot we found. It was warm, humid & swarming with midges & mosquitoes so much so it was miserable as we were setting up, but worsened as the evening wore on & was still dreadful when we woke the following morning. We had never camped at 90 mile beach before, but friends have since told us the location we chose is a well known mozzie haven …. I wish we had known beforehand. The long drop toilet 40 odd metres from our camp had a stench worse than any we’ve come across, permeating our canvas refuge from the rampaging mozzies.
We used mozzie spray & wore headnets to pack up in the morning & gladly left, returning to our old stomping grounds & meeting up with our best friends with whom we are now staying for a week before returning to our homebase.
There will now be a brief lull in our travel posts whilst we are back at our homebase….. until we set off again soon, for what we expect will be a different sort of journey to that we have just experienced. We sail to Tasmania at the beginning of December, returning to the mainland mid March next year, so a Tasmanian summer to discover the only Australian State we have never yet visited. Between now & when we sail we hope to deal with a few issues that only a ’shakedown trip’ as we have just enjoyed could identify. Fixing a few things & changing a few things. Provided we have time in between doing what is needed I hope to post again with a few stats & reflections from our first few months on the road with the Patrol & Tvan & perhaps more detail on what we are doing to make future travel better still. If time doesn’t allow for this, I hope to reconnect with you for our next chapter – Tasmania.
Thank you to everyone who has subscribed & followed our travels post by post, & to the many more who have followed us without subscription. It is all of you who read my posts, & particularly those of you who provide feedback either via the blog comments or email (& occasional phone calls) who provide the motivation for me to continue to post, & in so doing not only share our travels with you, but importantly for us, create a record we know we will enjoy looking back through for many years to come. Thank you all from both of us.